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Farming The Cities: An Excerpt From Nourished Planet
Worldwide, there are nearly a billion urban farmers, and many are having the greatest impact in communities where hunger and poverty are most acute.
The following is an excerpt from Nourished Planet: Sustainability in the Global Food System, published by Island Press in June of 2018. Nourished Planet was edited by Danielle Nierenberg, president of Food Tank, and produced with support from the Barilla Center for Food & Nutrition.
By 2050, 70 percent of the world’s people are expected to live in urban areas, and if we’re going to feed all those people, we’ll need to continue to make cities and towns into centers of food production as well as consumption. Worldwide, there are nearly a billion urban farmers, and many are having the greatest impact in communities where hunger and poverty are most acute. For example, the Kibera Slum in Nairobi, Kenya, is believed to be the largest slum in sub-Saharan Africa, with somewhere between 700,000 and a million people. In Kibera, urban farmers have developed what they call vertical gardens, growing vegetables, such as kale or spinach, in tall empty rice and maize sacks, growing different crops on different levels of the bags. At harvest time they sell part of their produce to their neighbors and keep the rest for themselves.
The value of these sacks shouldn’t be underestimated. During the riots that occurred in Nairobi in 2007 and 2008, when the normal flow of food into Kibera was interrupted, these urban “sack” farmers were credited with helping to keep thousands of women, men, and children from starving.
The role urban farmers played in saving lives in Kibera is probably only a precursor of things to come. In large parts of the less developed world, as much as 80 percent of a family’s income can be spent on food. In countries where wars and instability can disrupt the food system and where the cost of food can skyrocket overnight, urban agriculture can play a fundamental role in helping prevent food riots and large-scale hunger. In that respect, promoting urban agriculture isn’t only morally right or environmentally smart, it’s necessary for regional stability.
But urban agriculture isn’t important only in sub-Saharan Africa or other parts of the developing world. In the United States, AeroFarms runs the world’s largest indoor vertical farm in Newark, New Jersey, where it grows greens and herbs without sunlight, soil, or pesticides for local communities in the New York area that have limited access to greens and herbs. Another group, the Green Bronx Machine, which is based in New York City’s South Bronx neighborhood, is an after-school program that aims to build healthy, equitable, and resilient communities by engaging students in hands-on garden education.
Across the Atlantic, in Berlin, Germany, a group called Nomadic Green grows produce in burlap sacks and other portable, reusable containers. These containers can be set up in unused space anywhere, ready to move should the space be sold, rented, or become otherwise unavailable. In Tel Aviv, Israel, Green in the City is collaborating on a project with LivinGreen, a hydroponics and aquaponics company, and the Dizengoff Center, the first shopping mall built in Israel. This collaboration provides urban farmers with space on the top of the Dizengoff Center to grow vegetables in water, without pesticides or even soil. Green in the City also provides urban farming workshops and training in the use of individual hydroponic systems.
Chapter 11: Urban Farming In Tokyo
Toward an urban-rural hybrid city.
Linked by Michael Levenston
By Toru Terada, Makoto Yokohari, and Mamoru Amemiya
From Green Asia: Ecocultures, Sustainable Lifestyles, and Ethical Consumption
Edited by Tania Lewis Routledge, NewYork
Excerpt:
Cities are places of both consumption and production. There is actually a city that had already realized this future vision of Japan in which agro- activities are incorporated into society. It is Tokyo’s predecessor, Edo. Edo, one of a handful of the world’s megacities that had a population of more than 1 million at the beginning of the eighteenth century, was a garden city with numerous farms integrated into the city. Fujii, Yokohari, and Watanabe (2002) reconstructed the land use in Edo in the mid-nineteenth century based on historical documents and maps.
They found that, at the time, a little more than 40 per cent of land in Edo was used for agriculture and that numerous farms were interspersed in the urban area radiating outward for a distance of 4 and 6 km from the Edo Castle. Local production and local consumption were thoroughly enforced, with vegetables produced on farms within the city being consumed within the city. Meanwhile, Edo maintained an outstanding sanitary environment that was unmatched by any other megacity in the world at the time, whereby human waste generated in the city was returned to the farms. Describing it in modern terms, Edo was a smart city with relatively little environmental burden and high-quality amenities. The coexistence of city and farms was a manifestation of Edo’s advanced environment.
See book here.
In Terms Of Revenue Global Smart Agriculture Industry And Attractive Regional Analysis
The global smart agriculture Industry is segmented based on solutions, application, and region.
The smart agriculture Industry plays an important role in meeting the accelerating food demand of the growing global population. The smart agriculture devices help in continuous field monitoring, precision crop analysis by engages different sensors, high-quality cameras, microcontrollers, web-based platforms, and smart devices to gather data from the field. It also helps in analyzing the collected data by transferring the data to the operator or the farmer for making an accurate decision. These benefits of smart agriculture are boosting the Industry for smart agriculture to grow over the period from 2017 to 2025.
The global smart agriculture Industry is segmented based on solutions, application, and region. Based on solutions, the Industry for smart agriculture is segmented as network management, agriculture asset management, supervisory control, and data acquisition, logistics and supply chain management, smart water management and others. The others segment includes mobility solution, connectivity solutions, and quality assurance solutions.
On the basis of application, the smart agriculture Industry has been segmented as precision agriculture, livestock management, fish farming, smart greenhouse, and others. The others segment include indoor farming, horticulture, dairy management
Regionally, the Industry for smart agriculture is categorized as North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa and Latin America.
North America contributed the largest Industry share of the overall revenue generated in 2016 in the smart agriculture Industry. Smart water management is the fastest growing segment in the solution segment in the North American smart agriculture Industry. In the application segment, precision agriculture held the largest Industry share and livestock monitoring is anticipated to be the fastest growing segment. The U.S. contributed largest Industry share in North America. This is attributed to the fact that the companies in the U.S. are conducting extensive research and development with joint ventures or partnerships in order to enhance the agriculture technology to minimize the human involvement on the field and produce ample food to meet the global food requirement. In addition, other factor boosting the U.S. Industry is the individual farmers and farming corporate houses deployed the smart agriculture tools and equipment heavily in 2016. Mexico is the fastest growing region in the North American Industry for smart agriculture due to rapid deployment of tools and equipment and increased fish farming business.
The smart agriculture Industry in Europe held the second largest Industry in 2016. The European smart agriculture Industry stands third in terms of growth rate globally. The growth of smart agriculture Industry in Europe is attributed to the fact that the U.K. is investing huge amounts in research and developments in order to develop robust technologies to ease the farmers in agriculture procedure. Due to this Industry for smart agriculture contributed the largest Industry share in 2016 in the European smart agriculture Industry. The growth rate of smart agriculture Industry in Italy is significant, due to the increasing demand for livestock monitoring. Germany smart agriculture Industry is estimated to be the second fastest growing region, due to the growing demand for smart greenhouse. The growth rate of smart agriculture Industry in Germany is considerable over the period from 2017 to 2025.
Asia Pacific is the most attractive region in the global smart agriculture Industry, growing at an influential rate over the period from 2017 to 2025. The Industry for smart agriculture in Asia Pacific is attributed to the fact that the countries such as China, Japan, and Australia are procuring the smart agriculture tools and equipment rapidly in order to minimize the human effort in agriculture, save the agriculture assets such as plants and animals, and the increased need for livestock monitoring. China held the largest Industry in 2016 while Japan is the fastest growing region in the smart agriculture Industry in Asia Pacific.
Middle East and Africa smart agriculture Industry is expected to grow at a fair rate from 2017 to 2025. Owing to the fact that fish farming is the most demanding segment in the region. South Africa held the largest Industry share in the smart agriculture Industry in the Middle East and Africa due to increased precision agriculture in the region.. Egypt is estimated to be the fastest growing region in the Middle East and Africa smart agriculture Industry, growing at a significant rate.
Latin America is the second fastest growing region in the global smart agriculture Industry. The growth rate of smart agriculture Industry in Latin America is significant in comparison to North America, Europe and Middle East and Africa. Latin American smart agriculture growth rate is attributed to the increasing need for smart water management in order to save agriculture water in varied weather conditions and also to grow crops with less usage of harmful chemicals and fertilizers. Brazil held the largest Industry in the Latin American smart agriculture Industry in 2016 and it is estimated to be the fastest growing region over the period from 2017 to 2025. This is due to the rapid growth of smart greenhouse.
Accelerating Technology And Investment In Southeast Asia’s Agri-Food Supply Chain
Accelerating Technology And Investment In Southeast Asia’s Agri-Food Supply Chain
www.agrifoodinnovation.com
Singapore’s first Rethink Agri-Food Innovation Week will investigate the growing role of technology in building an efficient, resilient and sustainable agri-food supply chain that can deliver fresh, nutritious food to today’s fast-changing consumer market.
