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A REIT's New Amenity: A CSA Program From A Rooftop Farm
Perhaps most interesting is one of the amenities the REIT is offering: namely an opportunity to join a CSA (community-supported agriculture) program at the largest soil-based rooftop farm in the Mid-Atlantic region
The office space has been designed by Wingate Hughes Architects.
By Erika Morphy | July 29, 2019
BETHESDA, MD—Federal Realty Investment Trust has unveiled renderings of its new headquarters at 909 Rose, an office building located in its Pike & Rose mixed-use project. The office space was designed by Wingate Hughes Architects.
The locally-based REIT’s new office include an abundance of natural light from floor to ceiling windows, authentic materials and integration within the 24-acre Pike & Rose neighborhood.
Perhaps most interesting is one of the amenities the REIT is offering: namely an opportunity to join a CSA (community-supported agriculture) program at the largest soil-based rooftop farm in the Mid-Atlantic region. These programs, found across the country, are usually subscription-based, allowing members to receive fresh produce on the regular from local farms.
Other touches: There is an interconnecting staircase between Federal’s two floors, a raised lounge featuring living room seating, strong acoustic privacy and natural “bump into” space, according to Gavin Daniels, principal of Wingate Hughes.
The second office building in the LEED ND neighborhood, 909 Rose will be 11-stories and offer Class A, LEED Silver designated space, which is being designed by Hickok Cole Architects.
Erika Morphy
Erika Morphy has been writing about commercial real estate at GlobeSt.com for more than ten years, covering the capital markets, the Mid-Atlantic region and national topics. She's a nerd so favorite examples of the former include accounting standards, Basel III and what Congress is brewing.
Long Island Hospital Creates Unique ‘Farm to Bedside’ Concept With Rooftop Farm
Stony Brook University Hospital has a rooftop farm. It's also used to teach local children about nutrition and gardening
JULY 24, 2019, BY KEITH LOPEZ
PIX11 video journalist Keith Lopez has the story.
STONY BROOK, NY — A Long Island hospital has created a unique "farm to bedside" concept promoting healthy eating for patients.
Stony Brook University Hospital has a rooftop farm. It's also used to teach local children about nutrition and gardening. A dozen kids were at the farm Wednesday for a program to learn about healthy eating.
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Live In Your Own Farm In The Sky In This Plant-Covered Apartment Building
The concept for Farmhouse shows a vision of city living where people are more connected to their food—and get time in nature just by going out to their balcony.
07.24.19
The concept for Farmhouse shows a vision of city living where people are more connected to their food—and get time in nature just by going out to their balcony.
In the design for this new apartment building, each kitchen connects to a massive greenhouse. If you need a salad for dinner, you can harvest it yourself, or go to a farmers’ market in the lobby to buy greens from a neighbor.
[Image: courtesy Studio Precht]
The design is one variation on a modular system called Farmhouse—ranging from simple A-frame houses to multifamily buildings—intended to reconnect residents with the food system. The architects, from the Austria-based firm Studio Precht, were inspired by their own experience moving from Beijing to an off-grid life in the Austrian mountains that includes growing their own food. “It’s a very direct connection to nature,” says architect Chris Precht.
Read the complete article here.
Rooftop Farm-to-Table Food Part of Javits Expansion
The new venture will source food from a working farm being built on the roof as part of the center’s massive expansion. Brooklyn Grange will manage the farm and work with the Cultivated culinary team
by REW July 19, 2019
The 1.2 million Javits Center expansion is expected to be complete next year.
The Javits Center is launching a new hospitality brand aimed at offering a locally grown and celebrated food and beverage operation to exhibitors and visitors.
The new venture will source food from a working farm being built on the roof as part of the center’s massive expansion.
The New York Convention Center Operating Corporation (NYCCOC), which operates the Javits Center, has joined with Levy Convention Centers and CxRA to launch the brand called Cultivated.
NYCCOC president Alan Steel believes Cultivated will redefine hospitality at the Javits Center undergoes 1.2 million square foot set to be completed in 2021.
The 1.2-million-square-foot addition has been designed by tvsdesign at a cost of nearly $1.5 billion. It will increase the total area of the facility to 3.3 million square feet and add an extra 22,000 s/f to what is already the largest green roof in New York City.
In collaboration with a design/build team led by Lendlease (US) Construction LMB Inc. and Turner Construction, the project features 90,000 s/f of permanent exhibit space, to be combined with current exhibit space, which will create an approximately 500,000 s/f exhibition hall.
In addition, the expansion will include 45,000 s/f of meeting room space, a 55,000 s/f ballroom, and a green roof terrace and pavilion accommodating 1,500 people for outdoor events.
As an urban convention center, the team is also creating an on-site truck marshaling facility with room for more than 230 event and exhibit related trucks and 27 new loading docks out of the public view.
The new Cultivated hospitality venture will focus on sustainability and community and use of state-of-the-art technology to create “an inspirational culinary experience that captures the vibrancy and vitality of the greatest city in the world.”
As well as the rooftop pavilion and outdoor space, the expansion will include additional kitchens, multiple food preparation stations and loading docks, all designed to transform the on-site catering experience.
Andy Lansing, president and CEO of Levy. “We’re rolling up our sleeves and working closely with the restaurants, purveyors, farms, and community organizations that define New York’s culinary scene. Anyone who visits Javits Center should leave feeling like they experienced the best the city and state have to offer.”
All event managers, exhibitors and attendees at the Javits Center will now be served by the Cultivated team.
