Fleet Farming
Fleet Farming is a nonprofit urban agriculture program of IDEAS For Us that converts residential lawns into volunteer-farmed micro-farms (farmlettes) in Orlando and Sebastian, Florida, serving homeowners, K-12 schools, senior centers, and sponsors through donations, grants, and landscaping fees.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersOrlando, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Fleet Farming does
Fleet Farming is a nonprofit urban agriculture program of the 501c3 IDEAS For Us, founded in 2013-2014 in Orlando, Florida. Its core operation converts residential lawns into productive micro-farms called farmlettes, tended by volunteers who travel between plots via bicycle-powered 'Swarm Rides.' The organization's reach includes 15 farmlettes in Orlando (expanding to 20), 5 farmlettes in Sebastian, Florida (a 2024 USDA-grant-funded branch), 48 cumulative school gardens, and 477+ gardens built through its fee-for-service Edible Landscapes arm. Support programs include Fleet Fruits (fruit-tree gleaning), Fleet Education (curriculum across seven gardening topics), Harvesting Hope (school produce distribution), and the Audubon Park Community Garden.
The organization's revenue is diversified across donations, foundation grants, sponsored installations (school gardens priced $3,000-$8,000), monthly plant sales, branded merchandise through TeeSpring, and Edible Landscapes service fees. Material funders include Healthy Central Florida Foundation, 1% For the Planet, Clif Bar Foundation, Florida Blue Foundation, Sprouts Foundation, and USDA. Marketing is community-led and earned-media heavy, with coverage from National Geographic, NBC Nightly News, NPR, Disney, and UN Foundation recognition producing 500+ million impressions.
The organization runs a lean operation with 1-10 employees, two Florida sites, and an outward-looking replication demand of 800+ requests from more than 20 countries. Its founder is John Rife, owner of East End Market. Fleet Farming sits inside the IDEAS For Us nonprofit umbrella rather than as a stand-alone legal entity, which constrains its commercialization but enables access to institutional infrastructure.
Fleet Farming firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Fleet Farming
- Legal name
- Fleet Farming
- Website
- https://fleetfarming.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Fleet Farming is a nonprofit urban agriculture program of IDEAS For Us that converts residential lawns into volunteer-farmed micro-farms (farmlettes) in Orlando and Sebastian, Florida, serving homeowners, K-12 schools, senior centers, and sponsors through donations, grants, and landscaping fees.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Fleet Farming industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Urban Agriculture Services
- NAICS
- Soil Preparation, Planting, and Cultivating (115112), Food Crops Grown Under Cover (11141), Vegetable and Melon Farming (1112)
- SIC
- Agricultural Services (700)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Tillage & Field Preparation Services (Plowing, Cultivating, Bed Prep) (AFACAAAF)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Greenhouse Herb & Microgreens Production (Culinary Herbs, Microgreens) (AFAGAHAC)
Keywords
Where Fleet Farming is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Orlando
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Fleet Farming business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Donations & Charitable Contributions: As a 501c3 nonprofit program of IDEAS For Us, Fleet Farming relies on donations from individuals and organizations. The organization has received grants from Healthy Central Florida Foundation, 1% For the Planet, Clif Bar Foundation, and others.
- Sponsorship Programs: Fleet Farming offers sponsorship opportunities for various projects including pollinator gardens ($various amounts), school gardens (Glenridge Middle School $5,000, Oakridge High School $5,000, Robinswood Elementary $3,000-$8,000), fruit tree orchards, and rain barrel installations. Sponsors fund specific projects in exchange for recognition.
- Lawn Donation Program: Homeowners donate their lawns to become farmlettes; this community farming initiative creates the primary agricultural output that cycles into local food systems
- Plant Nursery Sales: Monthly plant sales from the organization's nursery generate revenue while supporting the nonprofit mission
- Merchandise Sales: Online merchandise store via Teespring selling branded items
- Donation Page: Dedicated donation page for direct financial support from the public
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | One time/ perpetual license | School Garden Sponsorship - Robinswood Elementary |
| Other | One time/ perpetual license | School Garden Sponsorship - Glenridge Middle/Oakridge High |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Plant Nursery Sales |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels9 records
Fleet Farming product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Fleet Farming is a nonprofit urban agriculture program that converts residential lawns into productive micro-farms called 'farmlettes,' tended by volunteers who travel between plots via bicycle-powered Swarm Rides. The program supplements this volunteer model with a paid Edible Landscapes service that designs and installs edible gardens for clients outside the volunteer biking range, and runs Fleet Fruits gleaning, Fleet Education classes, Harvesting Hope school produce distribution, and sponsorship-funded school garden programs.
Product overview
Fleet Farming is a nonprofit urban agriculture program of IDEAS For Us that operates a portfolio of interconnected food production and education offerings. The core product is the Fleet Farmlettes program, which transforms residential lawns into micro farms through a volunteer-based sharecropping model. Supporting services include Edible Landscapes (custom garden installations for clients outside the Farmlette range), Fleet Education (classes and workshops), and Fleet Fruits (fruit tree gleaning). Community engagement is facilitated through Swarm Rides events, School & Community Gardens programs, and the Audubon Park Community Garden. The organization operates two main locations in Orlando and Sebastian, Florida.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Fleet Education: A service of Fleet Farming offering classes, online information, tips & tricks, and educational programs to empower all generations to grow food.
