We recently visited 4Roots Farm where we listened to CEO John Rivers and other members of the team share their excitement about new development projects and how they’re changing the scene in Orange County, Florida.
If you haven’t read the first article, you can check it out here:
After attending a presentation on the history and future of 4Roots Farm, we did a little exploring at the development site. Then, we scooted down the road to try some tasty food from 4Roots Cafe!
4Roots Farm is isn’t an average farm. It’s a collective community of partnerships working together to help build a better food system in Orlando, Florida, USA. 4Roots works with local farmers, local schools, local businesses and local health institutions to create unique solutions to food insecurity and responsible stewardship.
These next images might blind you a little, but this is inside a shipping container converted into a vertical grow garden. With no sun, grow lights create the conditions necessary for growth of various herbs. It was pretty fun to check out!
(See if you can spot us!)
Upon arriving at the Farm Campus, we spotted a group of Orange County school kids on field trip being given a tour. Later they took a break for lunch and recess. They were having a lot of fun flying kites, playing ball and learning about how food is grown up close and in person.
4Roots has a big focus on children who will impact next generations. They’re developing a Discovery Center1 where kids (and all ages) will be able to do all sorts of fun things while simultaneously being educated about 4Roots mission: “restoring the delicate balance between community and nature: a relationship forged in harmony to sustain life for all of God’s creation.”
“4Roots is dedicated to restoring the delicate balance between community and nature: a relationship forged in harmony to sustain life for all of God’s creation. With a focus on advanced regenerative farming, innovative science and technology, and an awakening to the symmetry between food and medicine, 4Roots is a place where thoughts are exchanged, innovation is inspired, and changes that transform the world come to life. These efforts will ultimately improve the overall health of our community by advancing food and farming education, health and wellness, sustainability, economic opportunity, and the arts.
The foundation’s key initiative is the development of the 4Roots Farm Campus located near downtown Orlando. This social enterprise will alleviate regional food insecurity while educating and inspiring the community, encouraging health improvements, stimulating the economy, and modeling key sustainability initiatives.” – 4Roots2
The Discovery Center will give visitors access to a permaculture forest walkway made for “endless foraging.”3 They’ll have fun STEM activities, and teach kids the rich history of Florida and it’s minority populations, it’s rich cultivation of citrus fruits and how next generations will steer the future.
They’ll learn about food systems: from planting to harvesting, compositing, photosynthesis, solar energy, bees, regenerative agriculture and so much more from direct experiences and demonstrations. Boys and girls scouts will get to have “camp-out nights.” There’s a lot in motion to get kids excited and passionate about local community food systems and local stewardship.
The Community Green in the center of the campus will serve as a beautiful venue for a farmer’s market, yoga, plays and guest speakers. A few other developments in the works are plans for an Event Center that will host weddings, dinners, speakers, fundraising campaigns, symposiums, etc.; they’re also building a farm-to-table restaurant that will serve local produce in season with a culinary health expert on-site.
The first building we came to was the class rooms building where shared space will be utilized by grade school students, higher learning, healthcare professionals, farmers and families who wish to learn about “food, farming, health and sustainability.”4
Taking advantage of modern technology, the building uses solar energy and is being fitted with smart windows that will constantly monitor and adjust temperatures inside based on outside weather -connecting with the central heating/cooling system to control classroom climate . And, there’s no need for curtains since the windows opacity can be tinted to suit different needs.
In the photo (above), left bottom corner, a steel drum is used for collecting rain water5 from the roof6 that is recycled and used on site. In the photo (below), skylights allow natural light to filter in as well as helping to reduce energy consumption.
Next, we toured the greenhouse with lots of super green veggies! Showcasing world-class hydroponic technology from Israel, the green house will be used for hands-on learning as well as producing food. It has an entire wall of evaporative copper coil.
Of course, my son enjoyed watching the fish in the aquaponics tank! Aquaponics is one of several growing methods available on demonstration at 4Roots. In a symbiotic relationship, these fish are vital to the growth of the plants they sustain and the plants are vital to the fish’s water quality.
75 plant varieties will grow to flourish this space for an edible foraging walkway
4Roots Cafe @ Orlando Science Center
After our tour of the grounds, we were getting pretty hungry, so we hopped on over to 4Roots Cafe7 and tested out the menu! Salads, wraps, sandwiches and fresh whole foods like apples and oranges! It had a really cool service station with a very rustic farm feel (not shown).
It felt good to know we were eating healthy & nutritious food, but also good to know that the cafe is partnered with fresh produce from local farmers.8
We went with the build-your-own bowl: kale power mix, cilantro lime rice, roasted broccoli, and a cilantro pesto. It was a really good choice and one we will definitely go back for!
