Nine years ago, Dennis McClung had a rundown swimming pool and an ambitious goal — to plant a garden that would provide a self-sustaining food system for his family.
McClung and his wife transformed the empty cement pit behind their home in Mesa, Arizona, into a closed-loop ecosystem teeming with life, from vegetables to chickens, even a pond with tilapia. The innovative urban farm produced enough food to feed the couple and their three young children, cutting their monthly grocery bill by almost half.
But what McClung accomplished after that is even more remarkable. With no formal training — just plenty of ingenuity, hard work and resourcefulness — McClung now helps people around the world build climate-resilient and highly productive food systems. Read More