Ohio State innovation turns microfarming into a driver of community wealth

An innovation born out of research at The Ohio State University is shaping a new enterprise that could redefine how communities address food insecurity while building local wealth.

At the center of this work is the Microfarm Community Food Development System, advanced by American Farm Enterprise (AFE). AFE was co-founded by Kip Curtis, associate professor of environmental history at Ohio State, and Renée Thompson, a leader in community and economic development. Together, they are demonstrating how microfarms—small-scale, high-yield farming units—can deliver both economic returns and social impact in underserved communities.

“When our faculty and alumni take discoveries into our communities, they positively impact lives, improve farming practices and benefit the broader economy,” said Kevin Taylor, chief innovation officer for the Enterprise for Research, Innovation and Knowledge (ERIK) at Ohio State. “Our role is to help accelerate that process by providing the tools, connections and support to bring innovations like this to market.”

Curtis’s research began with an 8,000-square-foot microfarm, half covered with high tunnels and capable of generating about $30,000 in net annual sales. “One microfarm wasn’t enough to sustain a farmer or compete in the marketplace,” Curtis said. “The breakthrough came when we realized that multiple farms, working as a system through cooperative structures, could achieve scale, stability and shared prosperity.”

That realization grew into a multiyear effort funded by the Foundation for Food and Agricultural Research, which helped establish several demonstration farms, train more than a dozen beginning farmers and launch a cooperative that continues to operate successfully. Mansfield, Ohio, served as one early testing ground, but the work is now part of a broader portfolio of farm projects across the state, each contributing to ongoing research and refinement of the model.

Thompson recognized the opportunity to expand beyond research. “When Kip first mentioned licensing the intellectual property, I encouraged him to form a business,” she said. “That was the beginning of American Farm Enterprise. We created a hybrid structure—a for-profit entity to hold and grow the intellectual property alongside a nonprofit arm that focuses on training, mentoring and research.”

The cooperative design has proven key. “The co-op helps answer the toughest questions—what to grow, how much to grow and who to sell it to,” Curtis said. “By working together, farmers gain the market presence and stability they need to thrive.”

Ohio State has been integral in moving the project from concept to enterprise. Through ERIK’s Innovation and Commercialization team, Curtis and Thompson received support in licensing, business formation and investor engagement. “I’m a historian and a big ideas person,” Curtis said. “Ohio State provided the tools, coaching and connections to turn those ideas into a working venture.”

Supporting projects like this is the College of Arts and Sciences’ Technology Oversight Committee, originally formed to advise chemistry-based programs on bridging academic research with entrepreneurial opportunities. The committee provides guidance on identifying nonacademic funding sources, mentoring faculty-led programs and connecting researchers with contacts in the private sector. While most members have a background in the chemical sciences, all bring decades of entrepreneurial experience and a focus on social impact, helping initiatives like AFE move from the lab to the marketplace. The committee model has since expanded across disciplines, demonstrating how academic programs can leverage parallel funding strategies—venture capital, private investment and other nongovernment sources—to ensure continuity and growth without the stop-go risk of relying solely on public funding.

“Ohio State is committed to advancing the land-grant mission and supporting innovations that strengthen communities and local economies,” said Susan Olesik, dean of natural and mathematical sciences in the college. “The work of our faculty, alumni and advisory committees ensures that ideas generated on campus can become real-world solutions that benefit society.”

Research teams from Ohio State’s College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and Central State University have studied early pilot projects, providing data to validate the model and refine it for replication. With this foundation, Curtis believes the initiative is ready for wider adoption across Ohio and Appalachia, where the U.S. Department of Agriculture has identified significant gaps in food access.

For Thompson, the expansion is about making Curtis’s vision tangible for people. “Kip’s work has proven that beginning farmers can build a career, generate wealth and strengthen their communities at the same time,” she said. “Our task now is to take that success to scale.”

Curtis added, “Our early projects demonstrated that this model works. The next step is to help more communities put it into practice—and in doing so, transform how we think about farming, food and local wealth.”