At Sweet Water Foundation, our mission is to democratize, globalize, and commercialize urban agriculture practices for resilient 21st century communities via hands-on, real-world learning grounded in concepts of community, equity, transformation and resilience. We do this by developing and delivering intergenerational and interdisciplinary educational and career programming that incorporates historical, technological, scientific, artistic, and cultural components into a project-based learning approach accelerated by open data platforms. Focusing on the potential of urban agriculture as a vehicle for community development, Sweet Water Foundation’s outreach initiatives are grounded upon the central theme of turning waste into community resource. Sweet Water Foundation’s programs provide a vibrant environment for hands-on learning in a space that embodies the nexus between inspiration, education, and action. It is vital that young people understand how and why the city has evolved and how it may come to look in the future. As such, our goal at Sweet Water is to nurture a culture that facilitates the acquisition of learning, tools and collaborations necessary to bring about transformative change. Sweet Water Foundation utilizes an exponential growth model for maximum impact by embedding our programming within existing networks within communities. We work to catalyze and cultivate innovative spaces that emphasize the relationship between inspiration, education, action and innovation by supporting STE[A+]M education for the emerging industry of urban agriculture. Our model includes a growing network of Aquaponics Innovation Centers, Urban Agriculture STE[A+]M Hubs, and robust hyper-local partnerships locally, regionally, nationally, and globally.
