The transformation: From "a garden with a rec center" to "a production facility with a sports program." All herbs, leafy greens, and peppers move to indoor hydroponics. Outdoor garden simplifies to moringa polyculture. Processing goes on the court. Shade house becomes charcoal staging. Rabbits get a new DIY structure. 5-10 bamboo clumps on the perimeter clean the poisoned soil. Zero new land needed.
Indoor Zones
CLASSROOM 1 — Hydroponic Production~35 m²
What's Inside
- 4 wall-mounted PVC shelf racks (2m long × 4 levels each)
- Kratky hydroponic units — net cups in PVC pipes or plastic bins
- Propagation shelves — moringa cuttings in water jars, pepper starts, seedling trays
- Window light + supplemental if needed
What It Produces
| Crop | Capacity | Cycle |
|---|---|---|
| Lalo (jute mallow) | ~100 heads | 4-6 weeks, cut-and-come-again |
| Peppers (piman) | ~50 plants | 90-120 days, continuous harvest |
| Basil | ~80 plants | 30-45 days |
| Thyme | ~40 plants | 60-90 days |
| Parsley | ~40 plants | 60-75 days |
| Scallion | ~50 plants | Infinite regrow from cut base |
Total: ~360 plants rotating continuously.
Setup cost: ~$50-100 (PVC pipe, net cups, nutrient solution, shelf brackets)
CLASSROOM 2 — Hydroponic Production + Finance Office~35 m²
What's Inside
- 3 wall-mounted hydro racks (same as Classroom 1)
- 1 corner desk — Finance Lead station (daily cash log, MonCash, KoboToolbox phone)
- Propagation shelves for seedling starts destined for outdoor transplant
What It Produces
| Crop | Capacity | Cycle |
|---|---|---|
| Lettuce (multiple varieties) | ~100 heads | 30-45 days |
| Chard | ~60 plants | 50-60 days |
| Herbs overflow | ~40 plants | Various |
| Seedling propagation | ~200 starts | 2-6 weeks then transplant out |
Total: ~400 plants + 200 seedling starts.
Setup cost: ~$50-75
SHADE HOUSE — Charcoal Staging~40 m²
- Briquette drying racks — charcoal briquettes need covered, ventilated space to cure before sale. Shade house has roof (rain protection) + open sides (airflow). Perfect.
- Bag storage — finished branded "SAKALA Green Charcoal" bags ready for market
- Cassava starch prep area — gelatinize starch for briquette binding
- Overflow drying — moringa leaves, lalo, herbs on drying racks when solar dryers on court are full
Setup cost: $30-50 (drying racks from scrap wood, shelving)
ART SHED — Harvest Box Assembly + Packaging~25 m²
- Packaging station — work tables (already exist), scales, labels, heat sealer, bags, jars
- Quality control — QC Inspector grades every product before boxing
- Harvest Box assembly — 8-10 items per box, manifest, subscriber letter, sealed
- Labeling — batch numbers, expiry dates, SAKALA branding, QR codes
FatraKa! art program relocates to half-court area (outdoor art is fine).
Setup cost: ~$0 (tables already exist, just reorganize)
LIBRARY — Operations Center~35 m²
- Ops Coordinator desk — daily scheduling, subscriber updates, KoboToolbox data entry
- Books stay — freestanding bookshelves BUILT FROM BAMBOO by youth (perimeter clumps or wild stands). $0 material cost. First bamboo carpentry project. Walls freed for hydro racks above.
- Hydro racks on walls — 2 wall-mounted PVC racks above bamboo bookshelf height. Adds ~150-200 plants to total indoor hydro capacity.
- The funder photo: Bamboo furniture the youth built from bamboo they planted that's cleaning contaminated soil. Books on bamboo shelves. Lalo growing on the wall above. Education and production in one room.
- Meeting space — weekly cooperative meetings (35 min, standing agenda)
- Visitor briefing area — when funders/subscribers visit, this is where Dan presents. Funders see books AND hydro producing on the walls. That's the photo.
Setup cost: $10-15 (PVC wall racks only — bamboo bookshelves built by youth at $0)
Total indoor hydro capacity: ~2,500 plants across 2 classrooms + library wall racks + propagation. Cycling every 30-60 days. Lalo, lettuce, herbs, peppers, chard, scallions. All Harvest Box items. All produced year-round regardless of weather, drought, or season.
Total indoor setup cost: ~$150-255. The cheapest infrastructure upgrade in the entire franchise.
Total indoor setup cost: ~$150-255. The cheapest infrastructure upgrade in the entire franchise.
Outdoor Zones
GARDEN — Moringa Polyculture~400-600 m²
All herbs, leafy greens, and peppers moved indoor. The garden simplifies to a 4-layer polyculture under moringa canopy:
| Layer | Crop | Cycle | Harvest Box? | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canopy | Moringa trees (existing 100+ plus 50-100 new) | Continuous leaf harvest | YES — powder, tea | Anchor crop. More trees = more powder revenue. |
| Middle | Pigeon peas (pwa kongo) | 90-120 days | YES — dried peas | Nitrogen fixer. FEEDS the moringa. Staple food. |
| Ground | Sweet potato vines | 90-120 days | YES — leaves (greens) | Tubers = local market + rabbit feed. Leaves = box item. Suppresses weeds. |
| Ground | Joumou (pumpkin/squash) | 90-120 days | YES — cultural product | Every Haitian eats soup joumou Jan 1. December box with joumou = identity. |
| Fill | Hot peppers (overflow from indoor) | Continuous | YES — sauce piquante | Any gap in the polyculture gets a pepper plant. |
All 60-120 day cycles. No multi-year waits. The legumes feed nitrogen to the moringa. The vines cover bare ground. Everything produces for the Harvest Box or local market.
