The Program Systems
One system at a time
Families start simple and add each system only after the last one is working.
Slow is fast. No family receives a kit without first learning it hands-on at the Soksabai Greens farm — and no family moves to the next system until the current one is working. Each phase also asks a little more: Phase 1 runs with no electricity and no testing at all, while later phases add pumps, water chemistry, and temperature control — introduced only once a family has the skills to manage them. One family, one system, one harvest at a time.
Phase 1 — The Pilot
Where every family begins
The 20-family pilot in Ta Prom Village. Families master four systems, one at a time, entirely at no cost. Every Phase 1 system is deliberately build-and-forget — no electricity, no pumps, no water-chemistry testing, no temperature control. Nothing that can fail while a family is still learning.
System 01
Kratky Passive Hydroponics
No pumps, no electricity, no soil — a true build-and-forget system. Every family starts here, with leafy greens growing in a nutrient reservoir that feeds itself as the roots descend. The farm pre-germinates each seedling, so families harvest in about 15 days from delivery instead of waiting 30–45 days from seed. For about $10, you can start a family growing — a starter bucket with seedlings and nutrients — and a family expands to a full multi-bucket setup as their skills grow. Safe to run before the land around the home is cleared.
System 02
Bean Sprout Production
Mung bean sprouts grown in trays with nothing but water — the fastest win in the program. A family can harvest and sell at the local market within about 4–5 days of setup, for under $2 in inputs. Quick, repeatable cash that builds momentum between longer harvests.
System 03
Oyster Mushroom Cultivation
Oyster mushrooms grown on rice straw — a crop residue that is free, abundant, and would otherwise be burned. Mushrooms are the highest-value crop per square meter and need no refrigeration for same-day market sale. Spent substrate isn’t waste: it feeds the BSF bin.
System 04
Black Soldier Fly (BSF) Bin
Black soldier fly larvae are the program’s composting engine. They turn spent mushroom substrate, vegetable offcuts, and kitchen waste into two useful outputs: high-protein larvae to feed chickens and ducks, and frass — a dry fertilizer that supplements the Kratky nutrient mix. Nothing leaves this system as waste.
Phase 2 — Expansion · Future Stage
Growing into higher volume
Once the pilot proves itself and the data supports it, the program expands to more families and villages. Families who have succeeded in Phase 1 add systems that turn a household surplus into steady income. These systems ask more of a family — they run on electricity, need periodic water-chemistry testing, and require attention to temperature — skills earned by mastering Phase 1 first.
System 05 · Phase 2
Deep Water Culture (DWC)
The upgrade a family grows into once the Phase 1 systems are working. Deep Water Culture suspends roots in a deeper, aerated reservoir, giving faster growth and heavier yields of greens and herbs. It runs a small water and air pump, so it needs electricity and periodic water-chemistry checks — but its large volume of water buffers temperature swings, which keeps it forgiving to run. The step from household food security toward a marketable surplus.
System 06 · Phase 2
NFT Channels
Nutrient Film Technique runs a thin, recirculating stream of nutrient-enriched water — supplemented by BSF frass — across the roots of fast-growing market crops. It has the same needs as DWC (pumps, electricity, regular water testing), but the thin film of water in each channel holds very little thermal mass, making it the most temperature-sensitive system in the program — and the last a family takes on. This is where household growing becomes commercial supply for Siem Reap’s kitchens.
Phase 3 — The Full Loop · Future Stage
Closing the loop with protein
A later stage, built on everything the pilot establishes. Aquaculture adds fish and prawns fed by the composting system — closing the last waste stream in a zero-waste design.
System 07 · Phase 3
Aquaculture
Tilapia and freshwater prawns raised in tanks, fed by the live larvae from the BSF bin — turning composting output into fresh protein at near-zero feed cost. The nutrient-rich tank water, in turn, supplements the growing systems. The final loop in a zero-waste design.
