Fort Worth-based inventor and urban farmer shares his quiet revolution in growing food without soil
FORT WORTH, TX / ACCESS Newswire / April 20, 2025 / Marc Walraven, the founder of UrbanRooted Innovations and creator of the solar-powered SkyGrow aeroponic system, is featured in an exclusive online interview titled "Farming the Sky: Marc Walraven's Journey into Aeroponics." The interview offers a rare, in-depth look at the mind behind one of Texas's most promising grassroots sustainability movements.
In the interview, Walraven opens up about his transition from mechanical engineering to urban farming and the hands-on philosophy that drives his work. Disillusioned with the corporate world, he left a tech career in 2017 to explore more meaningful solutions for food access in underserved communities. The result: a low-tech, solar-powered, vertical farming system that grows produce without soil and with minimal water.
"I never planned on being a farmer," Walraven says. "I just saw a gap - places in the city where people couldn't get fresh food easily - and I thought I could help."
The system he designed, called SkyGrow, uses 90% less water than traditional farming and is compact enough to be used on rooftops, in schools, and behind restaurants. Marc's startup, UrbanRooted Innovations, now supplies aeroponic farming kits across Fort Worth and beyond - with a focus on education and community.
But for Walraven, it's not just about tech - it's about people.
"I'm just showing people what they can already do," he explains. "The tech is simple. What matters is how you use it."
In addition to building and distributing SkyGrow units, Walraven teaches monthly workshops to help individuals learn how to grow their own food. His programs are especially aimed at veterans, teens, and underserved communities - groups often left out of modern agriculture and technology conversations.
"I remember eating whatever was cheap," he shares in the interview. "Now I want to make good food easier to grow."
The feature touches on Walraven's minimalist philosophy - no apps, no cloud syncing, no complicated interfaces - just clean, efficient tools that empower people to grow their own food with confidence and independence.
"If it breaks," he says, "I want people to fix it with a screwdriver, not a support ticket."
About Marc Walraven
Marc Walraven is a Fort Worth-based engineer, inventor, and founder of UrbanRooted Innovations. He designs solar-powered aeroponic systems that help communities grow fresh food in small spaces with minimal resources. Known for his down-to-earth teaching style and low-tech approach, Marc is reshaping how cities think about food, sustainability, and access.
To read the full interview, click here.
Contact: info@marcwalraven.com
SOURCE: Marc Walraven
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