Secured your place at the Rethink Agri-Food Innovation Week in #Singapore?
Want to know more about the agri-food supply chain in Asia? Join the Rethink Agri-Food Innovation Week in #Singapore and save $500 on a delegate pass.
Your discount code is:
IG500
https://bit.ly/2m9NoI9 @RAFISingapore
Wednesday November 28 morning focuses on 'Indoor Farming'. Sessions include:
A Vision for the Future of Cities Feeding Cities
Finding the Right Business/Commercial Models for Urban Farming
Plant Science: Optimising Traits to Indoor Systems
Robotics and Automation in Indoor Agriculture
Technology Presentation: Light Recipes
PLUS:
Technology Showcase presentations from dynamic early stage agri-tech companies seeking investment and collaboration for their solutions targeted to indoor farming and aquaculture.
Breakfast Briefing by CSIRO focusing on Australia's AgriFood 4.0 Future.
International agribusinesses, indoor growers, food brands and ingredients manufacturers will join equipment manufacturers, entrepreneurs and investors to share innovation and experiences from around the globe, with a specific focus on:
The power of drones in precision farming of oil palm and rice
Empowering smallholder farmers through data and digitization
Targeting protein innovation to healthy, sustainable aquaculture
Achieving supply chain traceability with big data and blockchain
Advances in plant science, robotics, and lighting for indoor agriculture
Building commercial-scale vertical farming operations
Delivering targeted nutrition through food ingredient innovation
Harnessing the power of biotech in food: Gene editing and clean meat
As the regional agri-food innovation ecosystem grows, the summit will explore the latest models for technology investment, incubation, and commercialization, and showcase the most exciting start-ups from around the world. Extensive networking opportunities throughout the event include a full program of 1-1 meetings.
Produced by Rethink Events, organizers of the World Agri-Tech, Future Food-Tech and Indoor AgTech Innovation Summits.
Choose from a two or three day delegate pass depending on your interest across the full agri-food supply chain.
Tuesday November 27: Crops, Farming and Supply Chain Technology
Wednesday November 28: Indoor Farming and Sustainable Aquaculture
Thursday November 29: Nutrition, Health, Protein and the Future of Food
Maximise your networking potential among this important gathering of international and regional agri-food leaders. Use the 1-1 meetings tool to connect in advance and schedule meetings around the agenda sessions you don't want to miss.
iGrow.News
People In Produce
Ranging from a biosystems engineer to a children's nutrition expert to a specialty crop container grower, meet seven people pushing the produce industry forward.
November 6, 2018
The produce industry relies on exceptional people to advance the processes of growing food, improving it and getting it to consumers' plates. In this month’s cover story, meet seven of the leading People in Produce.
Would you like to see someone recognized in a future issue? Drop us a line at pwilliams@gie.net
Dr. Amy Bowen
Director of consumer insights, Vineland Research and Innovation Centre
Bowen researches consumer sensory perceptions of produce.
Photo courtesy of Vineland
Research and Innovation Centre
Human perception of flavor involves the integration of taste and smell, and forms part of a discipline called sensory science. Researcher Dr. Amy Bowen has dedicated her career to advancing this field.
To further this work, Bowen joined the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre in 2009. As director of Vineland’s consumer insights team, she harnesses sensory evaluation best practices to meet consumer expectations of fruits and vegetables grown in controlled environments. In practice, Bowen’s research focuses on understanding the intrinsic (appearance, aroma and taste) and extrinsic (price and packaging) drivers that impact consumer preference for horticultural products.
“Doing this type of work with fresh products is unique,” says Bowen, a Ph.D. in biological sciences with a specialization in plant science, oenology and viticulture. “It’s creating value for people growing in greenhouse environments.”
Bowen’s current activities at the Vineland facility in Canada’s Niagara region include deep-dive studies into tomatoes and edible flowers.
Edible flowers are surging in popularity as a garnish or to give dishes a signature flavor. Bowen’s team partnered with an Ontario-based grower of fresh herbs to gain insights into the booming market, splitting consumers into groups based on their preferences.
Results showed that edible flowers such as nasturtiums and candy pop mint are favored by fans of bold flavor, while impatiens and dianthus are approved for their smooth texture. The findings would help outline a business plan for Vineland’s herb-distributing partner, should it expand into the edible flowers market, Bowen says.
Meanwhile, Vineland scientists are busy developing two hybrid varieties of greenhouse tomatoes, creating two new flavor profiles that should be ready for distribution by 2020. Bowen’s group studied 56 varieties of tomato, digging into attributes including sweetness, bitterness, firmness and smokiness. A selection of fruits was passed onto a consumer panel, allowing researchers to compile a list of aroma-producing chemical compounds that the test group associated with liking or disliking a particular tomato.
Texture and consistency became additional important characteristics in how test consumers shaped their opinion, Bowen says.
“It’s a bit like Goldilocks,” she says. “People don’t want a tomato that’s too soft or too hard. They want it to be just right.”
Once texture is determined, tomatoes with the right consistency can be crossed with preferred chemical compounds to breed the “perfect” tomato, or at least its closest approximation. For Bowen, the pleasure is in researching a diversity of products derived directly from the greenhouse.
“I love the reactions we get from consumers, and the whole value chain in producing something people are excited to consume,” Bowen says. — Douglas J. Guth
Douglas is a Cleveland Heights, Ohio-based freelance writer and journalist. His work has been published by Midwest Energy News, Crain’s Cleveland Business and Fresh Water Cleveland.
Mollie Van Lieu
Senior director of nutrition policy, United Fresh Produce Association
Van Lieu promotes policies that are focused on increasing fruits and vegetable consumption.
Photo courtesy of United
Fresh Produce Association
Mollie Van Lieu has spent much of her career advancing school food policies, a commitment that continues today in her role as senior director of nutrition policy at the United Fresh Produce Association.
Van Lieu joined United Fresh last September, bolstering a Washington, D.C.-based policy team meeting national regulatory challenges in bringing healthy foods to kids. Among other duties, Van Lieu champions policies to ensure fruits, vegetables and other nutritious goodies are integrated into school meals daily. The United States Department of Agriculture’s Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, for example, introduces students at 7,600 schools nationwide to a variety of produce they otherwise may not have the opportunity to sample.
“Fruits and vegetables are served in the classroom, and the teacher eats with the children, too,” Van Lieu says. “There’s an educational component to the program.”
Van Lieu has worked closely on kid-centric nutritional issues for over a decade, including a stint on the staff of Rep. Todd Platts (R-Pa.), where she helped foster sponsorship of the House’s 2010 Child Nutrition Reauthorization program.
From 2011 to 2014, Van Lieu campaigned for healthy eating as a strategist for the National PTA, working with United Fresh to boost various nutritional programs. Her advocacy for youth food programming continued in 2014, when Pew Charitable Trusts named her a senior associate of government relations.
After years of cultivating relationships with stakeholders on Capitol Hill, Van Lieu is pushing improved health standards for efforts like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also known as food stamps, which offers food assistance to millions of low-income citizens nationwide. She’s also advocating for a farm bill currently being considered by Congress.
“Having been on the Hill when changes were made to school meals, I see it as making sure these policies are implemented successfully,” Van Lieu says. “Policy is only as successful as folks working on it on the ground, and the industry stepping up to provide [nutritious] products.”
United Fresh represents growers and suppliers as well, introducing them to school service directors as a means of bringing new products into cafeterias. While most decisionmakers Van Lieu meets understand the benefits of produce, many don’t realize how heavily unconsumed fruits and vegetables still remain.
“We’re trying to find a tipping point in policy to include produce consumption,” Van Lieu says. “We need to make sure there are opportunities for people who are struggling.” — Douglas J. Guth
Ricardo Hernandez
Chief scientific officer and co-founder, Grafted Growers
The North Carolina State University professor will use his research expertise to grow grafted tomato and watermelon seedlings for wholesale, and possibly retail.
Dr. Ricardo Hernandez performs research and teaches as assistant professor of horticultural science at North Carolina State University, and previously studied and conducted research at the University of Arizona. His research background points to plant grafting as a crucial tool contributing to agricultural production. Beginning this fall, Hernandez will be working within a high-tech toolbox to explore the commercial creation of specially grafted produce.
Photo courtesy of
Ricardo Hernandez
Grafting is a horticultural technique used to join parts from two or more plants so that they appear to flourish as a single plant. As chief scientific officer and co-founder of Grafted Growers, a vertical farm in Raleigh, North Carolina, Hernandez will harness years of horticultural experience to grow grafted tomato and watermelon seedlings in a precisely controlled environment.
