Growing North is a disruptive social venture. They are also a finalist in the Google.org Impact Challenge. Growing North has the seeds of disruption and reminds me of the work of Wangari Maathai. Wangari Maathai was the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize. Maathai started a movement that encouraged women to plant trees as and approach to mitigating deforestation and food security within their communities. This grassroots group became a movement known as the Green Belt movement. What was remarkable about that story, was that it was framed as women planting trees, but the magic sauce was in the relationships that were formed when women came together. Planting together. When they were planting they would talk. They got to know each other. They built community. It was through these relationships that Maathai was able to mobilize women to contribute to democracy and fight for their rights.

What Stefany Nieto and her team are doing in the North is similar to the Green Belt movement. On a practical level they are providing food for a community, but more importantly, they are providing a space that strengthens the social fabric of the communities they are working in. This is why I voted for them in the Google.org Impact Challenge. Not only has Stefany and her team found a way to grow food in one of the most inhospitable conditions on the planet. They helping to strengthen the social fabric of the community. When the community builds a greenhouse together or grows food all year together, they are strengthening the social fabric of their community. This is the disruption. Most people only think of the technological side of disruption, but for Growing North strengthening the social fabric is a major part of the solution and their approach.

The problem in the north of Canada is that perishable food is flown in and when it get to these communities is not only expensive but is often rotten. Stefany and her team are disrupting the supply chain and growing food in the north. Growing North’s mission is to sustainably provide fresh, locally grown produce to families living in Northern Canada, at a fraction of the current price, while positively contributing to the educational infrastructure and job market. The part I love the most about this project is not the elegant technological solution, but the social fabric that they are fostering around their technology. Stefany and her team have worked hard to help build a community around these igloo shaped greenhouses. They have developed coop programs so students can get credits while they learn how to grow food. They have focused on using their technology to bolster the social fabric in the community and that is why I voted for them in the Google.org Impact Challenge.

This podcast was recorded via Skype.
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