Doron Gordon is an admitted “tech geek” by nature and has enjoyed a long career in computer technology. He used to focus on what technology could do for business, but these days, he’s using technology to solve problems facing society. To that end, he founded the Gordon Family Foundation, a generous funder of Inter-Faith Food Shuttle. Doron and his wife, Mirjam, have also committed considerable time as volunteers at the Food Shuttle. They see it as a wonderful way to come together as a family.
Doron’s passion for making the world a better place through technology led him to FarmBot, an open-source CNC farming machine. Its advanced software allows users to plant, water, and weed their gardens and farms informed by data metrics. In addition to its ability to grow and tend different crops on different cycles, the FarmBot system opens new educational avenues—connecting farming and technology in new and exciting ways.
“The combination of educating the community and organizing food distribution to help the community was always fascinating to me!” shares Doron.
In 2020, Gordon, then a newly engaged volunteer, was excited to introduce this new technology to the communities we serve. The Gordon Family Foundation purchased one of the first models of The FarmBot with the intention of implementing it at the Food Shuttle Farm, but the project was delayed until now due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Finally, Doron’s dream has become a reality. The Gordon Family Foundation’s gift of a Farm Bot is being used to inspire a passion for agriculture and technology in students at Ligon Middle School.
Through a two-week agricultural engineering program called FutureAg, students from underserved and underrepresented communities are introduced to the exciting world of STEM.
Alonzo Alexander is the director of the NC State University organization Imhotep Academy, which developed the FutureAg program. He shares, “We wanted to get students excited about agriculture by showing how modern agriculture and agribusiness leverage engineering and technology to make existing jobs better and create whole new careers for students to consider.” Patrick Faulkner, a teacher at Ligon Middle School who serves as a leader of FutureAg, has made the FarmBot the center of the program. He uses it to teach robotics, plant biology, and many other fascinating topics which are, in Doron’s words, “making farming cool again.”
In the FutureAg program, students develop knowledge about food production, soil science, and plant biology. They also learn basic coding techniques which can be used to operate sensors measuring soil moisture, identify plants with machine-learning algorithms, and create watering and lighting schedules. The program is highly effective: According to Alonzo Alexander, students’ knowledge about agricultural engineering increases by more than 20% by the end of the program, and over 90% of students and parents say that the experience gives them a greater appreciation for STEM as a career pathway!
Inter-Faith Food Shuttle is dedicated to finding innovative ways to fight hunger, and partnerships with community members like Doron Gordon, Patrick Faulkner, Alonzo Alexander, and the Gordon Family Foundation make this possible. We are incredibly grateful for the Gordon Family Foundation’s gift of the FarmBot, and excited about its potential to teach children about growing their own food!