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Entrepreneurship Intensive For Farmers
Stone Barns Center is excited to announce a groundbreaking Entrepreneurship Intensive for Farmers. This immersive, experiential learning program will give farmers the opportunity to learn from and collaborate with UC Berkeley’s William Rosenzweig, additional experts, and each other as they develop their entrepreneurial skills.
Farm owners and managers run complex, nuanced businesses. Those seeking to do so in a manner that is both economically and environmentally sustainable must apply creativity, vision, and grit to their work. There now exists a variety of progressive farmer training programs and apprenticeships. This initiative will complement these types of programs, and support farmers in applying the principles of entrepreneurship to their farm businesses.
Each farmer will finish the week-long program with a practical and useful business framework in hand that complements their expertise in regenerative agriculture and empowers them to apply proven entrepreneurial practices to their farming business. Participating farmers will have expenses covered and are expected to attend the entire program (December 9-14, 2018).
APPLY NOW
THE ENTREPRENEURSHIP INTENSIVE WILL HELP FARMERS:
Learn, practice and integrate the key principles and practices of mission-driven, values-centered entrepreneurship
Imagine a clear long-term vision and define concrete steps to successfully achieve it
Design and present a compelling, financially viable business plan to attract and engage employees, partners, landowners, lenders and investors
Identify new business opportunities and unmet needs in a region’s farming ecosystem and identify how to capture value
Learn how to cultivate a vibrant community of customers, build strategic partnerships and structure successful agreements
Explore the latest in practical farm-tech and digital strategies
Develop an understanding and paths towards creating a thriving livelihood
Learn more about the facilitators, Will Rosenzweig and Adrian Rodrigues.
APPLICANT REQUIREMENTS
You are a farmer actively involved in the day-to-day management of a farm practicing or moving towards regenerative agriculture
You have been in a farm management role at that farm for at least three years
You are comfortable with basic farm business practices, including crop planning and tracking income and expenses
Your business generated at least $15,000 in revenue in the most recent tax year
You can commit to completing 5-10 hours of preparatory work in November and to monthly peer-learning check-ins (by telephone) for one year after the intensive
You are able to participate in the entire five-day intensive at Stone Barns Center in Tarrytown, NY from December 9 – 14, 2018
HOW TO APPLY
We’re looking for up to 24 exceptional farmers to be part of the inaugural cohort. All farmers will receive scholarships to participate. The application includes contact information, short written (and optional video) responses to three open-ended questions, an optional photo, and a resume/CV.
Applications are due by Saturday, September 22 and applicants will be notified by Friday, October 12.
APPLY NOW
Questions? See our FAQs or contact us at GFI@stonebarnscenter.org or 914.366.6200 x150
Five-Day Introductory Training Course On Plant Factory With Artificial Lighting (PFAL)
Five-Day Introductory Training Course On Plant Factory With Artificial Lighting (PFAL)
By urbanagnews
July 18, 2018
In response to increasing global demands from indoor farmers, researchers and future entrepreneurs in the exciting emerging field of plant factory with artificial lighting (PFAL), also known as vertical farm, this coming October, Japan Plant Factory Association (JPFA) together with Chiba University will host an intensive five-day introductory training course in English on PFAL.
Since 2010, JPFA and Chiba University have been organizing various in-depth and practical sessions, including introductory to advanced courses. This five-day introductory session in English, held October 1st -5th, covers what you would need to know before or after starting PFAL business or research.
The sessions will be interactive academic and practical classes, covering topics such as structure and function of PFAL, environmental control, lighting, plant physiology, nutrient solutions, seedlings, recent new technology, and business case studies of commercial large-scale PFALs. In addition to lectures by academic professionals and PFAL representatives, optional excursions to some commercial PFALs on the last day of the course will be organized.
Objective and Goal
-To offer foundation for theory and experience-based practice, with a view to foster academic and industrial development toward next generation PFAL.
-To facilitate development and dissemination of technically and economically sustainable PFAL, through providing the firsthand technical and conceptual classes by broad-ranging professionals in practice from both academia and PFAL industry.
Who should attend?
Motivated current/potential indoor farmers who plan to start or just started PFAL business or research. They will gain understandings of elementary theory and practice of PFAL, basic knowledge of cultivation and operational management, and keys for business success, etc.
Lecturers
Scheduled Lecturers
Chiba University / JPFA: T. Kozai, Y. Shinohara, T. Maruo, S. Tsukagoshi, N. Lu, M. Takagaki, T. Yamaguchi, O. Nunomura and E. Hayashi
Lecturers from the PFAL industry: Representatives from 808 Factory and others
Guidelines for Applicants
Date: 2018. 10.1 Mon – 10.5 Fri
On the first day (2018.10.1), the reception and classes are scheduled to start in the morning.
On the last day (2018. 10.5), the optional excursion will be held in the greater Tokyo area and is scheduled to finish at approximately 15:00.
(Detail schedule will be announced once fixed.)
Location: 6-2-1 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba, Japan 277-0882
Center for Environment, Health, and Field Sciences, Chiba University
Japan Plant Factory Association (1F Meeting Room)
Kashiwanoha campus is located less than 1 hour from Tokyo by train.
There are several accommodations nearby. We will provide the information after you apply.
Fee: JPFA member JPY115,000/person
JPFA Non-member JPY145,000/person
Includes materials for lectures and the transportation fee on the excursion day.
Lunch is not provided, however, there are many options in walking distance including a shopping mall food court and grocery store.
How to apply
Click here for the application form!
Seats will be filled in the order that applications are received.
After applying, you will receive the invoice within 7 to 10 business days. After confirming your payment, your seat will be reserved and we will provide your confirmation booking number.
If your payment can not be made within 5 business days after receiving the invoice, your reservation may be canceled automatically.
Deadline for registration: The end of August or when capacity is filled.
Cancellation:
If participants cancel the training course on or before August 20th, 2018, we will return the fee except JPY 40,000 (a cancellation fee). If the cancellation occurs after August 21st, 2018, the fee shall be due in full.
In most cases, in lieu of canceling you may transfer your registration to another person without penalty.
Japan Plant Factory Association
Japan Plant Factory Association(NPO) is devoted to academic and business advancements in the global indoor farming/CEA industry. Our mission is to develop and disseminate sustainable systems that can address global food, energy and resource issues. We
manage around 20 R&D projects, monthly workshops, and training courses, etc. at Chiba University campus in Kashiwanoha, a smart city in Japan.
JAPAN PLANT FACTORY ASSOCIATION (JPFA)
6-2-1 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-0882, JAPAN
Tel: 81-(0)-4-7137-8318 Fax: 81-(0)-4-7137-8312
http://npoplantfactory.org/e_trainingcourse.html
E-mail: training@npoplantfactory.org
5 years, 60 Startups: Purdue Students Own Their Inventions, Thriving Under University’s Policy
Scott Massey and Ivan Ball, 2017 graduates of Purdue’s Polytechnic Institute and founders of Heliponix LLC, say the reassessment in Purdue intellectual property rights that gives students ownership of their inventions motivated them to found their startup.
September 6, 2018
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – From frozen yogurt to musical backtracks to social apps and even hydroponic in-home greenhouses, Purdue University students are taking advantage of Purdue’s policy giving them ownership when they, as students, create an invention, generating a flurry of startups that advance the lives of others.
Scott Massey and Ivan Ball, 2017 graduates of Purdue’s Polytechnic Institute and founders of Heliponix LLC, say the reassessment in Purdue intellectual property rights that gives students ownership of their inventions motivated them to found their startup.
Scott Massey, Heliponix LLC chief executive officer, examines the development of plants growing in a GroPod, a dishwasher-sized appliance that fits under a kitchen counter and grows produce year-round. Heliponix was among five companies selected to receive $80,000 investments from the Elevate Purdue Foundry Fund. (Chris Adam/Purdue Research Foundation Image) Download image
“We definitely took the leap to found our startup because we liked the idea of owning our own technology, and it has been an unbelievable experience both in learning and contributing to society,” Massey said. “Being able to take our knowledge and technology to West Africa is something I will never forget. I also would never have believed that I would be a co-founder of a startup that is doing so well. A lot of credit goes to the Purdue Foundry and Purdue University for the strong support system they provide for student entrepreneurs. We’ve just learned so much.”
Heliponix’s technology, called the Gropod™ is a refrigerator-sized aeroponic appliance capable of growing fresh produce in a consumer’s home. While in the West African country of Togo, Massey co-led a workshop on hydroponic systems to help participants develop sustainable agriculture methods in an undeveloped environment.
Scott Massey (center, with sunglasses), a founder of Heliponix LLC, poses with residents of Togo who took part in a hands-on workshop on hydroponics in the small West Africa country, where many people survive on subsistence farming. The workshop was funded by the Mandela Washington Fellowship Reciprocal Exchange Component. (Photo provided by Heliponix)
Heliponix is one of about 60 student-driven startups that launched since Purdue University announced five years ago that students could own their own intellectual property. The student startups also have generated more than $2.5 million in venture funding, business plan competitions and startup grants.
