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Barbados: Teachers' Training College Opens Aquaponics Farm to Staff and Students
The Erdiston Teachers’ Training College is on its way to becoming a green campus. After three months of construction, the institution officially opened its aquaponics farm to the staff and students.
The farm which is being facilitated by the school’s Climate-Smart Aquaponics for a Sustainable Future project, attempts to integrate the disciplines of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) into the primary school science classrooms. The project was planned by a group of third-year University of the West Indies, Bachelors in Education students.
“There are some deficiencies as it relates to the application of STEM [in the schools]. This Climate-Smart Aquaponics initiative bridges the gap. It allows persons to have a sense of how to go about teaching STEM, particularly at the primary level in Barbados,” said aquaponics consultant and project facilitator Rozanne Walrond.
The College science lecturer revealed the facility accommodates 460 plants and small-scale fish farming. It will be chiefly utilised by Erdiston Teachers’ Training College students but will also be open to primary and secondary school students for use. Walrond insists that exposure to aquaponics from an early age would educate students on the importance of sustainable and renewable energies.
“One of the benefits of aquaponics is that… where there is a deficiency in arable land and you have a system of this nature, the opportunities are endless in how much you can actually reap,” she continued.
Walrond disclosed that the opening of the aquaponics farm was the first phase of the college’s plan to become fully sustainable and promote renewable energy. The facility will be using recycled water and will be sustained by solar energy, thanks to the support of Williams Solar which has donated photovoltaic panels.
“We want to become iconic in terms of having this college be promoted as a smart and sustainable institution,” commented Walrond.
US (FL): Aeroponic Tower Gardens Introduced to Student Learning Experience
By using aeroponic Tower Gardens created by LA Urban Farms, Gator Dining Services is exploring how to do food production in or around the dining halls
Urban agriculture can provide healthy, local food in more populated areas through home vegetable gardens, farmer’s markets, backyard poultry, and other production methods. This growing trend has extended to the University of Florida’s Gator Dining Services in a partnership with the Field & Fork Campus Food Program.
By using aeroponic Tower Gardens created by LA Urban Farms, Gator Dining Services is exploring how to do food production in or around the dining halls. The vertical towers pump water through the center to bathe plant roots as plants grow in small pots. The design is meant to be space, energy and water efficient. The towers were donated by LA Urban Farms, a Gator-owned business, to the Field & Fork Farm and Gardens for a class in the UF/IFAS College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS) in spring 2018.
CALS student Garrett Noonan with the Field & Fork aeroponic tower at Gator Dining Services. (Tyler Jones, UF/IFAS)
“It’s using the campus as a living laboratory and collaborating with UF and industry partners,” said Anna Prizzia, director of Field & Fork. “We’re meeting an educational need while exploring the potential of a long-term project.”
Gator Dining Services visitors can see the aeroponic Tower Gardens now. Four towers are installed at the following locations: one at Fresh Food Company (near Broward Hall), one at Gator Corner Dining Center (near North Hall) and two at the Otis Hawkins Center near Pugh Hall. The herbs and leafy greens will be donated to the Alan and Cathy Hitchcock Field & Fork Pantry.
“Since this is a new project, we plan on seeing how the summer goes before making future plans,” said Kayla Caselli-Bido, sustainability manager for Gator Dining Services. “Growing food in the aeroponic towers exemplifies Gator Dining Services’ responsible sourcing and waste minimization pillars as part of our Green Thread sustainability platform.”
Before graduating in 2018 from CALS as an animal sciences major, Caselli-Bido interned with Field & Fork for a year and a half. Growing up in the suburbs of Miami, Florida, Caselli-Bido said her hands-on experience with agriculture came from the Field & Fork Campus Food Program. In addition to her internship, she took an Urban Agriculture and Food Systems experiential learning course based at the Field & Fork Farm and Gardens. These opportunities positioned her well for her current role at Gator Dining Services.
“Without Field & Fork, I would not have found my passion for agriculture and sustainability,” Caselli-Bido said.
The aeroponic towers project has provided an additional internship experience for a CALS student. Garrett Noonan, a senior plant science major, came to UF after serving 13 years in the U.S. Army.
“In my experiences in all the countries I visited, I saw how food security was used as a political weapon,” Noonan said. “This had a profound effect on me as a soldier. What I saw first-hand pushed me to choose this career path in sustainable crop production.”
As an intern with Field & Fork and Gator Dining Services, Noonan conducts basic maintenance on the aeroponic towers. His tasks include measuring the growth rate of plants, refilling the tower with water, checking for insects and collecting data to help Gator Dining Services assess the long-term viability of the towers.
“I’m most excited for the future that this project could bring as far as fundamentally changing the way we grow food,” Noonan said. “These kinds of innovations can change the landscape of agriculture.”
Urban Agriculture’ Leads Off A 26-Episode Weekly Video Series on Vegetable Production
Linked by Michael Levenston
Mitchell assembled a team of professors from California’s public universities with agricultural programs – UC Davis, Chico State, Fresno State and CalPoly San Luis Obispo – to pull together a series of videos designed to spark the interest and begin training future farmers and ag workers in sound agronomic, economic and environmental stewardship skills.
University of California
UC Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR) YouTube
Each Monday morning from May 13 through Nov. 4, a new video will premiere in the playlist.
(Must see. Mike)
From Video:
Urban agriculture is proliferating across the state of California on both public and private lands, taking the form of school, community, church and backyard gardens, vertical and rooftop farms, for-profit and non-profit enterprises, as well as a whole suite of other food production methods.
These urban farms are transforming the landscape of food production, helping to address urban food insecurity, creating opportunities for micro-enterprise development, and educating our youth and the public about the value of growing and eating healthy foods. The value of urban farming is indisputable, as studies provide mounting evidence of the myriad social, economic, ecological, recreational, therapeutic, and nutritional benefits of urban agriculture.
Urban farming is emerging at a growing number of sites. It is very much in flux with respect to its many forms and implementation. It addresses a wide range of goals and it represents a very broad array of motivations. This video provides a general introductory overview of some of the variety of urban farms in California today. It highlights the work of thirteen urban farmers from Los Angeles through the Bay Area cities of Oakland, Berkeley, and Hayward.
This video captures the creativity, innovation and dedicated work that is underway on a wide range of urban agriculture fronts at this time in California. This is indeed a very exciting and challenging time for urban farmers. With an estimated 50% of our nation’s farmland projected to change hands in the coming ten years, new farmers and new farming models are going to be needed to meet the needs for food that we will have. Urban agriculture is likely to play a role in meeting these huge challenges.
Aquaponics In The Classroom Sets Up Students For A Growing industry
by Dustin Bonk
May 11, 201
A bed of edibles at UNE's aquaponics facility. (WGME)
Aquaponics is increasingly popular in Maine. It's a way to grow fish and plants at the same time indoors, allowing for a fresh supply of locally grown produce all year round.
