Key Takeaways
- Kirk Taylor outlines Land Betterment’s mission to revitalize post-industrial regions through housing and vertical farming.
- The company’s Pure Produce container farms target underserved communities with localized, automated food production.
- Collaboration with Anew has enabled scalable, data-driven agriculture through modular units.
- Taylor emphasizes financial sustainability, stakeholder engagement, and long-term impact.
- Land Betterment is expanding its reach regionally and evaluating global potential.
Kirk Taylor on the Origins of Land Betterment
Responding to Economic Disruption in Former Coal Communities
In an interview on the Vertical Farming Podcast, Kirk Taylor, Co-Founder and President of Land Betterment, shared the company’s foundation story. He described how communities in Kentucky, West Virginia, and Indiana were left behind as the energy economy shifted away from coal. “There was a void in these communities—of purpose, of employment, and of investment,” said Taylor.
Land Betterment was established to reuse land previously dedicated to fossil fuel extraction, transforming it into hubs for economic and environmental renewal. According to Kirk Taylor, this meant tackling both job creation and quality of life through projects addressing housing and food access.
Introducing Pure Produce: A Vertical Farming Initiative
Leveraging Technology for Hyperlocal, Consistent Food Supply
Pure Produce is Land Betterment’s vertical farming venture, developed in collaboration with Purdue-affiliated AgTech company anu™. The initiative utilizes 20-foot container farms equipped with automated growing systems. These units are deployable, self-contained, and scalable for institutions, restaurants, and community organizations.
“Our partnership with anu™ allowed us to overcome both technical and logistical challenges,” said Kirk Taylor. “The technology eliminates variables like weather and human error, delivering consistency at scale.”
The modular design allows for installation in parking spaces or urban lots, offering a solution for fresh produce in both rural and urban food deserts.
Focus on Freshness, Nutrients, and Efficiency
Each Pure Produce container is capable of growing leafy greens, herbs, peppers, and microgreens. The rotation-based growing system continuously collects data, feeding it back into Anew’s machine learning platform to optimize performance. Taylor emphasized the benefits of local sourcing: improved taste, fewer pesticides, and greater control over inputs.
Community-Led Housing and Food Security
Extending Environmental Remediation into Holistic Development
Land Betterment’s work goes beyond agriculture. The company has transformed former industrial properties into livable housing stock. One example in eastern Kentucky saw the remediation of a coal-loading site, followed by the construction of a small housing community using upcycled shipping containers.
Taylor explained that addressing housing and food insecurity together allows residents to fully engage in workforce opportunities. “We don’t want to provide charity—we want to build opportunity,” Kirk Taylor said.
Broader Impact and Growth Outlook
Scaling Through Partnerships and Regional Expansion
With a manufacturing facility in Alabama and current deployments across the Midwest, Land Betterment is preparing to scale. The company is also exploring government and institutional use cases for container farms—including disaster response and educational institutions.
Taylor noted their recent engagement with universities that will use the farms for both food service and teaching. Meanwhile, grocery chains and restaurants are being targeted for commercial pilots, giving them access to locally grown produce in a controlled environment.
“The response so far has been incredibly positive,” said Kirk Taylor. “We’re creating replicable systems that meet the needs of diverse stakeholders—from chefs to students to community planners.”
