City of Riverside Breaks Ground on Northside Agricultural Innovation Center
The City of Riverside broke ground today (3/4) on the Northside Agricultural Innovation Center, which will demonstrate how sustainable, climate-resilient agricultural technologies can increase crop yields in the face of climate change while preparing the next generation of farmers. The NAIC will be the first facility of its kind in the U.S., featuring solar-powered greenhouses and solar panels over farm fields that will harness the sun’s energy, power the center and return up to 1 megawatt of renewable annually energy to the grid. The solar greenhouses will produce three times the yield of a typical farm, while using 80% less water. Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson noted that the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Energy have recognized the NAIC as one of the top five ag projects in the US to help future proof farming. It will train at least 135 people each year and assist 6-10 new farmers and ag tech startups annually, launching 25 companies during the next ten years. “This transformative, sustainable and innovative project will bring lasting benefits to Riverside’s Northside neighborhood,” Lock Dawson said. “It also will