Kale, oregano, basil, and more - all thriving inside the aquaponics facility at the University of New England in Biddeford.
"Aquaponics is a way to produce a lot of food in a small footprint virtually anywhere," says Zach Miller-Hope, Assistant Director for Education at UNE and Assistant Lecturer in Aquaculture and Aquarium Science.
He says aquaponics is ideal in urban environments where farm-fresh produce may be further away and in wintry climates when you can't grow locally in the cold weather, like in Maine. With an indoor aquaponics set-up, you can grow fresh fish and vegetables just about anywhere, like on walls and rooftops, which can result in a very efficient use of space to grow food. He adds that aquaponics can often produce food more efficiently than common agriculture in soil.
Miller-Hope describes aquaponics as the "marriage between aquaculture and hydroponics". Aquaculture is the practice of growing fish or aquatic plants, and hydroponics is the practice of growing plants in water instead of soil. Aquaponics combines the two - growing fish and plants in the same system.
The fish waste feeds the plants like a fertilizer, and the plants clean the water for the fish in return. It forms a symbiotic relationship helped along by a bit of mechanical filtration.
UNE's Marine Science Center houses a 600 gallon tank with 15 rainbow trout. It is surrounded by about 1,000 different plants at a time from about 25 different species. UNE grows mostly vegetables and spices through aquaponics, but does grow some ornamental plants as well.
The Aquaponics Club manages the daily maintenance: feeding the fish, tending the plants, monitoring water quality and temperature, planting and transplanting, repairing leaks, and even building apparatuses to house new plants. These undergrad student volunteers, mostly science majors, work hard for a tasty result.
Sophomore Aubrey Jane is the president of the club. She's a marine biology and medical biology double major. She says "it is exciting to be involved in the entire process - watching the plants grow from seedlings all the way until you eat them."
"One of my favorite things about this system and working with this system is that it connects them to food. They're seeing food growing, and it's a direct result of their efforts," adds Miller-Hope.
Miller-Hope says the program has been around for a few years and grows and improves with each school year. The university offers a one credit five week workshop on aquaponics, but the club is almost entirely extracurricular. While a few staff members help facilitate, the students run the system and decide what to grow.
When the edible plants are mature enough, they move on to the Living Wall in nearby Ripich Commons. It's a part of UNE's Edible Campus Initiative. They stay there until ready to be sold. Each May, the club holds a farmers' market selling their vegetables on campus as a fundraiser for the next year.
Incorporating the results of aquaponics into other aspects of campus is something both UNE and the University of Southern Maine have in common.
The USM aquaponics team in Gorham grows vegetables for the school's dining services. In the 2018-2019 school year, they've sent over 85 pounds of produce to Sodexo, which manages the dining services on campus. Sodexo aims to use as much locally grown food as possible.
"It's organic, it's local, it's fresh produce, it's available in winter. It's all win-wins," says Theo Willis, Adjunct Research Scientist at USM. Willis runs the aquaponics lab.
In exchange for bags of spices and vegetables, like lettuce, arugula, and parsley, Sodexo helps Willis and his students purchase things like fish food and supplies.
Aquaponics at USM is a constant experiment with a focus on edibles. The students are always growing something new. Some vegetables thrive, like their bell peppers, and others don't do as well, but they are always learning. For the spring semester, they just planted some mint with the hopes of eventually sending it over to Sodexo.
Their facility is arranged differently from UNE's. The USM lab contains ten different fish tanks of tilapia, a warm water fish, totaling 1,000 gallons of water, each with a connection to various beds of plants. A different set up, but these students manage the same responsibilities as those at UNE.
For graduating senior Luke Mango, it's all training for his future.
"I love working with my hands. I love agriculture, the ability to farm. I love fish, grew up loving fish. It definitely gets to integrate all those different components, all those different traits into one potential career," said Mango, who has just graduated with a degree in environmental science. Mango says he plans to pursue a career related to aquaponics.
"We're really about the teaching component. So, the business component, if I get students that spin businesses off of this, I can't ask for anything better than that, but we're here to train," said Willis.
Aquaponics at USM is maintained mostly by students that are interns or part of a work study. It is growing immensely, and getting a lot of university support. Over this summer, Willis and his students are moving down the hall to a room three times the size of their current lab, which will allow even more educational and growing opportunities. Willis says they plan to experiment with new fish, possibly salmon or trout.
For spring 2019, USM offered a brand new online course in land-based aquaculture, with aquaponics at the heart of it, in an effort to prepare students for a growing list of aquaponics opportunities. Many of the students in the course were working members of the community seeking training for upcoming aquaponics and aquaculture jobs in Maine.
Maine-based Whole Oceans is building a new facility in Bucksport, and Norway-based Nordic Aquafarms is building a facility in Belfast, both centering around fish. American Unagi offers more aquaculture opportunities.
Springworks Farm in Lisbon has been in operation for several years. They're seeing success distributing vegetables to Maine businesses, and they have recently expanded their aquaponics greenhouses. They also sell small aquaponics "Microfarms" that can fit inside any home.
In nearby Brunswick, Canopy Farms is an aquaponics greenhouse that is partnering with Tao Yuan restaurant. They are still under construction, but say they hope to be open this summer.
With more aquaponics-related jobs on the horizon, it is sure to become increasingly popular in STEM education. Scarborough High School launched a small aquaponics operation in late 2018.
Homegrown Hydroponics Project Spreads Around The World
May 14, 2019 - Mike Enright '88 (CLAS), University Communications
Christian Heiden ’20 (ENG), center, started a non-profit organization Levo International to bring hydroponics to those in need in Haiti.
The idea began when UConn junior Christian Heiden ’20 (ENG) was working on his Eagle Scout project in high school. It has developed into a non-profit organization that is helping the poor of Haiti and inspiring the curiosity of students in the UConn Child Development Labs.
Through his scout work, Heiden, of Bloomfield, Connecticut, first built a hydroponic greenhouse for his high school, Northwest Catholic in West Hartford. Then, Heiden and his father, Bill, and brother, Nathaniel, traveled to Haiti and built a demonstration hydroponic greenhouse for a community in that nation.
Hydroponics is a method of growing plants without the use of soil and instead relying solely on mineral nutrient solvents in water. While it has been used on a large-scale basis for growing vegetables like tomatoes and lettuce, Heiden says, he has broken it down for the most simplified use yet.
“We wanted something that would only cost a few dollars a day to operate, so we designed our Babylon System which is a 5-by-2 foot system and grows 16 plants at a time,” said Heiden. “It allows people not just to grow produce for their family, but also at market. So they are gaining a way not to just eat but gain money for their family.”
Heiden started the non-profit organization Levo International in his freshman year at UConn to bring hydroponics to those in need in both Haiti and in Connecticut. He soon reached out to Jonathan Moore, an instructor at the operations and information management department (OPIM) in the School of Business.
