Food security is on everyone's minds these days. People were already trying to eat more healthy, but now supply chains problems and world events have given them a new concern. Furthermore, healthy food costs more. People with lower income often can't afford the best food. To top it all off, with inflation, good, nutritious food is even further out of the reach of those who need it most.
The Athanatos Foundation is rising to meet this challenge. In cooperation with a produce farm in central Wisconsin, it will invest time and resources in 2023 researching the best way for people with limited space or limited cash to grow the most produce they possibly can.
At least 5 test beds are proposed, each about 10 x 10 in size. Various crops will be planted in each in different ways in order to determine the method that will give the greatest yields. Other innovative techniques, such as succession gardening and companion gardening, will be deployed. By the end of 2023, the best of all the beds will be organized into the most cost-effective package which consumers can purchase for themselves, or generous individuals can purchase for others.
Naturally, the research will continue, year over year, to continue to refine the process and create increasingly superior packages. A 10 x 10 garden bed may not be enough to feed a family, so an eye on scalability will be maintained. Furthermore, considerations for growing zones will be on-going; a garden bed suitable for the upper Midwest might not be ideal for Arkansas.
The actual crops selected will be ones that allow the best 'bang for the buck,' both economically and health-wise. Expect tomatoes, potatoes, onions, and beets. Not likely: corn.
We want to raise $1,000 for each test bed (minimum goal for 2023 is 5 beds). The ultimate package, made available to consumers and generous donors, will cost nowhere near that, but testing requires extra record keeping, careful organization, and constant attention, not to mention the hardware for raised beds, pots, and whatever other materials will be needed for the experimental garden (eg, one might have a trellis, while another might not). Additionally, educational materials will need to be generated to make it as easy as possible for non-gardeners to grow a successful home micro-garden.
Those who donate at least $1,000 can have one of the beds listed as "Sponsored by [Donor's Name]"
Help the Athanatos Foundation feed as many people as it can, by allowing them to grow their own food, no matter what the world throws at them.