New menus and a new microsite are dedicated to advanced and on-site catering services and a leadership team at Cultivated will leverage local resources and producer partnerships to showcase New York offerings.
The Javits Center will offer coffee roasted by El Dorado Coffee Roasters, based in the Maspeth section of Queens and sustainable beer made by re-using bread made on-site in partnership with a local brewery.
There will be a line of products infused with honey harvested from the Javits Center’s rooftop bee hives; and straws will be scrapped as the center introduces 100 percent compostable serviceware
Cultivated will also play a role in the success of a one-acre rooftop working farm being constructed as part of the expansion project.
When completed, the farm is expected to produce up to 40,000 pounds of fruits and vegetables, which will be directed to the convention center’s kitchens where Cultivated staff will create a true roof-to-table experience for customers throughout the year.
Brooklyn Grange will manage the farm and work with the Cultivated culinary team.
Take In A Farm Above The Borough With A Tour of Brooklyn Grange
If you’ve ever wanted to get a rooftop view of the borough while roaming amidst a bumper crop of herbs, vegetables and other growing goodies, you can get a behind-the-scenes look at Brooklyn Grange this summer
Jul 9, 2019 • by Susan De Vries
If you’ve ever wanted to get a rooftop view of the borough while roaming amidst a bumper crop of herbs, vegetables and other growing goodies, you can get a behind-the-scenes look at Brooklyn Grange this summer.
The rooftop farm company operates three urban farms in New York City. The Long Island City farm opened first in 2010, Brooklyn Navy Yard was added in 2012 and the Sunset Park farm opened this year. About 80,000 pounds of produce are harvested between the three farms every year. The locally grown food is available via a CSA program, weekly markets and is also sold to local restaurants and retailers.
Market harvest looking green green green#bgseason10 #bggrows #sofreshandsogreen
To get a glimpse at all that fabulous produce and the techniques employed to make it flourish, Brooklyn Grange is offering tours of two of their farms this summer. Tours of the Navy Yard farm are held every Wednesday at 10 and 11:30 am. Get a look at the Long Island City location on Saturdays at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. The tours are held rain or shine and last about 45 minutes.
Tickets are $18 per person. For more information on exact location and tour details and to purchase tickets visit the Brooklyn Grange event calendar here.
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Email tips@brownstoner.com with further comments, questions or tips. Follow Brownstoner on Twitter and Instagram, and like us on Facebook.
Farming In The City
Liyana Hasnan
13 June 2019
This file photo shows an employee of urban farming start-up Aeromate checks on vegetables and aromatic herbs growing on the rooftop of a building owned by French public transport group RATP as part of a rooftop farming project in Paris on 24 August, 2017. (Benjamin Cremel / AFP Photo)
Urban farming could help provide a boost to the region’s food security and safety issues.The traditional farming system, though productive, has serious downsides which include food wastage, polluted ecosystems and significant greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
According to the United Nation’s (UN) Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and NASA, an additional 109 million hectares of new land will be needed to feed the world’s population by 2050. Presently, over 80 percent of arable lands suitable for crops are already in use. The total land used for agriculture in ASEAN currently stands at 30 percent, or 132,953 million hectares.
The current quality of land used for agriculture is being threatened by degradation due to over exploitation, pollution and the shortage of available water. Feeding an estimated 10 billion people in 2050 without further destroying the environment is a tall order indeed.
A tall order
Rapid urbanisation is causing an increase in urban poverty and urban food insecurity. Bringing food production into cities could be a responsible solution towards maintaining a sustainable system.
Urban farms focus more on providing city dwellers with food security and economic diversification. Governments could encourage the use of underutilised land for constructing small farm gardens for communities in the immediate area while increasing environmental awareness among them.
Another non-traditional farming method which takes advantage of urban spaces, especially tall buildings, is vertical farming. Usually found on rooftops or in abandoned buildings, vertical farming has a highly controlled environment with temperature, humidity, light and water levels being closely monitored at all times. It significantly reduces the need for toxic and costly pesticides.
Source: Various
According to the Association for Vertical Farming, by utilising aeroponics or aquaponics, a vertical farming system requires 70-95 percent less fresh water than traditional farming. It also uses less space when the rooftops of offices or supermarkets are utilised.
Traditional farming runs the risk of unpredictable weather which accounts for 50 percent of failed crops during harvest. Vertical farms on the other hand can have a yield of at least 90 percent every harvest. Experts estimate that a 30-story farm could feed 50,000 people for an entire year.
Traditional agriculture accounts for 15 percent of global GHG emissions from machinery and transportation. Because vertical farms are based in urban centres, the distance required for travel is far shorter.
A resilient, local economy can survive catastrophes that would otherwise doom a supply chain-independent system. Dickson D. Despommier, professor of Public Health in Environmental Health Science at Columbia University and author of the book, ‘The Vertical Farm: Feeding the World in the 21st Century.’ says that “the world would be a much better place if we had vertical farming.”
Sky high
Singapore is currently the front runner for vertical farming. Companies like Sky Greens and Comcrops are showing the ASEAN region the effectiveness of the system which has increased the island nation’s food production. There were more than 30 vertical farms in Singapore in 2018.
Singapore produces only 10 percent of its food, importing the rest due to the unavailability of land. With current issues of climate change, a growing population and pressing food security issues, Singapore does not want to depend on imports to feed its 5.6 million people. The government there has called for farmers to answer the call to “grow more with less,” with the hope of raising food production to 30 percent by 2030.
