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Abstract

Introduction: “Food deserts” are geographical areas that lack affordable full-service grocery stores and have higher densities of unhealthy or “fast food” options. These deserts not only exist in communities such as Philadelphia, but also on college campuses. One solution to creating access to fresh vegetables is urban farming, which refers to green areas (i.e. community gardens) that provide places for food to be grown by local residents. Microgreens Health Outreach Project (HOP), aimed to build and implement a small, indoor community garden cart within the Health Sciences Building (HSB) at Drexel University; the organization hoped that this cart would be regularly utilized by the Drexel University College of Medicine (DUCOM) students. Methods: Microgreens HOP contacted the Office of Student Affairs at DUCOM and the owners of the HSB. Funding, responsibility, space necessary, and permanence of the garden were issues discussed during the planning process. Results: A small, free-standing, indoor community garden cart was built and implemented on the ninth floor of HSB at Drexel University in September 2024. Discussion: There was little existing literature addressing indoor urban gardening, and Microgreens HOP was unable to effectively compare the costs for building this garden. Through internet research and price comparisons, Microgreens HOP designed a custom-built urban farming cart. Communication, funding, and a supportive community at DUCOM were crucial to the success of this project. Conclusion: Future research should explore taste preferences of microgreens and the effectiveness of shared harvesting and community garden rules.

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