What Recirculating Farms Coalition does

Recirculating Farms Coalition is a 501(c)(3) non-profit founded in 2009 and headquartered in New Orleans, Louisiana, that advances water-based sustainable agriculture through education, community programming, and federal and local policy advocacy. Its core technical focus is closed-loop recirculating farming systems — including hydroponics (plants only), aquaculture (on-land fish farming), aquaponics (combined fish and plants in a single closed-loop water cycle), and aeroponics — which recycle and continuously clean water in place of soil, can run off-grid when paired with renewable energy or rainwater, and produce no chemical runoff. The Coalition operates two flagship community programs: Growing Local NOLA, a community food and farm hub on a donated 5.7-acre site in Central City, New Orleans, and Growing Local On The Geaux!, a mobile health and wellness program across New Orleans.

The Coalition's business model is donation- and grant-driven rather than commercial. Revenue streams include voluntary online donations through Donorbox and Square Checkout, individual memberships, government and foundation grants (notably a USDA New Farmers grant in 2015 and a $650,000 Humana Foundation grant in 2022), and modest direct-to-consumer produce sales via the Growing Local NOLA Garden Box on the TopBox Foods marketplace. Go-to-market is community-led, event-driven, and direct-to-supporters, channeled through an 18-page blog spanning 2011–2022, Mailchimp newsletters, Rally Congress petitions, free community classes, conferences including TEDx Manhattan, and a National Recirculating Farms Map that connects consumers to member farms.

The Coalition also functions as a national policy vehicle: it is a founding member of the Don't Cage Our Oceans Coalition opposing industrial offshore finfish aquaculture, has co-signed open letters to the Biden Administration on Executive Order 13921 and the Keep Finfish Free Act, secured a 2017 National Organics Standards Board ruling making hydroponic and aquaponic systems eligible for USDA Organic certification, and filed a 2021 notice of intent to sue the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers over its Nationwide Permit Program alongside the Center for Biological Diversity and Center for Food Safety.

Name

Recirculating Farms Coalition

Legal name

Recirculating Farms Coalition

Website

https://recirculatingfarms.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Recirculating Farms Coalition is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that supports water-based sustainable agriculture through community programming, education, and policy advocacy, serving urban farmers, underserved New Orleans communities, and a national coalition of recirculating farm members.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sustainable Agriculture Advocacy

NAICS

Soil Preparation, Planting, and Cultivating (115112)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Climate-Smart Farming & GHG Reduction (Emissions Accounting, Methane/N2O Reduction Practices) (AFAGAMAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Nutrient Stewardship & Soil Fertility Management (4R Nutrients, Compost, Biofertilizers) (AFAGAMAE), Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (Fair Trade, Food Access, Regenerative) (BPAGALAD)

Keywords

• Sustainable agriculture advocacy
• Recirculating farming education
• Urban farming programs
• Community food access
• Aquaponics and hydroponics

Headquarters

HQ city

New Orleans

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations: Primary revenue stream. Accepts online donations through Donorbox and Square checkout. Also accepts donations via website calls to action under "Support the Cause" and "Make a Donation" buttons.
2. Membership dues: Individuals can become members by filling out a form; membership supports the organization's advocacy and programming for fresh, accessible food and green jobs.
3. Government grants: Awarded a USDA grant (referenced in February 2015 announcement with Deputy Secretary Krysta Harden visiting); partner with USDA Farm Service Agency for outreach to farmers.
4. Product sales (Garden Box): Sells "Growing Local NOLA Garden Box" produce via TopBox Foods marketplace to support the cause.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Recirculating Farms Coalition is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that advances sustainable, water-based farming through community programs, education, policy advocacy, and digital tools. Its flagship offerings are the Growing Local NOLA community food and farm hub in Central City, New Orleans and the Growing Local on the Geaux mobile health and wellness program, supported by recirculating farming educational resources, an interactive National Recirculating Farms Map, and a Policy & Advocacy program including leadership of the Don't Cage Our Oceans Coalition.