- Fleet Fruits
- Edible Landscapes
- Swarm Rides
- Harvesting Hope
Products and services
- Fleet Farmlettes Urban micro-farms created by transforming residential lawns into productive growing spaces, managed by volunteers who bike between plots to farm and harvest produce for hyper-local markets and food distribution programs.
- Edible Landscapes A paid landscaping service that builds and maintains raised garden beds, food forests, pollinator gardens, and edible landscapes for Central Florida residents who live outside the Fleet Farmlette program's volunteer biking range.
- Fleet Education Educational classes, workshops, and online resources offering instruction on gardening, native landscaping, edible landscaping, fruit tree orchards, composting, companion planting, and butterfly gardening for all generations.
- Fleet Fruits A nonprofit fruit tree gleaning, planting, and care program that prevents food waste by harvesting ripe fruit from local trees and distributing it to schools in West Orlando through food donation programs.
- Harvesting Hope A program that distributes locally grown fruits and vegetables directly to schools in West Orlando, supported by Florida Blue Foundation, bringing fresh produce from Fleet Farmlettes to local school communities.
- School & Community Gardens School and community garden installation, curriculum development, and ongoing support programs across Orlando, with sponsorship-funded installations at Glenridge Middle School, Oakridge High School, and Robinswood Elementary School.
- Plant Nursery Sales Monthly plant sales from Fleet Farming's nursery offering a wide variety of affordable plants, with proceeds supporting the nonprofit's mission.
Quantifiable outcome
- 300+ lawns converted to productive gardens in first two years
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Fleet Farming
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments8 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Fleet Farming technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Fleet Farming partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- ChoZen Retreat CentercoreLocation host for Sebastian branch operations alongside Village of Kashi
- Village of KashicorePartner location for Sebastian branch supporting senior food access programs
- Audubon Park ChurchminorSite of largest urban micro-farm where rain barrel installation project is located
- IFAS (University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences)minorProvides seasonal planting guides and agricultural resources referenced on Fleet Farming website
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Fleet Farming competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Big Green: Larger national nonprofit that builds learning gardens in schools across the U.S. Comparable mission around school gardens and food education, but operates at much greater scale (200+ schools) without the lawn-conversion farmlette model.
- The Edible Schoolyard Project: Alice Waters-founded nonprofit integrating organic gardening into K-12 education. Shares Fleet Farming's school garden and curriculum focus, but does not operate the volunteer-sharecropping urban farmlette model.
Direct peers
- Project EATS: Urban farming nonprofit operating community farms and food access programs in NYC and New Jersey. Closely comparable model pairing urban food production with schools and senior centers.
- The Food Project: Nonprofit running urban farms in Massachusetts that grow food for low-income communities while training youth. Operates a directly comparable urban-ag + youth-education + food-access stack as Fleet Farming.
- Urban Adamah: Berkeley-based nonprofit urban farm and educational center offering fellowships and food access programs. Comparable urban farm + education + volunteer model.
- Soul Fire Farm: New York-based farm focused on food justice, urban agriculture education, and BIPOC farmer training. Peer in nonprofit urban-agriculture education with similar volunteer and training mission.
Others
- IDEAS For Us: Fleet Farming's parent 501c3 nonprofit organization focused on sustainability, climate action, and community programs. Operates as the parent entity and broader program platform rather than a competing urban farm.
- Audubon Park K-8 / Audubon Park Community Garden Club: Site host and operational partner for Fleet Farming's Orlando headquarters, providing the physical community garden, school garden, and greenhouse infrastructure that anchors Fleet Farming's Orlando branch.
Emerging players
- DC Urban Greens: Washington, D.C. nonprofit that builds urban gardens and supports food sovereignty, serving as a regional peer with overlapping volunteer-driven urban farming mission.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Fleet Farming social profiles
Digital presenceFleet Farming financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Fleet Farming leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Fleet Farming funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Fleet Farming M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Fleet Farming
What does Fleet Farming do?
Fleet Farming is a nonprofit urban agriculture program that converts residential lawns into productive micro-farms called 'farmlettes,' tended by volunteers who travel between plots via bicycle-powered Swarm Rides. The program supplements this volunteer model with a paid Edible Landscapes service that designs and installs edible gardens for clients outside the volunteer biking range, and runs Fleet Fruits gleaning, Fleet Education classes, Harvesting Hope school produce distribution, and sponsorship-funded school garden programs.
Is Fleet Farming a public or private company?
Fleet Farming is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Fleet Farming founded?
Fleet Farming was founded in 2014. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Fleet Farming based?
Fleet Farming is headquartered in Orlando, United States, in the North America region.
How does Fleet Farming make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Donations & Charitable Contributions are the primary driver. The others are sponsorship Programs, lawn Donation Program, plant Nursery Sales, merchandise Sales and donation Page.
Who are Fleet Farming's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Big Green and The Edible Schoolyard Project. Direct peers are Project EATS, The Food Project, Urban Adamah and Soul Fire Farm. Others are IDEAS For Us and Audubon Park K-8 / Audubon Park Community Garden Club. DC Urban Greens is listed as an emerging player.
Does Fleet Farming have an API?
No public API is recorded for Fleet Farming.
What industry is Fleet Farming in?
Fleet Farming's product category is Urban Agriculture Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFACAAAF, Tillage & Field Preparation Services (Plowing, Cultivating, Bed Prep), with a secondary code of AFAGAHAC, Greenhouse Herb & Microgreens Production (Culinary Herbs, Microgreens). Its NAICS code is 115112 and its SIC code is 700.