Oko Urban Farms

What Oko Urban Farms does

Oko Urban Farms, Inc. is a New York-based nonprofit organization founded in 2013 by Yemi Amu that operates NYC's only publicly accessible outdoor aquaponics farm. The organization runs three Brooklyn sites — the original 2,500 sq ft Bushwick farm at 104 Moore Street, a 10,000 sq ft North Williamsburg rooftop location (est. 2021), and a greenhouse aquaponics system at Bethany Senior Terraces affordable senior housing (est. 2025) — producing approximately 7,000 lbs of fresh produce and fish annually using a recirculating ecosystem where fish waste fertilizes plants and plants filter water for fish. Farming practice is rooted in Traditional Ecological Knowledge with low-tech, accessible methods (media systems, Deep Water Culture, and sand systems) and Integrated Pest Management supported by Cornell Cooperative Extension.

The core technology is aquaponics — a symbiotic recirculating system — with operational differentiators including 80% water reduction versus traditional farming, biodiversity of fish species (mirror carp, catfish, goldfish, koi, bluegill, crawfish, freshwater prawns), and cultivation of diverse vegetables, herbs, fruits, medicinal plants, and flowers. 50% of annual produce output is donated to senior residents and community fridges.

The business model blends four revenue streams: (1) direct-to-consumer produce sales via weekly farm stand and partner markets, (2) fee-based educational programming spanning an online Aquaponics Fundamentals masterclass ($550-$750), a 2-Day Intensive ($500), a 3-Month Farmer Training Program ($2,500), cotton spinning workshops ($300), and sliding-scale farm tours, (3) corporate engagement revenue from team-building and sustainability workshops, and (4) individual and institutional donations/grants (with tiers from $25-$1,000 on recurring cadence). Customer segments span Brooklyn residents, youth ages 18-25 (Blue Crew Youth Program), corporate groups, K-12 institutions (NY Title I schools via Leave it Better partnership), and senior residents (Bethany Senior Terraces). Marketing relies on earned media (Vogue, PBS, Guardian, WSJ, Food & Wine), community programming, and an Oko Edu online platform, with no disclosed funding rounds, revenue figures, or external equity backing.

Name

Oko Urban Farms

Legal name

Oko Urban Farms, Inc.

Website

https://okofarms.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Oko Urban Farms is a Brooklyn-based nonprofit operating NYC's only publicly accessible aquaponics farm, producing 7,000 lbs of produce annually across three sites while delivering fee-based aquaponics education, corporate workshops, and youth workforce programs to community residents, schools, and corporate clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Urban Aquaponics Farming and Education

NAICS

Aquaculture (1125), Food Crops Grown Under Cover (11141)

SIC

Agricultural Production-Crops (100), Agricultural Prod-Livestock & Animal Specialties (200), Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Aquaponics (Integrated Fish & Plant Production) (AFAEAAAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) / Vertical Farming (Indoor LED Farms) (AFAGAHAJ), Organic Aquaculture (Fish & Shellfish) (AFAEAMAF), Aquaculture Processing & On-Farm Value-Add (primary handling, icing, packing) (AFAEAAAN)

Keywords

• Aquaponics farming
• Urban agriculture education
• Sustainable food production
• Community farming programs
• Aquaponics training

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Produce and Fish Sales: Weekly farm stand and partner markets selling fresh produce at affordable prices. 7,000 lbs of produce grown annually with 50% sold and 50% donated.
2. Educational Programs and Training: Fee-based courses including Aquaponics Fundamentals online course ($550-$750), 2-Day Aquaponics Intensive ($500), 3-Month Farmer Training Program ($2,500), and cotton spinning workshops ($300). Also includes farm tours with sliding scale pricing.
3. Corporate Engagement: Team-building experiences, workshops, and volunteer activities for corporate groups at the farm or workplace.
4. Donations and Grants: Individual donations at various tiers ($25-$1,000) supporting food access, youth stipends, and educational scholarships. Also receives institutional funding from donors and community partners.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Oko Urban Farms operates an urban aquaponics farm and educational center in Brooklyn, NY, sustainably producing fish and plants in a recirculating ecosystem. The company sells fresh produce through a weekly farm stand, delivers fee-based aquaponics education (online masterclass, weekend intensives, 3-month farmer training), runs youth workforce programs, and offers corporate team-building workshops. Approximately 50% of 7,000 lbs of annual produce is donated to senior residents and community fridges, while the remainder is sold at affordable prices.

