Incorporated in Jacksonville. At work in Springfield, in Southern Africa, and in the Caribbean.
Read Our StoryGrouped by what each program gives back.
All ProgramsAlso at work in Madagascar, Nairobi and Mgombezi.
All Global WorkA gift pays a teenager for a summer of real work, or stocks a greenhouse.
All Ways to HelpPartner-led food-system platforms for resilient production, reduced loss, and local opportunity.
Fresh vegetables harvested by community growers in South AfricaThe Desmond Tutu Programme to End Global Hunger
Food insecurity is rarely caused by a single event. It results from compounding pressures: climate variability, water scarcity, land degradation, unreliable energy, disrupted transport, limited market access, and post-harvest loss.
As these pressures intensify, communities need practical local systems that can support reliable production, safe handling, storage, preservation, and distribution over time.
in crops and livestock lost to disasters since 19911
people faced hunger in 2025, 7.8 percent of the world2
people cannot afford a healthy diet2
of Africa's people could not afford a healthy diet in 20252
children under five in severe food poverty, about 1 in 43
of the world's food is lost or wasted before anyone eats it4
Around the world, a large share of what farmers grow is lost between field and plate. In sub-Saharan Africa, where FreshMinistries is working with local, national, and international partners to advance Harvest Hub development efforts, food travels roughly 4,000 kilometers and spends about 23 days on the road, four times longer than in Europe. Thirty-seven percent of the perishable share is lost in transit, long before it reaches a buyer. (5)
Food lost for lack of cold storage alone could feed an estimated one billion people. (4)
A cold room and a dryer change that math. The harvest keeps. The farmer gets time, and options, and a price.
people could be fed by food lost each year because of inadequate cold-chain infrastructure.
A Harvest Hub brings together three standardized, solar-powered greenhouses with water, cold-chain, connectivity, and training infrastructure in one locally operated platform.
Designed for regions facing climate variability and infrastructure constraints, the model supports reliable year-round production while strengthening the systems that move food from harvest to market. Each Hub can combine food production with aggregation, safe handling, cold storage, dehydration, and local distribution, helping reduce post-harvest loss, extend shelf life, and create more dependable market opportunities for producers.
Its benefits extend beyond the greenhouses. Shared cold-storage and dehydration facilities give traditional farmers and other local producers practical ways to keep perishable crops fresh, preserve surplus harvests, reduce loss, and reach buyers over a longer selling window. Site-specific solar microgrids, water infrastructure, and connectivity also expand access to power, treated water, digital tools, technical support, and market information for nearby enterprises and community users.
The result is shared infrastructure that supports local operators, producers, small businesses, and the wider community, not simply a place to grow food.
Three standardized, solar-powered aquaponics greenhouses designed for reliable, year-round food production.
A site-specific solar microgrid with battery storage to support continuous operations and, where appropriate, shared community use.
Locally appropriate water supply, storage, and treatment infrastructure, with rainwater capture where it adds value.
Refrigerated storage that helps protect food quality, extend shelf life, and reduce post-harvest loss.
Drying and preservation systems that help convert surplus production into shelf-stable products.
Digital connectivity that supports monitoring, remote technical assistance, training, market information, and communication.
Regional training, on-site start-up support, and continuing guidance for local operators, producers, and enterprises.
Harvest Hubs are designed as shared local assets. Beyond supporting their own operations, they can provide nearby farmers and producers with access to cold storage and preservation services and, where appropriate, expand access to power, treated water, connectivity, technical support, and market information.
Fish, beneficial bacteria, plants, and recirculating water work together in a managed production system. Solar power, sensors, and digital connectivity can help local operators monitor performance, maintain water quality, and access technical support.
The fish tanks support both fish production and the plant-growing cycle, providing a local source of protein alongside fresh produce. Nutrient-rich water from the tanks begins the cycle that supports plant growth.
Mechanical filtration removes solids, while biofiltration supports nitrifying bacteria that convert dissolved fish waste into plant-available nutrients.
Sensors help operators monitor nutrient levels and water quality. A controlled dosing system adds macro- and micronutrients as needed to support healthy plant growth.
As water flows through the grow towers, plant roots take up nitrates and other dissolved nutrients, helping clean and rebalance the water before it is recirculated to the fish tanks.
Pumps return the filtered water to the fish tanks. Solar power, sensors, and controls support continuous operation by tracking temperature, water quality, and system performance.
less water than growing in soil7
more plants per square foot than the first-generation systems8
field production per unit of footprint8
The current standardized greenhouse is designed to grow approximately 11,500 plants each month within a 2,200-square-foot footprint. By comparison, the original 2017 facility produced approximately 20,000 plants monthly across 6,000 square feet. This represents a 57% increase in planting density per square foot.
Vertical growing towers make this compact design possible, using the full height of the greenhouse to increase production capacity without requiring a larger land footprint. This approach supports a Hub configuration of several standardized production units rather than a single, larger facility.
The system re-circulates water through fish tanks, filtration, and grow towers before returning it to the production cycle. FreshMinistries' operating experience indicates potential water-use reductions of up to 95% compared with conventional soil-based cultivation of similar crops.7
Published USDA information indicates that recirculating systems can reduce water use by up to 90%.6 FreshMinistries is collecting a full season of measured data from the current-generation system to further document performance under operating conditions.
