Restorative Farms

Growing the Future: Partnering with CityLab High School to Cultivate the Next Generation of Urban Agriculturists We were proud and excited to recently host a visit from Megan James of DISD’s innovative CityLab High School.  Megan wears many hats at CityLab, serving as the Urban Agriculture Science teacher, CTE Lead, and Internship Coordinator. During her visit, we introduced her to our soon-to-be-launched TAPKIT NFT greenhouse and discussed plans to engage a new cohort of CityLab urban ag interns for 2025. Over the past two years, Restorative Farms has had the privilege of working with Megan and several of her amazing students through CityLab’s CTE agricultural program. These students brought energy, fresh ideas, and a passion for urban farming as they worked in our 16’x40’ hydroponic GroZilla container farm at Fair Park. Their hands-on experience not only helped them expand their agricultural knowledge and skills but also deepened their understanding of sustainable food systems and community health. For us, partnering with these interns has been incredibly rewarding. Their curiosity and commitment remind us of the importance of our mission, and it has been inspiring to watch them grow into confident and capable young leaders in the controlled environment agriculture (CEA) field. We’re honored to have played a part in their development. In 2025, we’re excited to continue this valuable partnership—this time offering the much larger, impactful experience of working in our state-of-the-art, 5,700-square-foot TAPkit NFT greenhouse. We can’t wait to see how this next chapter unfolds! 

Since its founding in 2017, Restorative Farms has been dedicated to building a South Dallas urban agrisystem, firmly believing in the power of collaboration. One such partnership with DART (Dallas Area Rapid Transit) enabled us to launch the Hatcher Station Training Farm in 2019. Over the years, our collaboration with DART has delivered meaningful benefits to underserved communities as we work toward our goal to "Grow A Better Dallas.” In 2023, we expanded our impact with a “Food As Medicine” initiative, which evolved into a new partnership with both DART and now, the American Heart Association. Through the support and shared vision of these two organizations, we are proud to pilot a weekly farmers market at DART’s Akard Station, offering fresh produce to individuals who rarely have access to it or to a farmers market. An innovative project, this is just the beginning of a larger vision that aims to mitigate the devastating effects of food deserts, enhance community health, benefit local growers and bolster a vibrant local agrisystem. The program will run through the end of October, delivering fresh, locally grown produce to North Texans every Wednesday this month—and that's truly #SomethingGood. A strong shoutout to Larry Henderson and Jenny Eyer for their vision. Thank you, NBC5 Dallas for shining a light on this project. #GrowABetterDallas #DallasUrbanFarming #HatcherStationTrainingFarm #communityimpact #economicimpact #FoodAsMedicine #CommunityEmpowerment #SouthDallas #NutritionAwareness #SustainableLiving #LocalProduce #HealthyCommunities #foodjustice #fooddesertsolutions https://lnkd.in/g9W9qVtt

Exciting News! We're thrilled to announce that Owen Lynch, Co-Founder of Restorative Farms, will be speaking at the upcoming Dallas InnerCity Growers' (DIG) Summit! As our cities face the challenges of rapid urbanization, climate change, and food supply disruptions, it's more important than ever to explore innovative solutions. Owen's expertise in urban agriculture and perspectives on sustainable food systems will provide valuable insights on how to build resilient and thriving food networks. Did you know that: 80% of our food will soon be consumed in cities, yet many lack the mechanisms to support urban agriculture networks? Most community gardens and urban farms fail within 2 years, but for-profit urban agristystems can provide sustainable solutions? Join Owen at the DIG Summit to hear Owen's thoughts on the future of urban agriculture and how we can work together to create a more sustainable food system. Don't miss this opportunity to connect with like-minded professionals and thought leaders in the industry! Mark your calendars for October 6 & 7 and get ready to dive into the latest trends and innovations in urban agriculture. We can't wait to see you there! #DIGSummit #UrbanAgriculture #SustainableFoodSystems #RestorativeFarms #OwenLynch #FoodForThought

We are thrilled to once again sponsor the Dallas InnerCity Growers' (DIG) Summit, partnering with the City of Dallas, the American Heart Association, and the SMU Hunter & Stephanie Hunt Institute for Engineering & Humanity to create a collaborative platform for sharing research, tools, and resources aimed at building a resilient food system. The DIG mission, which empowers food system stakeholders by giving them a voice in a safe space to identify and address challenges within our urban food system, perfectly aligns with our mission: ** To build and sustain a vibrant network or agrisystem of urban farms and gardens that provide fresh, locally-grown produce to our most underserved communities, while also offering education, job training, and opportunities for economic empowerment. Register Now:  https://lnkd.in/g2yDpQ4R 

Call for proposals! We are proud to sponsor the 2nd Annual Dallas InnerCity Growers' (DIG) Summit. The Dallas InnerCity Growers (DIG) is a collaborative initiative focused on uniting, supporting, and encouraging cooperation among community change-makers from diverse backgrounds—growers, academics, activists, scientists, theologians, filmmakers, funders, and more—all who share a common mission. It is our hope to connect local food system practitioners, policymakers, consumer groups, and other stakeholders to go beyond the talk...go beyond the surface-level solutions and rebuild a North Texas food system that is more sustainable, equitable, and resilient. Like us, DIG is committed to regenerative agriculture practices that benefit people, the planet, and sustainable livelihoods. As we say, together we can Grow A Better Dallas.