“Through our emerging tech initiative OPIM Innovate, we have worked on a number of projects,” said Moore. “Christian reached out to me looking for advice on how we could incorporate technology into this work and what the cost would be. He also brought up the path of wanting to develop the for-profit side of the business in order to fund the non-profit side.
“I thought it would be a great idea for him to donate a prototype right here on campus and the Child Development Labs was a natural choice.”
The Child Development Labs are run by the Department of Human Development and Family Sciences and provide care for children up to five years old. Much of its staffing includes UConn students in the early childhood development and education program.
Anne Bladen, director of the Child Development Labs, said she liked the idea of situating a hydroponics greenhouse there for several reasons, including that the student-teachers would be able to see what happen when you increase nature experiences in your young students.
“We have a big commitment to having our children being outside in nature and being active,” said Bladen. “Having the hydroponic greenhouse at the Child Lab helps us get the children invested in learning where their food comes at a young age. It also gives us the opportunity to talk about Haiti and those less fortunate.”
UConn senior Eli Udler ’19 (CLAS) has been assisting Heiden and his company in the use of 3D printing in hydroponics as part of his work as a member of the team at OPIM Innovate.
“The goal is to make hydroponics more accessible in terms of cost and how easy the greenhouses are to build from ready made components,” said Udler. “I am interested in exploring this with the use of biodegradable material.”
Heiden sees a great future for the hydroponic greenhouses all over the world.
“Our goal is to bring sustainability into the agriculture system on a global scale,” said Heiden. “We think we have a really unique product that will allow us to leverage and accomplish that both here in the United States and the worldwide market.”
US - OHIO - New 'Micro Farm' Model Tested At OSU Mansfield Urban Agriculture Project
During a recent project training session, growers gathered around their trial run beds of radishes and baby lettuce. [ideastream / Lecia Bushak]
AUTHOR: Lecia Bushak
PUBLISHED: May 20, 2019
During a recent training session, a group of urban farmers in Mansfield, Ohio huddled around a small raised bed of radishes, examining the crop’s growth after a cold spring week.
They aren't on your typical farm. Dozens of small beds of greens are lined up under tunnels in this “micro farm” on the Ohio State University Mansfield campus, which is built on top of a parking lot.
They’re being trained as part of a project at the school, which recently received a $2 million grant from the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research to create a new model for urban agriculture. The project connects and supports dozens of small micro farms so they’re both economically and environmentally sustainable.
The long-term goal is to expand the project to hundreds of micro farms and to bring healthy foods to urban food deserts — neighborhoods where access to grocery stores or fresh foods is lacking — all while researching and tracking the project's impact on the community, on green space, and on the environment.
Increasing Yield Per Acre
While urban farms have taken off in recent years, it’s difficult to keep them afloat. A study out of NYU found that about two-thirds of urban farmers were failing to make a living, with sales under $10,000 per year.
Project lead and assistant professor of environmental history Kip Curtis says the micro farm system is different from a typical urban farm because it maximizes the number of crops produced in a small space — in this case, only one-third of an acre — and takes a whole food system approach to be more profitable.
That involves training, growing the same things in the same way, and marketing and selling all the produce before it’s harvested.
The small, nimble size of the micro farm may also allow the model to complement city living well. Squeezing rows of crops into beds without needing the space between rows for the use of trucks can be 4 to 5 times more productive per acre than field agriculture.
“So it’s sustainable in kind of a systemic way,” Curtis said. “We anticipate being a positive part of the life of the community, and that’s really what sustainable means.”
Micro Farms and the Environment
Agriculture currently contributes 10 to 12 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, making it a significant contributor to climate change. Fertilizer, for example, produces high levels of nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas; cattle produce methane during the digestive process.
Sustainable farming, meanwhile, aims to reduce the negative impact on the environment by incorporating practices like avoiding pesticides or chemicals, conserving ecological resources, and reducing soil degradation.
One of the main goals of the project is to be sustainable and environmentally sound, while still being efficient and profitable. Researchers will also be tracking if the micro farm model could reduce the carbon footprint.
“One, [the micro farms] are organic, so we’re not going to be using excessive amendments, toxic chemicals, none of that stuff will be in the garden so it won’t be washing out into the surrounding environment,” Curtis said.
He added that small, sustainable farms like this one provide food directly to the local community, cutting travel emissions.
“The second is, because these are production sites in the community where the food is being consumed, you’re shrinking your supply chain — which means instead of driving your vegetables from Arizona or California, you’re literally bringing them across the street," Curtis said. "So you’re reducing your carbon footprint of agriculture as well.”
Health Benefits
The 10 participating farmers, or producers, used their most recent gathering to check up on their first test run of crops — radishes and baby lettuce. Once more of their micro farms are up and running, they plan to expand to more participants and a diverse variety of vegetables.
“Over across the way we’ve got some bok choy, swiss chard, basil, tomatoes, carrots, beets, ocra, eggplant,” Curtis said. “You name it, we’ve tried to get some of it in there.”
Researchers will track the finances of the micro farms over the next three years but will also try to measure if they’ve had an impact on the health of the local community.
“It’s exposing people to local food, which we know is a subtle way of going, you know, you should eat better,” Curtis said. “And so, what if we saw diabetes reduction, we saw obesity reduction, we saw some of the health benefits of fresh food production. This is an effort to say, can we apply, and study, and leave something behind.”
Walter Bonham is one of the producers who was born and raised in Mansfield.
"We can try to take better care of ourselves in our own communities, versus needing to depend on other states, or even other countries sometimes to provide all of our produce," Bonham said. "Doing it locally would help our economy, and help our communities. By having this program and by them pursuing this ambitious goal, it allows other people to attach themselves to this, which makes it easier for the community to make changes."
This year’s pilot growing season will be a good indicator of the micro farm project’s potential to deliver on its goals.
TOPICS Health & Science
TAGS Be Well
This One-Day Bootcamp Takes A Deep Dive Into The Science, Production And Profitability Of Starting Up An Aquaponics Or Hydroponics Vertical Farm
Want to learn more about Vertical Farming, Aquaponics and the technology behind it? Please Click Here
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June 1, 2019 - 9:00 am to 5:00 pm
Seneca College Newnham Campus
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This workshop is in partnership with Seneca College.
Greece: Hydroponic Workshops Launched In Corfu
Hydro Fresh Produce Announces The Launch of
Hydroponic Workshops In sunny Corfu, Greece
The workshops will take place at their hydroponic farm in central Corfu, Greece. The farm is located just 5 km from Corfu International Airport and 7km from the historic UNESCO city centre. Accommodation is available just a five minute walk from the farm or select your own.
The workshops last four days and will cover everything from setting up the system, implementation, maintenance, crop types, water and nutrient management and much more. The course will provide all of the information required to enable anyone to start their own hydroponic production, whether on a small scale at home for the family, or on a larger commercial basis. The official launch date for the workshops is Tuesday 4th of June 2019.