Mimir, a software company committed to growing the software engineering workforce, is one of the first student startups to work with the Purdue Foundry to research and obtain intellectual property ownership.
Shortly after Mimir was founded, the team worked in the Anvil, a Purdue student incubator, while also receiving assistance from the Purdue Foundry. In 2015, Mimir's co-founders were accepted into Silicon Valley-based Y Combinator, an investment group that aids promising startups to shape their ideas and prepares them for larger fundraising. After spending the summer in Silicon Valley for the program, the co-founders returned to Indiana.
“During our time at the Anvil we were actively planning for the future of Mimir,” said Prahasith Veluvolu, CEO of Mimir. “With help from partners like the Foundry, we learned how to legally possess our intellectual property so that we could shift our focus toward enhancing our product in an effort to better support our customers.”
The company has been nationally recognized for Mimir Classroom, its flagship product, and in 2017 Forbes chose co-founders Colton Voege, Jacobi Petrucciani and Veluvolu for its annual “30 Under 30” list of exceptional innovators under the age of 30. All three are former computer science students in Purdue’s College of Science.
Mimir Classroom continues to help computer science instructors with the delivery of their curriculum at more than 70 universities. Earlier this year, in an effort to further the company's mission, Mimir Workforce was created. This technical assessment tool helps hiring managers and recruiters evaluate and hire software engineers for internal roles.
Representatives from Mimir are currently attending the TechCrunch Disrupt SF Conference in San Francisco.
The strategic goal of fostering a culture of entrepreneurship for students was paramount in the modification in students’ intellectual property ownership.
Mimir co-founders, from left, Colton Voege, Jacobi Petrucciani and Prahasith Veluvolu. (Photo provided by Mimir)
“We set out to build the nation’s best ecosystem for innovation and entrepreneurship, and granting our undergraduates the control of intellectual property seemed like a positive cultural signal,” Purdue President Mitch Daniels said. “It’s turned out to be far more than symbolic, as 60 startup companies demonstrate. At Purdue, we believe you’re never too young to start a business.”
The Purdue Foundry, created in 2013, offers entrepreneurial assistance and startup funding to students, faculty and staff. Services include office mentoring, funding, educational opportunities, networking, marketing and business competitions.
“Our core value is ideas to impact, and whether a technology is owned by a student or one that is licensed through Purdue's Office of Technology Commercialization we offer the same high level of entrepreneurial assistance,” said Greg Deason, senior vice president for entrepreneurship and placemaking at the Purdue Research Foundation. “Many of the students creating startups are also creating a career path for their futures.”
The Purdue intellectual property guidelines offer students clear ownership rights as long as the resources used were part of a course and were available to all students in the course; that the student was not paid by the university or a third party; and the class or project was not supported by a corporation or government grant or contract.
In 2013, the Anvil was established with support by the Purdue Research Foundation and managed by Purdue students to provide an incubator for student startups.
“The Anvil now has 157 members,” said Juliana Casavan, entrepreneurial program manager, who provides guidance and entrepreneurial programming for the Anvil. “Since the Anvil was founded it has become a hub of entrepreneurial activities for students who have the motivation and desire to create a startup.”
The increase in technology transfer activities and startup creation aligns with Purdue's “Giant Leaps” Ideas Festival celebrating the university’s global advancements made in health, space, artificial intelligence and sustainability as part of Purdue’s 150th anniversary.
About Mimir
Mimir is a software company that grows the software engineering workforce. The company's core product, Mimir Classroom, helps computer science instructors scale and automate curriculum without compromising quality for students. Mimir Workforce was a supplemental product built to house a technical assessment tool for evaluating and hiring engineers. For more information about Mimir, call 317-449-3517 or visit www.mimirhq.com.
About The Anvil
The Anvil is a Purdue University student-managed startup incubator that assists students with 24/7 office space with Internet access, networking opportunities, and conference rooms. The Anvil receives funding from the Purdue Research Foundation and other sources.
About Purdue Foundry
The Purdue Foundry is an entrepreneurship and commercialization accelerator in Discovery Park's Burton D. Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship whose professionals help Purdue innovators create startups. Managed by the Purdue Research Foundation, the Purdue Foundry was co-named a top recipient at the 2016 Innovation and Economic Prosperity Universities Designation and Awards Program by the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities for its work in entrepreneurship. For more information about funding and investment opportunities in startups based on a Purdue innovation, contact the Purdue Foundry at foundry@prf.org.
Writer: Cynthia Sequin, 765-588-3340. casequin@prf.org
Sources: Mitch Daniels, president@purdue.edu
Prahasith Veluvolu, 317-449-3517, prahasith@mimirhq.com
Scott Massey, scott@heliponix.com
Greg Deason, gwdeason@prf.org
Juliana Casavan, jbcasavan@prf.org
September Webinar: A Proposed Horticultural Lighting Label
We just announced our September Webinar: A proposed horticultural lighting label.
Registration link: https://cornell.zoom.us/meeting/register/ae44e0bcd76f57ddcde7dc3c8da9331e
The Webinar description:
Recent advances in light-emitting diode (LED) technology now provide the horticultural industry with multiple lighting options. However, growers are often unable to compare technologies and LED options due to insufficient data on lamp performance metrics.
As a result, researchers are now proposing a standardized product label that facilitates the comparison of lamps across manufacturers. Dr. A.J. Both from Rutgers University and Ryan Siddon from Intertek will talk about the importance of horticultural lighting standards, the proposed horticultural lighting label and the unique requirements for horticultural luminaires.
In the Rutgers Lab, Dr. AJ Both and his team conduct performance measurements on a variety of lamps used for horticultural applications. Their equipment is able to measure total light output as well as electric power consumption so that the efficiency (efficacy) of individual lamps can be determined.
Intertek’s Horticultural Lighting Certification Program addresses the unique requirements for horticultural luminaires, offering manufacturers an efficient path to launch products into this growing market.
The
Date: September 7th, 2018
Time: 2-3pm EST
Presented by: Rutgers University and Intertek
In the Rutgers Lab, Dr. AJ Both and his team conduct performance measurements on a variety of lamps used for horticultural applications. Their equipment is able to measure total light output as well as electric power consumption so that the efficiency (efficacy) of individual lamps can determined.
Intertek’s Horticultural Lighting Certification Program addresses the unique requirements for horticultural luminaires, offering manufacturers an efficient path to launch products into this growing market.
The GLASE Consortium Webinar Series features the latest technological innovations and best practices in the CEA field providing the audience the opportunity to discover new solutions and to connect with field experts.
Date: September 7th, 2018
Time: 2-3pm EST
Presented by: Rutgers University and Intertek
Intertek’s Horticultural Lighting Certification Program addresses the unique requirements for horticultural luminaires, offering manufacturers an efficient path to launch products into this growing market.
The GLASE Consortium Webinar Series features the latest technological innovations and best practices in the CEA field providing the audience the opportunity to discover new solutions and to connect with field experts.
Date: September 7th, 2018
Time: 2-3pm EST
Presented by: Rutgers University and Intertek
Rep. Goyke Commends UW School For Urban Agriculture Initiative
Federal USDA grant follows on urban farming legislation introduced by Rep. Goyke calling for a School of Urban Agriculture in Wisconsin
By State Rep. Evan Goyke - July 12, 2018
MADISON – The University of Wisconsin – Madison recently received a three year federal grant from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture to initiate the creation of a School for Urban Agriculture. The new school, as part of the University’s Farming the City Project, will target students, farmers, and non-profit staff.
This legislative session Rep. Goyke introduced the “The Wisconsin Urban Farming Futures” Initiative that focused on promoting urban agriculture in Wisconsin, including funding and siting for a future urban agriculture school (Assembly Bills 671, 672, 673, 674).
According to the grant description the new school and program will “…create curricula that meets the needs of students seeking short, intense training in specific aspects of urban agriculture (workshop and short course instruction) and the needs of four-year baccalaureate students who are interested in enhancing their education in this emerging content area.
…Importantly, the project will also target secondary students in an existing pipeline for college-level agricultural training in Wisconsin. In doing so, the project envisions a future workforce of urban farmers reflecting the social composition of the communities where many urban farms are being established.”
In response to the grant announcement and in support of its goals, Rep. Goyke stated:
“The fields of urban farmers look very different than the dairy farm my grandfather owned. Urban Agriculture offers a modern expansion of one of Wisconsin’s strongest traditions and can transform urban communities. In Milwaukee, we’ve seen new life spring from the ashes of old industry. Growing fresh healthy food in and near cities offers positive economic activity, job skills training, brings diverse communities together, and offers access to quality healthy food. Wisconsin’s agricultural future rests in the hands of future farmers, including those in this emerging sector of our agricultural economy. This new initiative and school will provide the tools and skills necessary for Wisconsin’s urban farmers to be successful.”