Unlike working in a greenhouse where unpredictable natural light is a critical growth regulator, the vertical farm allows Hernandez to experiment with temperature, air velocity and various artificial light wavelengths, producing hardy plants that carry potentially higher drought tolerance and disease resistance than his nearest competitors.
“In a greenhouse, you’re depending on the outside weather, and you’re only getting high-quality plants during certain times of the year,” Hernandez says. “We have the same environmental conditions the entire year, so the quality of plants is always going to be consistent.”
Hernandez founded Grafted Growers alongside business partner John Jackson with help from a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) innovation grant. The pair is currently building out a 6,000-square-foot facility set to open later this fall.
Once up and running, the operation will sell to greenhouses and field growers. Hernandez also expects Grafted Growers to have a retail presence, both on site and through the company website, graftedgrowers.com
“Our end goal is to produce plants faster, and ensure they grow well and have good morphological characteristics,” Hernandez says. “This isn’t a smoking gun, as there’s still a need for field and greenhouse production. But using a controlled environment is one more tool we have to keep producing food.”
Additionally, Hernandez hopes to educate a new generation of farmers and scientists on what he deems an innovative means of plant production.
“Right now we have a need for talent in agriculture,” Hernandez says. “We’re not just showing acres of grain, but how plants can be grown through technology.” — Douglas J. Guth
Heather Szymura
Grower/owner, Twisted Infusions
By catering to a niche market, Twisted Infusions grower/owner Heather Szymura has built a thriving hydroponics business in Arizona.
Photo courtesy of
Heather Szymura
Heather Szymura, the grower and owner of Twisted Infusions in Glendale, Arizona, started growing produce professionally two years ago in a Freight Farms-brand container farm after a career in corporate America. Although she had been a gardener for more than a decade, it was her first experience with controlled environment agriculture (CEA).
“I started with kale and lettuce because that’s just what everyone starts out with,” she says. “It was really beautiful and it came out really well. And I took it to some chefs because I didn’t want to go to farmer’s markets — I have two kids and don’t want to give up my Saturdays. But the lettuce and kale wasn’t enough for them, so I started to grow some things that they couldn’t get good quality. And it led me down the path of research and finding things that don’t necessarily grow well outside in Arizona.”
Fast forward to today, and Szymura co-owns Twisted Infusions with her husband, Brian. In the vertical hydroponic system, Szymura primarily produces unique products such as oyster leaf, salad burnet and some greens for the same local restaurants she met when she was still exclusively growing greens.
“I try to look for things that people have never heard of,” Szymura says.
The key to Twisted Fusion’s business model is that Szymura understands her clientele — a group of 10 to 15 different restaurants in the Scottsdale and Phoenix areas. When looking for new clients, Szymura prefers to work with chef-owned establishments when possible, as well as taking custom orders from restaurants or other customers. Not only does it allow her to grow the type of plants that interest her the most, but it also makes business sense. Most households aren't shopping for unique garnishes; chefs are.
“The alternative is going to farmers markets or going to distributors,” Szymura says. “If I go to a distributor, I won’t be making enough money to make farming worth my time. It’s a commodity market and I’m not selling stuff that’s high commodity because nobody else has it.” — Chris Manning
Dr. Joel Cuello
Professor of biosystems engineering at the University of Arizona
Cuello designs controlled-environment technologies in an effort to feed a growing population.
The idea that originally drove Dr. Joel Cuello to pursue a career in controlled environment agriculture (CEA) keeps him going to this day — the concept that as the global population grows, so does the need to produce safe, nutritious and high-quality food.
Photo courtesy of
Joel Cuello
“The motivation behind my research is to be able to help meet the increased food demand by the planet and do so in a sustainable way — in a way that would not deplete the essential resources, which are vital for food production,” he says. “To me, that’s the grandest challenge [of] this century.”
The professor of biosystems engineering at the University of Arizona grew up in the Philippines. He acquired his bachelors degree from the University of the Philippines at Los Baños before moving to the United States and attending The Pennsylvania State University, where he earned two masters degrees and his Ph.D. in agricultural & biological engineering. Cuello then took his talents to NASA, where he worked on developing a hybrid lighting system for possible crop production on the moon, Mars or asteroids.
Since 1995, Cuello has worked at the University of Arizona, where he has designed new technologies, such as the Vertical Green Box Solution. Cuello’s prototype of a modular vertical farm consists of containers, which he says could make use of electric or natural light, or be constructed of solid walls and roofs or transparent ones. Because it is different than a warehouse or skyscraper farm, Cuello dubs it “Vertical Farming 3.0” (formerly “2.0”). “I’m championing that because it’s a competitive alternative to the warehouse, and it’s efficient; and it could be potentially lower-cost in terms of construction and operation,” he says. None have been built yet, though, so he is looking for partners.
Another one of Cuello’s inventions is the patented Accordion Photobioreactor. The zigzag-shaped device produces microalgae, which can then be used in pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals and biomass. The invention comes in three types, he says — one that supports photoautotrophic (photosynthetic) production and recirculates liquid; another that enables photoautotrophic production and doesn’t recirculate; and a third that carries out heterotrophic production, meaning it doesn’t use light.
Cuello also has other projects in the works. He serves as a member of the Governing Board and will help with the technology at Cobre Valley Indoor Farm, a nonprofit community-based organization in Claypool, Arizona, that is opening up a vertical farm in an abandoned school. He has also started growing carrots through a process called cellular agriculture, which is comparable to when meat is grown in a lab.
During his global travels, Cuello says he has found public demand for controlled environment agriculture, and he believes that more companies will use renewable energy sources. He is committed to sustainability, introducing his own “Cuello’s Law.” “It’s an industry aspiration, or goal, that productivity per unit resource used will double every four to five years,” he says. — Patrick Williams
Kim Hookway
President, Buckeye Fresh
After a career in the manufacturing industry, Kim Hookway partnered with a former colleague to open a local vertical farm that now sells its product to major grocery chains in Ohio.
Photo: Chris Manning
When Kim Hookway, president of Medina, Ohio-based vertical farm Buckeye Fresh, sold the brand’s produce by going into different Northeast Ohio grocery stores — first Buehler’s Fresh Foods, then Giant Eagle and Heinen’s — she had to connect directly with each store’s produce managers. It took some work, but Hookway did what was necessary to help get the business going.
“Before we even went into business, we checked with Buehler’s to see if they would be interested in locally grown produce,” she says. “At the beginning, it was also talking to produce managers and getting them on board.”
Hookway’s background is not in horticulture; she spent 20 years at a manufacturing company alongside Buckeye Fresh principal investor Tim Remington before founding Buckeye Fresh in 2014. As the company’s president, she has utilized the skills she developed in her previous role to help Buckeye Fresh find success.
According to Remington, Hookway’s ability to accurately approximate order sizes has been essential to making the business successful. When Buckeye Fresh sells its greens and basil to its customers, it must do so based on estimates instead of fixed order amounts. In her previous job, Hookway managed multiple components of cushioning components for shoes and varying order sizes from different customers. Just like growing, it required understanding and organizing several factors all operating on different schedules. With growing, it took some trial and error, but Hookway can accurately estimate and book the farm’s towers for specific crops based on past order trends.
“Without her doing the scheduling, we couldn’t manage the harvesting and growing,” Remington says. “And this is more difficult [than what she used to do].”
As Buckeye Fresh continues to expand, its basil and greens are sold in stores as far south as Columbus (115 miles) and as far east as Pennsylvania (a minimum of 276 miles). Late in 2018, it will also debut greens with Giant Eagle’s Market District — the grocery chain’s branding for local suppliers — that will be sold in roughly 200 locations. Hookway says the business is already turning a profit. “It’s about understanding the business,” Hookway says.
And its success started with her. — Chris Manning
Ray Solotki
Executiv
Photo: Ray Solotkie director at Inuvik Community Greenhouse
The Vancouver Island native aspires to improve food access in the Arctic.
Located north of the Arctic Circle in Canada’s Northwest Territories, the Inuvik Community Greenhouse — a converted ice hockey arena — is one of the most remote greenhouses in the world. “Even though we’re in the Northwest Territories, the only road out goes into the Yukon, and we can’t even get to our capital city by road,” says Ray Solotki, executive director. Solotki originally came to this icy abode — where temperatures regularly dip to -20° F in the winter — to feed herself. Three years ago, she committed to helping feed the rest of the community.
Photo: Ray Solotki
Solotki is from Vancouver Island, British Columbia, (“the south,” according to her), but moved north near Inuvik in 2015, when she took a job at a hotel. She chose to live in Inuvik because of the greenhouse. “I knew I could grow my own food for at least part of the year and have some local food production of my own,” she says. Solotki became the first executive director at the greenhouse, which had previously been managed by a volunteer board of directors and summer employees since it first opened in 1998.
