Giving back

Tri Cycle Farms

The Walmart Foundation awarded Tri Cycle Farms with a $20,000 grant through the Northwest Arkansas Giving Program. The grant will partially fund the organization’s Hydro House Project. This award follows a $10,000 grant the Walmart Foundation awarded to Tri Cycle Farms last year, which enabled the nonprofit to install whole site irrigation for the gardens and food forest on the 2-acre urban farm located in Fayetteville.

The Hydro House, consisting of a 920-square-foot greenhouse, climate control and multiple soilless growing systems, will provide year-round growing and a steady revenue stream creating organizational sustainability for Tri Cycle Farms. In addition, it will be a living classroom supporting the nonprofit’s Seed-to-Sell Service Learning Program.

Students at the University of Arkansas as well as area high schools and elementary schools will be able to participate in the Seed-to-Sell program. Not only will students actively participate in growing produce items from seed to harvest, they will also learn the business and marketing aspects of selling products to local markets.

Most of the $20,000 grant from Walmart will be applied to the purchase of the $37,000 greenhouse. Tri Cycle Farms still needs to raise about $71,000 to complete the project, which will include a 400-square-foot head house, a solar array and a partial salary for an individual to manage the Hydro House operations and Service Learning Program.

Information: (479) 9359357 or tricyclefarms.org.