Minnesotans want their hot doughnuts now, and a college student looking to get out of debt hopes to continue satisfying their cravings. For the past five months, Jayson Gonzalez, a student at Metropolitan State University in St. Paul, made weekly treks to the nearest Krispy Kreme location in Clive, Iowa, four hours away.

As urban populations grow, so does the need to import fresh food from farms that may be hundreds of miles away. The emerging practice of urban farming could provide city dwellers with fresh, locally grown food without the large environmental footprint and logistical requirements typically associated with grocery chains.