The nonprofit Community Garden Society of Inuvik runs the greenhouse; the government of the Northwest Territories funds the gardening society and others in seven surrounding communities: Aklavik, Fort McPherson, Paulatuk, Sachs Harbour, Tsiigehtchic, Tuktoyaktuk and Ulukhaktok.
Solotki’s job, which includes financing, human resources and public relations duties, was created to provide food access to all eight communities, which have limited access to fresh food due to the climate. This includes indigenous people, who make up roughly 64 percent of Inuvik’s population and approximately 50 percent of the population of the Northwest Territories, according to the 2016 Canadian Census.
Local indigenous populations have land to hunt and trap, but a lot of them don’t eat many vegetables, Solotki says, noting how the produce that is flown up from the south loses its freshness. “But when [vegetables are] fresh, you can barely get them from the greenhouse to the house because they’re eaten so quickly,” she says. “No one has ever put a pea on a plate in the Arctic because they were gobbled up in the greenhouse because it’s so exciting to have such fresh, local produce.”
Currently, the 16,000-square-foot, passive solar greenhouse is only open from April until September, and with high daylight and heat in the summer, its soil-grown lettuce and leafy greens can bolt if not harvested quickly. The greenhouse hires experienced growers from out of town every summer, but Solotki wants to change that. She aims to work with Modular Farms of Ontario to build a year-round facility, which will cost $350,000, and work with a partner in the community to find a location to install it and hook it up to that partner’s electricity. (Electricity costs are high at 79 cents per kilowatt-hour.) This approach would allow locals the opportunity to grow their own produce year-round.
In the same vein, Solotki hopes to grow a wider variety of crops to accommodate local diets and preferences. “We want to see some heavier items, so beans, peas, tomatoes.” She would also like to grow tomatoes, onions and carrots — ingredients in the popular Canadian dish, caribou stew. Adds Solotki: “These are the staples of an Arctic diet.” — Patrick Williams
An Interview With Saani Abdulai: Growing An Agripreneur In Ghana
"To help improve the farming activities of local farmers in Africa, and gradually making food insecurity a thing of the past". "That is my ambition"
What do you enjoy most about your job?
Being closer to the local farmers is the enjoyable part because through negotiation, I help farmers get fair prices for their produce. I am the bridge between local farmers and outside markets because I understand the needs of both. This collaboration with farmers has enabled me to understand their challenges they face such as poor market access and competitive prices for their produce. It is a win-win situation.
What attracted you to agriculture?
I became attracted to agriculture when I was a child. I used to follow my dad to the farm, helping him weed using the cutlass and the hoe, while guiding our cattle grazing. It was a natural feeling for me to go into agriculture and I enjoy the farmland.
Fertilizer use is fairly low in Ghana, how do you see your business helping farmers to understand the benefits and use of fertilizer?
Yes, fertilizer use is low in Ghana because our farmers who are the main source of farm products have little knowledge about the appropriate application of the fertilizer. Besides, many do not know about soil types and when or what type of fertilizers to use for what crops.
The local farmer also needs to travel to the town from his local community or village to access fertilizers in urban areas. So easy access to fertilizer and equipping farmers with the requisite knowledge on the applications are the main challenges confronting our farmers. As a result many are not motivated to use fertilizer on their farms.
I am looking at venturing into an agro dealership and thereby helping farmers access fertilizers and other inputs easily and affordably. In addition, I am exploring conducting training seminars/workshops in partnership with developmental organizations and private sector companies in the fertilizer industry to equip the farmer with the necessary information on the use of the fertilizer.
Once farmers see the benefits of using fertilizers in increased yields, I believe they will be motivated to use them. Increased yields are also a benefit for me as a trader because I will have more to sell and without doubt better quality too.
What challenges have you faced in running your agribusiness?
Many. My main challenges are getting in touch with the right networks that will help me expand my business through bigger markets. Finance is a setback. Easy credit is not available for me to be able to meet my customer’s orders and to expand the business. I still need to build a name as young business person to access credit from banks, for instance. Besides, I also have a challenge of assets, I need to build my own warehouse and secure my own truck to move my goods to market.
I think the biggest challenge for now is to find investors to help me set up the fertilizer side of my business.
Something has worked well to keep you in business, tell us about it?
Oh really, the big opportunity I had ever since I started this business is when I registered to attend the West African Fertilizer and Agribusiness conference organized by AFAP in 2017. After the conference I had better knowledge about agribusiness and fertilizers. It was an eye opener to me and an encouragement to pursue by dream of building a branded agribusiness that will create job opportunities for the youth and local farmers at the local community level. The conference ignited zeal in me to fight more for the local farmers to raise their production now and for the future.
I would love to dedicate this eye opening experience I had to Sandra Pires from AFAP who encouraged me to attend this conference where I met agribusiness and fertilizer industry players. I say thank you to Sandra for this opportunity.
What motivates you?
Nothing motivates me in my work more than seeing a local farmer wipe sweat from their brow while doing what they are good at: farming. Sealing a deal and delivering the right commodities to my customers motives me too because I know I am able to get more business from satisfied customers.
Getting more youths into agribusiness is also a source of motivation because I believe the young hold the food future for our continent.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
I see myself running a reputable branded agribusiness company that is into mainstream supply of farm produce to organizations in the country and beyond its borders. I can see myself being a major distributor of quality fertilizers in the country.
What advice would you give to youths seeking a career in agribusiness?
Keep working on your dreams in the agribusiness. First play by the rules and register your business and keep working on it daily. The registration of my business happened sometime after I thought of trading farm produce. I was born and raised by a local farmer and knew from scratch the essence of farming which provides food and income. Without farming there is no food.
State Grant Program Offers Money, And Legitimacy, For Urban Agriculture
By Taryn Phaneuf | 10/09/2018
MinnPost file photo by Ibrahim Hirsi
Michael Chaney, a long-time advocate from north Minneapolis who founded Project Sweetie Pie, a grant recipient, said he approached lawmakers with the idea about four years ago.
Urban farming in Minnesota reached a milestone this summer, when the state announced the first round of grants for agriculture education and development projects in cities.
It’s the first time the state has allocated money specifically for urban agriculture, and it took several tries to get the legislation passed. Michael Chaney, a long-time advocate from north Minneapolis who founded Project Sweetie Pie, a grant recipient, said he approached lawmakers with the idea about four years ago. At the time, he saw plenty of interest in urban agriculture — but not the kind of financial support that exists for rural farmers. “I was disenchanted and discouraged,” Chaney said.
Advocates said state investment is crucial because it lends credibility to what Chaney calls the “changing face of agriculture.” Such state funding, even a small amount, can usher in a shift toward seeing urban areas as potential farms and their residents as fellow food producers.
That shift can also bring education and economic opportunities that are often more associated with rural areas. “Agriculture has been deemed corporate ag with rural roots and conventional farming techniques,” Chaney said. “What we’re proposing with urban farming is a whole reconfiguring. … What’s the role of urban communities in growing food?”
Rep. Karen Clark, DFL-Minneapolis, authored the bill, which called for $10 million annually to fund urban ag projects in cities throughout the state. The legislation prioritizes poor communities of color and Native American communities. Clark kept the idea alive at the state level for years, and finally made headway when legislators commissioned a study of urban agriculture that defined its scope and the purpose and identified policy recommendations.
The study cost $250,000, the same amount the Legislature eventually earmarked for urban ag grants for each year in the current budget. It’s far less than program advocates wanted, but it maintained the original intent, said Erin Connell, who administers the grants for the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. Eligible groups include for-profit businesses, local governments, tribal communities, nonprofits, or schools in cities of more than 10,000 people. Cities with between 5,000 and 10,000 people are also eligible if 10 percent of residents live at or below 200 percent of the poverty line, or where 10 percent of residents are people of color or Native American.
“It’s exciting for me so see the acceptance of urban ag as a new standard for ag production,” said Connell, who grew up in the Twin Cities metro area and didn’t discover her interest in ag until she started studying food systems at the University of Minnesota.
Urban agriculture’s impact
Growing food in the city is partly about improving residents’ diets and food security, but it also extends to building wealth, culture, and independence. “Community members were very vocal about wanting to bring the benefits of ag into various urban areas,” Connell said.
Jolene Jones, president and interim CEO of the Little Earth Residents Association, said the community received a grant for nearly $45,000, which they’ll use to teach more children to help in their gardens by creating a storybook that shows them how indigenous people farm in the city.
This fall, they’re learning to construct a hoop house that will extend their growing season, and learn how to grow the four medicines – sage, cedar, sweetgrass, and tobacco. “To actually be able to grow them, it will be awesome for them,” Jones said. “Culture is very sustainable. … the way to put culture in agriculture is to teach children the traditional value of their plants.”