Sky Greens claims to be the first economically viable vertical farm in the world. Jack Ng, entrepreneur for Sky Greens says his products range from Chinese cabbages, bak choi, kai lan, and lettuce, to other leafy green vegetables. The company also guarantees freshness as produce hits the shelves a mere three hours after harvesting.
Although Sky Greens’ vegetables cost slightly more than those from traditional farms, the proximity to consumers reduces transportation costs as well as cuts down on storage and spoiling during transport. Sky Greens was able to get a positive return on investment after just five years in operation.
Comcrop’s Allan Lim believes high-tech urban farms are the way forward for cities. The company builds its farms on shopping mall roofs along Singapore’s Orchard Road, and uses vertical racks and hydroponics to grow leafy greens and herbs.
Regional initiative
Urban farming in Southeast Asia is still limited and scattered. Though it is not without its following.
The Philippines has new laws under the Urban Agriculture Act of 2013 which mandates the Department of Agriculture to promote the use of urban agriculture and vertical farming. Aimed to ensure food security and rejuvenate the ecosystem, these laws also mandate that abandoned government lots and buildings owned by national or local governments should be considered for growing crops.
In Malaysia there are movements such as CityFarm Malaysia which is an organisation whose objective is to inspire city farmers with the ability to grow locally for sustainable food production. Currently, Bangkok is developing rooftop farms and mixed-use skyscrapers with open-air farms.
Despommier has said cost continues to be the major drawback as “it requires a heavy investment and creativity to invent the methods and to create a social buy-in.” Vertical urban farming should not be seen as just a current trend but as a viable alternative to food production. Nor should it be seen as a threat to traditional farming.
Can vertical farming solve the global food security problem? The UN’s FAO certainly thinks so, and wants the trend to prosper and become sustainably embedded within public policy.
Related articles:
Food security a key issue for ASEAN
Your plate of rice is hurting the climate
Tags Urban farming Vertical farming, Agriculture Food tech Sky Greens Singapore Technology
Skyfarm Will Be An “Asset”
City of Melbourne councillors have assured Flinders Wharf residents they have nothing to fear from a 2000sqm “skyfarm” that has been approved for an adjacent car park rooftop at 671-701 Flinders St.
29 May 2019
City of Melbourne councillors have assured Flinders Wharf residents they have nothing to fear from a 2000sqm “skyfarm” that has been approved for an adjacent car park rooftop at 671-701 Flinders St.
Residents expressed fears and concerns to the May 7 Future Melbourne Committee meeting over the proposal.
Owners’ corporation chair Thomas McNair said councillors had not received proper advice from officers and he contended the proposal was about creating an entertainment venue.
“This doesn’t pass the pub test in my view – and in the view of my wife and my granddaughter. The proposal is all about an event space and selling liquor and maybe food,” Mr McNair said. “It’s not about providing green space at all.”
Flinders Wharf resident Alan Wong also objected to the skyfarm.
“Basically, I want to be able to raise my young family in an environment that I selected when I bought into that place six years ago,” Mr Wong said.
“I’m trying to figure out what problem we’re trying to solve with this proposal.”
“My concern around this proposal is essentially noise pollution, visual [and] light pollution and loss of privacy, [and] security concerns,” he said.
But Melbourne Skyfarm proponent Brendon Condon, of Australian Ecosystems, said the enterprise would be “a very classy, demure, respectful good neighbour”.
“We’re looking to transform an underused 2000sqm car park into a thriving rooftop orchard, farm, sustainable cafe, conference space and environmental education centre and to create a beautiful space for nature and biodiversity in the city.”
“We’re part of award-winning projects across biodiversity, stormwater harvesting, urban food, zero-emission communities and we hope Skyfarm is an extension of all those solutions which are absolutely needed and critical for a functioning and healthy climate-adapted city,” Mr Condon said.
“We have a car park at the moment which is a heat-bank and is contributing to the heat island effect in the city. Through good design, we will flip it into a cool zone which is ideal for rooftop farming.”
“We think Melbourne is set to benefit and it will be a great platform for accelerating integrated sustainability in the city.”
Lord Mayor Sally Capp asked Mr Condon: “I guess I’m just looking for some confirmation: Is this a disco (if you call them that, these days) disguised as a farm? Or is this really a farm that has some event space? Is this event space going to operate every night? Is it a rage?”
Mr Condon replied: “Definitely not. It’s a hybrid model and community farms need those revenue streams so they’re sustainable in the long-term.”
“It will be a respectful, sound-proofed set of structures. Because they’re sustainable, they’ll have good insulation and double-glazing very similar to zero-carbon buildings we’re building in regional Victoria,” Mr Condon said.
Cr Arron Wood assured residents Melbourne Skyfarm would become a valued asset for the local area.
“I’ve known Brendan’s work for a very long time. So, what you have here is not a nightclub operator.”
“You’ve got someone who lives, breathes and has the runs on the board in terms of urban sustainability, in terms of environmental developments, huge housing developments – you know, six-star, nine-star, 10-star housing developments – that have food production at their heart – communal gardens and the like.”
“So, although it has to pay for itself, and all of these things need a sustainable business model (as well as being sustainable themselves), that’s certainly isn’t the primary focus of this.”
“This is really about urban greening, urban food production and, hopefully over time, that relationship with local residents will build into something that you can be proud of as well.”
“So, instead of thinking that you’re looking over a tavern or a venue, what you’ve got beside you is actually an urban farm.”