Product overview

Oko Urban Farms is an urban aquaponics farm and educational center in Brooklyn, NY, operating since 2013 as NYC's only publicly accessible aquaponics farm. The company offers a multi-channel portfolio combining physical farm operations with educational programming. The core offering includes the main farm operation with its Farm Stand for produce distribution, complemented by Oko Edu as the online educational arm offering the Aquaponics Fundamentals masterclass. In-person education spans group farm tours, introductory workshops, the 2-Day Aquaponics Intensive, and the comprehensive 3-Month Farmer Training Program. Youth programming includes the Blue Crew Youth Program and virtual farm tours. Community engagement features the Clothing Restoration Project with cotton spinning workshops, Kitchen Medicine workshops, and the Fish Are Teachers artist residency. Corporate engagement provides team-building experiences. All programs emphasize Traditional Ecological Knowledge and aquaponics as a tool for food security, climate resilience, and community empowerment.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Farm Stand Weekly on-site produce and fish sales from the Bushwick farm, operated as a community food access channel. Open to Brooklyn and NYC consumers at affordable prices.
• Oko Edu Online educational platform delivering self-paced aquaponics training to a global audience, anchored by the Aquaponics Fundamentals masterclass with lifetime access.
• Aquaponics Fundamentals (Online Masterclass) Self-paced online masterclass (eight lessons) teaching how to design, build, and maintain aquaponics systems, with downloadable materials, worksheets, and how-to guides. Taught by Founder Yemi Amu; targets aspiring urban farmers globally.
• Group Farm Tours Guided in-person educational tours of the rooftop aquaponics farm for groups of 5-30 people. Covers aquaponics basics, biological components, and hardware. Sliding scale pricing with free spots for Title I schools.
• Introduction to Aquaponics Workshop Introductory workshop for individuals and small groups (2-5 people) exploring aquaponics, hydroponics, and soil cultivation, with an in-depth farm tour.
• 2-Day Aquaponics Intensive Two-day weekend intensive ($500) led by Founder Yemi Amu covering the history, science, and practice of aquaponics, including hands-on learning and system design workshop.
• 3-Month Aquaponics Farm Training Program Comprehensive 3-month training program ($2,500 fee, 3 days per week including Saturdays) covering aquaponics operation, design, and construction through formal workshops and hands-on farm work. Targets aspiring farmers and operators.
• Blue Crew Youth Program 20-week immersive paid urban agriculture workforce training program for young adults ages 18-25 combining aquaponics farming, food justice, and culinary education with bi-weekly stipends and career readiness support.
• Corporate Engagement Custom team-building experiences for corporate groups including farm tours, volunteer activities, hands-on workshops, and discussion sessions on sustainability and food justice, delivered on-site or at client workplaces.
• Make Your Own Yarn (4-Week Cotton Spinning Series) Four-week workshop ($300 for the series) teaching foundational cotton spinning skills using Brooklyn-grown cotton, including a hand spindle and instructional materials.
• Kitchen Medicine Workshops Beginner-friendly workshop series on culinary herbs and herbal remedies with hands-on tasting and practical application.
• Fish Are Teachers (Artist Residency & Public Programs) Artist residency and public event series featuring six artists engaging with ecological processes at the farm through performances, installations, storytelling, workshops, and communal meals.
• Clothing Restoration Project Initiative focused on preserving natural dyes and fibers from West African and Southeast Asian traditions, encompassing cotton cultivation, textile arts, dye workshops, and community engagement.

