What Solutions for Urban Agriculture does

Solutions for Urban Agriculture (SFUA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN 33-0506644) headquartered in Irvine, California, that operates an integrated network of urban farms, agricultural education programs, and food distribution partnerships across Orange, Los Angeles, and Riverside Counties. Founded in 2011 by AG Kawamura—a third-generation Orange County farmer and former California Secretary of Food and Agriculture—SFUA's model connects farms, schools, cities, food banks, and distribution partners into a single system, growing produce on underused and institutional land and routing it through trusted channels into communities facing nutrition insecurity. The organization reports 10+ active production sites, 2.2M+ pounds of fresh food grown annually, and 3,200 students reached each year through farm-based education.

SFUA's program portfolio is organized around three integrated pillars—Food Production, Agricultural Education, and Food Distribution—and is delivered through named program sites including Harvest Solutions Farm (a commercial-scale farm hosted at UC South Coast Research and Extension Center), The Giving Farm (a school-based farm at Westminster High School operated with FFA), Farm + Food Lab (a public-facing urban agriculture demonstration site hosted by the City of Irvine), the Barn to Table youth livestock campaign (supporting 4-H and FFA), Operation Cornucopia (a seedling propagation program with Cal Poly Pomona), and the annual Harvest Moon benefit dinner at Tanaka Farms. The organization does not sell products or services; its revenue is generated entirely through tax-deductible donations from individuals, corporations, and foundations, fundraising events with structured sponsorship tiers, and targeted campaigns such as Barn to Table. Technology usage is limited to standard nonprofit SaaS tools (DonorView, Greater Giving, Mailchimp, Plausible Analytics, Netlify, SignUpGenius) with no proprietary platform or AI/ML capabilities. SFUA is governed by a Board of Directors chaired by founder AG Kawamura and operates with 1-10 employees.

Name

Solutions for Urban Agriculture

Legal name

Solutions for Urban Agriculture

Website

https://sfua.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Solutions for Urban Agriculture is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that operates urban farms and educational programs across Orange, Los Angeles, and Riverside Counties, producing 2.2M+ pounds of fresh food annually and routing it to food-insecure communities through partnerships with food banks, schools, and universities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Urban Agriculture and Food Systems Services

NAICS

Vegetable and Melon Farming (1112), Community Food Services (62421), Support Activities for Crop Production (11511)

SIC

Agricultural Production-Crops (100)

akta.pro primary industry

Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (Fair Trade, Food Access, Regenerative) (BPAGALAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Agriculture & Food Security Development (BPAGABAB), Resilient Livelihoods & Climate-Smart Food Security (BPADAJAH), Agricultural Production & Farm Operations (EDAOAOAA)

Keywords

• Urban agriculture programs
• Community food distribution
• Agricultural education services
• Farm-to-food-bank logistics
• Nonprofit food systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Irvine

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: SFUA operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN 33-0506644) funded primarily through tax-deductible donations from individuals, corporations, and foundations. Donations sustain farm operations, student programs, and distribution partnerships.
2. Fundraising Events: Annual Harvest Moon benefit dinner at Tanaka Farms generates revenue through ticket sales and corporate sponsorships. The event brings together farmers, chefs, and community members to celebrate and support the regional food system.
3. Barn to Table Campaign: Targeted fundraising campaign supporting youth livestock programs through 4-H and FFA, turning donations into locally raised protein for food-insecure families. Donations pooled and used to purchase animals at OC Fair Junior Livestock Auction.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Solutions for Urban Agriculture operates nonprofit urban farms and educational programs that grow and distribute fresh food to nutrition-insecure communities across Southern California. The organization runs food production at 10+ active sites in Orange, Los Angeles, and Riverside Counties, partners with food banks and schools to deliver produce and agricultural education, and convenes an annual Harvest Moon benefit dinner and Barn to Table livestock campaign to sustain its regional food system work.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Barn to Table: An SFUA campaign supporting young people raising livestock through 4-H and FFA, turning their hard work into locally raised protein for Orange County families facing food insecurity.
• Harvest Moon

Products and services

• Food Production
• Agricultural Education
• Food Distribution
• Farm + Food Lab
• The Giving Farm
• Harvest Solutions Farm
• Harvest Moon Benefit Dinner
• Barn to Table

Quantifiable outcome

• 2.2M+ lbs of fresh food grown annually
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Partnerships

21 partnerships are on record, tiered core, secondary and minor.

• Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange CountycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorKey distribution partner and central operator in Harvest Solutions Farm. Works with SFUA to help connect locally grown produce with the regional distribution system across Orange County.
• Community Action Partnership of Orange County (CAP OC)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorKey distribution partner and collaborator in Giving Farm operations. Works alongside SFUA to connect locally grown food with regional hunger relief efforts.
• Westminster High SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHome of The Giving Farm and foundation of the school-based agricultural model. Connects agricultural education, volunteer engagement, and food production, delivering fresh produce directly to the OC Food Bank.
• Future Farmers of America (FFA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey partner at The Giving Farm, supporting hands-on agricultural learning for students at Westminster High School.
• Cal Poly PomonacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partner operating Operation Cornucopia, a seedling propagation initiative. Engages students in producing seedlings that support SFUA production sites through greenhouse operations and propagation systems.
• UC Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHome institution of the South Coast Research and Extension Center and important research and agricultural partner. Hosts Harvest Solutions Farm at the UC SCREC.
• UC South Coast Research and Extension CentercoreOthersPhysical site where Harvest Solutions Farm operates, providing land and institutional infrastructure for production at the South Coast Research and Extension Center in Irvine.
• UC Master Gardeners of Orange CountysecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners at The Giving Farm and Farm + Food Lab, supporting education and community growing programs with volunteer expertise in horticulture.
• City of IrvinecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost municipality and partner in operating the Farm + Food Lab site as a public resource. Provides public space for urban agriculture demonstration and education.
• OC ProducecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorKey agricultural partner helping facilitate crop rescue and serving as farmer of record at Harvest Solutions Farm.
• Seeds of HopesecondaryChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCommunity partner in Los Angeles County operating a large network of community gardens and food distribution programs. SFUA collaborates to connect regional farm production with community-based distribution efforts.
• Tanaka FarmssecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner farm and venue for the annual Harvest Moon benefit dinner. Multigenerational Orange County farming family contributing to the regional food system.
• 4-H Youth Development ProgramsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerYouth development program partnered with SFUA for Barn to Table campaign, supporting young people raising livestock for food bank donations.
• South OC California Rare Fruit GrowersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner supporting public education events and demonstrations at Farm + Food Lab.
• Lanterns Global Learning ProgramsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner contributing to educational programming and workforce development initiatives.
• Full Circle FarmsecondaryChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner farm within the production network contributing to regional food supply.
• Etchandy FarmssecondaryChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner farm within the production network.
• Fujishige FarmssecondaryChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner farm within the production network.
• Orange County ProducesecondaryChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner farm within the production network facilitating agricultural production.
• Tarsadia FarmssecondaryChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner farm within the production network.
• Founders Farm at Southwinds Farm & GardenssecondaryChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner farm within the production network, operated in partnership with Second Harvest Food Bank.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Whole Kids Foundation: Nonprofit focused on school gardens and healthy eating education for children. Comparable as a donor-funded organization working in school gardens and food education.
• Big Green: National nonprofit building learning gardens in schools to connect kids to real food. Comparable in the farm-based education lane that SFUA operates through The Giving Farm and Farm + Food Lab.
• Wholesome Wave: National nonprofit focused on affordability and access to fresh produce for food-insecure communities. Comparable in the produce-access mission lane and in partnering with food banks, though Wholesome Wave is broader and uses voucher/prescription programs.
• FoodCorps: National nonprofit connecting kids to healthy food through hands-on learning in schools. Comparable in the agricultural education / student engagement model SFUA runs at Westminster High School and partner districts.
• Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County: Regional food bank serving Orange County. SFUA lists it as a core distribution partner and co-operator of Harvest Solutions Farm; both organizations pursue the food-insecure community with overlapping mission, geography, and food-bank distribution channels.
• The Edible Schoolyard Project: Founded by Alice Waters to build school gardens and food education programs. Highly comparable in the farm-to-school education lane where SFUA operates The Giving Farm.
• Seeds of Hope: Los Angeles County nonprofit operating a large network of community gardens and food distribution programs; SFUA lists it as a direct distribution partner. Highly comparable in combining urban agriculture with food-bank-aligned distribution.
• Community Action Partnership of Orange County (CAP OC): Anti-poverty community action organization and key SFUA distribution partner that operates OC Food Bank. Directly comparable as a regional nonprofit addressing nutrition insecurity with overlapping programs and partner ecosystem.

Regional players

• Tanaka Farms: Multigenerational Orange County farm and direct SFUA partner hosting the Harvest Moon benefit dinner. Comparable as a working SoCal farm integrated with community/education programs, but operating as a for-profit farm rather than a nonprofit.

Broad incumbents

• Feeding America: National umbrella organization for the U.S. food bank network — parent of many of SFUA's distribution partners. Comparable in food-bank-aligned hunger relief mission, but vastly larger in scope and not specialized in fresh-produce or urban agriculture.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/solutionsforurbanag
• Instagraminstagram.com/solutionsforurbanag
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/solutions-for-urban-agriculture

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Solutions for Urban Agriculture