The greenhouse structure, recirculating water system, and solar microgrid are designed as an integrated operating environment. Together, they can support year-round production while reducing reliance on rainfall and helping manage exposure to heat, drought, and severe weather.
Sensors and digital controls provide real-time visibility into key operating conditions, including nutrient balance, temperature, water quality, and power performance. Local teams use this information to manage day-to-day operations, while regional and technical-support teams can provide additional monitoring, troubleshooting, and guidance when needed.
FreshMinistries' Jacksonville flagship facility operates under USDA Harmonized GAP certification, with documented practices for sanitation, water quality, traceability, and product handling. These operating procedures inform Harvest Hub training and site-specific food-safety planning, helping local teams build the discipline and systems required for safe production and market participation.
Harvest Hubs bring together practices and infrastructure developed through more than a decade of food-production, training, and partnership experience. The model draws on operating work in controlled-environment agriculture, renewable energy, water management, food safety, workforce development, and local market access, adapted with partners to local conditions.
FreshMinistries begins its aquaponics learning partnership with the University of the Virgin Islands, a recognized leader in aquaponics research and education.
NativeFresh opens in Jacksonville as a 6,000-square-foot production and training facility. Its produce serves schools, community organizations, and local buyers while the site provides hands-on learning for visitors, trainees, and partners.
Island Fresh opens at Estate Bethlehem in St. Croix as a six-greenhouse food-production and learning facility, developed with the U.S. Economic Development Administration, the Government of the U.S. Virgin Islands, the University of the Virgin Islands, and St. Croix Partners in Action.
FreshMinistries opens the Acornhoek food-production and training facility in Mpumalanga, South Africa. At the Lambeth Conference, 220 Anglican bishops expressed support for exploring food-system initiatives in their provinces.
The Randburg Aquaponics Training Facility opens in Johannesburg, expanding regional capacity for applied learning and technical support. NativeFresh is rebuilt in Jacksonville as a standardized, off-grid production and training facility.
Island Fresh transitions to the stewardship of the University of the Virgin Islands, establishing a foundation for continued research, education, workforce development, and public engagement.
Harvest Hub development efforts apply this operating experience to an integrated, locally led model that can combine production, energy, water, cold-chain infrastructure, preservation, training, and market access in one shared platform.
“This model addresses every single one of the components necessary for sustainable development in an impoverished area. It is not just putting a hoe in people's hands but giving them an equity stake in the economy.”
Pamela WhiteFormer U.S. Ambassador to Haiti
Every Harvest Hub prepares at least two local operators through a three-phase process: regional training, on-site launch, and ongoing support. The approach is designed to build lasting local capability while keeping each team connected to a regional technical-support network.
Participants begin at a regional hub, completing classroom and hands-on instruction on the same standardized system they will operate at their own site. Training covers production, food safety, water and solar systems, operations, maintenance, logistics, planning, and enterprise management.
Training continues at the team's own greenhouse or production site. Working alongside qualified trainers, participants bring equipment into operation, establish production routines, implement food-safety and operating procedures, monitor water and filtration, maintain solar infrastructure, and plan initial crops and market activity.
Following launch, the regional hub and FreshMinistries provide continuing operational guidance. Where appropriate, this includes remote monitoring, data review, troubleshooting, refresher training, and access to technical assistance and supplies.
The goal is locally led operational capability: teams equipped to manage day-to-day performance while remaining connected to practical regional support.
After launch, local teams remain connected to regional and technical-support networks. Shared performance data, routine review, and remote troubleshooting help identify issues early and provide practical guidance when needed.
Reliable local production of fresh food throughout the year.
Recirculating water, controlled-environment production, and site-specific infrastructure designed to manage drought, heat, and severe weather.
Solar generation and battery storage that support resilient operations and, where appropriate, shared community use.
Applied training in food production, food safety, water management, solar systems, equipment maintenance, and enterprise operations.
New roles for local operators, producers, and small enterprises, supported by aggregation, preservation, and stronger market connections.
Locally produced fresh food that can serve households, community institutions, and local buyers through arrangements shaped with local partners.
Long-term value depends on local ownership and operating capacity. A Harvest Hub is designed to leave behind practical infrastructure, trained teams, and systems that communities can manage, adapt, and strengthen over time.
FreshMinistries welcomes collaboration with communities, public institutions, foundations, development partners, and responsible private-sector organizations to advance locally led Harvest Hub development.
Talk with us about site priorities, phased delivery, operating readiness, and investment needs. Support can help provide infrastructure, training, food-safety systems, and ongoing technical assistance.
FreshMinistries' Harvest Hub work draws on operating experience in controlled-environment food production, workforce training, food safety, and locally led implementation. NativeFresh, the organization's flagship facility in Jacksonville, operates under USDA Harmonized GAP food-safety certification.
This work has been informed and supported through collaboration with public agencies, universities, technical contributors, and community-based partners in the United States, the Caribbean, and Africa.
