Detroit, Michigan, Oct. 02, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --
- The “Mahindra Agriscience Learning Center” is located at Pingree Farms
- Center was funded by Mahindra Automotive NA’s Urban Ag Grant program
- Grant part of over $425,000 MANA has given to ag non-profits in SE Mich over past 4 years
Detroit, MI, October 2, 2018 – A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held this morning to mark the opening of the new Mahindra Agriscience Learning Center at Detroit’s Pingree Farms. The Center will serve as an on-site classroom where students will focus on agricultural and animal science, and will allow the farm to further expand both their Agriscience curriculum and student enrollment. “The Mahindra Agriscience Learning Center will provide an excellent educational environment for students and community members to study and learn a wide range of food production techniques,” said Mahindra Automotive North America’s CEO and President Rick Haas.
The Learning Center was established with the conviction that education is the key to future sustainability in Detroit, and beyond, as MANA President Rick Haas continued, “We were pleased to provide the grant funding that supports this program’s development and are humbled by Pingree Farms’ decision to name the Center after our company. My colleagues and I look forward to welcoming the new generation of well-trained growers that this program will create. They will undoubtedly enable the city of Detroit’s vibrant urban agriculture movement to continue to prosper.”
Jim Green, Co-founder and Chairperson of the Pingree Farms Board of Directors said, “This partnership with Mahindra is another step towards Pingree Farms’ mission to use agriculture to stimulate curiosity about the sciences and to teach responsibility and other life skills. The addition of the Mahindra Agriscience Learning Center represents a huge leap forward for us.”
The new learning center is yet another “fruit” born by the Mahindra’s Urban Agriculture Grant Program—an initiative launched by MANA in 2015 that has since awarded nearly a half-million dollars in cash and farm-equipment to 13 distinct non-profit organizations committed to sustainable agriculture operating throughout SE Michigan (11 in Detroit). Other accomplishments of Mahindra’s grant program include the distribution of over 200,000 seeds and seedlings to more than 1,600 Detroit gardens, the installation of software that enables city residents to purchase locally-grown produce with a state-issued EBT card, and the development of a prototype irrigation system for small gardens in SE Michigan.
It is sustainability initiatives like MANA’s grant program that led Fortune magazine to name the $21 Billion Mahindra Group in their recent 2018 “Change the World List”—a ranking highlighting 25 businesses across the globe working to “help the planet and tackle social problems”.
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About Mahindra Automotive North America
Mahindra Automotive North America (MANA) is the North American headquarters of the $20B Mahindra Group’s automotive division. Established in 2013, MANA now employs over 400 people, and became the first automotive OEM to launch a manufacturing operation in SE Michigan in over 25 years when it began producing the ROXOR off-road vehicle earlier this year in Auburn Hills, MI. Working with affiliate Mahindra teams in India, Italy and Korea, MANA also continues to fulfill its mission as a center of automotive engineering excellence, which includes automotive design, engineering and vehicle development, and is led by a team of veteran industry executives, engineers and designers. For more information, visit www.mahindraautomotivena.com and www.roxoroffroad.com
About Mahindra
The Mahindra Group is a $20 billion (USD) federation of companies that enables people to rise through innovative mobility solutions, driving rural prosperity, enhancing urban living, nurturing new businesses and fostering communities. It has a leadership position in utility vehicles, information technology, financial services and vacation ownership in India and is the world’s largest tractor company, by volume. It also enjoys a strong presence in agribusiness, components, commercial vehicles, consulting services, energy, industrial equipment, logistics, real estate, steel, aerospace, defense and two-wheelers. Headquartered in India, Mahindra employs over 240,000 people across 100 countries. Learn more at mahindra.com
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