AgriKit: Modular Farming Solutions Enhancing Local Food Security

Name: AgriKit: Modular Farming Solutions Enhancing Local Food Security (English version)
SKU: W43746

Trisha Kumar, Saeed Rahman, Stefania Pizzirani

Product #:W43746

Supplier:Ivey

Discipline:Strategy, Sustainability

Setting:Canada, 2024

Details:Case (PDF) • 15 pages • 2025-10-08

Subjects:

Growth strategy

Geography:

Canada North America

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$9.71

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In January 2024, after nearly a decade of running Topsoil: Innovative Urban Agriculture (Topsoil), an urban agriculture business in Victoria, British Columbia, Chris Hildreth launched AgriKit, a modular farming solution designed to streamline food production. Equipped with post-harvest processing infrastructure, AgriKit enhanced food security for small farms, charities, and remote communities. However, its high price presented a challenge. Hildreth was able to secure grants for customers, which reduced financial barriers, but this strategy raised concerns about scalability and long-term sustainability. Hildreth now faced a critical dilemma: Could AgriKit become a financially viable and self-sustaining enterprise while relying on external grant funding? Would this strategy enable Hildreth to expand his impact, or would it limit the company’s ability to grow beyond a niche market? As he worked to position AgriKit for long-term success, Hildreth needed to evaluate whether his business model could balance profitability, accessibility, and mission alignment, all while supporting local food systems—and AgriKit’s growth trajectory.

Learning Objectives

This case can be used in upper-level undergraduate and graduate courses or modules on strategic management, social entrepreneurship, and sustainability innovation, particularly those focusing on competitive forces, impact-driven business models, modular farming, circular economy principles, and sustainability strategies. It explores the role of modular farming in local food production and food security, offering insights into launching and scaling a social enterprise in agricultural technology (ag-tech). Students analyze trade-offs between financial sustainability and mission alignment, evaluate investment strategies, and develop innovative business models. By working through the case and assignment questions, students will have the opportunity to do the following:

Describe how modular farming infrastructure can transform local food production and improve food security in both urban and rural areas.
Examine the challenges and opportunities of launching a new social enterprise in the ag-tech industry, especially in a rapidly evolving market focused on sustainability innovations.
Analyze the trade-offs between financial sustainability and mission alignment, including the benefits and risks associated with various revenue models.
Evaluate different strategies for scaling operations while maintaining a social mission, ensuring a balance between social and ecological impact and profitability.
Assess the investment landscape for ag-tech ventures, identifying the factors that make businesses attractive to potential funders, buyers, and partners.
Develop innovative business models that enhance the accessibility, efficiency, and adoption of sustainable food production solutions.