A late thank you to Rick Brenner, Ph.D, Director of the Agricultural Technology Innovation Partnership Foundation and Jasleen Dhillon, Asst. Director, SMU Hunter & Stephanie Hunt Institute for Engineering & Humanity for sharing the power of their respective databases and database prowess. We were thrilled to facilitate the connection and facilitate a collaboration between these two experts in their fields. During our conversation, we were impressed by the wealth of knowledge and expertise that Rick brought from his years of work with the EPA and USDA, as well as Jasleen's innovative work on the Hunt Institute ImpactMap. The conversation was enlightening, and we were excited to see the potential for their combined expertise to drive positive impact. As urban agriculture advocates, we see tremendous potential for the ImpactMap to enhance the way we connect date, stakeholders and resources in North Texas' food and agriculture sector. By combining Rick's expertise and respective EPA database access with the ImpactMap's powerful database and analytics, we believe we can drive real impact and reimagine the local food system. The searchable map and database will empower us to promote sustainable agriculture, address pressing issues like food justice and access, inequality, climate change, and unequal access to resources and opportunities, ultimately creating a more equitable and resilient food system. We agreed to look forward to leveraging these tools and core competencies, collaborating with a determination to make a tangible impact. The journey begins by analyzing and quantifying the kitchen waste generated by Dallas restaurants, with the goal of developing a practical and measurable solution to transform this waste into a valuable resource for the environment and the emerging Dallas agrisystem. This is how, by working collaboratively, breaking through silos that we will Grow A Better Dallas.

WE love the energy and joyful spirit that Jay Jones (Jameesha ) brings to game. It is contagious. We are looking forward to continuing the Restorative Farms / New Life Farms collaboration as we catalyze and work together to build out a serious professional South Dallas bioeconomy. South Dallas Employment Project

We appreciate our partnership with DART (Dallas Area Rapid Transit) for the DART Cares Farmers Market. It is a valuable initiative and an amazing gift for the community, enhancing well-being by providing easy access to fresh, locally grown produce. Still a pilot, DART’s role in hosting & supporting the market ensures that it is conveniently located and accessible via public transportation, making it easier for individuals impacted by food deserts, especially those without private transport, to access high-quality, nutritious food. Restorative Farms contributes by aggregating and supplying fresh produce & staffing, and promoting sustainable local agriculture practices, which supports local farmers and fosters environmentally friendly farming methods. It is a project with amazing potential. Beyond improving access to healthy food, the market is promises to serve as a community hub for engagement and nutrition education. The collaboration not only strengthens the local economy by supporting small-scale farmers but also addresses food deserts by bringing fresh produce to many individuals living in underserved areas. This combined effort enhances overall public health and fosters a belief that we can GROW A BETTER DALLAS.

Last week, our Hatcher Station Training Farm welcomed a diverse group of visitors, including high-level executives from a prominent Dallas institution exploring potential partnership opportunities, a journalist from a local media outlet working on a story about food insecurity in Dallas, and a few other interested individuals. During farm tours, visitors often engage with our team members, inquiring about everything from production methods to the personal impact of their work.  A common question asked is how growing food for the community affects our farmers' sense of purpose and their vision for the future. This week, our young farmers, who are being trained to become the next generation of urban farmers, shared their thoughts and their ambitious goals with visitors. As one of our future urban farmers explained, they aspire to one day establish their own farms, take charge of their own destinies, and continue to serve the community while pursuing a fulfilling and financially sustainable career. With all the many details of running a financially sustainable professional urban farm, it's easy to get sidetracked. However, after 7 years of continued growth at Restorative Farms, we've come to appreciate the importance of taking a step back and re-examining our core purpose from time to time. These moments of reflection help us reconnect with our original mission and remind us that, while it's amazing and truly fulfilling to make a positive impact on individual lives, our ultimate goal is to achieve a replicable model for sustainable urban farming that benefits the larger community and the city. Our Mission:  “To foster a vibrant and viable community-based urban farm system in South Dallas, TX, a community that deserves access to healthy fresh food and local employment.” Owen Lynch Doric Earle, PhD MBA #professionalurbanfarming #GrowABetterDallas #DallasUrbanFarming #HatcherStationTrainingFarm #communityimpact #economicimpact #CommunityEmpowerment #HealthyCommunities #foodjustice #fooddesertsolutions 

Restorative Farms was founded with a view and a mission to catalyze and build a South Dallas agrisystem. We recognized the power of collaboration and the need to bring together a diverse array of action-oriented partners and stakeholders, ensuring a holistic and inclusive impact on the community. We were delighted to host a visit from one of our long-term partners, Frazier Revitalization, Inc., and a new collaborator, AquaGreen Global, LLC, at our Hatcher Station Training Farm. Our relationship with Frazier Revitalization is both long-standing and profound. Over the years, they have been incredible partners, consistently backing their words with measurable actions and support. We were equally pleased to meet the team from AquaGreen Global, who accompanied them to lay the groundwork for future collaborations. Having worked with Corrin J. Breeding, landscape architect with the firm, in the past, we were also excited to meet company founder, Devin D. Guinn and other members of their team as well. Our visit with Frazier Revitalization and AquaGreen Global exemplifies the power of strong partnerships and the exciting potential for future collaborations. Together, we are committed to fostering a healthier, greener community through sustainable urban agriculture and innovative practices. As we continue to build these relationships and welcome new collaborators, we invite you to join us in our mission. Together, we can make a significant impact and Grow A Better Dallas. #professionalurbanfarming #healthysoil #organicgardening #GrowABetterDallas #DallasUrbanFarming #HatcherStationTrainingFarm #communityimpact #economicimpact #CommunityEmpowerment