This September The SKYBERRIES Academy Will Take Place
SKYBERRIES Academy
This summer school is organized by the vertical farm institute in Vienna.
The SKYBERRIES Academy will be on the integrated aspects of the vertical farm. Participating in this event will mean that you will learn all there is to know about the vertical farm and gain valuable insights into the future development of this new building typology.
During the two day program, there will be four experts talking about four different topics:: food: technology: business: society. These experts will provide insights from their professional occupation. Furthermore, they will elaborate on the development and future of the industry behind the vertical farm.
The participants of the SKYBERRIES Academy are a blend of people with different professional backgrounds. The architect will meet the LED-expert, the city planner will interact with the botany expert, and the marketing student will talk with the agricultural engineer. It is in our conviction that the people from different disciplines need to meet and start a dialogue in order to find serious solutions to produce food in the future.
Additionally, the program allows for interaction between the representatives from our partnering organizations and the participants who acquired a ticket. We believe that establishing these bonds will mean the fulfillment of much synergy potential.
Visit:: https://academy.skyberries.at/ for more information and become part of the future of food.
Indoor Farm Offers New Life For Ex-Elementary School
-
- August 11, 2018
The Daily Star
The former Otego Elementary School on Main Street is seen in June.
When the Unatego School District Board of Education voted to close the Otego Elementary School in February 2017, a committee formed to decide the fate of the building. In a 4-2 vote on Monday, Aug. 6, the board accepted an innovative farming proposal.
AgZeit LLC has high hopes. The proposal bills the collaborative project as “a new way of doing business that will economically revitalize Otsego County and the Mohawk Valley Region and help New York State once again become the breadbasket for the entire northeast.”
The Mohawk Valley Regional Economic Development Council prioritized agribusiness initiatives in its 2017 Progress Report, considering it a viable engine for economic development in the region.
Agzeit LLC is the brainchild of James Dutcher and its operations currently exist in a classroom at Tiger Ventures, an alternative high school and business incubator in Endicott.
The concept to use indoor vertical farming technology with an optimized grow season is what Dutcher has been successfully experimenting with in Endicott.
Dutcher told The Daily Star that there are 32 units in the Endicott classroom, equivalent to five seasonal acres. The pilot has been running since November 2017 and makes an income of about $500 a week. Dutcher imagines that with the Otego facilities, AgZeit can scale up the production and the profit.
The business model states that 17 jobs will be added within the first year and another 21 in year two. The company projects that it will break even in year two. By year five, AgZeit intends to have 100 jobs with an average salary of $40,000.
“First and foremost we want to get the site productive,” Dutcher said.
Dutcher stressed the endeavor as collaborative, with a mix of private and public investors. 2445 Organics, a partner in the pilot out of Massena, developed the vertical grow rack technology that AgZeit uses.
According to the proposal, the funding ratio is 80 percent private investment to 20 percent potential grant monies.
Dutcher said that once the legal acquisition is complete, the company plans to be up and running within three months.
The fledgling business will tie high-production indoor organic farming with educational components and housing for veterans with opportunities for job training and a year-round farmers’ market.
“We’re not just focused on doing indoor farming,” Dutcher said. “We’re community-oriented.”
Additionally, the property will become part of the tax base of Otego.
Alternative energy sources are also planned for the building, such as incorporating a solar grid on the rooftop and using distillation and rainwater collection to water the crops.
While the plan is to develop a major food production site, the problem of distribution has been a major challenge in the area. Dutcher, however, is optimistic, saying that there is a readily available source of distributors. Further, the location is close to Interstate 88 on ramp, making it accessible for transport.
James Salisbury, president of the Unatego Board of Education, voted in favor of AgZeit.
“The hope is that it’s going to create jobs and will be something that is very beneficial to the Otego community,” Salisbury told The Daily Star. “I certainly feel like the community is looking forward to it.”
Whitney Bashaw, staff writer, can be reached at (607) 441-7218 or wbashaw@thedailystar.com . Follow her on Twitter @DS_WhitneyB
Gene Editing – And What It Really Means to Rewrite The Code of Life
We now have a precise way to correct, replace or even delete faulty DNA. Ian Sample explains the science, the risks and what the future may hold.
We now have a precise way to correct, replace or even delete faulty DNA. Ian Sample explains the science, the risks and what the future may hold
Ian Sample Science editor @iansample
2018
Gene editing has the potential to treat or prevent thousands of forms of human disease. Illustration: Guardian design team
So what is gene editing?
Scientists liken it to the find and replace feature used to correct misspellings in documents written on a computer. Instead of fixing words, gene editing rewrites DNA, the biological code that makes up the instruction manuals of living organisms. With gene editing, researchers can disable target genes, correct harmful mutations, and change the activity of specific genes in plants and animals, including humans.
What’s the point?
Much of the excitement around gene editing is fuelled by its potential to treat or prevent human diseases. There are thousands of genetic disorders that can be passed on from one generation to the next; many are serious and debilitating. They are not rare: one in 25 children is born with a genetic disease. Among the most common are cystic fibrosis, sickle cell anemia and muscular dystrophy. Gene editing holds the promise of treating these disorders by rewriting the corrupt DNA in patients’ cells. But it can do far more than mend faulty genes. Gene editing has already been used to modify people’s immune cells to fight cancer or be resistant to HIV infection. It could also be used to fix defective genes in human embryos and so prevent babies from inheriting serious diseases. This is controversial because the genetic changes would affect their sperm or egg cells, meaning the genetic edits and any bad side effects could be passed on to future generations.
What else is it good for?
The agricultural industry has leaped on gene editing for a host of reasons. The procedure is faster, cheaper and more precise than conventional genetic modification, but it also has the benefit of allowing producers to improve crops without adding genes from other organisms – something that has fuelled the backlash against GM crops in some regions. With gene editing, researchers have made seedless tomatoes, gluten-free wheat, and mushrooms that don’t turn brown when old. Other branches of medicine have also seized on its potential. Companies working on next-generation antibiotics have developed otherwise harmless viruses that find and attack specific strains of bacteria that cause dangerous infections. Meanwhile, researchers are using gene editing to make pig organs safe to transplant into humans. Gene editing has transformed fundamental research too, allowing scientists to understand precisely how specific genes operate.
So how does it work?
There are many ways to edit genes, but the breakthrough behind the greatest achievements in recent years is a molecular tool called Crispr-Cas9. It uses a guide molecule (the Crispr bit) to find a specific region in an organism’s genetic code – a mutated gene, for example – which is then cut by an enzyme (Cas9). When the cell tries to fix the damage, it often makes a hash of it, and effectively disables the gene. This in itself is useful for turning off harmful genes. But other kinds of repairs are possible. For example, to mend a faulty gene, scientists can cut the mutated DNA and replace it with a healthy strand that is injected alongside the Crispr-Cas9 molecules. Different enzymes can be used instead of Cas9, such as Cpf1, which may help edit DNA more effectively.
An illustrated example of Crispr in action
Guardian graphic
Remind me what genes are again?
Genes are the biological templates the body uses to make the structural proteins and enzymes needed to build and maintain tissues and organs. They are made up of strands of genetic code, denoted by the letters G, C, T and A. Humans have about 20,000 genes bundled into 23 pairs of chromosomes all coiled up in the nucleus of nearly every cell in the body. Only about 1.5% of our genetic code, or genome, is made up of genes. Another 10% regulates them, ensuring that genes turn on and off in the right cells at the right time, for example. The rest of our DNA is apparently useless. “The majority of our genome does nothing,” says Gerton Lunter, a geneticist at the University of Oxford. “It’s simply evolutionary detritus.”
What are all those Gs, Cs, Ts and As?
The letters of the genetic code refer to the molecules guanine (G), cytosine (C), thymine (T) and adenine (A). In DNA, these molecules pair up: G with C and T with A. These “base pairs” become the rungs of the familiar DNA double helix. It takes a lot of them to make a gene. The gene damaged in cystic fibrosis contains about 300,000 base pairs, while the one that is mutated in muscular dystrophy has about 2.5m base pairs, making it the largest gene in the human body. Each of us inherits about 60 new mutations from our parents, the majority coming from our father.
But how do you get to the right cells?
This is the big challenge. Most drugs are small molecules that can be ferried around the body in the bloodstream and delivered to organs and tissues on the way. The gene editing molecules are huge by comparison and have trouble getting into cells. But it can be done. One way is to pack the gene editing molecules into harmless viruses that infect particular types of cell. Millions of these are then injected into the bloodstream or directly into affected tissues. Once in the body, the viruses invade the target cells and release the gene editing molecules to do their work. In 2017, scientists in Texas used this approach to treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy in mice. The next step is a clinical trial in humans. Viruses are not the only way to do this, though. Researchers have used fatty nanoparticles to carry Crispr-Cas9 molecules to the liver, and tiny zaps of electricity to open pores in embryos through which gene editing molecules can enter.