“So, to have on your doorstep somewhere to take your young kids, somewhere where they can explore, to engage and understand food production … I think it going to be a huge asset in the long run.”
In response to resident concerns, planning chair Cr Nicholas Reece said: “I want to express my empathy for many very good points that you raised. If I were [sic] in your situation I could very much see myself making many of the same points.”
But, he said, the council’s role was to apply policies and assess against the planning scheme.
“In that respect I do think that this application is compliant,” he said. “I do think there is some scope to be optimistic about what this will add to this part of the city. In fact, there’s a lot to be very positive about what’s happening.”
Breathing Walls to Rooftop Farms: Cities Get Creative For a Greener Future
From "breathing walls" that recover energy and filter air to urban farms on rooftops, cities around the world are experimenting with creative ways to become carbon-neutral, aiming to make no contribution to global warming
28 May 2019
ZOE TABARY
Oslo, Norway
Thomson Reuters Foundation
From "breathing walls" that recover energy and filter air to urban farms on rooftops, cities around the world are experimenting with creative ways to become carbon-neutral, aiming to make no contribution to global warming.
The C40 network of cities tackling climate change announced the 15 winners of its Reinventing Cities competition last week, judged on plans to transform under-used urban spaces into projects that do not emit more heat-trapping gases than they can absorb.
The winning teams of architects, engineers and entrepreneurs – 14 from Europe and one from Chicago – will redevelop sites such as an abandoned market building in Madrid and historic stables in Milan into green areas.
The cities have offered the sites for redevelopment, and each project will be self-funded by the winning team.
"The challenge [to make cities carbon-neutral] isn't really technological – we know how to build zero-carbon buildings – it's to make that the norm," said Mark Watts, head of C40, at the Urban Future conference in Oslo, Norway's capital.
More than 70 cities worldwide have pledged to become "carbon-neutral" by 2050, meaning they will produce no more climate-changing emissions than they can offset, such as by planting carbon-absorbing trees.
Each is going about achieving the goal in its own way.
As cities account for about three-quarters of carbon emissions, according to the United Nations, and consume more than two-thirds of global energy, their success or failure will have a huge impact on whether the world's climate goals are met.
Houses, offices and other buildings account for more than half of planet-warming gases emitted by urban areas, C40 says.
"Take the construction industry, which is very linear and wasteful - you take, make and you dispose," said Anders Wijkman of EIT Climate-KIC, a European initiative to build resilience to climate change.
"What we've done in the past [to make buildings greener] is incremental change - now we need transformation," he said at the Oslo conference.
The winning projects include l'Innesto (meaning "graft") in Milan, which will turn a former freight terminal into Italy's first carbon-neutral social housing project and aims to cover 60 per cent of the area with greenery.
In Chicago, "Garfield Green" will transform 1.5 acres of vacant land into a mix of open space and affordable housing that will meet 100 per cent of its energy needs with solar panels and drain rainfall from a rooftop garden.
Thomas Berman, co-founder of SoCentral, a Norwegian incubator for social innovation, praised such initiatives but said cities must also strive to be more inclusive, for example by improving transport links in poorer neighbourhoods.
"There's a danger we keep pushing sustainable development and technology but only for those who can pay – so cities and businesses should be incentivised to create profit doing good," he said.
Lead photo: A "green" carpark (not one of the projects in the contest): PICTURE: Unsplash
Melbourne Gives Green Light To City Skyfarm
Georgia Clark
13 May, 2019
Melbourne will soon have a new public rooftop farm.
City of Melbourne Council has approved plans to transform a car park on top of a city building into a 2000-square-metre urban farm.
Known as the Skyfarm, the project will sit atop a new $450 million development at Melbourne’s Docklands directly overlooking the Yarra River, with a nursery, beehives, eco education centres, a shop, sustainable café and even a live music venue.
The plans were unanimously approved by council at a Future Melbourne Committee meeting last Tuesday, where a plan to create more ‘urban forests’ across the city was also endorsed.
The farm, funded with $300,000 from Melbourne’s Urban Forest fund, will produce five tonnes of produce each year – which will be used to supply the café and donated to charities like Aus Harvest.
The project, set to be completed as soon as late next year, is a collaboration between urban farm specialists Biofilta, not-for-profit Odonata and the Sustainable Landscape Company.
Commercial and philanthropic space
Brendan Condon from Australian Ecosystems told council that the farm is inspired by New York’s Brooklyn Grange – a community farm which is a hybrid commercial and philanthropic space.
“We believe the proposal represents an exciting opportunity to revitalise the rooftop of an existing building and provide a working example of urban farming in Melbourne central city,” Josh Maitland from Ethos Urban told council.
It’s hoped the farm will act as a cool space in the city to counteract growing carbon emissions.
The approval comes after council last week injected $1.9 million to implement the first year of its Green Our City Strategic Action Plan.
“We will work with the Victorian Government to create a demonstration green roof in the central city and increase the quality of green roofs and vertical greening across the municipality. There are currently around 40 green roofs in the municipality,” environment portfolio chair Clr Cathy Oke said.
Councillors received a number of objections to the proposal, with most citing concerns about noise pollution, light pollution, waste and privacy intrusions.
But the committee was told that the venue will be noise-insulated and equipped with dim lights. There will also be limits on patron numbers to avoid disrupting neighbours.
Nature in cities to become the norm
Director of Skyfarm Nigel Sharp says the project showcases the future of sustainable cities.
