Gardens for Humanity and Manzanita Outreach have begun building and distributing bioreactors to help divert food waste in the Verde Valley.
Bioreactors are engineered systems that generally consist of a vessel and accessory components designed to facilitate biochemical reactions. Gardens for Humanity is building Johnson-Su bioreactors, which are capable of large-scale passive composting and known for their high levels of carbon sequestration. The system was created by David Johnson, a molecular biologist, and his wife Hui-Chun Su while conducting research at New Mexico State University. The contents of the bioreactor do not need to be stirred or moved regularly, unlike in most forms of composting.
On July 28, Gardens for Humanity held a demonstration that allowed participants to build bioreactors using cardboard boxes wrapped in chicken wire for support, with chimneys made from milk crates placed in the center to provide airflow. The food scraps in such a bioreactor are layered with cardboard and other woody objects, mulch and other leafy matter.
The chemical composition of the resulting soil depends on the materials used in the reactor. The demonstration bioreactors were being loaded primarily with potatoes; as potatoes are high in potassium, the soil produced by those reactors will be rich in potassium.
Gardens for Humanity uses donated leftover food waste and cardboard from Manzanita Outreach, a food distributor in the Verde Valley.
“There’s so much waste here and we can compost all of it,” said Ataiyo Viafora, community education coordinator at Gardens for Humanity. “The more compost we make with our waste here, the healthier our community.”
Gardens for Humanity is planning to host these bioreactor builds monthly. The bioreactor built during the previous month’s session was given to Cottonwood Education Services for their future food forest. Gardens for Humanity is also planting fruit trees at CES and will use the nutrient-rich soil created by the bioreactor to assist with those plantings.
This month’s bioreactor will be donated to the Camp Verde Community Farm, a recent project by Gardens for Humanity in partnership with Home for New Beginnings. They received a parcel of land as a donation and are in the early stages of prepping the soil, installing irrigation and digging holes for trees.
“When we compost and we make soil, we are participating in nature and as nature,” Viafora said. “We’re turning linear systems into circular ones. This is super-important because there’s so much waste being generated and not enough food being grown.”
Viafora added that the bioreactor is easy to build and use, accessible and very effective at creating nutrient-rich soil. It takes one year for the soil generated by the reactor to be ready for use.
“It’s a great example of the slow food and slow movement that we’re trying to really instill in ourselves and in our communities,” learning gardens coordinator Sarah Grover said. “It starts as simple as taking a seat when you eat and goes as far as letting your compost take a year.”
Community gardens coordinator Sarah Estrada started working for Gardens for Humanity because of her love for gardening.
“I saw the need for some sense of community and gardening is a great way to do that,” Estrada said. “I always had this vision of connecting gardens, people and the environment and doing things in a sustainable way. I love how it brings everyone together and you’re really learning something with your hands.”
The next bioreactor build and demonstration will take place on Friday, Aug. 25, at 6 p.m. at Manzanita Outreach, located at 406 S. 6th St. in Cottonwood.