Does it have to be done in the body?
No. In some of the first gene editing trials, scientists collected cells from patients’ blood, made the necessary genetic edits, and then infused the modified cells back into the patients. It’s an approach that looks promising as a treatment for people with HIV. When the virus enters the body, it infects and kills immune cells. But to infect the cells in the first place, HIV must first latch on to specific proteins on the surface of the immune cells. Scientists have collected immune cells from patients’ blood and used gene editing to cut out the DNA that the cells need in order to make these surface proteins. Without the proteins, the HIV virus can no longer gain entry to the cells. A similar approach can be used to fight certain types of cancer: immune cells are collected from patients’ blood and edited so they produce surface proteins that bind to cancer cells and kill them. Having edited the cells to make them cancer-killers, scientists grow masses of them in the lab and infuse them back into the patient. The beauty of modifying cells outside the body is that they can be checked before they are put back to ensure the editing process has not gone awry.
What can go wrong?
Modern gene editing is quite precise but it is not perfect. The procedure can be a bit hit and miss, reaching some cells but not others. Even when Crispr gets where it is needed, the edits can differ from cell to cell, for example mending two copies of a mutated gene in one cell, but only one copy in another. For some genetic diseases, this may not matter, but it may if a single mutated gene causes the disorder. Another common problem happens when edits are made at the wrong place in the genome. There can be hundreds of these “off-target” edits that can be dangerous if they disrupt healthy genes or crucial regulatory DNA.
Will it lead to designer babies?
The overwhelming effort in medicine is aimed at mending faulty genes in children and adults. But a handful of studies have shown it should be possible to fix dangerous mutations in embryos too. In 2017, scientists convened by the US National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Medicine cautiously endorsed gene editing in human embryos to prevent the most serious diseases, but only once shown to be safe. Any edits made in embryos will affect all of the cells in the person and will be passed on to their children, so it is crucial to avoid harmful mistakes and side effects. Engineering human embryos also raises the uneasy prospect of designer babies, where embryos are altered for social rather than medical reasons; to make a person taller or more intelligent, for example. Traits like these can involve thousands of genes, most of them unknown. So for the time being, designer babies are a distant prospect.
How long before it’s ready for patients?
The race is on to get gene editing therapies into the clinic. A dozen or so Crispr-Cas9 trials are underway or planned, most led by Chinese researchers to combat various forms of cancer. One of the first launched in 2016 when doctors in Sichuan province gave edited immune cells to a patient with advanced lung cancer. More US and European trials are expected in the next few years.
What next?
Base editing
A gentler form a gene editing that doesn’t cut DNA into pieces, but instead uses chemical reactions to change the letters of the genetic code. It looks good so far. In 2017, researchers in China used base editing to mend mutations that cause a serious blood disorder called beta thalassemia in human embryos.
Gene drives
Engineered gene drives have the power to push particular genes through an entire population of organisms. For example, they could be used to make mosquitoes infertile and so reduce the burden of disease they spread. But the technology is highly controversial because it could have massive unintended ecological consequences.
Epigenome editing
Sometimes you don’t want to completely remove or replace a gene, but simply dampen down or ramp up its activity. Scientists are now working on Crispr tools to do this, giving them more control than ever before.
Further reading
A Crack in Creation: Gene Editing and the Unthinkable Power to Control Evolution by Jennifer Doudna and Samuel H. Sternberg
The Gene: An Intimate History by Siddhartha Mukherjee
The Epigenetics Revolution: How Modern Biology is Rewriting our Understanding of Genetics, Disease and Inheritance by Nessa Carey
Modern Prometheus: Editing the Human Genome with Crispr-Cas9 by Jim Kozubek
US (IN): Greenhouse Workshop To Promote Sustainable Growing Practices
September 5, 2018 - West Lafayette. Indiana
US (IN): Greenhouse Workshop To Promote Sustainable Growing Practices
Purdue University’s Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture is offering a Greenhouse and Indoor Hydroponics Workshop on Sept. 5, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., in Room 1159 of Pfendler Hall, 715 W. State St. Participants will learn about optimal conditions for growing hydroponic lettuce, including nutrient recipes, production systems, artificial lighting practices and optimal temperatures for lettuce.
Workshop attendees will also have the opportunity to tour the department’s greenhouse and hydroponic facilities where several hands-on activities will take place. Krishna Nemali, professor of controlled environment agriculture, will lead the workshop. Nemali’s research centers on enhancing sustainable growing practices in controlled environments, like greenhouse and indoor vertical farms.
Click here for more information and to register.
Publication date: 7/18/2018
Students Competing In The Greenhouse Challenge Are In The Final Sprint
While most students have been on holiday, some were hard at work in the basement of Atlas. Student team GreenWURks participates in the Urban Greenhouse Challenge and designed a vertical greenhouse in the old Bijlmer prison in Amsterdam. At the end of last week, they delivered their report. On 28 August, they present their work and the winner of the Challenge will be announced.
The student teams have been working on their designs since February. The GreenWURks team has fifteen members. "In the beginning, there were twenty of us, but a number of students have dropped out and a few have been added”, says Loes Mellink. As the team leader, she has overseen the work of the entire group for the last six months. “New people bring new perspectives. That makes decision-making difficult, but is also a breath of fresh air and motivates everyone to work.”
Community project
With their design, GreenWURks aims to have local residents become shareholders in the city greenhouse in the old Bijlmerbajes. The greenhouse must be installed in consultation with local residents and therefore the cultivation plants are modular. “We want people to bond with the tower and learn about food production. Above all, they must enjoy growing vegetables themselves in the greenhouse and we think that the best way to do that is if they are involved in its establishment”, says Mellink.
This is the atmosphere that the Bijlmer tower should have according to GreenWURks. Impression Shiyi Liu, Du Man and Fangyi Zheng.
Mellink feels that commitment from the surrounding area is important. The connection between the Bijlmerbajes and the surrounding area was already there when it was a prison. During a tour earlier this year, Mellink heard many stories of how prisoners and their family members communicated by standing on the roofs of student homes and yelling to each other. And the prison wardens lived in the adjacent village.
In 2016, the old prison was converted into a residence for refugees, who then started a hotel and a restaurant there. “These social developments characterize the Bajes neighborhood and we have taken this into account in our design”, says Mellink. “The restaurant should definitely remain and can even cook with the vegetables that are grown in the greenhouse.”
Investing in real estate
The students of the Greenhouse Challenge are now on holiday until the end of August. On 28 August, their hard work will culminate in a pitch and an award ceremony for the best idea. The winning team will receive ten thousand euros. Mellink already knows what she would do with the prize money. “If it were up to me, we would organize an educational trip for the whole team. And if anything is left over, we would invest in the renovation of the Bijlmer tower.”
Source: Wageningen University & Research
Publication date: 8/7/2018
New State Grant Program Awards Quarter Million to Urban Agriculture Projects
Beneficiaries of the Minnesota Department of Agriculture program include schools and the Sioux community.
JULY 31, 2018
Nine projects designed to encourage urban youth agricultural programs will receive $233,750 in funding through a new Minnesota Department of Agriculture program.
The AGRI Urban Agriculture Grant Program is the result of a 2016 state report that found there was interest among Minnesota residents in having government support for urban agriculture. The program was inspired by a failed bill, authored by Representative Karen Clark (DFL-Minneapolis), with a similar mission.
“Promoting urban agriculture, especially with youth, will allow kids growing up in urban environments to see that they too can be a part of the food system through agriculture,” says Erin Connell, grant program administrator.
Having grown up in an urban environment, Connell says she knows the challenge of exposing city kids to farming.
“At age 10 I was convinced that in order to be involved in agriculture you had to be a farmer and live in rural Minnesota.”
In college, however, Connell’s eyes were opened to opportunities in urban agriculture. That’s the goal of the grant program: “not to decrease the value of the rural farmer, but to allow for urban communities to have a hand in creating their own food system.”
The 2018 AGRI Urban Agriculture Grant recipients who will work in this space are:
- Appetite for Change: A Minneapolis-based company that will provide job readiness training to North Minneapolis youth through urban farming and farmers’ market participation
- Frogtown Farms: A St. Paul-based company that will provide high-level, hands-on urban agricultural education
- Lakeview Elementary School: This Robbinsdale school will be able to expand its garden by adding a greenhouse and outdoor classroom
- Little Earth Community: Based in Minneapolis, this company will focus their community-led urban farm production on Indigenous principles and perspectives
- Prairie Island Indian Mdewakanton Sioux Community: The Red Wing community will implement a micro-farm aquaponics system to educate youth and address health disparities related to food access experienced in the area
- Project Sweetie Pie: This Minneapolis endeavor will transform a greenhouse into a youth and adult education center
- University of Minnesota Bee Lab: This facility in Falcon Heights will host 5 field days of hands-on learning activities and workshops for local students focused on pro-pollinator practices that enhance productivity
- University of Minnesota Extension: K-12 youth in the Virginia, Minnesota “Virginia Grows” program will be invited to participate in afterschool 4-H programming at a nearby greenhouse
- Youth Farm: This Minneapolis entity will expand its Farm Stewards Fellowship curriculum which focuses on educating youth on skill development related to food, social change, and urban agriculture.