“Melbourne Skyfarm represents a fundamental shift in what is means to do business in this day and age. It is a bold and exciting step towards a future where nature in cities is the norm,” he said.
“It is a demonstration of how nature, people and our economy can thrive together and provides a much needed platform in the inner city for interaction, education and story-telling about the wonders of nature.”
The Skyfarm features a number of elements of sustainable design including passive solar design, renewable energy, zero emissions buildings, carbon neutral transport and rainwater harvesting.
The farm will also divert waste produced during the coffee roasting process to a composting system which will be used to grow food.
High-tech classrooms will be used at the farm to educate students and community groups about sustainability.
Marc Noyce, director of Biofilta, said the project is an illustration of the integration of urban landscapes with sustainable design.
“Melbourne Skyfarm is the perfect site to show how cities can build abundant urban farms in any location, and become prolific closed loop food producers.”
Urban ‘Farmers’ Plant Acres of Field High Above Streets of New York on Rooftops
(Facebook | Brooklyn Grange)
May 1, 2019
The last place you’d expect to see a massive, organic farm is in New York City.
High above the sidewalks in one of the dense metropolis’s outer boroughs, though, a group of sustainable farmers have been cultivating a 2.5-acre plot of greens and goodness for locals to consume. And its success bodes well for the future of big cities—and the planet in general.
Corn! Growing on a terrace in mid-town. Love this shot from one of our design / build clients the architecture firm, CookFox. Learn more about our landscaping services: https://www.brooklyngrangefarm.com/landscaping-services #BGbuilds #BGgrows
Join us for an inspiring workshop from longtime urban farmer and Farm School NYC's Growing Soils teacher Molly Culver as we take a deep dive into the complex world of minerals and living organisms at work beneath our feet.
In this workshop, you'll learn about the basic components of soil, and how soil's natural processes can be supported by us to grow healthy food, flowers and herbs. Some basic concepts to be covered in this introductory class are: soil's physical chemical p...
Brooklyn Grange was founded in 2010 by a former Wisconsinite using loans and local city grants to build a pair of rooftop farms in Astoria and the Brooklyn Navy Yard. They grow everything from vegetables to herbs, providing fresh, local produce to both the Brooklyn and Queens communities while proving that sustainable, green farming is possible in even the most unlikely of places.
It wasn’t easy to create the massive farms. It took six days of using massive cranes to get 3,000-pound (approx. 1,361-kilogram) soil sacks up onto the roof of the building in Astoria, which stretches along Northern Boulevard, and they couldn’t just build the farm up on top of a regular roof. There’s a root-barrier at the very bottom of the farms, preventing the roots from penetrating the top of the roof, then a layer of felt and a series of drainage mats that contain small cups to hold excess water. Finally, the soil was added on top, completing the man-made farm in the middle of America’s most bustling metropolis.
Spring has sprung! It’s always so exciting to see the transplants make their way out of the greenhouses and into the great big world. Sometimes it takes them a few days to find their footing on our windy rooftops but once they do, they thrive. These kohlrabi babes will be ready to harvest by mid-June. #BGseason9 #BGgrows
The drainage cups under the soil store water close enough for the plants to eventually use it, limiting the amount of additional water needed to keep the farms alive, and the soil used to grow the plants isn’t real soil at all—it’s actually a special man-made blend that breaks down into special nutrients to keep the plants thriving.
Since the company was founded a decade ago, they’ve moved on from just farming their own rooftop plots. In addition to hosting weddings and brunches, they also provide a consulting service that helps others learn how to turn their own rooftops into sustainable gardens. The goal is to provide an opportunity for anyone who wants to use nontraditional spaces to grow plants and food, making healthy options more accessible and contributing to the improvement of the environment in the process.
Next Saturday 3/23, Anastasia will be leading her day long Modeling an Urban Agriculture Business class. It’s a really great one, and if you haven’t already checked it out, please do (https://www.brooklyngrangefarm.com/upcoming/muabdaylong). To get her ready for all the great questions the students are bound to ask, we’ll be doing our first ever AMA! Tomorrow morning tune into our instagram stories where we’ll be asking all of you to send us all of your questions and we’ll do our very best to get you answers. See you there. It’s going to be great. 📷@rlespinal
Making ourselves right at home in the new house. #movingin #greengreengreen #bgbuilds#sunsetparkfarm #micromadness
They’ve been able to provide consulting to help building owners grow corn in Midtown, tomatoes in Queens, and have even announced plans to open up a third farm in Sunset Park, a diverse community along the water in Brooklyn.
The world still has a ways to go before the offset of pollution and industrialization is widespread. Industrial processes have proven detrimental to both the ecosystems and ourselves; inventing technological solutions, as good as they are, has always been fraught with obstacles. Yet, returning to the basics—seeds, soil, and sunlight—shall remain a safe place to start.
On the darkest night of the year, we want to wish you all a happy solstice and a reminder that tomorrow the days will start to get longer, little by little.
Australia’s First Indigenous Rooftop Farm Opens In Eveleigh
Clarence Slockee with Governor David Hurley at the opening of the Yerrabingin rooftop farm at South Eveleigh.
“You don’t expect to see an indigenous farm in the middle of the city,” she said.
By Heath Parkes-Hupton,
Daily Telegraph
April 10, 2019
Excerpt:
What started as an idea drafted during a comedy gig about 12 months ago has become Australia’s first indigenous rooftop farm, right in inner-city Sydney.
Cultural start-up Yerrabingin opened the working urban farm on top of its headquarters on Wednesday, in the heart of Mirvac’s $1 billion South Eveleigh redevelopment.
