CULTIVA COMMUNITY URBAN FARM + INDOOR & MOBILE MARKET

Cultiva Community Urban Farm will transform 10 acres in Fort Myers into a regenerative farm and community hub where fresh food is grown locally, young adults gain real-world workforce experience, people of all abilities have meaningful opportunities to work and participate, and families can reconnect with where their food comes from.

Food grown at Cultiva, along with produce sourced from THEO’s community gardens and trusted local farmers, will help supply our Cultiva Mobile Market, bringing affordable fresh food directly into neighborhoods across Lee and Collier Counties and accepting SNAP and WIC.

The property will also include regenerative growing areas, greenhouses, a community teaching garden, fruit trees, accessible pathways, quiet spaces, educational and gathering areas, fellowship housing, and spaces intentionally designed to welcome people with different abilities and support needs.

Ultimately, Cultiva is about creating something that lasts: a stronger local food system, meaningful pathways to employment and leadership, greater access to healthy food, and a place where Southwest Florida can learn, serve, grow, and belong together.

Healthy communities are grown, not built.

Southwest Florida is growing quickly, but access to fresh, affordable food and meaningful opportunity is not growing equally with it. Rising food costs are forcing families to make difficult choices, and a May 2026 Florida poll found that nearly 1 in 2 families with children are skipping meals or eating less because of rising food costs. 

At the same time, many of our communities are car-dependent, making access to healthy food even harder for families without reliable transportation. Young adults also need more opportunities to gain hands-on skills, mentorship, and meaningful work experience, while people with disabilities continue to face barriers to employment and full participation in community life.

Cultiva brings these challenges together under one solution. By growing food locally, bringing it directly into neighborhoods through our Mobile Market, creating workforce and inclusive employment opportunities, and offering education and community programming in one permanent place, Cultiva will help build a stronger and more connected local food system for Southwest Florida.

We are not simply growing food. We are growing access, opportunity, belonging, and a healthier future for our community.

Cultiva will impact Southwest Florida by creating one permanent place where fresh food, workforce opportunity, education, volunteerism, and community connection all come together.

Through regenerative farming, community gardens, greenhouses, and the Cultiva Mobile Market, more families will have access to fresh, locally grown food closer to where they live. At the same time, young adults and individuals with different abilities will gain hands-on training, paid work opportunities, mentorship, and pathways to build confidence and skills.

Cultiva will also give students, families, volunteers, businesses, and community partners a place to learn, serve, and participate in something tangible. Over time, the goal is to strengthen our local food system, create more opportunity, and build a community asset that can serve Southwest Florida for generations.

Cultiva is being built for the entire Southwest Florida community.

Families can shop for fresh, locally grown food through our indoor and mobile markets. People with all abilities can gain hands-on experience through workforce and fellowship opportunities. Volunteers can help grow food, support programs, and learn alongside their neighbors. Local farmers, growers, educators, and community partners can share their knowledge, sell their products, and help strengthen our local food system.

Children and families will also have opportunities to participate in workshops, farm experiences, and community events that reconnect people with food, nature, and one another.

Whether you come to shop, learn, volunteer, grow, teach, or simply be part of something meaningful, there will be a place for you at Cultiva.

Cultiva is not being created for one group of people. It is being created with the belief that a stronger local food system benefits all of us.

Cultiva will grow a diverse mix of fruits, vegetables, herbs, and culturally familiar crops that are well suited to Southwest Florida’s growing conditions.

Our planting plans will change with the seasons, but we expect to grow crops such as leafy greens, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, squash, beans, herbs, root vegetables, and other fresh produce that families can actually use in their everyday meals.

We also want the farm to reflect the people who live here. As Cultiva grows, we hope to involve our community in helping us decide what we plant, especially when there are culturally important foods that are difficult to find locally or affordably.

Using regenerative and sustainable growing practices, our goal is not simply to produce as much food as possible. We want to grow food in a way that builds healthy soil, supports biodiversity, uses resources responsibly, and creates a farm that can continue feeding and educating our community for years to come.

And whenever possible, what we grow at Cultiva will move directly from the farm into our indoor and mobile markets, keeping fresh food close to the community where it was grown.

Cultiva is being built through a combination of grants, philanthropic support, community partnerships, individual donors, sponsorships, and earned revenue from our markets and programs.

As a program of The Healthy Earth Organization, Cultiva will rely on community investment to help us build the farm, launch our mobile and indoor markets, create workforce opportunities, and expand access to fresh local food across Southwest Florida.

Over time, our goal is for Cultiva to become increasingly sustainable through a circular model where revenue from produce sales, market activity, partnerships, and other earned-income programs is reinvested back into the work. That means helping fund education, workforce development, food access initiatives, farm operations, and future growth.

We also believe strongly in building Cultiva with the community, not just for the community. Every grant, donation, sponsorship, partnership, and purchase helps move the vision forward and keeps more resources circulating locally.

The goal is not to depend on one source of funding. It is to build a strong, diversified model that can grow with the community and remain here for the long term.