The beneficiaries of this round were chosen by the Commissioner of Agriculture and a review committee comprised of experts from various agriculture-related fields. Funding for the program has been assigned for two fiscal years, 2018 through 2019. Connell says they’ll invite proposals for the next round as soon as possible.
Emmy Win For Growing A Greener World – The Green Bronx Machine
Atlanta, Georgia: On June 16, 2018, the long-running Sustainability Television Program Growing a Greener World® received a Daytime Emmy Award® for its breakthrough episode The Green Bronx Machine.
This is the broadcast’s first Emmy win. The honor comes on the heels of Growing a Greener World receiving the coveted 2017 Pioneer Taste Award® in April.
The Mission of the show has always been to help others grow a greener world themselves – through gardening, responsible environmental stewardship, and building healthy communities. In 2007 Growing a Greener World explored a non-profit organization known as The Green Bronx Machine and instantly knew this was a story needing to be told.
Moved by emotion at the love and care he witnessed during filming, Executive Producer and show host Joe Lamp’l, states “After filming over 100 episodes of Growing a Greener World, I don’t think we’ve ever told a story that’s impacted me more emotionally than this one.”
Mr. Lamp’l is referring to the compelling story of educator, entrepreneur and self-proclaimed “People Farmer,” Stephen Ritz, who came from and returned to the Bronx to heal, to show love toward and to nurture generations of schoolchildren growing up in this difficult district. His thunderbolt idea, which ultimately formed The Green Bronx Machine, was to utilize gardening in the classroom to improve the lives of inner-city youth.
And improve lives it has. In a community where it’s easier to get liquor than lettuce, Mr. Ritz’s non-profit has helped high school attendance improve from 40% to 93% and has reduced behavioral incidents and out-of-classroom time by a whopping 50% in the elementary school in which he teaches.
This humble man with unparalleled charismatic, infectious energy has changed the landscape of students’ lives through tireless 12-hour days where “Garden Time with Mr. Ritz” is always in eager demand. The kids are taught the botany, the biology, and the history of the fruits and veggies they grow in a way that sparks fascination and new-found ownership of the joy of growing food that is improving eating habits and helping create healthy food relationships.
And as the children love and nurture the plants they’re raising, the plants reward them with tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, lettuce, and apples to be eaten during school lunch and taken home to their families. The sense of accomplishment and taste for success that is borne of this symbiotic relationship will carry into the rest of these kids’ lives.
The Green Bronx Machine is truly breaking new ground in the world of education. This investment of passion for our food source isn’t just working, it’s creating one person(al) miracle at a time.
The Growing a Greener World® series featuring this remarkable program will continue to resonate with future audiences, and future seasons will remain dedicated to telling these impactful stories of people creating change.
For more information about this press release contact: Anna Shelander at 651-644-2955 AnnaShelander@worldviewcreative.com Stephen Ritz at 917-873-6449 Stephen.ritz@greenbronxmachine.org
The Emmy Award Winning episode The Green Bronx Machine can be viewed at:https://www.growingagreenerworld.com/episode-808-green-bronx-machine/
About Growing a Greener World® Growing a Greener World® is a sustainability-focused lifestyle broadcast that features compelling and inspirational stories of people, places and organizations making a positive impact on the planet. The ninth season of Growing a Greener World is currently in production, with new episodes premiering September 1, 2018 and running through December 31, 2018 on public television stations nationwide. Check your local listings for broadcast dates/times. Growing a Greener World is presented by UNC-TV in North Carolina and distributed by American Public Television. All episodes can also be viewed on demand on the show’s website and on the show’s Youtube channel of the same name.
About The Green Bronx Machine® The Green Bronx Machine is a non-profit organization that builds healthy, equitable and resilient communities through inspired education, local food systems, and career exploration vital for 21st Century college and career opportunities. Dedicated to cultivating minds and harvesting hope, this school-based model uses urban agriculture aligned to key school performance indicators to grow healthy students and healthy schools. Contact Stephen Ritz at 917-873-6449 stephen.ritz@greenbronxmachine.org
About Joe Lamp’l Certified Landscape Professional and horticulturalists, Joe Lamp’l combines his expertise in organic gardening, landscaping and environmental stewardship with a passion for living a more eco-friendly life through his television experience as the creator, host and executive producer of Growing a Greener World ®. Mr.Lamp’l serves as a gardening and sustainability guest expert on national morning shows including NBC’s TODAY Show, ABC’s Good Morning America and The Weather Channel among others. He also broadcasts a weekly podcast series, The joe gardener Show, along with garden-related blog posts and informational resources available on the Growing a Greener World sister site, joegardener.com
About Stephen Ritz, Stephen Ritz is a South Bronx educator and innovator who believes that students shouldn’t have to leave their community to live, learn, and earn in a better one. Supporting generations of students to achieve personal and academic successes which they had never imagined — while reclaiming and rebuilding the Bronx — Stephen’s extended student and community family have grown more than 65,000 pounds of vegetables in the Bronx while generating extraordinary academic performance.
Contact Stephen Ritz at:
917-873-6449
Why I’m Empowering A New Generation Of Farmers To Transform America’s Food System
Applications now open to be a Next-Gen Farmer at Square Roots.
Applications are now open for the third season at Square Roots, on our Brooklyn farming campus. Join a unique program that trains and empowers the next generation of leaders in urban farming.
We need new leaders to forge a new food system
Consumers across the world are demanding greater transparency into where and how their food is grown. Yet most people in cities are tethered to an industrial food system that ships in high calorie, low nutrient food, often from across the globe. It’s harmful to the health of the planet and its populations, and leaves us completely disconnected from the people who grow our food.
We need to act now — as urban populations keep rising and global temperatures continue to climb. The next generation has an incredible opportunity to re-envision a food system that implements responsible farming practices, leverages new technologies, works together to value everyone from the farmer to the consumer, and rebuilds the connections between people and their food.
We launched Square Roots two years ago to start playing our part in this new system.
Bringing the Farm to the City
Square Roots is an urban farming company. We grow nutritious food, year round, using indoor vertical farming systems. Our farms are non-GMO, pesticide-free, and use 90% less water than their outdoor equivalents. We continually work to improve the technology in our farms to grow more (and higher quality) food, with less resources, giving the farmer more time to expand their knowledge and get connected with local communities. Customers are often eating our food within hours of harvest — and because it’s so fresh, it tastes delicious.
The Square Roots farms, built inside refurbished shipping containers, have programmable climates — this allows our farmers to grow food from all around the world, all year round, right in the heart of NYC.
Our first farm in Brooklyn is just a subway ride away from over eight million New Yorkers, making it easy for urbanites to get connected to their local farmer. We hold workshops, open community tours, and pop-up markets for foodies, tech-lovers, and passionate real food advocates. The farm is a space to connect with community and share thoughts; and at the heart of it are the farmers.
The Next-Gen Farmer Training Program
If we’re going to change the food system, we simply need more young farmers. The average age of the American farmer is 58, there are huge obstacles to start farming, and making a livable income can be challenging. We need to create more pathways for young people to launch successful careers in farming. And we need many of them to understand the nuances of urban farming business — to bring fresh, local food to ever-increasing populations in cities.
Our mission at Square Roots is to bring local, real food to people in cities by empowering a whole new generation of leaders in urban farming — because the more of us working to shape the future of food, the better.
Integral to that mission is our Next-Gen Farmer Training Program — a year-long program that puts participants at the forefront of indoor urban farming. After an initial period of hands-on training in our farms, Square Roots Next-Gen Farmers grow food year-round for customers across NYC. No previous farming experience is necessary to apply — just the passion and entrepreneurial spirit to jump in and start learning. Our intuitive farming technology and expert team combine to help participants become the best urban farmers they can be. The opportunities in front of successful graduates are endless.
Next Gen Farmers have the passion and entrepreneurial spirit to jump in and start learning.
Impacting People, Planet, and Profits
Next-Gen leaders in urban farming understand the importance of equally-weighted social, environmental, and financial success. We’re a young company ourselves, and we are building these measurements into every aspect of our business. Throughout the year the farmers are involved in the entire process.
Built into the second half of the program are two multi-month, project-based learning experiences. A business-focused project introduces entrepreneurial frameworks and further develops farming business knowledge; while a community-oriented project is focused on creating more pathways for even younger generations to get connected to their food. These projects are integrated into the farmer’s 40-hour work week, alongside ongoing farming responsibilities.
