Don’t expect to see dirt or shovels at the Urban Farm on East Apache Street in north Tulsa, as soilless food growth is the M.O. here. This 10,000-square-foot controlled environment agricultural facility will house state-of-the-art aquaponics systems (growing plants in nutrient-rich water utilizing fish as a sustainable
fertilizer) and will represent “the perfect environment that’ll be the future of farming,” says Kevin Harper, CEO and president of Food On The Move, the parent agency.
Harper expects the Urban Farm to produce approximately 150,000 pounds of organic, fresh produce per year. Most produce will be sold to local distributors and vendors; some will go to local residents in need.
Another growth feature of this aquaculture will be a fresh crop of urban farmers. Mixing education and entrepreneurship, the Urban Farm will train participants in these new technologies so they can start their own urban farms.
The organization educates sixth through eighth graders and will hire five student interns this summer. Anyone interested is eligible for training. “We’re not trying to make money,” Harper says. “We’re trying to empower people.”
Food On The Move began in 2014; Harper has been at the helm since 2019. Describing the process as “holistic and collaborative,” he says, “we live and die by our partners — health experts, community leaders, government agencies, local businesses.”
The Urban Farm is phase one of the Food Home, which will eventually include Food Hub, Community Hub and Market in north Tulsa. Food On The Move fights food insecurity locally and strengthens food systems statewide. The nonprofit was founded by musician/entrepreneur Taylor Hanson of Tulsa’s pop-rock trio of the same last name.