Ivor de Lloyd of Hydro Fresh Produce Corfu says about the project that it "started with yet another 'Ivor, don’t even think about it!' And here we are – 3 years into it and proving them wrong yet again.
"Hydro Fresh Produce hydroponic farm is a logical addition to my culinary career. How many chefs can say they grow their own greens, not to mention using innovative technologies? We supply local shops and taverns with the freshest produce in Corfu. If you choose the right restaurant, your salad will still have been growing this morning!
"Now, the next step. Hydroponic Workshops right here in beautiful Corfu.
"Enjoy the beauty of Corfu on a holiday with something extra…
“Learn how Hydroponics works and gain the knowledge to do it yourself!"
Hydro Fresh Corfu believe that this is a valuable addition to the thriving eco/agri-tourism movement and is aimed at individuals, couples or groups interested in learning about hydroponic production, with a view to setting up themselves.
For more information:
Hydro Fresh Produce (Corfu)
Ivor de Lloyd
+30 26610 56226
+30 693 099 7873
idelloyd@yahoo.com
www.hydro-fresh.com
Publication date: 5/22/2019
Rooftop Garden Takes Urban Agriculture To Another Level
Of all the places on campus you’d expect to find a garden brimming with kale, Swiss chard and collard greens, the second floor of University Crossing probably isn’t one
UNIVERSITY, MILL CITY GROWS PARTNER ON GREEN ROOF GARDEN AT UNIVERSITY CROSSING
Photo by Ed Brennen
PhA student walks past the new Green Roof vegetable garden at University Crossing. Photo by Ed Brennen
04/29/2019
By Ed Brennen
Of all the places on campus you’d expect to find a garden brimming with kale, Swiss chard and collard greens, the second floor of University Crossing probably isn’t one.
But thanks to a collaboration between the university and Lowell-based urban farming nonprofit Mill City Grows, there’s a new rooftop vegetable garden outside the windows of the busy second-floor landing at the student and administrative center.
“It’s such a wonderful use of this space. I love it,” said Senior Vice Chancellor for Finance, Operations and Strategic Planning Joanne Yestramski, admiring the freshly planted crops through the floor-to-ceiling windows during the university’s Earth Day celebration. “It shows our commitment to sustainability right here, front and center, in one of the busiest places on campus.”
The primary purpose of the rooftop garden, according to Director of Sustainability Ruairi O’Mahony, is to educate passersby about the university’s Urban Agriculture Program. A wall sign provides details about the “Green Roof” garden and other urban agriculture sites around campus. Producing fresh, leafy vegetables for the university community is an added bonus.
Photo by Ed Brennen
Macayla Cote of Mill City Grows helps transfer vegetables to growing containers at the new Green Roof garden at University Crossing.
“It helps tell the story about our program and shows people what the campus is about,” says O’Mahony, who notes that the project highlights the important campus-community connection.
The Office of Sustainability and Mill City Grows, working in collaboration with the Student Government Association, designed the 500-square-foot space, which is tucked between a conference room and elevator bay on the south-facing side of the building, overlooking Salem Street.
The modular garden consists of about 180 plants growing in individual milk crates filled with nutrient-rich compost. The compost, which originated from the university’s dining halls, was developed and donated by Casella Organics. The garden is watered by an efficient, on-demand smart drip irrigation system that adjusts to local weather data.
“I’m excited to see how much yield we get in a small space,” says Mill City Grows co-founder and UML alum Lydia Sisson ’12, whose organization will oversee the day-to-day operations of the garden and harvest the produce several times a week. Most of the produce will be made available to the community through Mill City Grows’ Mobile Market.
Mill City Grows manages nearly a dozen community gardens and urban farms around the city, including two others in partnership with UML, the Urban Agriculture Greenhouse on East Campus and the community garden on Dane Street. This is their first rooftop garden.
Photo by Ed Brennen
Student Society for Sustainability President Akbar Abduljalil helps transplant crops at the new Green Roof garden at University Crossing.
“We’ve visited a lot of rooftop farms, but this is our first rooftop experiment. It’s going to be fun,” says Sisson, who notes that there are several advantages to the elevated location. “You get the heat from below, which is good, and it will definitely get a lot of sunlight. There should also be a lot less pests. But we’ll have to be careful with the wind.”
The space is one of three green roofs originally installed on the second floor of University Crossing when the building opened in 2014 (the others still exist over the main entrance and on the Merrimack Street side of the building). Designed to mitigate stormwater runoff and provide a layer of insulation to enhance the building’s energy performance in summer months, the green roofs consist of a thick carpet of sedum, a hardy perennial that holds water well.
O’Mahony says the vegetable garden will make the space even more eye-catching.
“They’re the type of crops that come up like a fountain,” he says. “It’s going to be a beautiful visual.”
Sean Cloran, who completed his biology degree last fall and is now doing an internship with the Office of Sustainability, helped O’Mahony prepare the area for the new garden.
“Hopefully it inspires people to check out the greenhouse and community garden,” Cloran says. “I think it’s going to help break down the barrier between where food comes from and where people think food comes from.”
Purdue Startup Assists Cameroon With Developing Hydroponic Farming Methods, Entrepreneurship
May 15, 2019
A second visit by Heliponix startup to the African continent strives to develop new agricultural processes, self-reliance for countries.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Cameroon, a West African country in the Congo region, has long relied on foreign aid to feed its citizens due to the extreme desert climate in some areas and a continued influx in refugees and orphaned children from neighboring nations.
Through support from the Mandela Washington Fellowship, Scott Massey, a Purdue University graduate and founder of Heliponix, recently completed a workshop to provide Cameroon residents and farmers with practical advice and resources to develop low-cost hydroponic farms to increase the production of agricultural products and encourage entrepreneurship to advance self-reliance while using local materials.
Scott Massey, founder of Heliponix, steps over some pipes at the beginning of a hydroponic farm workshop at the University of Ngaoundéré in Cameroon. Massey, a Purdue University graduate, traveled to Cameroon to teach people about hydroponics and entrepreneurship. He is the co-founder of Heliponix, which makes the GroPod, an innovative appliance that fits under a kitchen counter and grows produce year-round. (Photo provided) Download image
Massey’s company makes the GroPod, an innovative appliance that fits under a kitchen counter and grows produce year-round.
“Organizations providing food for some of the most at risk groups in Cameroon are reliant on nonprofits, which can make it difficult for them to always have a consistent source of quality food ,” Massey said. “We built hydroponic farms at certain locations to allow them to grow their own food, have some degree of independence from foreign aid, and overcome the extreme desert climate that often makes it difficult to grow crops.”
Massey credited the Mandela Washington Fellowship, which seeks to promote business development and civic engagement through the academic and entrepreneurial empowerment of African people, with the advancement of his contributions to the area and other programs to help the country feed its population while fostering independence. The program provides young entrepreneurs and leaders with the chance to travel to the United States for a short period of time for an opportunity to develop their skills and learn from mentors in American colleges and universities.