The Many Faces of Urban Farming
Square Roots program alumni have gone on to start their own urban farming businesses, take incredible jobs at other forward-thinking companies in urban ag, and moved into permanent positions on the Square Roots team. Our Next-Gen Farmer Training program provides unique experience and insight into the many roles for leaders in the future of food.
The Next-Gen Farmer Training Program is a year-long, full time position, based on our Brooklyn farming campus, starting November 2018. The next round of applications opens today! If you want to start making a massive impact — socially, environmentally and economically — in urban farming and the future of food, let us know right here. We can’t wait to talk with you.
Kimbal Musk
My mission is real food for everyone. Co-founder of The Kitchen #realfood restaurants, Big Green teaching kids about food & Square Roots mentoring young farmers
Adventist Academy Introduces Innovative Farming Into Its Curriculum
Adventist Academy Introduces Innovative Farming Into Its Curriculum
State-of-the-art initiative includes greenhouses, hydroponics, and microgreens.
By: Shelley Bacon, North Pacific Union Conference News
What is green on the inside, metal on the outside, and high-tech all over? A container full of microgreens.
A new agriculture program has begun at Upper Columbia Academy(UCA) in Spangle, Washington, United States.The era of farms atSeventh-day Adventist schools was thought to be long past, but in an era of new agriculture techniques,UCA is taking a step back into this growing field.
The school had to answer the question, how does one go about establishing a viable agriculture program in today’s market?
Academy leaders found their answers in visionary donors, altruistic alumni, and dedicated staff. Two donors who had long believed in the power and importance of students working in the soil each gave $100,000 toward the development of the program, intending for modern agriculture to be incorporated into the curriculum.
Alumnus Peter Vercio, who is part of a company that sets up farms and agriculture systems like that envisioned for UCA, stepped in to set up the operation. UCA staff will be operating the agriculture program and integrating it into the curriculum.
Vercio was headed toward law school when his life took a detour. After a stint working for a business in the oil field of North Dakota, and realizing he liked the idea of working in a business, he went to work for a solar panel company in California. However, he soon realized his work wasn’t making the difference he wanted it to.
At the same time, Vercio began to recognize the gift of health he had been given as he grew up in an Adventist family. He saw firsthand the effects of poor health as he interacted with colleagues who didn’t have the knowledge of healthy eating and living he had received. As his desire to make an impact with his time and talents converged with his emerging interest in healthy foods, he relocated to Colorado and started Sirona Life, a vertical farming business.
At UCA, Vercio will be combining his expertise in business, his desire to make an impact with his work, his passion for giving students an edge by providing healthier food options and taking an active role in the growing process, and his love for his alma mater to kick off a state-of-the-artagriculture program. Vercio plans to develop the greenhouse and incorporate multiple kinds of growing apparatus, including hydroponic gardening equipment.
He will also set up a container “farm,” which will mostly be used to grow microgreens — an up-and-coming food product. “There are huge amounts of money flowing into the agriculture technology field right now,” says Vercio. “We can give UCA students the tools for big job possibilities for the future.”
UCA staff member Ted McConnachie will move from the maintenance department to the role of farm manager in summer 2018 as he develops the program. He will be responsible for overseeing student labor as well as marketing the agriculture program's harvest. He is excited about the future. “This will be a fantastic place for kids to learn a completely new way of growing food,” he says.
In conjunction with Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan, UCA will offer a related dual-credit class, “21st-Century Agriculture.” Additionally, all teachers will be encouraged to integrate the agriculture program into their curriculum.
Biology teacher Judy Castrejon is planning the integration possibilities in her classes, and chemistry teacher Charles Hartman says that he has a vision of having his students conduct soil analyzation experiments and discover what various soil treatments do to their original numbers.
The agriculture program is a significant reason that UCA is “a place to grow.”
This article by Shelley Bacon, Upper Columbia Academy recruiting and communication director, was originally published by North Pacific Union Conference (NPUC) Gleaner/GleanerNow.com and is reprinted here with permission.
Urban Farming Social Enterprise Bears Fruit For Local Community
Urban Farming Social Enterprise Bears Fruit For Local Community
Edible Garden City has two aims: bring people together through farming and solve the sustainability problem in Singapore.
July 12, 2018
Bjorn Low, co-founder of Edible Garden City (back row, first from right), and the Citizen Farm team. Edible Garden City holds workshops at its production arm, Citizen Farm, and collaborates with local primary schools to teach farming to students.
Singapore
BECOMING a farmer in Singapore sounds risky enough, but former digital marketer Bjorn Low decided to take it a step further by starting his own urban farming social enterprise, Edible Garden City.
Established in 2012, the company aims to bring people together through farming, by building community farms and sharing its knowledge on urban farming.
"In every community, there is always a group of people who need help. So when we have the opportunity and capability to do so, we jump straight into it," said Mr Low.
After learning that many male elderly men tend to be reclusive and are at risk of social isolation, he worked with social workers to start a new project, Ah Gong Farm.
Located at Pearl Hill, Chinatown, the farm serves as an avenue for elderly men to learn about farming together and forge friendships. It also allows social workers to get to know them better and to cater to each elderly's individual needs.
Mr Low was deeply moved when he saw one withdrawn participant become more cheerful and talkative as the biweekly lessons progressed. The man even shared that he visited the garden on nights when he had difficulty sleeping.
"Boundaries are very blurred between gardening and therapy," said Mr. Low, who hopes that the elderly might become motivated to join Edible Garden City's team of part-time farmers.
"It is noble - something to be proud of - to grow food for the community. It is important to give our elderly this confidence," he added.
Recently, Ah Gong Farm also welcomed its first two female members.
Through collaborations with the Autism Resource Centre, Employment For People with Intellectual Disabilities, and the Singapore Prison Service, Edible Garden City also brings these farming lessons to people with autism, people with mental disabilities, and inmates as well, equipping them with the skills to pursue farming as a career.
Edible Garden City's other main objective is to solve the sustainability problem in Singapore.
"Mass-scale agriculture is causing land degradation. And Singapore, which imports 90 percent of its food products, is at the receiving end of it. So this is an urgent matter not for the sake of us today, but for our future generation," explained Mr. Low.
To tackle this, he is practicing closed loop agriculture, where food waste is made into compost to grow more food.
As an example, after three years of trial and error, Edible Garden City recently discovered a viable way of using grounded coffee waste to grow mushrooms, which are then sold to local restaurants.
With support from Temasek Foundation, the company is also currently working on creating closed-loop self-contained farming units in the form of containers. It hopes to distribute these containers to housing areas across the island so that each community can grow their own food sustainably.
Similar to Edible Garden City's other farms, these container farms will also be semi-commercial, which means the yield will be sold to generate profit.
"For Singapore to be a fully closed loop is possible, but becoming fully self-sustainable will be a challenge. Growing rice and grains locally is still challenging, but if there is a need, we will find a way to do it," stated Mr. Low.
To achieve this goal, Edible Garden City also holds workshops at its production arm, Citizen Farm, and collaborates with local primary schools to teach farming to students.
"The industry is so young and so new, we want to encourage more people to join it. We even encourage our own staff to go out and create their own urban farming systems. Competitors can bring in new ideas and push for healthy growth in the industry," said Mr. Low.
However, competition does not hinder the business from growing rapidly. From an S$10,000 capital six years ago, Edible Garden City's revenue reached S$1.3 million last year. This was generated from building herb gardens for restaurants and hotels, teaching in schools, and selling harvested plants and urban farming tools. The company's team has also expanded to almost 40 individuals from various walks of life.
"Whenever we do a project, we always remind ourselves that we are a social enterprise, so we try to find areas where we can maximize our social impact."
This year, Mr. Low was nominated as a fellow of Ashoka, a non-profit organization which supports social entrepreneurship.
"It made me happy that the work done in the last five years is being recognized, but I'm also a little bit nervous because it means I have more responsibilities," shared Mr. Low, who hopes to exchange knowledge and ideas with the fellows from all around the globe.
- This article is part of a fortnightly series highlighting socially impactful companies. For more information, visit www.raise.sg
Container-Grown Vegetables A 'Gardening Revival,' Says Horticulturist
Container-Grown Vegetables A 'Gardening Revival,' Says Horticulturist
Grant Wood says container gardening is an easy way to grow your own food no matter the conditions
Ashleigh Mattern · CBC News · Posted: Jul 07, 2018
Chef James and Chef Ahmed from Culinary Services at the University of Saskatchewan. (Submitted by Grant Wood)
Gardening season is in full swing, but what if you don't have space for a garden?
Grant Wood, who works at the University of Saskatchewan College of Agriculture and Bioresources, says container gardening could be the answer.
He cultivates a rooftop vegetable garden at the University of Saskatchewan, growing everything from tomatoes to cucumbers to herbs.
Wood has heard a range of excuses for why people don't grow their own vegetables: They haven't got room for it, the soil is bad, or it's too much work, to name a few.