Product overview

Recirculating Farms Coalition is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that operates as a portfolio of community programs, education resources, policy advocacy efforts, and digital tools rather than a single unified software product. Its core offerings include two flagship community programs — Growing Local NOLA (a Central City New Orleans food and farm hub with a public garden, teaching kitchen, composting center, and working farm using hydroponics and aquaponics) and Growing Local on the Geaux! (a mobile health and wellness service across New Orleans) — supported by an educational resource library covering hydroponics, aquaculture, and aquaponics basics, an interactive National Recirculating Farms Map to locate farms, and a Policy & Advocacy program that includes the Don't Cage Our Oceans Coalition. The coalition also runs a Membership & Donor Program using embedded Donorbox and Square Checkout tools and partners with universities (e.g., UW–Stevens Point) and member farms (e.g., AMPS, Boswyck Farms, Nelson and Pade, BrightFarms, Roots on the Rooftop, the Urban Food Lab, and the Arc Eatery) on training, rooftop farms, and food access projects.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Growing Local NOLA: Community food and farm hub in the Central City neighborhood of New Orleans, LA focused on food access.
• Growing Local On The Geaux

Products and services

• Growing Local NOLA A community food and farm hub in the Central City neighborhood of New Orleans, LA, focused on food access. Built on a donated 5.7-acre site (2.5 acres to be developed), it includes a public garden, education and event space, composting center, teaching kitchen, working farm with hydroponic and aquaponic systems, and a future market and cafe, designed for residents in underserved urban neighborhoods.
• Growing Local on the Geaux! A mobile health and wellness program that delivers health-supportive services across New Orleans, providing community-level access to healthy local food and recirculating farming education to residents of underserved neighborhoods.
• National Recirculating Farms Map An interactive U.S. map launched for Earth Day 2012 that locates hydroponic, aquaculture, and aquaponic farms with color coding by type and provides location and contact information so consumers and partners can find vegetables, fruits, herbs, seafood, and decorative plants and animals from recirculating farms nationwide.
• Recirculating Farming Education & Resources An open educational resource library covering the three main types of recirculating farms (hydroponics, aquaculture, and aquaponics), including fact sheets, reports, Aquaponics Basics guides, DIY and helpful links, and the National Recirculating Farms Map, designed for aspiring urban farmers, educators, students, and community members.
• Membership & Donor Program A membership and fundraising program for farmers and supporters, with membership signup via the Coalition website and online donation processing through Donorbox and Square Checkout to support farms, farmers, programming, and advocacy.

