What’s an agrihood?
Fleet Farming: Pedaling Toward Sustainability
When you spot a group of cyclists weaving through Orlando neighborhoods with garden tools strapped to their bikes, you’re witnessing Fleet Farming in action. Operating under the umbrella of eco-nonprofit IDEAS For Us, Fleet Farming has developed an ingenious model that transforms underutilized lawn space into productive micro-farms that grow hyperlocal food for those in need.
Their “farmlettes” dot the Orlando landscape, converting resource-intensive grass lawns into productive growing spaces that benefit both homeowners and the broader community. Using bicycles for transportation not only reduces carbon emissions but also creates a visible, engaging presence that sparks conversations about food production and environmental impacts.
Fleet Farming’s innovative approach extends beyond cultivation to include community education programs and harvest bicycle rides that invite residents to participate in the growing movement. Their work demonstrates how urban agriculture can thrive within existing neighborhoods, bringing a wide variety of fresh produce and agricultural awareness directly to Orlando residents.
4Roots: Building a Food System for the Future
What began as a vision to address food insecurity in Central Florida has blossomed into one of Orlando’s most ambitious agricultural initiatives. 4Roots, founded by 4Rivers Smokehouse owner John Rivers, has assembled a powerful alliance of community stakeholders committed to creating a healthy, sustainable food system throughout the region.
The crown jewel of their efforts is the developing 4Roots Farm Campus. This 40-acre agricultural hub will serve as a living laboratory where innovation, education, and community engagement intersect. The campus plans include demonstration farms, teaching kitchens, event spaces, and collaborative areas where farmers, chefs, educators, and health professionals can work together toward common goals.
4Roots has already made significant inroads through its Farm-to-School programs, which not only provide agricultural products of exceptionally high quality to local schools but also educate students about nutrition and agriculture. Their holistic approach addresses both immediate food needs and the long-term goal of transforming how Orlando thinks about and interacts with its food system.
Edible Education Experience: Cultivating Knowledge From Garden to Table
In the College Park neighborhood of Orlando, another agricultural innovation is flourishing at the Edible Education Experience. This unique for-impact organization is transforming how Orlando residents connect with their food supply through immersive, hands-on workshops, culinary classes, and garden-to-table gatherings that help neighbors taste the joy of learning.
Their teaching kitchen and culinary garden serve as living classrooms where community members learn to source, prepare, and enjoy more whole foods. These garden-to-kitchen programs inspire children to develop a love for fresh food and creativity in an environment that’s fun, educational, and delicious. Workshops for adults help community members expand their skills and savor new experiences while connecting with neighbors and friends.
At its core, Edible Education Experience is a community collaborator. They cultivate relationships with local and national chefs, farmers, and artisans while pioneering groundbreaking partnerships with healthcare systems that position food as a fundamental pathway to well-being. Their philosophy that a sustainable local food system built around community resonates with the vision for The Grow as a neighborhood where the journey from field to table creates lasting connections between people and place.
Caitlyn Glatting: Nurturing Orlando’s Urban Agriculture Movement
Behind many of Orlando’s agricultural innovations are passionate individuals like Caitlyn Glatting. As an Orlando native and Rollins College graduate with a master’s degree in Public Health, Caitlin has spent more than a decade contributing to the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences extension programs, shaping innovative approaches to local food access.
Caitlyn channels her expertise through Grow Your Soul, which is a platform dedicated to helping people cultivate a green thumb. From designing custom garden spaces filled with vegetables, herbs, and edible flowers to providing hands-on coaching in planting, pruning, and harvesting to support bounties that are higher yielding, Caitlyn’s mission is to empower individuals and families to connect with nature and the origins of their food through practical garden experiences.
Where Innovation Takes Root, Community Blossoms
At The Grow, we believe these agricultural visionaries are cultivating more than just sustainable food systems—they’re nurturing the very essence of what makes our agrihood special. They demonstrate that being good stewards of our natural resources isn’t just about where and how we grow food—it’s about building communities where people are connected to their food sources, educated about nutrition, and committed to sustainable practices.
Through their diverse approaches, organizations like Fleet Farming, 4Roots, Edible Education Experience, and innovators like Caitlyn Glatting are demonstrating that sustainable food systems aren’t just about production methods—they’re about building communities where urban living and farming coexist in harmony, where people connect deeply with their food sources and with each other.
As Orlando’s first agrihood, The Grow is a place where savoring fresh, locally grown produce is not just an amenity, but a firmly rooted principle. It’s a community where heirloom moments are shared between neighbors, where knowledge is passed from one generation to the next, and where the joy of connecting deeply with the land sustains us. From field to garden to dinner tables throughout the neighborhood, Orlando’s agricultural renaissance finds its truest expression at The Grow—a place where life grows abundant.