Setup cost: ~$50-75 (pigeon pea seeds, sweet potato cuttings, joumou seeds — cheap local inputs)
PERIMETER — Bamboo Grove (Soil Remediation)~15-20 m² (fence line)
- 5-10 Guadua angustifolia clumps along the compound perimeter/fence line
- Planted directly in contaminated ground (not containers) — bamboo absorbs lead, cadmium, arsenic through roots
- Minimum 3m from moringa trees — no root competition, no shade conflict in Years 1-2
- Year 3+: some afternoon shade on eastern edge — managed by selective culm harvest
Triple function
| Function | Timeline | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Wind break | Year 1+ | Protects polyculture from wind damage |
| Soil remediation | Years 3-10 | Heavy metals absorbed from dump soil, site gets cleaner |
| Charcoal + construction | Year 2-3 (charcoal), Year 3-5 (construction) | Future feedstock for kiln, building material for new structures |
Setup cost: $0 (cuttings from wild Bambusa vulgaris stands or from Jupille/Bambou Facile)
NEW STRUCTURE — Rabbit Hutches (DIY Build)~10-15 m²
- Built by youth — wood frame, wire mesh walls, zinc roofing, shade cloth
- 4-tier hutch wall: 12 cages in ~48 sq ft footprint
- Located against existing wall or in shaded corner of compound
- Manure collection tray below — drops into compost pile or BSF bin
- 30+ rabbits currently on site in tire cages — upgrade to proper hutch structure
- Feed: moringa leaves (30-40% of diet) + sweet potato vines + garden scraps + purchased supplement
Build cost: $200-300 (wood, wire mesh, zinc sheets, hardware)
Build time: 1-2 days with 4-5 youth
Processing Zones
HALF COURT — Processing Hub~250 m²
Flat asphalt surface. Perfect factory floor. No construction needed — just place equipment.
| Station | Equipment | Products |
|---|---|---|
| Solar drying | 6 solar dehydrators (3 existing + 3 new from $831 surplus) | Moringa powder, dried lalo, dried herbs, dried peppers |
| Grinding | Electric grinder (solar-powered) + manual backup | Moringa powder, peanut butter, epis blend |
| Cooking | 2 improved charcoal stoves | Mamba (peanut butter), sauce piquante, joumou prep |
| Briquette production | Drum kiln + manual briquette press | Bamboo/elephant grass charcoal briquettes |
| Jerky processing | Dehydrator (shared with solar dryers) | Rabbit jerky for Harvest Box |
| Bottling/jarring | Tables, scales, jars, labels, heat sealer | Hot sauce, mamba, honey jars |
Setup cost: $831 surplus (solar panel $350, electric grinder $80, rain harvest $250, 3 dryers $75, packaging $76)
Community Zones
HALF COURT — Sports (Reduced)~250 m²
- Futsal, basketball, volleyball continue
- Serves 100+ kids daily (reduced from 250+ but still active)
- FatraKa! art program relocates here (outdoor art works)
- Community events, konbit gatherings, Harvest Day celebrations
Dan's community mission continues. The franchise FUNDS the community program — not the other way around.
SUPPORT — Eco-San + Showers + Storage~50 m²
- Eco-San toilet — stays (hygiene non-negotiable)
- Showers — stays (youth need them after work)
- Storage building — dedicated to finished goods inventory, dry storage, raw input storage, equipment
Production Summary
| Category | Capacity | Products |
|---|---|---|
| Indoor hydro | 2,500 plants | Lalo, lettuce, peppers, basil, thyme, parsley, scallion, chard (classrooms + library walls) |
| Outdoor polyculture | 150-200 moringa trees + ground crops | Moringa powder/tea, pigeon peas, sweet potato, joumou, peppers |
| Rabbits | 30+ (breeding to 75+ lbs meat/month) | Fresh meat local market, rabbit jerky Harvest Box |
| Beehives | Existing (count TBD from Dan) | Honey for Harvest Box |
| Charcoal | 1,000-1,250 kg/month | Bamboo/elephant grass briquettes, local fuel market |
| Perimeter bamboo | 5-10 clumps | Soil remediation (now), charcoal + construction (Year 2-5) |
Harvest Box Contents (All Sourced from Site 0)
| # | Item | Source Zone |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Moringa powder (200g) | Garden → Court processing |
| 2 | Mamba / peanut butter (12oz) | Purchased peanuts → Court processing |
| 3 | Sauce piquante (8oz) | Indoor hydro peppers + garden peppers → Court cooking |
| 4 | Epis seasoning blend | Indoor hydro herbs → Court grinding |
| 5 | Moringa tea bags (10) | Garden moringa leaves → Court processing |
| 6 | Honey (8oz) | Garden beehives → Art shed packaging |
| 7 | Dried lalo (100g) | Indoor hydro → Shade house/Court drying |
| 8 | Dried herbs (bundle) | Indoor hydro → Court drying |
| 9 | Seasonal item | Rabbit jerky / dried joumou / pigeon peas / sweet potato chips |
Total Setup Cost (Layout Conversion)
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Hydro racks Classroom 1 (PVC, net cups, nutrients) | $50-100 |
| Hydro racks Classroom 2 | $50-75 |
| Library wall hydro racks (PVC) + bamboo bookshelves (DIY, $0) | $10-15 |
| Charcoal staging racks (shade house) | $30-50 |
| Rabbit hutch structure (DIY) | $200-300 |
| Polyculture seeds (pigeon pea, sweet potato, joumou) | $50-75 |
| Bamboo cuttings (perimeter) | $0 |
| Art shed reorganization | $0 |
| Library desk addition | $0 |
| Processing hub equipment (from $831 surplus) | $831 |
| TOTAL LAYOUT CONVERSION | $1,221-1,446 |