Quantifiable outcome

• Roots on the Rooftop aeroponic garden at Rouses Market produces about 40 pounds of greens weekly
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Don't Cage Our Oceans CoalitionflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerRecirculating Farms is a founding member of the Don't Cage Our Oceans Coalition. Through this coalition, they co-sign letters to the Biden Administration opposing industrial offshore finfish aquaculture and advocating for sustainable seafood and land-based recirculating aquaculture. Activities include Congressional briefings, open letters, and joint advocacy campaigns (e.g., letter sent March 3, 2021; April 6, 2022).
• New Orleans Food and Farm Network (NOFFN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term partnership to build the Growing Local NOLA urban food and farming center. RFC and NOFFN collaborated to plan the center and partnered with the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in October 2012, on National Food Day, to formally announce the project.
• Ernest N. Morial Convention CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with NOFFN and the Convention Center (October 24, 2012) to develop the Growing Local NOLA site: the Convention Center donated a 5.7-acre lot at Melpomene and Tchoupitoulas for the food and farm center.
• AMPS (Aquaponic Modular Production Systems)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAMPS (co-founded by Doug Jacobs and Kevin Morgan-Rothschild with support from Tulane's Office of Social Entrepreneurship and the Idea Village) is a Recirculating Farms Coalition member that designs and builds urban recirculating systems in New Orleans. Built the aeroponic towers at Hollygrove Farm and Market (about 40 pounds of greens weekly) and the Roots on the Rooftop garden at Rouses Market.
• USDA Farm Service AgencycoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCooperation with USDA Farm Service Agency to host a series of outreach and discussion sessions for farmers (announced June 22, 2017). In 2015, RFC was awarded a USDA grant and Deputy Secretary Krysta Harden visited the Coalition.
• University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (UWSP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUWSP partnered with Nelson and Pade to offer a 3-credit Introduction to Aquaponics course (first available Spring 2012 semester), developed jointly by Dr. Chris Hartleb and Rebecca Nelson/John Pade; hands-on lab sessions held at Nelson and Pade's greenhouse in Montello, WI.
• Nelson and Pade, Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWisconsin-based company specializing in aquaponic systems and training. Featured repeatedly by RFC as a member and recirculating farm "guru." Hosts 3-day aquaponics workshops, co-developed the UWSP aquaponics course, hosted Wisconsin Secretary of Agriculture Ben Brancel and State Rep Joan Ballweg on March 29, 2012. Has hosted over 500 people from 48 US states and 23 countries at training workshops.
• Tulane UniversitycoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerHosts Tulane undergraduate service-learning students at the Growing Local NOLA urban farm as part of an Urban Farming class. Tulane interns (e.g., Leor Weber in 2022, Deeya Patel in spring 2022, Doug Jacobs while a student) contribute to farm operations and produce guest blog posts.
• Rouses MarketcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLouisiana-owned grocery chain that hosts the Roots on the Rooftop aeroponic garden on the rooftop of its downtown New Orleans location, supplying fresh herbs to its prepared foods section and customers. Launched during the Eat Local Challenge kickoff in May 2012.
• Center for Biological DiversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-plaintiff alongside Recirculating Farms, Center for Food Safety, and allies in a formal notice of intent to sue issued February 8, 2021, over the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Nationwide Permit Program and its failure to protect endangered wildlife.
• Center for Food SafetyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-plaintiff with Recirculating Farms and Center for Biological Diversity on the February 2021 lawsuit regarding the Army Corps of Engineers' Nationwide Permit Program.
• Beyond PesticidesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-authored guest blog post on March 17, 2022 ("Toxin-free Factory Farmed Fish? Good luck with that!") with RFC contributor James Mitchell of Don't Cage Our Oceans; Akayla Bracey of Beyond Pesticides contributed science and regulatory expertise.
• Growing Power (Will Allen)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner organization whose founder Will Allen (MacArthur "genius award" recipient) was featured in an RFC podcast interview (originally published on the Ecocentric Blog, hosted by one of RFC's partner organizations) when he visited Brooklyn, NY in summer 2011.
• Boswyck FarmsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRFC member; Boswyck Farms is working with Ecostation: NY to create a greenhouse classroom for New York high schoolers. Lee Mandell of Boswyck Farms also featured in an RFC podcast on hydroponic growing and food access work.
• Natural Gourmet Institute (Elliott Prag)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerManhattan-based culinary school focused on health-supportive cooking; Chef Elliott Prag contributed recipes for recirculating farm ingredients to support RFC's holiday content and member engagement.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Food Tank: Food Tank is a 501(c)(3) non-profit focused on building sustainable food systems through research, education, and policy advocacy. It is a direct peer in the food systems non-profit space, operating with a similar model of coalition-building, education content, and donor-supported programming.
• Nelson and Pade, Inc. Nelson and Pade is a Wisconsin-based company specializing in aquaponic systems design, training, and curriculum (including the UW-Stevens Point aquaponics course). It is a direct operating peer in recirculating farm education and system deployment that RFC repeatedly features as a member and partner.
• Wholesome Wave: Wholesome Wave is a non-profit focused on affordable fresh food access in underserved communities through produce prescription and Double Up Food Bucks programs. It is a direct peer in the food access non-profit space addressing similar urban food insecurity challenges.
• Fair Food Network: Fair Food Network is a national non-profit driving fair, local, and healthy food access through the Double Up Food Bucks program and policy advocacy. It is a direct peer in food systems non-profit programming and federal/state policy work.
• Local Food Hub: Local Food Hub is a regional non-profit connecting small farms with underserved communities through distribution, education, and farm-to-school programming. It is a direct peer in community-based food access and farm-to-institution programming.

Broad incumbents

• Center for Biological Diversity: Center for Biological Diversity is a large national non-profit focused on protecting endangered species and habitat. It is a broad incumbent co-litigant with RFC on the February 2021 Army Corps Nationwide Permit lawsuit, sharing a multi-issue environmental advocacy platform.
• Center for Food Safety: Center for Food Safety is a national non-profit focused on protecting human health and the environment from harmful food production technologies. It is a broad incumbent peer that co-filed the February 2021 federal lawsuit with RFC and shares overlapping policy priorities.

Emerging players

• BrightFarms: BrightFarms builds and operates commercial hydroponic greenhouse farms supplying grocery retailers with local produce (cited in RFC data for its planned 1 million lbs/year Brooklyn rooftop farm). It is an emerging commercial peer operating in the same recirculating/hydroponic technology space.
• AeroFarms: AeroFarms is a well-funded commercial vertical farming company using aeroponic technology to grow leafy greens indoors. It is an emerging commercial peer deploying aeroponic systems — a core technology area RFC promotes — at industrial scale.

Regional players

• Keep Growing Detroit: Keep Growing Detroit is a regional non-profit promoting urban agriculture, food security, and community gardens throughout Detroit. It is a regional peer in the urban farming and food access non-profit space serving a different city than RFC's New Orleans base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/RecircFarms
• Facebookfacebook.com/RecirculatingFarmsCoalition
• Instagraminstagram.com/recircfarms

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Recirculating Farms Coalition