How Elon Musk's Brother Became an Urban "Farmer" and Leads Projects Aimed at Transforming Schools, Cities, and Food Production

Written by Romario Pereira of Carvalho

07/12/2025

Kimbal Musk's journey encompasses school gardens, vertical farms in shipping containers, and educational projects that advocate for local cultivation, healthy consumption, and agriculture as a tool for continuous social transformation.

Kimbal Musk's journey encompasses school gardens, vertical farms in shipping containers, and educational projects that advocate for local cultivation, healthy consumption, and agriculture as a tool for continuous social transformation.

While Elon Musk dominates global debates about technology and transportation, his younger brother, Kimbal Musk, follows a different path because he sees food as a way to have a direct social impact. He prefers to work on local and educational projects, bringing young people and communities closer to the production of fresh food.

The choice stemmed from old childhood memories, when cooking was the only time the family was together, something he always repeats because it marked his life in a profound way.

Kimbal gained prominence in the technology sector by selling Zip2, which he created with Elon, but later decided to dedicate himself to another passion.

He left the startup environment and moved to New York. He wanted to learn to cook professionally, so he enrolled in the International Culinary Center.

This transition opened up new perspectives. He began to see food as a social element, and not just as sustenance.

This insight led him to create initiatives aimed at transforming schools and communities. He argues that teaching children to grow food can generate changes that last throughout their adult lives.

This reasoning has guided his actions ever since, even if it sometimes sounds too simple for those accustomed to the glamour of technology.

Big Green and the learning gardens of Elon Musk's brother.

Big Green was founded in 2011 with the mission of bringing vegetable gardens to public schools. The project aims to install one million vertical gardens and connect them to daily teaching.

The idea is to use farming as a classroom, integrating nutrition and agriculture into traditional learning.

According to Kimbal, this strategy is crucial because many children do not have regular access to fresh fruits and vegetables.

The project also aims to combat childhood obesity and promote healthy habits. According to him, every school, regardless of local income, should have an active garden.

Big Green has gained international visibility because it combines education and public health in a practical way. Furthermore, it demonstrates how small interventions can transform the school environment.

Teachers report increased student interest, even among those who rarely participated in conventional classes.

Kimbal argues that a vegetable garden can inspire discovery. He states that vegetable consumption can double among students who interact with these spaces.

There is no promise of an immediate solution, but there is a clear path to social transformation.

Square Roots and urban agriculture

Kimbal's work wasn't limited to schools. In 2016, he launched Square Roots, an incubator dedicated to vertical farms housed in climate-controlled shipping containers.

The operation uses hydroponics and recycled water, allowing for efficient urban farming.

The company has already produced more than 120 varieties of fruits, vegetables, and legumes. The plan is to build a super farm with 25 containers and expand production.

The goal is to bring food closer to the end consumer by reducing large steps in the industrial chain.

According to Tobias Peggs, CEO of Square Roots, the search for local foods is growing because many consumers have lost confidence in the traditional food industry.

He claims that the product harvested in vertical farms has equivalent quality to the best organic produce grown in open fields.

The company highlights goals such as local production, transparency, sustainability, and education. These points help reduce food insecurity, reinforce confidence in the production system, and stimulate new learning opportunities, especially among young people interested in technology.

Each container functions as an innovation laboratory. Furthermore, the structure allows for rigorous temperature and nutritional control.

The result is predictability, something difficult to achieve in conventional farming, which is subject to weather and long distances.

From Earth to Mars

Interestingly, some of Square Roots' research aligns with Elon Musk's space ambitions. The idea of ​​bringing vertical farms to space has already emerged in studies related to the project.

The system could power astronauts on extended missions and even supply future bases on Mars, should they materialize.

The connection between urban agriculture and space exploration may seem distant, but it shares a common principle.

Both scenarios require efficient production, with minimal resource use and complete autonomy. Kimbal doesn't prioritize this, but acknowledges its potential.

This intersection of ideas shows how the brothers' paths cross, even when their goals seem to go in opposite directions. Elon seeks new worlds. Kimbal bets on the planet we have.

Elon Musk's brother sees agriculture as a means of social transformation.

Kimbal sees agriculture as a tool for inclusion. For him, a vegetable garden can teach responsibility, cooperation, and care.

It also creates opportunities for communities that rarely participate in innovative projects. It's a way to democratize knowledge without relying on large structures.

He says that planting is not just about producing food. It's about forming habits. It's about building connections. It's about offering access to something that is often far removed from the urban routine. This message is repeated because it is central to his work.

While Elon Musk explores technological boundaries, Kimbal Musk remains focused on everyday life. He believes that real change begins close to home.

And it reinforces the idea that a simple garden can, indeed, start a silent, beautiful, and continuous revolution.

With information from Compre Rural.