The garden, featuring more than 30 native bush foods including finger limes, warrigal greens, native raspberries and sea celery, will be used for cultural education and its products will be sold as fresh produce.
Yerrabingin co-founders, Christian Hampson and Clarence Slockee devised plans for the 2000-plant garden alongside Mirvac to produce a project that recognised Eveleigh’s rich Aboriginal heritage.
Mr Hampson said he hoped it would influence future designs by showing how native plants can integrate a sense of history into new developments.
“What we’re hoping to do with this place is there will be new chapters written at the site,” he said.
“This is a significant step forward in embedding reconciliation into placemaking while harnessing the potential of Aboriginal social enterprise.”
It would be self-funded through 16 monthly workshops, including cultural art and weaving, sustainability classes on permaculture, and food origin and cooking lessons.
Located in Gadigal land, the redevelopment site includes Eveleigh’s locomotive workshops, which were a source of employment for Aboriginal people who worked in the foundry, boiler room and workshops.
Mirvac managing director Susan Lloyd-Hurwitz said the company had paid “careful consideration” to the site’s Aboriginal significance, both in modern times and before settlement.
“You don’t expect to see an indigenous farm in the middle of the city,” she said.
“By working with Yerrabingin we were able to co-create an experience at the precinct that will engage and connect the public to Aboriginal culture and traditions, while educating them on the history of the site.”
NSW Governor David Hurley and his wife Linda Hurley attended Wednesday’s event, while Gardening Australia host Costa Georgiadis did the honour of proclaiming the site open.
Mr Georgiadis said the farm would produce “food for the soul”.
Singapore Makes Room For Allotment Gardens As Urban Farming Takes Root
Singapore now has more than 1,000 allotment gardens in a dozen of its national parks. Each is a raised planter bed measuring 2.5 meters by 1 meter, and can be leased for three years for S$57 ($42) annually
Linked by Michael Levenston
Singapore now has more than 1,000 allotment gardens in a dozen of its national parks. Each is a raised planter bed measuring 2.5 meters by 1 meter, and can be leased for three years for S$57 ($42) annually.
By Rina Chandran
Reuters
Apr 15, 2019
Excerpt:
Rain or shine, every day for the past year, Kanti Kagrana walks a short distance from his son’s flat to Singapore’s HortPark, a national park where he grows chillies, eggplant and spinach in his allotment garden.
Kagrana, a 60-something native of India, is among a growing community of urban farmers in Singapore, which introduced allotment gardens in November 2017, modeled after England’s program which dates back to at least the 19th century.
“I enjoy gardening, but there is not enough space in my son’s flat,” said Kagrana, who has two plots.
“This gives me something to do, and I take the produce home so we save some money, as well,” he said as he turned the soil with a spade.
Agriculture makes up only about 1 percent of Singapore’s land area, but urban farming – including vertical and rooftop farms – is fast becoming popular.
Singapore last year topped the Economist Intelligence Unit’s (EIU) Global Food Security Index for the first time, scoring high on metrics such as affordability and availability.
Hong Kong Industrial Building Champions Green Spirit By Funding Rooftop Farming Through Recycled Cardboard
20 Apr, 2019
Jeff Chan (left) from Jones Lang LaSalle and farming expert Michelle Hong from Rooftop Republic. Photo: Jonathan Wong
YKK Building In Tuen Mun Boasts A 9,000 sq ft Farm That Workers Say Boosts Interaction With Clients And Promotes Bonding And Cohesiveness
At an industrial building in northwest Hong Kong, funds from selling piles of cardboard have been used to seed an unlikely endeavour on a 9,000 sq ft site on its roof – farming radishes and beans.
Workers at Tuen Mun’s YKK Building can choose to grow what they love according to the seasons, and freshly picked harvest are cooked at a staff canteen next door or given to charity.
The aim of the project – which was set up in September 2018 – goes beyond food production. Jones Lang LaSalle, the company which manages the building, launched the farm under expertise from agency Rooftop Republic to bring cheer to an otherwise dreary industrial district and for staff to bond.
Chu Oi-lan (left) enjoys rooftop farming with colleagues. Photo: Jonathan Wong
Jeff Chan Ka-chu, a senior director at the firm, said it wanted to create a relaxing work environment for tenants and foster exchanges between them and building management staff.
“In the past, when property owners and tenants come to the office, it’s mostly about complaints,” Chan said. “But through this project, with a softer touch, we can share experiences with our customers, such as on farming.”
Through this project, with a softer touch, we can share experiences with our customers, such as on farming, Jeff Chan, Jones Lang LaSalle
In the spirit of being environmentally friendly, the money for maintaining the farm comes from paper waste, alongside cans and plastic bottles, sold for recycling for about HK$20,000 to HK$30,000 monthly. The amount of waste each month, collected from tenants, can be up to 10 tonnes.
According to Chan, the farm was set up with more than HK$400,000 saved from over a year of selling waste material. The monthly operating cost now is a sustainable HK$4,000.
Hong Kong urban farmers find bliss in rooftop gardens
Chu Oi-lan, 38, a clerk who has worked at YKK for 19 years, said she loved the leisure activity of farming. Chu and her colleagues visit the rooftop garden during their off hours. She spends about 20 minutes each lunchtime tending to the plants.
Experts have called on the government to recognise the social benefits of rooftop farming. Photo: Jonathan Wong
“I have been waiting for this for a long time,” she said. “We can play and eat. I take watering the plants as an exercise.”
