Inside the greenhouse of Kalamazoo’s Food Innovation Center, students are using aquaponics to more efficiently grow lettuce. Tilapia are raised in tanks, and their waste is converted into fertilizer for the plants, a model of a closed loop system that mimics what happens in nature.

It’s just one of many innovative growing techniques Rachel Bair and her team are testing to produce the greatest amount of healthy food in a small, urban space. Her work is part of Kalamazoo Valley Community College’s (KVCC) Bronson Healthy Living Campus, the only program in the nation to fully integrate agricultural initiatives, culinary education, mental health treatment services and a hospital system.

Inspired by the health issues endemic to Kalamazoo, where more than 64 percent of adults are overweight or obese (according to a 2013 state study), the KVCC program focuses heavily on healthy food access. “The goal of the Food Innovation Center is to help rebuild a local and regional food system that will both support the Kalamazoo economy and promote food security,” Bair said. “Fresh food should be available to everyone, and we as a region should have control of our food supply for economic vitality.”

The center goes well beyond a traditional food hub. It also serves as a training ground and local source for farm-to-table chefs, a garden-based therapy site for patients in recovery, and a hands-on classroom for sustainable agriculture practices. “Food is an intimate connection that we have with the earth and with each other, and our ability to create technological and social systems to feed ourselves is a big part of what it means to be human.” Bair said. “It’s a great entry point to building sustainability across the board.”