A local food system – which includes everything from growing food to processing it to buying and consuming it – also creates jobs, income, and infrastructure. That’s the mindset used to justify public spending on agriculture development in Greater Minnesota, like one that helps farmers modernize their livestock operations by, say, expanding their facilities to hold more animals. That has visible impact, Peterson said, by providing more work for veterinarians and feed companies.
That’s exactly the kind of ripple effect local food advocates imagine in places like north Minneapolis. Project Sweetie Pie, for example, will put its grant toward establishing a greenhouse that will belong to a broad coalition of groups, who will use it to operate year-round, Chaney said. It’s another step forward in their vision to grow their local food economy.
The fight for funding
Urban agriculture joins a suite of initiatives funded through the Agricultural Growth, Research, and Innovation program (known as AGRI), which supports the state’s agricultural and renewable energy industries through various grants and loans.
AGRI was an important win for Minnesota agriculture when it was established in 2009. At the time, the state subsidized ethanol production. “When those payments were going to end, we got concerned we were going to lose investment into agriculture,” said Thom Peterson, who lobbies the state government with the Minnesota Farmers Union.
Advocates convinced the state to establish AGRI, and the program will allocate a little more than $13 million a year for fiscal years 2018 and 2019, according to the most recent report.
The Farmers Union backed the bill to add grants for urban ag to the AGRI program, Peterson said. And he sees its addition as a chance to expand public support for state ag funding as a whole. “There’s agriculture all over the state, including in the metro areas,” he said.
He credits Clark, who is leaving the Legislature at the end of her term, with pushing the matter forward for years, until Rep. Rod Hamilton, a Republican from Southwest Minnesota who heads the House Agriculture Finance Committee, got on board. “Urban ag is going to need a new champion at the legislature now that Karen Clark is gone,” Peterson said.
Connell repeated the concern, saying the top question facing the urban ag grant program is whether funding will continue past 2019. She said communities that benefit from urban farming, especially from the grants handed out these two years, will need to show up when 2020-2021 budget talks begin.
“Getting the funding this first time is very difficult,” Connell said. “I also feel like after you get that first round of funding, some people who may have been very passionate may get less interested. They might get comfortable in a sense. Every two years, we’re going to get a new budget. Every two years you’re going to have to fight to continue that funding until it’s been there long enough that it’s assumed it goes in the budget.”
Urban Farming 2nd Edition
From Introduction: “As Michael Levenston from City Farmer in Vancouver, Canada, notes, urban agriculture has gone from back page news to front page news.”
Linked by Michael Levenston
By Thomas Fox
CompanionHouse Books
2 edition (November 14, 2018)
Thomas Fox is a graduate of Fordham University and Fordham University School of Law.
Excerpt:
Comprehensive Guide to the Urban Farm Movement It doesn’t take a farm to have the heart of a farmer. Thanks to the burgeoning sustainable-living movement, you don’t have to own acreage to fulfill your dream of raising your own food. Urban Farming 2nd Edition walks every city and suburban dweller down the path of self-sustainability. It offers practical advice and inspiration for gardening and farming from a high-rise apartment, participating in a community garden, vertical farming, and converting terraces and other small city spaces into fruitful, vegetableful real estate.
This comprehensive guide to urban food growing will answer every up-and-coming urban farmer’s questions about how, what, where and why?a new green book for the dedicated citizen seeking to reduce his carbon footprint and grocery bill. Winner of the Benjamin Franklin Award in Home & Garden from the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA). Inside Urban Farming 2nd Edition Portraits of successful urban farmers DIY projects for container gardening Instructions for creating a garden calendar Recommendations for the most foolproof multi-zone plants Plans for companion gardening Time-saving advice about planting, seed starting, and harvesting City-hall survival tips for navigating your town’s ordinances Zone map and extensive resource guide
Read the complete article here.
Growponics Wins EU Seal of Excellence For Developing Organic Fertilizer
Growponics’ R&D project for nitrogen fixation has been granted the Seal of Excellence and has passed Phase 1 of the EIC SME Instrument, with a grant of €50,000. The SME Instrument is a part of the EU program Horizon 2020, aimed at small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) with ground-breaking ideas and innovations.
Growponics’ R&D project for nitrogen fixation has been granted the Seal of Excellence and has passed Phase 1 of the EIC SME Instrument, with a grant of €50,000. The SME Instrument is a part of the EU program Horizon 2020, aimed at small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) with ground-breaking ideas and innovations.
Our project is focused on developing a process for the production of a sustainable organic hydroponic fertilizer, utilizing nitrogen fixed by cyanobacteria. Nitrogen is one of the key elements required for the growth of any living organism, used for the production of proteins. The majority of organisms cannot use nitrogen from the air. The few organisms who can perform this task, transform nitrogen from air into organic compounds (like ammonia and nitrates), that can be metabolized by the organisms who need it but cannot make these by themselves. Most plants cannot fix nitrogen, and this is why they rely on obtaining it through nutrients found in ground and water. Hydroponically grown plants rely on supplemented fixed nitrogen – fertilizers.
What kind of nitrogen fertilizers are available now?
Current synthetic fertilizers use nitrogen produced in the Haber process. This process requires a large amount of energy, and also emits undesired greenhouse gases. Organic fertilizers that are currently available are expensive, or their nitrogen is of low availability to plants, or they are high in sodium – all are disadvantages which prevent commercial use.
What is our project all about?
We are developing a method for production of nitrogen in-situ by cyanobacteria, from air and water, using the sun as a source of energy. The entire process is efficient and ecologically sustainable, and will allow hydroponic growers to provide their crops with the necessary nitrogen in an environmentally friendly way.
The grant of €50,000 awarded in Phase I will allow us to complete our feasibility study and prepare a business plan ready for scale up. We intend to proceed to Phase II (scale-up and commercial readiness) and Phase III (business acceleration). Hopefully, in ~3 years time we can be in the market with a commercial solution, to be used by our partner greenhouses and proceeding to other projects internationally.
To read more about our project on the EIC SME website click here.
In the photo: cyanobacteria (the blue strings) as caught under microscope in our R&D lab.
CO2 GRO - Video Interview With Sam Kanes, VP Business Development
Sam Discusses the Recent Michigan Flower Trial Results and the Potential in High Value Plant Markets
Dear Shareholders, Stakeholders and Interested Parties
CO2 GRO Inc. is Pleased to Present an Investor Intel Interview Conducted with Sam Kanes, VP Business Development. Sam Discusses the Recent Michigan Flower Trial Results and the Potential in High Value Plant Markets
How A 3.5-Mile-Long Irrigation canal Used by 23 Farms Caused The E. coli Outbreak Linked To Romaine Lettuce
Flickr / Ken LundFDA offers its first assessment of what happened in Yuma, Arizona.
November 1st, 2018
by Joe Fassler
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Thursday offered its first thorough postmortem of the recent E. coli outbreak linked to romaine lettuce. We last heard from the agency on this topic in June, when it announced that canal water in Yuma County, Arizona—the winter lettuce capital of the world—contained the same strain of E. coli found to be sickening people, and noted that the investigation was ongoing. Thursday’s release helps illustrate the full scale of the outbreak, provides new clues about what went wrong, and suggests the incident may permanently alter the federal government’s relationship to bagged salad.
To start, FDA’s “environmental assessment” provides the most recent update of the outbreak’s massive scale. Sickening 210 people across 36 states, sending nearly 100 to the hospital, and killing five, it was the largest outbreak of E. coli 0157:H7 in this country since 2006. Those numbers—including the five deaths—are similar to what was already known in June, so the human toll of the outbreak hasn’t turned out to be much larger than we knew. What is new, though, is a sense of how many farms were involved.
Until now, it hasn’t been known whether the outbreak was linked to just one producer, or if there was some kind of more systemic problem. Thursday’s report paints a clearer picture. An investigation by FDA and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) found that 36 fields on 23 different Yuma County farms supplied lettuce that was potentially contaminated with the rare strain of E. coli implicated in the outbreak. The culprit? A 3.5-mile-long irrigation canal near Wellton, Arizona, which the farms each relied on for water.
“The commingling of romaine lettuce from various farm growing fields complicated traceback efforts.”
The agencies don’t know exactly how the water became contaminated in the first place, though they note it had an animal, not human, source—likely some form of domesticated livestock or wildlife. But all those plots relied on the affected water at some point. The FDA says that the most plausible ways the water reached the crops were through direct application, or when it was used to dilute pesticides sprayed on the fields. It also notes that a late season freeze—in early February—may have weakened the plants and made them more susceptible to contamination.
