The 'ekofarmer' by Exsilio Is A Pop-Up Urban Farm For City Streets

Wouldn’t it be great if you could have fresh, locally grown produce, from the comfort of a city?  it’s no surprise that urban farming has become popular in recent years, with city slickers attempting to grow fruits and vegetables in backyard gardens, on rooftops, or even indoors using hydroponic systems. while all of these solutions are only possible on a small scale, finnish start up exsilio oy is making urban farming possible for whole cities with their modular pop-up farms. just as pop-up shops or cafes, the ekofarmer pod be easily set up in the middle of town, sprouting cost effective crops to grow fresh food for everyone. 

images courtesy of exsilio oy

branded as a ‘resource-efficient urban farming chamber,’ the ekofarmer combines high-tech solutions with the easiness and safety of locally produced healthy and clean ecological food. the 13-meter long module forms a closed ecosystem, which needs only electricity and water to function. the levels of humidity, water and carbon dioxide inside can be adjusted to produce optimum yield and the best possible flavor. the neat little module is carbon-neutral, transferable, and can be placed almost anywhere without taking up a whole lot of space.

the shipping container-shaped chamber enables restaurants, businesses owners and small-scale farmers to use efficient and profitable urban farming methods. exsilio oy estimate each module can produce approximately 55,000 pots of salad per year–around 3 times more than the amount that could be produced in a greenhouse, since cultivated plants are located on multiple floors within the farm. 

farmers can use the module to grow their own choice of herbs, salads, seedlings, and even non-food plants. ‘our solution is ideal for example for restaurants and institutional kitchens wanting to produce their own ingredients,’ explains Thomas Tapio, CEO of exsilio. ‘the modules also serve as an excellent option for farmers to replace their traditional greenhouses.’