Chu said she bonded with colleagues through the project, and friends were also envious about her company’s farming perk after seeing her posts on social media.
Hong Kong has more than 60 rooftop farms, involving more than 1,500 people, according to Mathew Pryor, an associate professor and head of the landscape architecture division at the University of Hong Kong.
As Singapore runs out of room, rooftop farms offer solution to concerns about food security
In his study in 2016, Pryor estimated that there were some 600 hectares of farmable rooftop area across the city – about 32 times the size of Victoria Park.
“The primary benefit of rooftop farming was not food, but social cohesion and social interaction,” he said. “It’s not adding to the food supply of the city. But they are producing a huge amount of happiness.”
Pryor also noted the affordability of rooftop farms, and called on the government to view such projects as bringing social benefits, especially amid the ageing population.
“Older people who have a lot of time on their hands and particularly in the low-income areas [may not have good living conditions]. The idea of participating in a social [rooftop project] just for a bit of recreation and interaction ... That’s a powerful idea.”
Officials should give more recognition to rooftops farms by offering legislative and regulatory support, he said, while adding that technical help should be offered to people who want to take part in it.
“We can see the whole thing as a social project, rather than a food production project.”
New York City’s Best Urban Farms
When most people think of urban farming in New York City, they picture a bearded Brooklynite picking kale from atop a warehouse while drinking a home-brewed beer. And while that person does exist, there are a lot of other farms in this city that don’t fit the stereotype
From Bushwick to the Bronx, these 17 urban farms provide fresh food and green space for their communities
By Jessica Dailey and Amy Plitt
April 19, 2019
Eagle Street Rooftop Farm | UIG via Getty Images
When most people think of urban farming in New York City, they picture a bearded Brooklynite picking kale from atop a warehouse while drinking a home-brewed beer. And while that person does exist, there are a lot of other farms in this city that don’t fit the stereotype.
From a 19-year-old garden in East New York to a cooperative farm on a formerly vacant South Bronx lot, every borough plays host to at least one urban farm, and we’ve mapped 17 of the most notable ones here.
GrowNYC Teaching Garden
Governors Island
New York, NY 11231
Governors Island has partnered with GrowNYC on this 21,000-square-foot urban garden, which is filled with vegetable beds made from recycled materials. The garden is open for visitors to check out on weekends, and hosts occasional workshops and events.
Iwan Baan/Courtesy West8
The Battery Urban Farm
State St &, Battery Pl
New York, NY 10004
At the tip of Manhattan, one acre in the 25-acre Battery Park is dedicated to growing more than 100 types of vegetables. All of the food is harvest by NYC students, and donated to school cafeterias and food pantries, and resident turkey Zelda keeps everyone in line.
Shutterstock
Riverpark
450 E 29th St
New York, NY 10016
Many restaurants in New York City get their produce from the local Greenmarkets, but few grow it themselves. Riverpark, however, does. Located in the Alexandria Center, the farm uses 7,000 milk crates as grow beds. The farm provides food to Riverpark from spring until fall and grows more than 100 types of vegetables.
John Lamparski / Getty Images
Harlem Grown
118 W 134th St
New York, NY 10030
This urban farm, founded in 2011, aims to educate Harlem’s kids about agriculture, and does so through a variety of programs—there are volunteer opportunities, internships, and a summer camp. The farm has two locations: one on West 127th Street, and one on West 134th Street.
La Finca del Sur Community Garden
110 E 138th St
The Bronx, NY 10451
A group of Latina and black women living in the South Bronx banded together to turn an empty, abandoned lot on 138th Street into a farm in late 2009, and La Finca del Sur was born. The farming cooperative is an official nonprofit, and in 2014, the farm—where owners grow vegetables for personal use—helped launch the South Bronx Farmers Market.
Randall's Island Urban Farm
Wards Meadow Loop
New York, NY 10035
On Randall’s Island in the middle of the East River, 40,000 square feet of land hosts hundreds of plants in 80 raised beds. The farm, which has a great view of the Hell Gate Bridge, is maintained by GrowNYC and the Randall’s Island Park Alliance.
Brooklyn Grange, Long Island City
37-18 Northern Blvd
Long Island City, NY 11101
Brooklyn Grange’s flagship farm is not located, as one would assume, in Brooklyn. It sits on top of a 1919 Long Island City warehouse, and at 43,000 square feet, it’s one of the city’s largest rooftop farms. This commercial organic farm opened in 2010 and grows tens of thousands of pounds of produce every year, but it also hosts events, like tours and yoga classes.
Photo by Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Eagle Street Rooftop Farm
44 Eagle St
Brooklyn, NY 11222
Before building behemoth farms, Brooklyn Grange founder Ben Flanner co-founded the Eagle Street farm, the first rooftop soil farm in New York City. Today, his co-founder Annie Novak still runs the 6,000-square-foot farm, which is located atop a Greenpoint warehouse owned by Broadway Stages. The farm sells its produce at an on-site market, and delivers to local restaurants.
North Brooklyn Farms
320 Kent Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11249
North Brooklyn Farms was previously located on the Domino Refinery development site, but moved to a more permanent space on Kent Avenue and South 4th Street once construction on that mega project began. The farm hosts community dinners, educational programs, and sells the produce at a farm stand.
