Meet our Member of the Month, a multi-talented scientist, educator, and autism parent/carer making waves in the urban agriculture world, Dr Anita Yakkundi. From knowing little about plants to running a thriving urban agriculture business, AuSome GrowSome, her journey is nothing short of inspiring. As a trained cancer biologist, Anita shared that “Before starting AuSome GrowSome, I’d never grown a plant in my life!”, but that didn’t stop her from diving headfirst into the field of soilless cultivation and building something extraordinary.

As Founder- Director of AuSome GrowSome, Anita Yakkuundi does it all! From admin and grant writing (not her favorite), to monitoring cultivation and getting her hands dirty with the crops, she keeps everything running like clockwork. And with a small but mighty team by her side, she’s creating something truly special.

Sowing New Seeds

What got Anita hooked on urban agriculture? The science behind soilless cultivation! The idea of growing crops indoors, all year round, in a structured way that’s perfect for engaging autistic and neurodivergent learners was just too good to pass up. That’s how AuSome GrowSome was born—a labor of love fueled by passion and curiosity.

Planting Roots and Cultivating Knowledge 

Setting up AuSome GrowSome meant figuring out everything from scratch. 

When she first dreamed of setting up a hydroponic unit, Anita sent out emails to anyone who might help. That’s when she found Mark Horler and the UKUAT community. “Mark was amazing,” she says. “He made me feel welcome and connected me with so many others working in this field.” From building the cultivation unit (pretty much single-handedly!) to running workshops, she embraced the steep learning curve. “I’m especially proud of the microgreen workshops we’ve held with groups of people with diverse learning needs. Watching them dive into the process has been amazing.”

Weathering the Storms

Of course, the journey hasn’t been without its hurdles. As an individual new to the industry, time was one of the biggest challenges, but securing funding and training a small team has helped lighten the load. “Seeing my team grow into their roles has been one of the most rewarding parts of this journey,” she says.

Harvesting Big Dreams