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An architect plans to build aquaponic gardens in North
Carolina and Haiti
CHARLOTTE, N.C. There are many reasons Ron Morgans 100 Gardens project could fail, but there are
more reasons hes determined to make it work one vegetable seedling at a time.
The idea behind the nonprofit came to Morgan after a trip to Haiti following the 2010 earthquake. An
architect by training, he traveled there with members of Steele Creek Presbyterian Church of Charlotte,
N.C., expecting to design shelters for some of the 1.5 million people left homeless.
He returned with the conviction that food production was a greater need. Ive never been that close to so
much hurt and emotion, Morgan said. It changes you completely.
Morgan hopes to build 100 gardens 67 in the Charlotte area, paired with 33 in Haiti using a soilless
growing technique called aquaponics that relies on fish to fertilize plants cultivated in water. The gardens
here would serve mostly to educate students, while the gardens in Haiti would provide dinner in one of the
poorest countries in the developing world.
A Homeless Genius Called George
Because theres little arable land available in Haiti, other groups are also experimenting with aquaponics.
But Morgans journey, as he put it, may be one of the craziest youll read about. I had no idea where I was
headed or what I was doing. At my age, youve got nothing to lose, said Morgan, 71. I figured I might as
well follow this thing until it adds up.
One night after returning from Haiti, Morgan was at a local grill talking about how much he wanted to help,
but how little he knew about farming. A man at the next table said: Youve got to meet George.
George Powell, it turned out, was homeless, and a genius, Morgan said, with a working knowledge of
hydroponics a water-based growing technique similar to aquaponics but without the fish. Morgan invited
Powell to live in his house.
After many rambling conversations with Powell, Morgan drew a design for Georges Garden. The irony of
a homeless man designing a garden for homeless people was not lost on them. Then, four months later,
Powell died of cancer.
Morgan felt lost without his muse, but even more determined.
I go out in my yard a few weeks later, and mock up what I think we drew up in the drawings, Morgan said.
By the next spring, its just a bunch of weeds as haunting as my commitment to George and the
Haitians.
Aquaponics Picked For "George's Garden"
In spring 2012, Morgan turned for advice to Sam Fleming, a musician who managed a hydroponics store in
Monroe, N.C. Fleming, 25, was so enthralled with Morgans vision that he quit his job to help. Fleming
persuaded Morgan that aquaponics would suit Haiti better than hydroponics.
Aquaponics combines aquaculture, raising fish, with hydroponics, growing plants without soil. Water
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containing nutrients from fish waste is circulated through pipes to fertilize the plants, which in turn filter the
water. The clean water is then re-circulated back into the fish tank.
It requires less space, less energy and less water than conventional farming, can yield more food in a
shorter time, and can also produce fish.
Next to join the cause was Charles Oliphant, a former colleague of Morgans, who was between jobs. He
stopped by Georges Garden one day, picked up a shovel, and brought a dose of practicality.
They would come up with some great ideas, and I would figure out how to implement them, said Oliphant,
who now works in Arkansas as chief financial officer of Delta Plastics of the South. I ask hard questions
like, How in the heck is that going to work?
And then another unexpected thing happened. Fleming got a call from Terry Thomas, a career specialist at
Stonewall Jackson Youth Development Center, a correctional facility in Concord, N.C. Stonewall had
federal grant money to set up vocational programs for students, and Thomas was looking for advice on
how to renovate an abandoned greenhouse.
A year later, the greenhouse is renovated, a 450-gallon fish tank brims with tilapia, and nutrient-rich water
from the tank flows into rows of plastic pipes fitted with holes like a flute, where lettuce seedlings and
bunches of basil grow.
"We Can End Food Deserts"
It was something that was meant to be, Thomas said. Its almost a miracle.
Teenagers incarcerated at Stonewall Jackson tend the aquaponics garden and other vegetable beds
outdoors. Gregg Alford, a horticulturist with Rowan-Cabarrus Community College, is program instructor and
now also backs the idea of 100 Gardens.
We can end food deserts, Alford said, referring to neighborhoods with very little access to fresh foods.
Theres also a garden at Garinger High School, Morgan said, and he hopes to build one at South Iredell
High.
The vision keeps growing. Morgan and Fleming plan to build a huge garden in an old warehouse in NoDa,
short for North Davidson, the arts district of Charlotte. They want to open a restaurant, sell vegetables and
train graduates of Stonewall Jackson how to do it all.
The training center for these kids is the heart and soul of everything, Morgan said. Were going to send
the kids to be trainers in Haiti. It gives Haiti more meaning.
Mahanaim Project In Haiti
Morgan hopes to build the first garden in Haiti in spring 2014.
It will be located within a self-sustaining village called Mahanaim meaning Gods Camp which is being
built 30 miles north of Port-au-Prince.
Its a new approach that will improve agriculture production in the country, said Luiguy Massanga, a
native of Haiti who lives in Charlotte and co-founded Josephs Exchange, which is assisting in the
Mahanaim project.
While those around him question how everything will work out, Morgan remains undaunted.
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I never thought I would have made it this far, he said. Its taken a huge effort on the part of a lot of
people. Im convinced we can do it.