A compounding factor, though—and one reason why such a huge volume of lettuce was potentially impacted—was the way local processing plants mixed together romaine from multiple producers, complicating the investigation and potentially cross-contaminating product. Though the agencies only found the E. coli in question on a single farm, the 36 fields affected shared infrastructure, greatly muddying the picture.
Related: Could Yuma, Arizona’s trained falcons prevent the next E. coli outbreak
“The commingling of romaine lettuce from various farm growing fields at fresh-cut produce manufacturing/processing facilities complicated traceback efforts and made it impossible for FDA to definitively determine which farm or farms identified in the traceback supplied romaine lettuce contaminated with the E. coli O157:H7 outbreak strain,” said the report.
It’s that scenario that the agencies will work harder to prevent. Though FDA and CDC found no specific “deficiencies” at packing plants in the area, they signaled that they are exploring actions that would prevent a similar outbreak in the future.
For now, Gottlieb said, more action is needed “on all fronts.”
“Going forward, both FDA and industry need to explore better ways to standardize record keeping and determine whether the use of additional tools on product packaging could improve traceability,” FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb wrote, in a statement.
That will likely include more aggressive safety testing on the ground. “The FDA plans to collect and analyze romaine lettuce samples through a new special surveillance sampling assignment for contamination with human pathogens,” Gottlieb wrote. “This will help us determine whether products are safe to enter the U.S. marketplace.” As of now, it’s unclear exactly what kind of system would be put into place, though the Commissioner suggested whole-genome sequencing could be an option back in June.
For now, Gottlieb wrote, more action is needed “on all fronts”—the private and public sector will need to work harder, and work together, if they are to prevent another Yuma.
The Agbioscience Rising Stars: A Discussion With A Legend
Science: “Used and Abused” in the World of Food – Food Evolution
Register Now! 2018 Indiana Agbioscience Innovation Summit Nov. 29
Moderator Scott Dorsey talks ingenuity, business smarts, and grit with some up-and-coming agbioscience executives.
Vijay Harrell | CEO, TradeLanes
Scott Massey | CEO, Heliponix
Ellie Symes | CEO, The Bee Corp
Andrew Uden | Co-Founder of Quantified Ag, Co-Founder, and President of AgVision International
Registration Table Opens
White River Ballroom
—— 9:00 a.m.
Welcome and Opening Comments
Beth Bechdol | President + CEO, AgriNovus Indiana
—— 9:15 a.m.
Investing in Tomorrow’s Food and Agriculture
Aaron Rudberg | Managing Director, S2G Ventures
—— 9:45 a.m.
Lessons from a Seasoned Entrepreneur
Scott Dorsey | Managing Partner, High Alpha
Introduced by: Mitch Frazier | CEO, Reynolds Farm Equipment
—— 10:05 a.m.
The Agbioscience Rising Stars: A Discussion with a Legend
Moderator Scott Dorsey talks ingenuity, business smarts, and grit with some up-and-coming agbioscience executives.
– Ellie Symes | CEO, The Bee Corp
– Scott Massey | CEO, Heliponix
– Vijay Harrell | CEO, TradeLanes
– Andrew Uden | Co-Founder of Quantified Ag, Co-Founder, and President of AgVision International
—— 10:50 a.m.
BREAK
—— 11:10 a.m.
Science and Technology Meets Food and the Consumer
Science and technology have always been inextricably linked to our food and agricultural system and its products. Yet, today, more than ever, there seems to be a growing movement to disconnect them.
Moderator: Jayson Lusk | Distinguished Professor and Head of the Department of Agricultural Economics, Purdue University
– Robert Colangelo | Founding Farmer and CEO, Green Sense Farms
– Sonia Nofziger Dasgupta | Vice President Commercial Strategy, EnviroKure
– Sue McCloskey | Co-Founder, fairlife
– Bob Krouse | President, Midwest Poultry Services
—— 12:00 p.m.
LUNCH
—— 12:20 p.m.
Science: “Used and Abused” in the World of Food – Food Evolution
“Food Evolution explores all the ways science has been used and abused in public discourse surrounding the genetic engineering of food. In a world of misinformation and disinformation, nothing can be more timely.” – Neil deGrasse Tyson
– Scott Hamilton Kennedy | Director + Producer + Writer, Food Evolution
—— 1:00 p.m.
BREAK
—— 1:20 p.m.
The Global Reach of Indiana’s Agbiosciences
Jim Collins | Chief Executive Officer, Corteva Agriscience, Agriculture Division of DowDuPont
—— 1:45 p.m.
Converging Sectors Create Unique Solutions
Moderator: David Johnson | CEO, Central IN Corporate Partnership
– Wayne Eckerle | VP of Research and Technology, Cummins Inc.
– Jack Phillips | President + CEO, Roche Diagnostics North America
– Aaron Schacht | Executive Vice President of Innovation, Regulatory & Business Development, Elanco
– Dr. Sue Ellspermann| President, Ivy Tech Community College
– Jim Collins | CEO, Corteva Agriscience, Agriculture Division of DowDuPont
—— 2:45 p.m.
BREAK
—— 3:15 p.m.
Investing AND Making a Difference in the World
David Rubenstein | Co-founder + Co-executive chairman, The Carlyle Group
—— 3:40 p.m.
A Thought Leaders Conversation: Why the Agbiosciences Matter to All of Us
Bloomberg interviewer David Rubenstein talks big global challenges, cutting-edge research and 21st-century talent priorities with two agbioscience leaders.
– Beth Ford | CEO, Land O’Lakes, Inc.
– Dr. Gebisa Ejeta | Director, Purdue Center for Global Food Security + World Food Prize Winner (2009)
—— 4:20 p.m.
It IS Happening Here… Seriously.
Indiana has a global reputation in pooling localized civic, educational and industry resources to make the region the gold standard in collaboration.
– Joseph Parilla | Fellow, Metropolitan Policy Program, Brookings Institution
—— 4:50 p.m.
Closing Comments
– Elaine Bedel | President, Indiana Economic Development Corporation
– Beth Bechdol | President + CEO, AgriNovus Indiana
—— 5:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Networking Reception
Guests are invited to stay for a cocktail and networking reception following the conference.
Vegetable Towers to Rise in Parisian Suburbs
The country has seen a boom in urban farming over the last couple of years.
The French sure like their cities green. The country has seen a boom in urban farming over the last couple of years. In various projects both the government and various private parties have been launching ideas and concepts, and building farms to grow vegetables in the cities. The latest project to be launched is nearby Paris. In the suburb Romainville, two vegetable towers will comprise an acreage of 1000 m2 to supply inhabitants with freshly grown vegetables.
© : Poltred Studio / Ilimelgo and Secousses architects
"Talking about urban farming, the French market is a very promising market, since the French value their food highly", Corenthin (Felix) Chassouant with CMF confirms. CMF is specialized in high-tech greenhouses and buildings and has been working for several years on a proposal for urban farming greenhouses all around the world. In France they're participating in the new project as well.
La Cite Maraichere
This urban agriculture building is to be realized as part of a city renovation program. "All floors above the ground floor will be dedicated to local production", Corenthin shows. "As for the subsurface, it will be intended to produce mushrooms. The building will consist of 2 wings of 7 m wide each, the eastern greenhouse on the 6th floor and the western greenhouse on the 3rd floor (the first vegetable towers in Europe)."
© : Poltred Studio / Ilimelgo and Secousses architects
© : Poltred Studio / Ilimelgo and Secousses architects
The building will also meet the latest environmental standards and will comply with public safety regulations. According to Corenthin though, the major challenge of this project was to combine aesthetics and technicality.
The project is to deliver a harvest of up to twelve tonnes per year. That consists of carrots, tomatoes and other products, all grown grown in circular economy substrates, mixing local compost, grinded green waste, coffee grounds. The vegetables are to be sold for small prices to local inhabitants and will also be used in the cafeteria on the ground floor.
© : Poltred Studio / Ilimelgo and Secousses architects
Residence with greenhouses
The new Parisian project isn't the only urban farming project in France being realized currently. Various projects are mushrooming. One of them is "5 ponts" in Nantes, Corenthin shows. "This residence will integrate two urban farming greenhouses (6th floor and 4th floor) as well as two private winter gardens built by CMF. These greenhouses will be equipped with shading screens, heating systems and climate control. "This ambitious and innovative project entails various constraints: occupant safety, climate management of glazed spaces, and cohabitation with agricultural activity in urban areas", Corenthin shows.
©Samo / TETRARC Nantes Project manager and architect
The project is proposed by “Les Eaux Vives" Association. It is supported by the City of Nantes, Nantes Métropole and the European Union as part of the UIA project (Urban Innovative Action).
