Key Takeaways
- AmplifiedAg advances two major partnerships with correctional facilities in South Carolina and California.
- South Carolina Department of Corrections prepares for the first-ever vertical farm harvest inside a U.S. prison.
- New “vertical farm kits” launched and delivered to Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla.
- Programs merge sustainable food production with reentry job training and workforce development.
- Partnerships with Impact Justice and Skout Strategy aim to reduce recidivism and improve food access.
AmplifiedAg and Corrections Partnerships
Agriculture technology company AmplifiedAg is strengthening its role in corrections-focused vertical farming through new partnerships with the South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC) and the Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla. These initiatives, developed in collaboration with reentry program partner Impact Justice and its Growing Justice initiative, as well as CEA advisor Skout Strategy, integrate sustainable food access with workforce development opportunities for incarcerated individuals.
The projects are intended to support healthier communities inside and outside correctional systems while addressing recidivism through job training and reentry programming.
South Carolina: Preparing for a First Harvest
The SCDC is set to achieve a milestone this fall with the first harvest from its container farm at the Camille Griffin Graham Correctional Women’s Institution. This project marks the first significant vertical farming operation within a U.S. correctional facility.
The four-container farm is expected to produce about 48,000 pounds of leafy greens annually, supplying both the institution’s cafeteria and nearby facilities. Program participants will gain classroom instruction in agriculture, alongside hands-on training in controlled environment agriculture (CEA), including seeding, harvesting, food safety, and technology use.
David Flynn, CEO of AmplifiedAg, highlighted the project’s dual impact: “The South Carolina Department of Corrections is making their final operational and facility updates, while the program’s container farm manager and reentry program manager are currently working with the very first cohort of program participants.”
California: Vertical Farm Kits in Chowchilla
In August, AmplifiedAg launched its new “vertical farm kits”, delivering the first units to the Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla. Unlike traditional programs, participants will not only operate the farms but also assemble them, providing deeper exposure to vertical farming technologies.
Flynn explained the approach: “Our team invested significant time developing detailed assembly manuals tailored to correctional facilities and their unique regulatory requirements. This self-assembly approach creates a valuable experience for incarcerated individuals to gain a deeper understanding of the farm’s technology and engineered systems.”
The farm kits, described as “farm-in-a-box” solutions, can be deployed in containers, rooms, warehouses, or other enclosed environments. Later this month, AmplifiedAg will deliver a kit to Impact Justice headquarters in Oakland, California, establishing a training hub for formerly incarcerated individuals seeking agricultural careers after release.
AmplifiedAg’s Broader Impact and Mission
AmplifiedAg sees these initiatives as central to its mission of combining food access with workforce development. Flynn added: “Being able to make a difference in the lives of underserved populations with access to fresh food and agriculture workforce development is the core of our company mission. We hope these partnerships inspire other correctional institutions and workforce development organizations to implement these powerful programs in their own communities.”
Kelly Danner, Growing Justice program lead at Impact Justice, emphasized the workforce development potential: “Formerly incarcerated people make great, loyal employees but, too often, job training programs in prison don’t set people up for success once they come home. We wanted to set our workforce development program in a high-tech environment, and our partnership with AmplifiedAg has allowed us to do that.”
AmplifiedAg
AmplifiedAg® focuses on modernizing and localizing agriculture through its controlled environment agriculture (CEA) technology platform. The company provides scalable indoor farming solutions for farmers and communities across the U.S. and globally, aiming to enhance sustainable food production.
The company designs and deploys enterprise-scale container farms and an integrated software and hardware platform to support stakeholders such as retailers, government entities, NGOs, and others involved in modern food supply initiatives. AmplifiedAg also operates the produce brand Vertical Roots®, which is recognized in the indoor farming market.
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