While we ate, we were both entertained and educated by a large screen built into the divider wall of the Food Heroes Exhibit. Changing short clips teach visitors about food systems, “food heroes” stories and related museum activities that can be interacted with.9
After lunch, my son enjoyed playing with several of the hands-on kids activities around the wall. A virtual butterfly exhibit, an interactive time-lapse of food decomposition and a living wall. Onions grow in a matter of minutes to help kids understand the concepts of how food is grown.
Then leading into the OSC museum, a few more displays showed unique methods of growing including indoor vertical gardens and a germination tower where seeds are grown from cubes of Rockwool.10
Tiny Green Home
Finally, we toured the Tiny Green Home on our way out of the Orlando Science Center. It’s not part of 4Roots Farm, but it does align with the community efforts to encourage more sustainable solutions to energy and food systems. The place stays on demonstration for visitors/customers to walk through and view different models and methods in one single place.
“This diminutive abode offers a hands-on experience through interactive displays that educate visitors on energy and water conservation measures, sustainability rebates, vehicle electrification, renewables, composting, food gardens and other efficiency methods.
It includes a functioning roof-top solar array and a rain barrel to collect and conserve water, among other green features visitors can add to their own homes. Built by OUC, the City of Orlando, and Orlando Science Center, the 200-square-foot home hopes to increase sustainability education and awareness in Central Florida.”
While we didn’t get to walk inside (since it was unfortunately closed that time), if you’re intrigued to see more of what’s inside you can follow this link to watch a short video on OSC’s website: (click here)
We enjoyed exploring the new projects in development and seeing the places already established for use. We can’t wait to go back to 4Roots Farm as development progresses and share our new experiences with you!
Personal Insight: I have to say this place is really close to an original idea I had several years ago for a live-work retreat center. Ever since then I’ve found so many places with similar ideas already in the works or established and it’s really exciting to see pieces of my dreams manifested in so many other places and through so many other people. (I’ll share more in my Soon Coming Article: If It Doesn’t Exist: Build It!) – FB
And just for fun… here’s the hot pink convertible we spotted on the way back home… 😀
Thanks for reading! See you next time!
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-Thank you so much!
Support the work of 4Roots directly11 or the Orlando Science Center efforts
“To support our vision to inspire, educate and empower others about critical food issues, including how to sustainably grow healthy food to feed a hungry world, contact: development@osc.org or 407.514.2020.“
*Don’t forget to share your angle and perspective!* Feedback is greatly appreciated! What’s your first impression of this article? Are you concerned about food security? Do you think local communities are important for sustainable goals? Have you been impacted by food insecurity? Do you know of other cool places like this one? Do you want to see more articles with personal stories and photos?? Let me know in the comments!
Helping the world be a little less hungry,
iam:ForeverBlessed
…and I hope you are too!
Extra Sources:
https://www.nal.usda.gov/farms-and-agricultural-production-systems/aquaculture-and-aquaponics
Check for rainwater harvesting legalities by state:
Referenced Sources:
- https://www.thedailycity.com/post/4roots-farm-campus-packing-district ↩︎
- https://www.linkedin.com/company/4roots/#:~:text=4Roots%20is%20dedicated,thoughts%20are%20exchanged ↩︎
- Quotations from John Rivers in person meeting ↩︎
- https://4rootsfarm.org/locations/farm-campus/ ↩︎
- https://worldwaterreserve.com/is-it-illegal-to-collect-rainwater/ ↩︎
- https://chaseroofing.com/florida-roofs-adding-rainwater-systems-considerations/#:~:text=In%20fact%2C%20it’s%20not.,to%20help%20conserve%20water%20resources. ↩︎
- https://www.osc.org/4roots-cafe/ ↩︎
- https://www.osc.org/4roots-cafe/#:~:text=proudly%20serving%20plant%2Dforward%20menu%20items%2C%20sourcing%20as%20much%20produce%20as%20possible%20from%20local%20growers.%20The%20cafe%20is%20a%20partnership%20with%20the%204R%20Restaurant%20Group%2C%20and%20a%20portion%20of%20the%20proceeds%20benefits%204Roots. ↩︎
- https://www.osc.org/visit/exhibits/food-heroes/ ↩︎
- https://www.reddit.com/r/hydro/comments/w6rfuh/so_confused_about_rockwool_germinationseedling/ ↩︎
- https://www.cbh.com/guide/case-studies/new-markets-tax-credit-case-study-for-4roots-farm-campus/ ↩︎
Angle & Perspective 
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