Massey, a graduate of the Purdue Polytechnic Institute in Mechanical Engineering Technology with a Certificate in Entrepreneurship and Innovation, was accepted into the program in 2017 and was later granted the status of American Professional, which made him eligible for the Reciprocal Exchange Grants. That led to his recent three-week trip to Cameroon.
Joseph Daliwa (left), Bello Mohamadou (center) and Scott Massey (right) work on a hydroponic system for orphans in Cameroon displaced by regional conflict. Daliwa and Massey got involved in helping in Cameroon through the Mandela Washington Fellowship, which seeks to promote agricultural empowerment of African people. Mohamadou is an English and science teacher in Ngaoundere, Cameroon. (Photo provided)Download image
During that trip, modular farms also were built at farm build at the University of Ngaoundéré with the purpose of teaching students how to build and maintain the farms. Massey adapted the GroPod device in these modular farms using the same concept but taking into consideration the availability of different resources. A video about his work is available here.
“There are some concepts from the GroPod that we have incorporated into these designs, but it was important that we design the device with local materials so that they would be able to build it and replicate it themselves,” Massey said.
He also lectured at the University of Yaoundé, teaching students about hydroponic technologies and basic entrepreneurial skills. Through these lectures, Massey was able to share his experiences as an entrepreneur and offer advice that could help guide students in their own entrepreneurial ventures.
Massey’s lectures also focused on teaching the students how to pitch their ideas, an ability he said is essential to attract investors and grow a company.
“For any entrepreneur, the art of pitching is vital. As an entrepreneur, it is important to be able to properly articulate what the problem is that you are solving, what makes your solution unique, and what the opportunity is behind the solution. Having this clear articulate story-telling ability is what we were trying to help the students achieve, and that’s something that the Purdue Foundry does very well. Going through their program was a tremendous help for me and I am sharing this knowledge where I can,” Massey said.
Massey said taking part in programs at the Purdue Foundry, an entrepreneurship and commercialization accelerator in Discovery Park's Burton D. Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship at Purdue, was essential in helping get his company off the ground.
This was Massey’s second trip to Africa through the Mandela Washington Fellowship’s Reciprocal Exchange Grant, which gives recipients the opportunity to travel to different sub-Saharan countries in the continent. In 2018, Massey traveled to Togo, where he assisted in developing sustainable agriculture methods.
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 an investment opportunities in startups based on a Purdue innovation, contact the Purdue Foundry at foundry@prf.org.
Writer: Zeina Kayyali, zmkayyali@prf.org
Purdue Research Foundation contact: Tom Coyne, 765-588-1044, tjcoyne@prf.org
Source: Scott Massey, scott@heliponix.com
The Future of Farming
Darren Handschuh - May 7, 2019
Naomi LaFrance has a vision.
She wants to feed not only people from her first nation in Saskatchewan, but other nations as well.
And she wants to do it all with as little impact on the planet as possible so she turned to the Aquaponics Training Institute in Vernon for help.
Aquaponics is the marriage of hydroponics and aquaculture where the best of both systems are used to grow plants with very little harm to Mother Earth.
“Right now we have a hockey arena that is not being used so maybe we will be able to convert that into a growing operation,” said LaFrance. “I didn't realize how big it can become. I just came here to learn and the more I am learning, the bigger the vision is becoming and it's pretty exciting.”
The Aquaponics Training Institute is located in the BX area and is the brain child of Shawn Bonnough who teaches classes on aquaponics.
One of the big advantages of aquaponics is the food will grow 24 hours a day, 365 days a year with a minimal environmental footprint.
“The fish are fertilizing the water for the plants and the plants are filtering the water for the fish,” said Bonnough. “In between those two living systems is the bacteria that breaks everything down and creates natural fertilizer which is not harmful to the environment. This is the only system that is working on 10 percent of the water of traditional farming but is producing 10 times as much food.”
LaFrance said she will take what she has learned at the institute back her Cree nation in Saskatchewan.
The Aquaponics Training Institute offers courses online as well as at the institute itself.
US (CO): Growing More Food Using Less Resources - June 8-9, Denver
June 8-9, Denver
Ceres Greenhouse Solutions, in conjunction with The Aquaponic Source, will be organizing an aquaponics course where participants can learn about a well-designed aquaponic system with the most energy-efficient greenhouse environment possible.
The course is intended for families, the prepared, retirees, the health conscious, non profits, commercial growers and anyone else interested in growing more food using less resources.
What participants will learn:
How to leverage the "greenhouse self-heating" phenomena with the ground-breaking Ground to Air Heat Transfer System (GAHT).
Where to put thermal mass in your greenhouse and why putting it in the wrong place can be catastrophic
A dirt cheap (yet commonly overlooked) step in greenhouse design that is actually KEY in increasing heat retention performance. This applies to simple hoop houses AND 10,000 square food commercial greenhouses alike
How to use "strategic glazing" to optimize light transmission based on climate, crops, and available materials
Exactly when to ventilate your greenhouse throughout the day based on climate and humidity
Which materials take up no greenhouse space and hold 5x more thermal mass than water
How to design and layout your aquaponic system to maximize use of space and energy
Participants will also receive building designs and plans for a backyard energy-efficient greenhouse that can be combined with an aquaponic system.
Details
When: June 8-9th 2019
Times: Sat- 9am-5pm, Sun- 9am-4pm
Where: GeoTech Environmental Center 2650 E 40th Denver, Colorado
Who: Ceres Greenhouse Solutions and The Aquaponic Source
For more information:
www.theaquaponicsource.com/greenhouse-training
Publication date: 5/9/2019
Challenge Accepted: Mini-Makeathon Vertical Farming Recap
On Friday October 5th, sixteen young professionals and students from several Dutch (applied) universities came together at the Design Museum in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands, to think of their own food concept for vertically farmed produce
By Tessa Naus, PlantLab
On Friday October 5th, sixteen young professionals and students from several Dutch (applied) universities came together at the Design Museum in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands, to think of their own food concept for vertically farmed produce. It was our very first Mini-Makeathon event, just in time for the Design Museum’s Food is Fiction exhibition and the 2018 Dutch Agricultural Food Week!
A Mini-Makeawhat?
If you haven’t heard of a mini-makeathon before, it essentially brings together people with different educational backgrounds, to design a new and useful product concept, based on a contemporary (consumer) problem. They typically do this in small groups and within one day’s time.
Our mini-makeathon for vertical farming was organised by the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and PlantLab as part of the Cultivating Engagement project. The participants worked on three different challenges related to (indoor) vertical farming. One challenge focused on the fact that it is difficult to label vertically farmed produce as organic in the market. Organic produce typically has requisites specific to soil usage, however, many vertical farms do not use soil to grow their crops but hydroponics agricultural methods. So, organic certification can be difficult or impossible to obtain for vertical farms.
