KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Two faculty members from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville Tickle College of Engineering are part of a nearly $1 million National Science Foundation interdisciplinary project aimed at optimizing and expanding the production and distribution of locally grown food.
Jon Hathaway, a professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Catherine Schuman, an assistant professor in the Min H. Kao Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, are collaborating with a local nonprofit, Three3, and other University of Tennessee researchers and community partners to develop DFARM, a smart, connected community food production and distribution system.
DFARM will employ a user-centered software platform to connect community gardens, indoor hydroponic systems, and local food hubs. The system aims to facilitate the coordination of what foods are grown, where they are produced, and how they are distributed to organizations such as community food pantries.
Hathaway will lead UT’s involvement in the project through the Institute for a Secure & Sustainable Environment (ISSE). Other UT faculty involved as co-principal investigators are Schuman, Natalie Bumgarner, an associate professor of plant sciences in the Hebert College of Agriculture, and George Hope Chidziwisano, an assistant professor in the School of Information Sciences.
“This is a great example of use-inspired research,” said Hathaway, an associate director of the Tennessee Water Resources Research Center. “We can contribute to fundamental developments in our own fields, while also trying to address real-world challenges.”
New Food Production Pathways
Hathaway’s work will focus on hydroponic sensing and connectivity while helping to determine how much technological support is needed to successfully manage such systems. The broader UT team, including Schuman, will contribute their expertise in optimization algorithms, user-interface development, plant science, nutrition, sensor technology, and more. UT graduate and undergraduate students will also play a role in the development of these algorithms, interfaces, and sensing systems.
The team intends to purchase 30 new hydroponic systems, which are soil-free methods of growing plants by delivering water, oxygen, and essential materials directly to the roots through a nutrient-rich water solution. The systems can support food production year-round and expand the growing capacity in locations that may not have traditional garden space accessible.
The researchers at UT will also develop technology designed to make the hydroponic systems easier to operate. They will evaluate different levels of sensor support, from systems without automated monitoring to systems linked to platforms that allow growers to view system conditions through a dashboard or alert systems that notify when water or nutrient levels need attention. The sensor technology will monitor water depth, conductivity, and pH within the hydroponic systems. From there, data can be transferred for processing, allowing the system to notify when intervention is needed via the DFARM application or text message.
The project aims not only to increase food production capacity, but also to create a model that could eventually be adapted by other communities.
“I’m excited to participate in this project because it supports interdisciplinary research for a real-world problem and connects solutions to those in the broader community who could most benefit from that work,” Schuman said.
— University of Tennessee
Dining and Cooking