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UNITED KINGDOM: Work Could Start Soon On Futuristic Derbyshire Food Hub
Planning application in for scheme, which would create 5,000 jobs
Planning Application In For Scheme, Which Would Create 5,000 Jobs
BY ZENA HAWLEY
7 JAN 2021
This is how the SmartParc campus would look (Image: Ashtonsmith)
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Food production could be in full swing by the end of the year at a giant new Derbyshire industrial site.
That's if a planning application submitted by SmartParc gets the go-ahead in the near future.
The company has applied to create a 155-acre, hi-tech food manufacturing campus on the former Celanese site at Spondon.
It will provide state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities, start-up incubation units, and a potential location for a food manufacturing technology centre of excellence.
The idea is to combine purpose-built food production units and a central distribution facility bringing food producers together on one campus. In the process, it is expected to create up to 5,000 direct jobs.
The company's ambition is to provide a sustainable blueprint for the industry. This will harness the latest developments such as vertical farming and smart technology to improve production and energy efficiency, reducing costs, and increasing competitive advantage for the site's tenants.
Vertical farming is a new development and is where crops are grown indoors in stacked layers, mitigating the vagaries of the weather and eliminating the need for pesticides.
This is an example of vertical farming (Image: SmartParc)
Jackie Wild, SmartParc chief executive, said: "We are delighted to take another step forward in our plans to put Derby at the heart of the UK’s future in sustainable, efficient food manufacturing.
CAN (ON): Container Farm To Provide Food Hub With Year-Round Fresh Produce
On Saturday, Oct. 19, 2019, The Growcer, Abbey Gardens, community members, and project partners, FedDev Ontario and Laidlaw Foundation, came together for a ribbon-cutting to celebrate the addition of the hydroponic container farm to the community. The new addition will allow Abbey Gardens to provide fresh produce year-round through its Food Hub initiative
The Growcer, an Ottawa-based start-up enabling local food production with hydroponic container farms, has partnered with Abbey Gardens to make locally and sustainably grown food available year-round for the Haliburton community.
On Saturday, Oct. 19, 2019, The Growcer, Abbey Gardens, community members, and project partners, FedDev Ontario and Laidlaw Foundation, came together for a ribbon-cutting to celebrate the addition of the hydroponic container farm to the community. The new addition will allow Abbey Gardens to provide fresh produce year-round through its Food Hub initiative.
The team (from left to right: Jamie Laidlaw (Laidlaw Foundation), Patti Tallman (The Haliburton County Development Corporation), Heather Reid, (Abbey Gardens), Alida Burke, Corey Ellis (The Growcer), John Patterson (Abbey Gardens)) in front of the Growcer system at the ribbon-cutting ceremony in Abbey Gardens, in Haliburton, Ont. Photo credit: Morgan Hector.
Abbey Gardens is a local farm and social enterprise in Haliburton, Ont. that focuses its efforts to reduce its carbon footprint and foster sustainable initiatives. It runs a Food Hub that sells fresh food from its two-acre market garden as well as goods from local businesses. However, what can be grown on its two-acre farm outside is limited by the climate and length of the growing season in Haliburton, which is shorter than its counterparts in southern Ontario. By adding a Growcer system, Abbey Gardens extends its growing season by months enabling them to supply their community with fresh and sustainable green produce year-round.
With the new system, Abbey Gardens plans on establishing a year-round produce subscription box and partnering with local restaurants to supply produce. The addition of a hydroponic growing system will also add to the educational opportunities available for the community about sustainable growing techniques.
The Growcer system will allow Abbey Gardens to extend its growing season to be all year-round. Photo credit: Morgan Hector.
Beyond selling food, The Food Hub operates as a social enterprise and profits go directly back into Abbey Gardens to help support educational programs for the local community and facilities. For Abbey Gardens, partnering with The Growcer was aligned with the organization’s interest in supporting local entrepreneurs in Canada.
“We’re super excited to have invested in the Growcer here at our property both as a demonstration for year-round growing and to be able to provide leafy greens to our community", said Heather Reid, Operations Director, Abbey Gardens.
“Growcer is extremely excited to partner with Abbey Gardens in order to bring fresh, local produce to the Haliburton community year-round. We support their strong focus on sustainability and cannot wait to see the ripple effect this will have for food accessibility”, Corey Ellis, Co-Founder and CEO, The Growcer, commented.
For more information:
The Growcer
www.thegrowcer.ca
Abbey Gardens
abbeygardens.ca
Publication date: Tue, 22 Oct 2019