Fueled Feast event debuts new "Farmbot" on JMU's campus

"Fueled", an organization that emphasizes the importance of locally grown food on JMU's campus, is hosting a feast" tonight to debut their new "farmbot," a device that automates some of the farming process.

Purchased for the "Fueled" organization by JMU X-Labs, the machine does everything from planting seeds, to watering them based on the amount of water in the soil. It also removes weeds that come up around the plants and sends notifications by phone when the plants are ready for harvest. The student director of "Fueled" says Wednesday night

's event is meant to spark interest in local food.

"Show specifically the younger age range of students in Harrisonburg that it can be really fun to farm, and that they should get more involved in where their food comes from and being able to actually get involved in growing their own food" said Hannah Smith, Student Director of the JMU Fueled project.

Smith said local food is something students on campus wants, so she hopes the event can get them more engaged when it comes to picking the foods they want to see more of.