Quantifiable outcome

• 80% less water used compared to traditional farming
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

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

• Dorchester Industries Experimental Design LabflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Created by Theaster Gates in collaboration with Prada. Yemi Amu joined the inaugural cohort in 2021. Design lab focused on experimental approaches to community development and creative enterprise.
• Cornell Cooperative ExtensioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partnership where Cornell staff support Oko Farms with pest management practices. Provides technical expertise for integrated pest management (IPM) techniques used on the farm.
• Leave it BettercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchool-based aquaponics education programs where 2nd-6th grade students learn science, technology, nutrition and filmmaking through building aquaponics gardens in their classrooms.
• AerthshipminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEcologically focused art collective supporting the Fish Are Teachers artist residency program. Collaborates on sustainability and subcultural projects including urban farming events.
• Bethany Senior TerracescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffordable senior housing facility partnership where Oko Farms established greenhouse aquaponics system in 2025. All vegetables and fish grown are donated to residents at no cost.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Ouroboros Farms: Ouroboros Farms operates one of the largest commercial aquaponics farms in California, growing fish and vegetables in a closed-loop system. It is the closest direct peer to Oko on aquaponics production methodology, though at much larger commercial scale rather than nonprofit community scale.
• Brooklyn Grange: Brooklyn Grange operates the world's largest rooftop soil farms in NYC, producing vegetables and honey while running youth education, corporate events, and farm tours. Like Oko, it is a NYC-based urban farm blending food production with education and community programming, though it uses soil-based rather than aquaponic methods.
• Gotham Greens: Gotham Greens operates commercial-scale rooftop greenhouses producing leafy greens and herbs in NYC and other US cities. It shares Oko's urban-controlled-environment-agriculture footprint and NYC base, though it is a venture-backed commercial operator rather than a nonprofit mission-driven organization.
• SweetWater Organics: SweetWater Organics operates an aquaponics facility in Milwaukee combining fish and plant production with educational tours and community programming. It mirrors Oko's aquaponics-plus-education model, though serving a Midwestern urban context.
• Green Sky Growers: Green Sky Growers is a rooftop aquaponics operation in Winter Garden, Florida, producing fish, vegetables, and herbs using recirculating systems. It shares Oko's rooftop-aquaponics infrastructure approach and educational positioning, though as a for-profit commercial grower.
• GrowNYC: GrowNYC runs NYC's farmers markets, school gardens, and community education programs addressing food access and environmental stewardship. It overlaps with Oko's farm-stand distribution, school partnerships (Title I student education), and food-justice mission within the same NYC geography.

Broad incumbents

• AeroFarms: AeroFarms is a major venture-backed vertical farming operator with operations in Newark, NJ and other locations. It is a broader incumbent in controlled-environment urban agriculture overlapping with Oko's indoor-farming and STEM-education positioning, but at industrial scale with proprietary LED-driven hydroponics rather than aquaponics.
• Freight Farms: Freight Farms manufactures containerized hydroponic farms with a global network of operators and an integrated curriculum/training platform. It overlaps with Oko's controlled-environment-agriculture education and farm-build offerings, though via containerized hydroponics rather than aquaponics.
• Smallhold: Smallhold operates distributed indoor mushroom farms in NYC and other US cities with subscription and retail distribution. While focused on mushrooms rather than aquaponics, it overlaps with Oko in the NYC urban-farming-with-educational-content category and on supplying restaurants and specialty retail.

Emerging players

• Square Roots: Square Roots operates modular indoor farms with a Next-Gen Farmer training program, combining production with entrepreneur education. It overlaps with Oko's urban-agriculture-plus-workforce-development model and NYC base, though focused on hydroponics and tech-enabled indoor farming.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/okofarms

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 Oko Urban Farms