This project started as a collaboration between Cornell Cooperative Extension, Red Hook Farms and the Represent research group, seeking to develop new approaches to educating people about soil health and urban agriculture.

We are using a virtual reality education developed by the Represent research group. Our current prototype can run on Windows PCs and Oculus Quest virtual reality headsets. We are planning to add support for other platforms in the future.

We expect there will be headsets available at local district extensions offices in New York State. Farmers will be able to visit these locations to experience farm visits in an immersive environment. Some farmers (or their kids) will have their own headsets. There is a PC version of the software, and we anticipate porting it to other platforms soon.

The long-term vision of this project is to develop a virtual reality education platform that can connect farmers and extension across the state (and eventually the country) to learn from one another and virtually experience each others farms.

We are seeking collaborators who would like to be involved with the project. If you would like to document your farm, develop your own virtual reality education platform, or be involved in some other way, please contact us.