"Actually, if you grew things in containers, that could solve a lot of the problems," said Wood to CBC's Saskatchewan Weekend.
Chef Dave and Chef Matt from Louis' at the University of Saskatchewan. (Submitted by Grant Wood)
Don't make rookie mistakes
One of the biggest rookie mistakes people make is not having a hole at the bottom of the container, according to Wood.
"Roots need air. If the roots are sitting in water they tend to rot."
At the same time, plants in containers dry up and get hot faster, which isn't ideal for many plants.
"Warm season crops, things that like heat, they do well, but not necessarily things that like cool soil, like the cabbage family likes a nice cool soil, and they tend not to do well in containers."
If you're not having fun gardening, you're doing something wrong.- Grant Wood, assistant professor of Plant Sciences in the College of Agriculture and Bioresources at the University of Saskatchewan
Another mistake is using garden soil in containers. Garden soil tends to have a high clay content, which makes it harder for water to reach the lower levels of the pot.
He said the best mix for container gardens is 30 to 40 percent compost and the rest a soilless media — mostly peat moss, vermiculite, and perlite.
Also, try to keep it simple at the beginning. Don't plant too many containers and get overwhelmed.
A view of the south roof of the container garden at the University of Saskatchewan. (Submitted by Grant Wood)
Produce fit for a chef
Tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, lettuce, spinach, dill — and more — can be found on the roof of the Ag-Bio building at the university.
Wood says the vegetables he grows are often used by chefs at the university in the meals they prepare.
"The chefs absolutely love it," he said.
Wood has also experimented with ethnic foods like Malabar spinach.
"For people who have just moved to Saskatoon, you've moved here, this is your new home now and let's try and make your new home a little bit more like your old home. So you can grow certain vegetables just like you did at home," he said.
Wood said people are wanting more control of the food they're consuming. He calls it a "gardening revival" and encourages everyone to give it a try.
"If you're not having fun gardening, you're doing something wrong."
Wood is hosting workshops this week in Saskatoon as part of Hort Week.
There will be a tour of his rooftop garden on Tuesday night.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ashleigh Mattern
Ashleigh Mattern is a web writer and reporter with CBC Saskatoon. Email: ashleigh.mattern@cbc.ca
Rep. Goyke Commends UW School for Urban Agriculture Initiative
Rep. Goyke Commends UW School for Urban Agriculture Initiative
Rep. Goyke Commends UW School for Urban Agriculture Initiative
Federal USDA grant follows on urban farming legislation introduced by Rep. Goyke calling for a School of Urban Agriculture in Wisconsin
By State Rep. Evan Goyke - Jul 12th, 2018
MADISON – The University of Wisconsin – Madison recently received a three year federal grant from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture to initiate the creation of a School for Urban Agriculture. The new school, as part of the University’s Farming the City Project, will target students, farmers, and non-profit staff.
This legislative session Rep. Goyke introduced the “The Wisconsin Urban Farming Futures” Initiative that focused on promoting urban agriculture in Wisconsin, including funding and sitting for a future urban agriculture school (Assembly Bills 671, 672, 673, 674).
According to the grant description the new school and program will “…create curricula that meets the needs of students seeking short, intense training in specific aspects of urban agriculture (workshop and short course instruction) and the needs of four-year baccalaureate students who are interested in enhancing their education in this emerging content area.
…Importantly, the project will also target secondary students in an existing pipeline for college-level agricultural training in Wisconsin. In doing so, the project envisions a future workforce of urban farmers reflecting the social composition of the communities where many urban farms are being established.”
In response to the grant announcement and in support of its goals, Rep. Goyke stated:
“The fields of urban farmers look very different than the dairy farm my grandfather owned. Urban Agriculture offers a modern expansion of one of Wisconsin’s strongest traditions and can transform urban communities. In Milwaukee, we’ve seen new life spring from the ashes of old industry. Growing fresh healthy food in and near cities offers positive economic activity, job skills training, brings diverse communities together, and offers access to quality healthy food. Wisconsin’s agricultural future rests in the hands of future farmers, including those in this emerging sector of our agricultural economy. This new initiative and school will provide the tools and skills necessary for Wisconsin’s urban farmers to be successful.”
How Plant Is Designing The Future Of Food And Education
How Plant Is Designing The Future Of Food And Education
Afdhel Aziz , CONTRIBUTOR writes about business and social impact.
Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.
Karim Giscombe is one of those quiet revolutionaries. Meeting him in the exclusive Spring Place members club in Tribeca in NYC, he cuts an unassuming figure, stylish and low key. He speaks with a measured intensity, his eyes watching you to see if you’ve understood the full gravitas of what he is attempting to do. This former Bank of America Merrill Lynch director (his LinkedIn Profile calls himself a ‘reformed capitalist’) has embarked via his new venture Plant which nothing less than a crusade to feed the world (using the power of schools, technology and branding) and creating a new category which he dubs ‘Agriculture as a Service.' When asked why he’s doing it, his response is simply, “Everybody’s gotta eat.”
Ben Currington Karim Giscombe
First some context: The global demand for food is rising exponentially and will reach all-time highs by 2050 as the population approaches 10 billion people - and agriculture is not prepared for that. There are many efforts underway aimed at potential solutions and Controlled Environment Agriculture (indoor farming as it most commonly labeled) is taking center stage because of the many benefits of this growing process. If the goal is to find the balance between resources and production, right now it seems clear that the future of food must be indoor, local, energy efficient and infinitely scalable.
The business of food is changing and forcing the incumbents to respond to the new dynamic. Amazon acquired Whole Foods, while in Europe Tesco and Carrefour have launched a NATO-style alliance to increase purchasing power, Dell Computer has partnered with vertical farm operator AeroFarms to better understand crop data, and Wendy’s recently announced plans to only purchase greenhouse grown tomatoes beginning in 2019. Other notable mentions include moves by industry leaders such as Tyson Foods, Bayer, Hormel, and Nestle. Investment has also gained momentum seeing the opportunities, with names like SoftBank, Google Ventures, and KKR placing big bets on the future of agriculture. William Blair & Co. has dubbed it “the AgTech Revolution” and Goldman Sachs has said the growing market may be worth $240 billion by 2050.
Giscombe and the team at Plant are taking an innovative approach looking at unutilized land in and near city centers and applying cutting-edge technology to modernizing food production and distribution - while re-imagining public education at the same time. This first of its kind, Public/Private Partnership model is a combination of equally ambitious Infrastructure Development and Social Design projects that have the potential to change many narratives.
“Plant is a platform solution. A service provider operating high-tech greenhouses that can produce and deliver a wide range of fresh, post-organic fruits and vegetables at competitive price points, locally. We’re unconstrained by land availability in most geographies and even with a starting footprint of 6 million sq. ft. per market, we’re just scratching the surface. Solving the production problem is only a part of the challenge; there are numerous improvements needed to the supply-chain itself. This is our focus. It’s the holy grail of retail known as the “Last Mile” and this is where we believe we can have the most impact. This is what On-Demand Agriculture is all about. This is what consumers want. There is no reason to limit our thinking,” Giscombe states. "It’s about resources, balance, and most importantly- people. We believe in building systems for people, not around them.”
Plant’s operation is carbon neutral and more environmentally sustainable, using concentrated solar power and hydroponic systems to refine a process that already out-performs traditional agriculture. Nutrients are delivered through a treated water system and there is no use of agri-chemicals such as pesticides or insecticides and food safety measures control who and what enters facilities, reducing the risks of contamination and food-borne illness. Proximity to urban centers makes it possible for them to optimize produce for quality and taste in lieu of shelf life and providing year-round access to fresh produce.
It's not just the hardware- but the software that’s taking the game to a whole new level. Giscombe says “It’s not widely understood that Big Data is now an integral part of agriculture and that the two will be inextricably connected going forward. When we tell people we’re in the data business there’s this look of confusion at first, but after a while they get it. To be the best at our core service business, we made the decision to partner with the best in component providers early on. One of our key partners is iUNU out of Seattle. Their crop management and analysis system LUNA, uses computer vision and artificial intelligence to monitor the health and progress of all crops under cultivation allowing us to detect growth down to the millimeter and create 3D models of plants to improve growing recipes — the light, water, temperature, and nutrients — with each new planting. In other words, we’re collecting and synthesizing a lot of data.”
What may be the most exciting element of the work Giscombe and his team are doing though, is Plant for Tomorrow, #P4TMRW, the not-for-profit research and development initiative the company has launched to collaborate with School Districts and educational institutions. Starting with middle-school grades, the initiative provides access to relevant and in-demand skills (technical and humanities-based) for more students at the peak of their developmental curiosity. There is no cost to the schools as the initiative has been designed to be self-sustaining. Plant operated commercial farms on district-owned land (up to 1 million sq. ft.) generates revenue from produce sold to distributors within the predetermined local service area. “It’s not really a solution if we can’t reach everybody. Outside of school, there’s still a community that needs to eat. Our produce makes its way to commercial and residential kitchens giving us greater reach and making a greater impact. We’re starting with Broward County Public Schools because this is home. They’re also the 6th largest in the country, serving a highly diverse population,” Giscombe says.