The Vertical Farming Mini-Makeathon: A Quick Recap
Our vertical farming mini-makeathon was kicked-off with a presentation by the Design Museum. Mascha Gugganig (from TUM) then introduced the participants to the Cultivating Engagement project. Tessa Naus from PlantLab presented the concept of Vertical Farming, its challenges and the purpose of the mini-makeathon: to develop a new food concept around vertically farmed produce in response to one of the vertical farming’s challenges.
The participants were then divided in five multidisciplinary teams, so that each team consisted at least of one person with a business background, one person with food innovation expertise and someone experienced in food technology.
Creation phase
After getting to know each other, each team chose one of the three challenges to include in their new food concept. They were given 2,5 hours to put their minds together to conceptualise and create their concept. Coaches from EUFIC, TUM and PlantLab with expertise in communications, business innovation, marketing, food design and anthropology walked around to help the teams with any questions they had. After the lunch break, the teams had 90 minutes to finalize their product concept and to prepare their pitches.
And the winner is…
The jury consisted of Martine van Veelen from EIT Food, Joke Backx from the Design Museum, John van Gemert of PlantLab and Jan Hoskam, one of the aldermen of the municipality of ‘s-Hertogenbosch.
All teams pitched their concept to the jury. They were each given five minutes to convince the jury that they should win the coveted prize: their own little (indoor) vertical farm.
After a difficult jury deliberation, Jan Hoskam announced the winners: Team VertiMix would take home the prize!
The concepts created by each of the teams build the base for potentially further developing ideas together with the makeathon participants.
Closing of the day
Following the award ceremony, some drinks and final thoughts were shared between the organisers and attendees. We would like to thank the Design Museum, all participants, the jury members and all partners who contributed to the Mini-Makeathon Vertical Farming. It was with your help that we are able to drive our project forward.
Do you have your own food concepts for vertically farmed produce? Let us know below!
About The Author: Tessanaus
https://www.linkedin.com/in/tessa-naus-3a8844116/
Tessa Naus recently graduated with a master’s degree in Health Food Innovation Management from Maastricht University and now works as a Business Developer at PlantLab. She started off university with a bachelor in European Public Health, where a minor abroad in Hamburg got her specifically passionate about the interaction between food, innovation and business. She looks forward to continue working with innovation that can feed the world in a healthy and sustainable way.
Trending: Are Shipping Container Farms The Future of The Industry?
BY LUKIE PIETERSE ON APRIL 19, 2019
Could shipping containers be the future of farming? According to Cleveland Containers in the UK, they can. The company states that shipping containers could provide an answer to the rapid demand for local produce.
According to the company, the trend for local food has risen over the last few years and as a result, the demand for local produce is showing no signs of slowing down. With this in mind, farmers are being forced to get creative in how they can deliver the volume needed for local supermarkets, whilst still keeping hold of the nutritional value in its fruit and veg.
So, how could container farms shape the future of the industry? Johnathan Bulmer, Managing Director of Cleveland Containers, explains.
“Many are unaware that containers can be fitted with heating and water systems, as well as gas and electrics and therefore offer a whole host of benefits for crops and farmers alike.”
“Creating your own farming space inside a container enables you to grow crops all year round and once modified, allows you to control growing conditions such as climate, soil quality and heat and light exposure.”
Read the full article in Future Farming here
Related article: Indoor farming technology market to grow to $ 40.25 billion
Pittsburg State University Showcases Aquaponics Project On Campus
Project Creates Sustainable, Healthy Food
By: Chris Warner
April 24, 2019
PITTSBURG, Kan. - Hydroponics involves growing plants in water instead of soil, and a project at Pittsburg State University has turned that into aquaponics by adding another element.
"It started out as a hydroponics operation so, it's basically growing lettuce primarily, but other food through water rather than soil, with the aquaponics, that incorporates fish into the system so it's more of a closed loop." Erin Kruse is one of two students giving tours at Pitt State to showcase their new aquaponics project.
Aquaponics, as Kruse mentioned, incorporates fish, in this case, tilapia, into the hydroponics system. Kruse says "So the fish actually generate the nutrients for the plants and then the plants actually clean the water for the fish."
And it's this unique system that officials like Matt O'Malley with Live Well Crawford County, are excited to see. O'Malley says "We are hoping to increase access to healthy foods for everyone in the county and thought this could be a really neat way to get that in communities that might not be able to do a garden project or something like that."
Kruse says the Students 4 Sustainability group, agree. "We really think, as students for sustainability, that local food production, sustainable food production is something that's always going to be paramount, especially in rural communities."
For O'Malley, he says he's looking at an even bigger picture. O'Malley says "We like to dream big and how cool would it be if every high school in Crawford County had an aquaponics system and they grew their own lettuce for their own school lunch salad bar, and so that's what we're kinda dreaming about with this project."
The project is still in it's early stages but Kruse says they hope to see it continue to grow and expand to serve the county.
The project was originally started by another group on campus before the students for sustainability group took over.
We Are Excited To Announce Our Partnership With Seneca College To Bring Our First "The Vertical Farming Bootcamp"
Want to learn more about Vertical Farming, Aquaponics and the technology behind it? Please Click Here
Want to learn more about Vertical Farming, Aquaponics and the technology behind it? Do you have a business model in mind and need to learn the components to execute it? Now is your chance! Sign up for our Vertical Farming Bootcamp!
June 1, 2019 - 9:00 am to 5:30 pm
Seneca College Newnham Campus
Please Click the link to sign up:
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/vertical-farming-bootcamp-tickets-60711365328
Hydroponics To Aquaponics: How University Students Are Learning To Master Sustainable Food Production — On The Roof
PSU
April 18, 2019
Pittsburg, KS
Fish soon will be living on the roof of the science building at Pittsburg
State University.
And those fish will be helping to grow plants.
It’s a forward-thinking project by Students for Sustainability (S4S), a student organization at PSU, in cooperation with Enactus, another student organization, and the PSU Biology Department.
S4S has gained a reputation for its recycling efforts: each Fall, members collect as much recyclable material as they can during the move-in process at the residence halls. At each Spring, they collect reusable items students don’t want to take with them when they leave campus to head home — hair dryers, brooms, microwaves, you name it. Those, they sell at the SEK Recycling Center.
The group’s latest initiative, hydroponics and soon to be aquaponics, is one that’s trending: they’re promoting sustainability by developing a sustainable food production project they have installed in a greenhouse on the roof of Heckert-Wells Hall.
“Trial phase”
One recent afternoon saw a group of students there tending plants; they're growing without soil in a “garden” built of PVC pipe and covered with mosquito netting to diffuse sunlight.
Among them was Charlie Beetch, who moved his family from Hutchinson, Kansas, to Pittsburg to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Sustainability, Society, and Resource Management (SSRM); it’s the only program of its kind in Kansas.