"It is really cool to be a part of this", Corenthin confirms. "With CMF we've always supplied the traditional market - which is also interesting - but now we see we have the capability to imagine and develop innovative solutions that combine our greenhouse knowhow as a climate builder with architectural concepts, to meet the specific situation of an urban farmer."
For more information:
CMF
BP 10 001 - Varades
44370 Loireauxence
Tél. : +33 (0)2 40 98 34 00
Fax. : +33 (0)2 40 98 34 94
www.cmf-groupe.com
Publication date : 10/29/2018
Author: Arlette Sijmonsma
© HortiDaily.com
Tackling the Food Crisis with a Borderless Collaboration
At Omron, opportunities to engage with new challenges are abundant
After graduating from university in London, Kassim Okara joined the largest specialist distributor of control and automation products in the UK, where he worked on numerous large-scale projects. He decided to leave however, to join Omron Electronics as field sales engineer in 2015, as he had always felt that he wanted to contribute to society from a business development standpoint.
At Omron, opportunities to engage with new challenges are abundant; the varying projects involve not only control equipment but also healthcare and mobility as well as initiatives to actively employ disabled persons.
At that time, Intelligent Growth Solutions (IGS) had begun working on automated vertical farming to optimize crop production. Based at the James Hutton Institute in Scotland a leading crop science and research institute, the opportunity to collaborate was one of the key considerations in this location. To advance the efforts to practical application level, IGS needed an automation solutions provider.
In search of a suitable provider, IGS found Omron. In addition to its solutions, Omron's commitment to social responsibility attracted them into collaboration.
With the addition of Omron's automation technology to the expertise and knowledge of the two organizations, the first-ever UK project for automated vertical farming using IoT was initiated. Kassim was assigned as project leader on Omron's side. His passion for his work increased by the day as he deepened his understanding of his partners' enthusiasm toward the project.
In the beginning, developing an understanding of the project was particularly challenging, as it was unprecedented so that previous case studies could not be found. Despite this, Kassim took on the project, led by his determination to respond to social needs through business.
Publication date : 10/29/2018
GFIA Abu Dhabi - Call For Speakers Is Now Open - Applications Close Tomorrow
Applications close tomorrow - Tuesday 30 October 2018.
This is your chance to join the world's largest exhibition and conference dedicated to sustainable agriculture solutions and showcase your company and expertise to thousands of the most accomplished and forward-thinking farmers, food companies, policy makers, NGO's, scientists and investors in the world today.
Deadline: 30 October 2018
Conference Theme: Artificial Intelligence in Agriculture
Please Click Here To Apply To Speak
Can you help food producers in the MENA region improve the sophistication and sustainability of their operations using Artificial Intelligence?
Then apply to speak at the A.I. for Agriculture Summit at the Global Forum for Innovations in Agriculture in Abu Dhabi next April.
How can AI drive progress towards achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 2 – end hunger, achieve food insecurity, improve nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture?
If your company has a technology or solution that can increase agricultural productivity through Artificial Intelligence, then we want to hear from you. Or perhaps you are a scientist developing a research project in this sector, or a food producer undergoing field trials with a new innovation.
WE HAVE HELPED 25,000 FARMERS IMPROVE PRODUCTIVITY
Since 2014, GFIA has helped over 25,000 farmers, growers and agribusinesses find innovations in sustainable agriculture.
Now in its 6th edition, GFIA is one of the best attended agriculture events in the Middle East and the only one dedicated to sustainable agtech.
Book a stand to showcase your products to 7,000 forward-thinking food producers in the MENA region in May 2019.
2019 | ABU DHABI | UA
1-2 April: Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre
Opening Times: Mon 1 Apr: 10.00 – 18.00
Tues 2 Apr: 10.00 – 16.00
Fresh Plaza Launches French Edition
For our French-speaking readers, Uitgeverij Boekhout launches www.freshplaza.fr.
In this brand-new edition, the editors will keep readers up to date about the fruit and vegetable news from the French-speaking fresh produce branch with coverage and market reports about French fresh produce companies. Naturally, additional attention will be paid to typically French products like the Charentais melon, the Paris mushroom and the Breton cauliflower.
Overview of the French sector
About 80,000 companies are active in the French fruit and vegetable sector. Every year, these combined are good for 6.3 million tonnes of products and 653,000 jobs, 455,000 of which are seasonal.
Trends
A remarkable feature of the French market is that consumers are very willing to pay more for higher quality products. The French are also buying organic products more and more, so that these products have a chronic shortage. Just like many other places in Europe, the unrelenting heat has had a major impact on the market. A lot of growers are dealing with early-ripening harvests and quality problems.
The products most consumed in France are apples, bananas, tomatoes and carrots. Citrus, stone fruit, melons and chicory also do well.
Do you have any news for the French market? Please feel free to contact us. The best advertising spaces are still available!
You can sign up for the French newsletter via this e-mail.
Uitgeverij Boekhout started with AGF.nl in 1997. In 2005, the English edition, FreshPlaza.com followed. There’s now an Italian (2007), Spanish(2007), German (2015), Chinese (2016) and French(2018) edition. In total, we send more than 180,000 newsletters to these seven editions every day.
Publication date : 10/22/2018
© HortiDaily.com
US (OR): Shining A Light on Sustainable Cannabis Production
Deschutes Growery works diligently to offset the environmental impacts of its cannabis production by closely monitoring all aspects of its operation, from equipment usage to business partnerships. Energy efficiency is at the center of the Bend grower’s efforts to minimize its carbon footprint. By opting for efficient LED lighting and installing a roof-mounted solar system, Deschutes Growery slashed annual energy use by an estimated 2.5 million kilowatt hours and trimmed an estimated $197,000 from its yearly energy operating costs.
“Our original high-pressure sodium lighting wasted an enormous amount of energy,” said Justin Clapick, co-owner. “It also produced way too much heat and waste for the intensive nature of growing indoors.”
Converting to LEDs, which produce minimal heat, allowed Deschutes Growery to put lights very close to the plants throughout its vegetative, flower and clone rooms. Combined with an innovative mobile racking system that has up to four levels of plants growing per room, the LEDs enable a high level of bio-density, while achieving a lighting power density of less than 20 watts per square foot in some areas.
“We’re growing a 10,000-square-foot canopy in an 8,000-square-foot building,” Clapick said. “That 8,000 square feet includes everything from our flower, mother and clone rooms. LEDs not only save us energy, they save on real estate, which is significant.”
Deschutes Growery was also among the first in their industry to use new LED technology that optimizes the wavelength of the light for the different stages of a cannabis plant’s growth cycle. “We use full-spectrum LEDs in the flower stage and a blue spectrum for vegetative and cloning stages. We also installed dimmers that adjust the light level to exactly what the plants need at specific times of growth. It’s all controlled by a computer, making operation simpler.”
The lighting project cost $928,330, and Deschutes Growery received $386,040 in cash incentives from Energy Trust of Oregon based on the energy savings. The company expects to save $192,000 in annual energy cost, so the investment should pay for itself in less than three years. “That doesn’t even count what we’re saving on light bulb replacement costs because LEDs last at least 10 years rather than one year,” said Clapick.
The cannabis producer also boasts a 56.4-kilowatt roof-mounted solar electric system installed by the building owner. “We’re fortunate to have great business partners who believe in our story and are just as committed to sustainability as we are,” said Clapick. Energy Trust provided a $46,500 cash incentive for the solar system, which produces an estimated 64,000 kilowatt hours a year.
For more information:
Energy Trust of Oregon
1.866.368.7878
www.energytrust.org/grow
From Roof to Table, This Farm is Bringing Organic Vegetables to Brooklyn Residents
Part of the Food Policy Community Spotlight Series
Name: Eagle Street Rooftop Farm
What they do: Eagle Street Rooftop Farm is a 6,000-square-foot organic vegetable farm located on a warehouse rooftop in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. The Farm is a product of the collaborative effort between the green roof design and installation firm Goode Green and the Brooklyn-based sound stage company Broadway Stages, which financed the installation of the Farm.
The Farm realizes the economic, ecological and societal benefits of green roofing while also bringing local produce to the North Brooklyn community. According to Michigan State University, green roofs can “improve stormwater management by reducing runoff and improving water quality.” In addition, they help to “conserve energy, reduce noise and air pollution, sequester carbon, increase urban biodiversity by creating a habitat for wildlife, increase the space available for urban agriculture, provide a more aesthetically pleasing and healthy environment for surrounding residents, and improve return on investment compared to traditional roofs.”
Eagle Street Rooftop Farm operates a weekly farm market and caters to area restaurants. Between 2010-2011, it became the first rooftop farm to host its own site-based Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program. In 2010, the Farm also launched an Apprenticeship Program, which instructs seasonal apprentices (spring, summer, fall) in organic farming based on the Farm’s planting and growing practices. Additionally, with support from Growing Chefs, a nonprofit field-to-fork education program that is also under the aegis of Annie Novak (the co-founder and farmer of Eagle Street Rooftop Farms), the rooftop farm’s education staff operates a range of other educational programs.