N55 The Plant4Tomorrow Prototype
And what’s the secret sauce? “Design. We literally started with the design. We needed to create an experience that would grab our audience (the kids), while seamlessly integrating into the civic landscape and N55 made that possible,” Giscombe says, referring to the partnership with the Denmark-based group (architect Anne Romme, artist Ion Sørvin and engineer Anne Bagger) to create the eye-catching structures. The Plant for Tomorrow mission is to foster lifelong learning for all, through active education transforming schools into more expansive learning hubs for the broader community. It’s a quadruple bottom-line idea in terms of producing social value and an economic development catalyst as the initiative also creates a significant number of jobs.
“One of our guiding principles at Broward County Public Schools is applied learning, where we seek to create opportunities for students to apply what they are learning to real-world scenarios. This innovative Public/Private Partnership with Plant for Tomorrow will deliver on this goal; giving our students a unique educational experience while addressing major agriculture/food issues. This partnership will also generate funding for in-school programs and ensure the sustainability of this initiative. This is a win for our students, it’s a win for public and private partners, and it’s a win for the environment." - Robert Runcie, Superintendent, Broward County Public Schools
Ben Currington Plantation Middle School , the site for the first Plant4Tomorrow
Giscombe, a father himself, is passionate when he says “Our kids are far ahead of us when it comes to processing power, yet we continue to empower them to blindly follow old paths. In case you haven't heard, they’re hip to that- and have not-so-politely declined. Their voices today, sound a lot like we once did. And though we willingly set aside the aspirations of our youth, this generation won’t be silenced, and we couldn't if we tried. Everything is connected today, and how we engage our kid's factors into their view of what's next, and more importantly, what they choose to do about it.”
Now if you’re thinking this seems like an enormous undertaking all around, you’re right. To create the kind of runway necessary to commit to and see through what will take years to fully deploy, the company is partnering with leading boutique investment bank, B.C. Ziegler, to lead the issue of tax-exempt revenue bonds for the bulk of the financing across the U.S. markets in which the company is establishing operations. The bonds are expected to be available in the market before year-end, with further international expansion on the cards, though the company is tight-lipped about which ones specifically. Plant and Plant for Tomorrow are also open to working with brands, especially those who have an interest in helping innovate across the food and education systems, to partner in scalable and sustainable ways.
Beyond the technology and the business opportunity, what gets Giscombe really energized is the potential for whole scale transformation of the social contract between people and their food. He speaks passionately about this new era. “It’s a new relationship, plain and simple. Around the world, social systems are failing, people aren’t interested in new rhetoric and instead opt for new approaches to old and new challenges. The new standard to which government, industry, and business at-large are being held accountable, is purpose. The new kids on the block are taking over the conversation, bringing new solutions to the table announcing a new paradigm; now we’re bringing the people to the table; through food.
If it wasn’t a movement before, we’re taking responsibility for making it one."
Growing a Greener World Awarded Emmy For Green Bronx Machine Episode
Atlanta, Georgia: On June 16, 2018, the long-running Sustainability Television Program Growing a Greener World® received a Daytime Emmy Award® for its powerful episode The Green Bronx Machine.
This is the broadcast’s first Emmy win. The honor comes on the heels of Growing a Greener World receiving the coveted 2017 Pioneer Taste Award® in April.
The mission of the show has always been to help others grow a greener world themselves – through gardening, responsible environmental stewardship and building healthy communities. In 2007, Growing a Greener World explored a non-profit organization known as The Green Bronx Machine and instantly knew this was a story needing to be told.
Moved by emotion at the love and care he witnessed during filming, Executive Producer and show host Joe Lamp’l, states “After filming over 100 episodes of Growing a Greener World®, I don’t think we’ve ever told a story that’s impacted me more emotionally than this one.”
Mr. Lamp’l is referring to the compelling story of educator, entrepreneur and self-proclaimed “People Farmer,” Stephen Ritz, who came from and returned to the Bronx to heal, to show love toward and to nurture generations of school children growing up in this difficult district. His thunderbolt idea, which ultimately formed The Green Bronx Machine, was to utilize gardening in the classroom to improve the lives of inner city youth.
And improve lives it has. In a community where it’s easier to get liquor than lettuce, Mr. Ritz’s non-profit has helped high school attendance improve from 40% to 93% and has reduced behavioral incidents and out-of-classroom time by a whopping 50% in the elementary school in which he teaches.
This humble man with unparalleled charismatic, infectious energy has changed the landscape of students’ lives through tireless 12-hour days where “Garden Time with Mr. Ritz” is always in eager demand. The kids are taught the botany, the biology, and the history of the fruits and veggies they grow in a way that sparks fascination and new-found ownership of the joy of growing food that is improving eating habits and helping create healthy food relationships.
And as the children love and nurture the plants they’re raising, the plants reward them with tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, lettuce, and apples to be eaten during school lunch and taken home to their families. The sense of accomplishment and taste for success that is borne of this symbiotic relationship will carry into the rest of these kids’ lives.
The Green Bronx Machine is truly breaking new ground in the world of education. This investment of passion for our food source isn’t just working, it’s creating one person(al) miracle at a time.
The Growing a Greener World® series featuring this remarkable program will continue to resonate with future audiences, and future seasons will remain dedicated to telling these impactful stories of people creating change.
The Emmy Award-Winning episode The Green Bronx Machine can be viewed at:
https://www.growingagreenerworld.com/episode-808-green-bronx-machine/
Transforming Food and Health in Native Communities Through Vertical Farming
Transforming Food and Health in Native Communities Through Vertical Farming
July 5, 2018
7 Generations, a Washington State-based AgTech farm development and food distribution company is introducing indoor vertical farms to Native communities across the United States. The company’s big vision is to transform the health of Native communities by bringing AgTech education and indoor vertical farms into Native American classrooms.
The initiative consists of a STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) curriculum for K-12 students, a Grow Healthy Food Road Tour, and a business incubator indoor vertical farm. The goal of the initiative is to help Native communities achieve local food security, energy independence, improve wellness, and increase economic development, with a focus on youth. “The Native youth AgTech initiative takes a culturally correct, systems approach in addressing three pressing needs in Indian country related to—Food, Energy, Jobs,” Ted Treanor, Co-Founder of 7 Generations, says.
Native American reservations often don’t have access to healthful, nutritious, and affordable food options. American Indian and Alaskan Native tribal members also face increased rates of poverty, suicide, diabetes, and other chronic diseases, as well as chronic unemployment, low graduation rates, water shortages, and the lowest income of any ethnic group in the U.S. Native youth are particularly vulnerable in facing these challenges, as well as economic opportunity and access to the necessary resources to create thriving food and agriculture businesses.
According to Ted Treanor, 7 Generations, numerous social impact organizations, major corporations, and ag universities see an opportunity to work with young food AgTech (STEM) scholars from Native communities to ensure the creation of the next generation of Native professionals in food and agriculture, and to provide them with the necessary tools to thrive through the STEM AgTech initiative.
The initiative involves providing solar power modules and indoor gardens to classrooms for three-hundred tribes, providing a twenty-foot container farm for seventy-five tribes, and a STEM curriculum consisting of AgTech farming, regenerative agriculture, food safety, food and nutrition, farm economics, and renewable energy. The STEM curriculum offers “hands-on learning about nutrition, renewable energy, and environmentally responsible sustainable farming as the priorities that will lead Native youth to higher education and employment opportunities.”
The initiative also includes a 12-state Grow Healthy Food Road Tour across reservation-dense areas in Indian country, touring each of the reservations in an all-electric powered semi-truck equipped with a fully operational vertical farm and solar array. Eugene Wilkie, a Native American and Co-Founder of 7 Generations, says, “By taking the farm to the People, we are assured that over an academic school-year, many Native Americans will be exposed to clean solar energy and healthy indoor vertical farming, which will improve the adoption of this initiative—a new way to honor the old ways”. There will also be a business incubator indoor vertical farm pilot that will be sited on one reservation. If successful, the pilot will be replicated on other reservations and will become a catalyst for creating many year-round jobs.
Indoor farm systems offer significant benefits to at-risk Native American youth and Native communities, including access to year-round, healthy, non-GMO, pesticide-free, fresh produce while using less water. The indoor farms and STEM curriculum also provide social capital, community well-being, civic engagement, and a brighter future, “The STEM AgTech initiative is inspiring a new generation of informed consumers, who are armed with education and hands-on experience that leads to higher education, job certifications, and future career opportunities, in other words—Hope!” says Eugene Wilkie of 7 Generations.