“We’re still in the trial phase,” Beetch said. “Th fish ought to be here next week. Then, it will be a full system.”
As he checked the health of the plants, a classmate, Cecily Stephens, a non-traditional graduate student from Pittsburg, harvested greens she considered using in a salad later.
“We’re growing arugula, red kale, romaine, collard greens, and butter lettuce,” said Stephens, who dreams of becoming an environmental journalist. “I’m pushing for starting herbs, and we could use them for fresh pesto!”
“Perfect fit”
The project was borne of conversations between S4S advisors and students during last year’s Earth Day celebration in the Overman Student Center. Enactus member Dodge Mattingly was displaying a booth that described his group’s trip to Haiti to set up a hydroponic system at an orphanage to help them grow fresh produce.
S4S members had been dreaming of a food production project — especially one that would provide a learning laboratory experience. Enactus was wanting to give away their prototype hydroponic set-up. And S4S
President Erin Kruse, a Girard, Kansas, native, had experience with aquaponics, hydroponics, and farm-to-table production at Johnson County Community College before transferring here.
“It seemed like a perfect fit,” said Jim Triplett, who volunteers as the Special Assistant to the President for Sustainability — a position created last year as part of the university’s focus on sustainability.
Enactus also gave S4S the fertilizer, seeds, and other supplies needed, and offered to share what they had learned to help S4S get up and running.
“Enactus had worked out the hydroponic side of the project, but the aquaponics portion is a new dimension, because it involves growing fish,” said Triplett, who for decades taught in the PSU Biology Department and served as its chair.
“The waste from the fish will break down and provide nutrients for the plants that will use the nutrients to grow, cleaning the water before it’s returned to the fish,” he explained. “When properly balanced, the system provides extremely efficient food production in terms of resources, energy and space.”
The biggest challenge? Fitting the PVC pipes and other supplies into the elevator.
Networking
Last month, their project took another step forward with a visit to Nile Valley Aquaponics, in inner Kansas City, Missouri, where they toured the facility and gained insight into its closed loop system.
The trip was organized by Kruse, who works at the Student Assistant for Sustainability in the President’s Office, and is majoring in SSRM.
Joining her on the trip were several S4S members, SSRM majors, faculty members including Catherine Hooey (Geography), June Freund (Economics), Tim Bailey (Geography), and staff including Jesse Briscoe (Housing), Elliott Rowland (Physical Plant).
Nile Valley provided inspiration: it features three, six-foot deep, lined trenches that house more than 60,000 tilapia. The water from the fish-rearing troughs is pumped up to the top of a stack of four growing beds that sit on top of the trenches and run their full length, Triplett said.
The nutrient-laden water travels through each bed and drops to the bed below until it is returned to the fish trough. In addition to plants and fish, the facility raises soldier flies to feed the fish and goats to eat the vegetative leftovers from production.
The trip also included a visit to Johnson County Community College, which created a Center for Sustainability in 2003.
“A composting operation there takes in all of the food waste from the facility and runs it through a hot tumbler and, with the addition of wood chips and sawdust, it develops into a compostable mix in about 10 days,” Triplett said.
The mix then is moved to aeration piles and is used as a soil amendment on the campus farm.
A greenhouse there houses the aquaponics project, which features a fish tank that holds 60 tilapia. They provide the nutrients for the hydroponic production of leafy greens and larger plants in media beds. All of the material grown from the system is used in JCCC dining services.
“It’s an amazing system and is reflective of future sustainable food production. We hope some of these ideas can be applied to future projects at PSU,” Triplett said. “There is a lot more to do before our system is fully operational, but this project has caught the imagination and interest of an active and enthusiastic group of students who are investing their time and energy to forge a new path in sustainable food production."
Learn more about the SSRM degree at https://bit.ly/2Og4STx
Seeds&Chips Teenovators
Milan, 19 April 2019 - The Call for Teenovators has just closed, gathering young innovators from all corners of the planet
Stories of Young And Very Young Innovators And Visionaries of The 5th Edition of The
Global Food Innovation Summit
Closed the International Call in collaboration with Fondazione Francesca Rava: 49 projects from all over the world.
Marco Gualtieri: "Greta Thunberg, who is in Italy these days, has triggered something: she has awakened the world, and the young in particular. There are a lot of boys and girls like Greta all over the world, and at Seeds&Chips we will present them together with their projects to save the planet".
Milan, 19 April 2019 - The Call for Teenovators has just closed, gathering young innovators from all corners of the planet. The contest, organized by Seeds&Chips - The Global Food Innovation Summit with Francesca Rava Foundation - N.P.H. Italia, was aimed at teenagers who are passionate and determined to change the food system and face the great global challenges, guided by the UN Sustainable Development Goals: 49 presented projects. The selected candidates will have the opportunity to inspire the leaders of today and tomorrow during the fifth edition of Seeds&Chips, from 6 to 9 May at Fiera Milano Rho.
"Greta Thunberg, with her perseverance, has brought the environmental emergency we are experiencing to the attention of the world's adults. Greta will be in Italy today to meet the Holy Father and the Institutions, but she will also be in the streets alongside thousands of Italian youngsters to ask once again to act immediately" - says Marco Gualtieri, President and founder of Seeds&Chips - "But how many young people like Greta exist? Few people know that there are many young and very young people who are committed to change things, who design innovative solutions for the protection of the environment and to encourage more sustainable lifestyles. These young people have always been the protagonists of Seeds&Chips. Like Ayrton Cable for example, who three years ago, at the time 13 years old, was already a source of great inspiration for me. It is only by listening to these young people that we can realize how the new generations have already changed their ways of thinking and acting of the new generations".
"We are enthusiastic about the synergy with Seeds&Chips because an important part of the mission of the Francesca Rava Foundation - N.P.H. Italia is to educate young people to respect themselves, the others and the environment that surrounds them" - says President Mariavittoria Rava. "N.P.H. (Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos - Our little brothers and sisters), who represents the Francesca Rava Foundation in Italy, has been changing the lives of many people for over 60 years, with the motto “one child at a time, from the street to graduation”. Through our activities in schools and international Camps, we listen to the fresh and motivated voice of many young people, who do not have often the opportunity to express themselves and have their talents be valued. The partnership with Seeds&Chips, allows us to give many deserving young people the unique opportunity to bring their ideas to the table of today’s leaders and in that way be "influencers" for a better future.”
Since its very first editions, Seeds&Chips has been a stage of honor for many very young innovators who, even this year, will be actively involved in the Summit's rich programme. Teenovators (13-19 year old) and Young Pioneers (20-25 year old) from around the world will open the thematic sections and bring their revolutionary ideas to the attention of guests and the public. Each conference will be attended by an under 30 speaker; in addition, the established format GiveMe5! is dedicated to young startuppers, where they will have the opportunity to meet top leaders and present their project in 5 minutes, ask questions and draw inspiration for the future.