How they do it:
In its first season, the Eagle Street Rooftop Farm grew over thirty types of produce, from watermelon to cabbage, in order to see which would thrive in a green roof growing environment. The most botanically successful crops for health and high yield included hot peppers, cherry tomatoes, and sage.
Since the 2012 growing season, the Farm has focused on a selection of hot peppers to begin development of a Brooklyn-based hot sauce. Currently you can find their hot sauce – “Awesome Sauce” – at Archestratus Books + Food as well as at Littleneck Outpost, both located in Greenpoint.
The Farm sells its harvest through its site-based Sunday farm market and delivers fresh produce by bicycle to local restaurants including Williamsburg’s Marlow & Sons and Greenpoint’s Paulie Gee’s, Brooklyn Brine, Eastern District, Anella’s, Spritzenhaus, Ovenly, Sea Bean Soups, and Champion Coffee.
On Sundays in the growing season, the Farm is open to the public and welcomes volunteers of all skill levels during its market hours, which are listed on the events calendar. Growing Chefs curates the farm’s Free Lecture series, which are held at two o’clock on Sundays and have covered topics ranging from urban chicken-keeping to pickle making.
Mission: to provide fresh, organic, locally produced fruits and vegetables to Brooklyn residents and restaurants
Latest project/campaign: The publication of their book, The Rooftop Growing Guide: How to Transform Your Roof into a Garden or Farm, in February 2016.
Major Funding: Broadway Stages, Gina Argento & family
Profit/nonprofit: Profit
Interesting fact about how it is working to positively affect the food system: The Eagle Street Rooftop Farm’s education staff, working with Growing Chefs’ curriculum, hosts a range of workshops for children and adults. Topics include growing food in New York City, seed-saving, the art of cooking locally, city composting, the benefits of green roofs, beekeeping, and guest lecturers.
FACT SHEET:
Location:
44 Eagle Street
Brooklyn NY 11222
Core Programs:
-Community Supported Agriculture program (CSA)
-Community Outreach/Education (urban farming education, Growing Chefs workshops)
-Farmers’ Markets
-Apprenticeship Program
Number of staff: 4
Areas served: Brooklyn
Year Started: 2009
Director, Manager or CEO: Annie Novak
Contact Information: info@Rooftopfarms.org
Owned by Broadway Stages and built by Goode Green, the farm was made possible by the generous support of Gina Argento and family. Learn more about Broadway Stages’ green work in Greenpoint here!
Tags: Eagle Street Rooftop Farm Farmers markets Garden Education Organic Farming Rooftop Farm Urban agriculture
Gabrielle Khalife
Accelerating Technology And Investment In Southeast Asia’s Agri-Food Supply Chain
Accelerating Technology And Investment In Southeast Asia’s Agri-Food Supply Chain
Rethink Events has announced a major new summit, Rethink Agri-Food Innovation Week in Singapore on November 27-29, 2018.
Secured your place at the Rethink Agri-Food Innovation Week in #Singapore?
Want to know more about the agri-food supply chain in Asia? Join the Rethink Agri-Food Innovation Week in #Singapore and save SGD $500 on a delegate pass.
Your discount code is:
IG500
https://bit.ly/2m9NoI9 @RAFISingapore
The three-day programme will investigate the growing role of technology in building an efficient, resilient and sustainable agri-food supply chain that can deliver fresh, nutritious food to today’s fast-changing consumer market.
The event builds on the pillars of Rethink’s successful global agri-food technology portfolio, the World Agri-Tech, Future Food-Tech and Indoor AgTech Innovation Summits, which take place in London, San Francisco, and New York.
Home to 90% of the world’s farmers, Southeast Asia’s agri-food ecosystem is ripe for technology disruption.
The challenges of climate change, urbanization, and rapidly evolving dietary needs are creating an urgent demand for sustainable solutions to increase resilience and optimize farming processes, minimize waste, achieve supply-chain traceability and develop healthy, exciting new food ingredients and products for the regional market.
Rethink Agri-Food Innovation Week Singapore will connect international agribusinesses, indoor growers, food brands and ingredient developers with equipment manufacturers, entrepreneurs and investors to share innovation and experiences from around the globe, with the objective of targeting the right solutions to the Southeast Asian region’s needs.
Commenting on the launch, Jennie Moss, Founder and Managing Director of Rethink Events, said: “We are delighted to bring this new summit to Singapore, in response to demand from our current global agri-food base and with the valued support of our regional partners.
“Southeast Asia’s agri-food industry faces great challenges but also offers exciting opportunities for companies looking to enter this market and build partnerships with regional operators. We look
forward to providing a highly targeted, timely platform for the region’s agri-food innovation eco-system to meet and flourish, fuelled by high-level market intelligence and a focus on networking.”
The summit’s comprehensive agenda will cover the full spectrum of agri-food production and distribution, with sessions focusing on agriculture, aquaculture, indoor farming and food manufacturing to reflect the learning and networking priorities for delegates.
Topics include:
The power of drones in precision farming of oil palm and rice
Empowering smallholder farmers through data and digitization
Targeting protein innovation to healthy, sustainable aquaculture
Achieving supply chain traceability with big data and blockchain
Advances in plant science, robotics, and lighting for indoor agriculture
Building commercial-scale vertical farming operations
Delivering targeted nutrition through food ingredient innovation
Harnessing the power of biotech in food with gene editing and clean meat.
The summit will explore the latest models for technology investment, incubation, and commercialization, and showcase the most exciting start-ups from around the world. Extensive networking opportunities throughout the event include a full program of 1-1 meetings, networking breaks, roundtable workshops and social events.
Full information on the summit, agenda, opportunities and delegate registration is available at
UK-based Rethink Events organizes international, world-renowned business summits for
entrepreneurs, businesses, and investors in sustainable food, agriculture, energy, and water.
Its acclaimed global agri-food portfolio features the World Agri-Tech Innovation Series, Future Food-
Tech Series and the Indoor AgTech Innovation Summit, held in London, San Francisco, and New York.
Roots In Aqua (Farm) And Innovation Oriented Novel Farm Is Born
The new international conference & exhibition will focus on the new cultivation systems, vertical farming and innovative methods of food production and it was presented at Greentech. Pordenone, June 15 - NovelFarm, the international exhibition-conference completely dedicated to innovation in agritech (new cultivation techniques, soilless and vertical farming) will be held on February 13th and 14th 2019 at Pordenone Fiere Exhibition Center (Venice Area).
In 2017 in Italy more than 100 million euros were invested in large-scale hydroponic greenhouses with a production mainly destined to tomato for table consumption. This trend is rapidly growing, motivated by the need to shorten the food supply chain and the increasing attention to high-quality products. A research conducted by the Coop Italia Observatory shows that in 2017, for the first time, ready-to-eat products in Italy reached the top 3 positions regarding the consumption of packaged fresh products sold by the GDO. Italy ranks second in Europe, after England, for the per capita consumption of these products.
The horticulture market will be just one of the topics that will be presented during Novelfarm. A growing interest for medicinal and pharmaceutical plants, whose return allows investments to be made in plants in "useful" times. An example? Cannabis, which is now also legal for personal use (even if with important limits of active ingredients). Technology will be the protagonist showing (by LED) how light can affect the taste and consistency of salads and strawberries.
Novel Farm will, therefore, be the first B2B event in Southern Europe that will offer professional updating and networking on these topics, the possibility of comparison and meeting between supply and demand. The new event dedicated to new production methods was presented last June 12 in an exceptional context: GreenTech, the global meeting in Amsterdam, a reference point for horticulture technology. What is Novel Farm born from? The roots have grown in AquaFarm, the conference & exhibition dedicated to aquaculture, algaculture and sustainable fishing, through conferences and an area dedicated to the techniques of aquaponics and vertical farming.
In the last two years, the collaboration and the guests have been important: the Association for Vertical Farming, the international association that lead the sustainable growth and develop the vertical farming movement; Vertical Farming Italian and ENEA; Dickson Despommier, the creator of the vertical farming concept as keynote speaker and the participation of important companies as Osram, Planthive, Idromeccanica Lucchini, Wasp.
Finally, the fully equipped conference rooms and the success of the exhibiting companies led NovelFarm to be the exclusive event for the most innovative production companies and future soilless cultivation scenarios.
Novelfarm will be held in conjunction with Aquafarm.
More information is available on www.novelfarmexpo.it
PRESS INFORMATION
Novelfarm Sales & Marketing info@fierapordenone.it +39 0434 232111