Conceived at the height of the 2016 refugee crisis, Richmond resident and social entrepreneur Jonah Crawford observed the fragility of local, national and international institutions when confronted with millions of hungry, unsheltered people. Thinking globally and acting locally, Jonah invented and patented a low-cost, cultivation platform that enables food production at far greater densities than is currently possible with conventional farming. Since 2016, Jonah has worked with several Richmond based firms to make his vision for climate resilient urban-agriculture as public infrastructure a reality.

During that time public awareness to the inconvenient truths of climate change has matured, so has a generation of children who began hearing about climate change in fourth grade. Just entering high school they must be wondering when the adult world is going to meaningfully address the climate crisis. NineMeals platform speaks to them and invites their participation.