Greta's "fight" and the mobilization of #FrydaysforFuture testify that the environmental and sustainability revolution starts from the young. Seeds&Chips will give the space and voice to some of these young people who have already started a transformation in their countries of origin. Such as Nikita Shulga and Sophia-Christina Borisyuk, both 13 years old Ukrainians, who through their projects introduced in more than 230 ukranian schools canteens, a compost system for the organic waste called “Compola” also supported by local institutions. Or Haaziq Kazi, a 12-year-old Indian, who since 2017 has been looking for funds to build his prototype of a ship powered by clean energy,” Ervis” capable of removing especially plastic waste from the oceans. Another example, Gitanjali Rao, this year included by Forbes among the top 30 under 30 for Science. The 13-year- old, hit by the contaminated water scandal at Flint in Michigan, created Tethys, a compact device based on carbon nanotubes that detects the presence of lead in water. In 2017, Gitanjali was awarded the title of Best Young American Scientist. Such as the 16-year-old Italian Giorgia Mira, the "Greta Thunberg" from Bari who, following the example of the young Swedish environmentalist, has the dream of involving her peers in the battle to defend the Earth.
Genesis Butler, an activist for animal rights and environmental protection, is also an ambassador for "Million Dollar Vegan", the organization that runs the global campaign to combat climate change through changing food. Genesis has offered a million dollars to the Holy Father if he agrees to a vegan diet for the whole of Lent. Alongside them also Zuriel Oduwole, 16-year-old American, already a voice and symbol of many African girls. Zuriel met and interviewed 28 Presidents and Prime Ministers one-to-one on global political issues and became the youngest person to have a profile on Forbes. Or Xóchitl Guadalupe Cruz López, just 9 years old, who made a water heater from recycled materials to help the poor and the environment. His next goal is to bring the prototype into the homes of indigenous communities in Chiapas; and finally, even Ayrton Cable, founder of WAFA Youth, who at just 16 years old is one of the youngest entrepreneurs engaged in social work and in the search for more ethical food. He has already received several awards and recognitions and has already participated at Seeds&Chips in 2016.
Seeds&Chips - The Global Food Innovation Summit, founded by entrepreneur Marco Gualtieri, is the world’s flagship food innovation event. An exceptional platform to promote technologically advanced solutions and talents from all over the world. An exhibition area and conference schedule to present, tell and discuss the themes, models and innovations that are changing the way food is produced, transformed, distributed, consumed and talked about. In 2017, Seeds&Chips’ keynote speaker President Barack Obama participated as a speaker The event hosted over 300 speakers from all over the world; over 240 exhibitors and 15800 visitors. It also garnered 131 million social impressions in 4 days. The 2018 edition saw more than 300 international
speakers, among them former US Secretary of State John Kerry, President of IFAD Gilbert Houngbo and Starbucks’ former CEO and Chairman Howard Schultz. The 5th edition of Seeds&Chips – The Global Food Innovation Summit will take place
at Fiera Milano Rho, from May 6 to 9, 2019.
Francesca Rava Foundation - N.P.H. Italia
Founded in 2000, the foundation was the fruit of the witness of love that Francesca left with her short but intense life. It helps children in difficult conditions in Italy and in the world. It represents NPH Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos (Our Little Brothers) in Italy since 1954. Its homes and hospitals are at the service of orphaned and abandoned children in nine countries of Latin America including the poor Haiti. It also represents the Saint Luc Foundation of Haiti.
COMMITMENT TO HAITI
The Foundation operates in Haiti under the guidance of the frontline physician Father Rick Frechette, who for 30 years has led N.P.H. and the affiliated Saint Luc Foundation on the island. In a country where 70% of the population is unemployed, 2 children die from malnutrition and treatable diseases every hour, 1 in 4 do not attend school, the N.P.H. and the Saint Luc Foundation provide work for 1600 Haitians and assist 1 million people a year with 3 hospitals. They run 2 rehabilitation centers for disabled children, 35 street schools that offer food and education to 13.000 children, 2 Houses with 600 children, the Fors Lakay reconstruction project, food and water distribution programs, funerals for thousands of abandoned bodies or whose loved ones are too poor for a dignified burial, the Vocational Training and Production Center in Francisville - city of trades, and reforestation and cultivation programs for self-sustainability.
Qatar Academy Visit Dutch Greenhouse Tech Firm
Eight students of the Qatar Academy for Science and Technology (QAST), a new Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) school visited Certhon recently. The students visited the Dutch company because of their curriculum focus on reducing the need for imported food with a specific focus on growing fruits. The academy aims at honing the abilities of talented students to be the leaders and innovators, as well as building a distinctive generation in different paths that is innovative and in line with the requirements of the 21st century in facing the challenges of local and global reality, as well as to prepare students to succeed in institutions of higher education excellence.
This visit gave the students the opportunity to ask everything about the SuprimAir technology Certhon implemented in the UAE. Almost one hectare semi closed greenhouse for the production of tomatoes was built in the desert of Abu Dhabi. And with the first successful harvest in November 2018, a major step towards actual food security has been taken: the step towards the production of fresh and healthy vegetables with sustainable use of water, energy and raw materials in the Gulf region.
For more information:
Certhon
ABC Westland 555
P.O. Box 90
2685 ZH Poeldijk
The Netherlands
Tel: +31 174 22 50 80
Fax: +31 174 22 50 81
www.certhon.com
Publication date: 4/8/2019
Grow Your Business Master Class
On April 25, branding expert Dino H Carter, will host a limited space business growth master class in Los Angeles.
Dino who helped our community with branding in the past, including the iGrow Branding Webinar two months ago, works with different cannabis businesses among others and has more than 20 years of marketing experience.
Dino is a speaker, guest on cannabis, business, and marketing podcasts, and writes about branding and marketing on the cannabis industry magazine - MG Magazine.
This intense master class is for business owners, entrepreneurs and sales people who seriously want to grow their business and learn the proven method successful businesses use these days for their own growth.
As part of supporting iGrow community, Dino offers iGrow readers a 20% discount on tickets!! Use code igrow on registration: https://www.dbrandingla.com/master-class-registration
Agenda:
In part one, you will learn:
The new rules of commerce, branding, and marketing
How to use these rules to make more sales
How to use content marketing to generate more sales
How to sell more "without selling"
How to get more returning clients to your website
The new era of segmentation: Psychographics Vs Demographics
How to use values and brand positioning for business growth
And more...
In part two, we will have a mastermind to work, and fix, problems you, the event's attendees, have with your actual businesses:
How to implement learned topics in your business
How to change your marketing and sales to increase sales, traffic and customer retention
Q & A
Free bonus you get (regularly priced at $880)
Free strategy session *$480 value
Free brand discovery worksheet *$200 value
Free social media worksheet *$200 value