GrowGeneration Corp. and Harvest 360 Technologies, LLC (H360) recently announced their collaboration in initiating a new program designed to support the cannabis industry’s social equity and economic development.
The NEXTGEN Micro Cultivation competition serves as the initial endeavor amid GrowGeneration’s overarching goal of supporting the inclusion of diverse applicants that includes minority, women, and veteran entrepreneurs to identify and empower small cultivators in New Jersey.
“We expect over 500 teams to enter this competition, and GrowGeneration will be fully supporting 25 teams,” GrowGen President and Co-Founder Michael Salaman said. “That’s over 100 people provided with full scholarships with H360.”
Authorities indicated the Education & Training program is the first commitment of its kind in the cannabis industry, adding the NEXTGEN Micro Cultivation competition, kicks off with a GrowGen commitment of up to $500,000 to provide full scholarships for 25 Cultivation teams establishing Micro Grow licenses in the New Jersey Adult-Use Cannabis market.
Resources include access to equipment packages and market resources to the applicants. All contest entries will get access to an online cultivation portal to assist in preparing an application or be educated and informed about best practices in the New Jersey program.
“Veteran, minorities, women, and residents of Impact Zones or disproportionately impacted areas, are being encouraged to participate in new markets like New Jersey, New York, and Illinois, but they are not always given access to the tools necessary to compete and be successful,” Harvest 360 Global CEO Todd Scattini said. “Social Equity and Micro Cultivation Licenses are very closely related, I have seen how the Micro Grow program in Missouri has helped veterans turn their lives around by helping treat chronic pain, PTSD and receive therapeutic benefits from cultivation of the cannabis plant.”