Oko Farms
104 Moore St
Brooklyn, NY 11206
Located in Bushwick, Oko Farms is an aquaponic farm, meaning that in addition to fruits and vegetables, its owners also cultivate freshwater fish. (Curious about how this works? They host workshops on aquaponics.) Oko recently partnered with Dabar Development Partners and Thorobird Real Estate, in partnership with the city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development to bring fresh food and urban farms to a low-income housing project that’s in the works in Bed-Stuy.
Brooklyn Grange, Brooklyn Navy Yard
63 Flushing Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11205
Two years after opening its first farm, Brooklyn Grange more than doubled its growing power by expanding with a 65,000-square-foot farm in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, moving the title of the world’s largest rooftop farm from Queens to Brooklyn. Together, the two farms produce tens of thousands of pounds of vegetables every year.
Phoenix Community Garden
2037 Fulton St
Brooklyn, NY 11233
Many community gardens dedicate space for produce, but the Phoenix Garden in Brownsville fills its entire 20,000-square-foot plot with edible plants. There’s a grape arbor, a large gazebo, and a rainwater harvesting system, and the garden produces about 2,000 pounds of vegetables every season. A portion of the output goes to a local soup kitchen across the street.
East New York Farms
613 New Lots Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11207
East New York was one of the first neighborhoods in New York City to experiment with urban farming. The first seed for the idea was planted in 1995, and three years later, the first actual seed was planted in the ground. Today, the community-run farm provides produce to 17,000 people each year.
The Youth Farm
600 Kingston Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11203
A one-acre youth farm run by the High School for Public Service grows vegetables and flowers for the community while teaching students about agriculture and food justice.
Whole Foods Market
214 3rd St
Brooklyn, NY 11215
Gotham Greens runs the 20,000-square-foot garden atop the Gowanus Whole Foods, in which they grow 200 tons of organic, non-GMO produce with hydroponic techniques. Much of the produce is sold right downstairs in the supermarket.
Shutterstock
Red Hook Farms
560 Columbia St
Brooklyn, NY 11231
Formerly known as Added Value, this community farm in Red Hook is one of New York City’s older urban farms. It started in 2001, and every year, the 2.5-acre plot produces enough vegetables for a neighborhood CSA.
Snug Harbor Heritage Farm
1000 Richmond Terrace
Staten Island, NY 10301
A century ago, the area where Snug Harbor, Staten Island’s Cultural Center and Botanical Garden, sits was farmland, and the center pays homage to that history with a farm of their own. All of the fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs that the farm grows are sold at the Snug Harbor Farm Stand.
The World's Largest Rooftop Urban Farm Is Set To Open In Paris Next Year
A joint project between Viparis and its partners Agripolis,
Cultures en Ville and Le Perchoir
In 2015, Viparis launched an extensive renovation project at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles exhibition complex. This decade-long initiative will raise the complex to the highest international standards and make it a model of sustainable development.
Paris Expo Porte de Versailles welcomes trade fairs and conferences, but it will also become a haven for sustainable farming and biodiversity, thanks to a 14,000 m2 urban farm on future Pavilion 6's roof. This will be the world's largest rooftop urban farm, offering a range of activities starting in spring 2020. To bring this exciting project to completion, Viparis teamed up with three partners, all of whom are experts in their fields.
An urban farm set and run by Agripolis
The goal is to make this urban farm a globally-recognised model for responsible production, with nutrients used in organic farming and quality products grown in rhythm with nature's cycles, all in the heart of Paris. More than twenty gardeners will produce over a thousand Kg or baskets of fruits and vegetables every day in season, from about thirty different varieties of plants, with Agripolis vertical farming technique.
3D view of the urban farm on the rooftop of Pavilion 6 (Paris Expo Porte de Versailles)
© VALODE&PISTRE ARCHITECTES/ATLAV - AJN
Services by Cultures en Ville
Taking things to the next level, the farm will offer a range of services related to urban agriculture: educational tours, team-building workshops for companies, and vegetable plots leased by residents.
A restaurant and bar with a unique concept signed Le Perchoir
Le Perchoir, Paris's renowned chain of rooftop venues, will open a bar and restaurant on the panoramic terrace of Pavilion 6, with a menu that will include produce grown on site. Le Perchoir's aim when developing its spaces is to spotlight urban heritage and encourage the greening of cities. Building on the success of its previous efforts, the company has now set its sights on western Paris.
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"This project is in line with our goal of making the exhibition complex a part of Paris. We are transforming our venues with a view to sustainable development and maintaining biodiversity, which is reflected in our "Better Events Viparis 2030" strategy. Viparis is proud to contribute to the development of urban agriculture in Paris by making Paris Expo Porte de Versailles a flagship point of reference, and we are excited by the passionate commitment of our partners: Agripolis, Cultures en ville and Le Perchoir.
Pablo Nakhlé Cerruti, CEO, Viparis
"By installing productive farms on the sites we operate, we are helping to foster environmental and economic resilience in tomorrow's cities. This is our guiding principle. To this end, the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles site will supply restaurants in the area, primarily Le Perchoir, but also residents of southern Paris and neighbouring municipalities, either directly or through distribution, and company canteens and hotels."
Pascal Hardy, Founder, Agripolis
"Today, large metropolitan areas are the focal point of a number of ecological issues. These include the loss of natural groundcover, pollution and rainwater management, but also societal issues such as the lack of connection between urban dwellers and their food supply. Cultures en Ville is keenly aware of these challenges, which is why, for the past four years, we have been providing innovative solutions that reconnect city dwellers with a healthier diet. The Paris Expo Porte de Versailles project is an ideal response, by offering local residents high- quality, locally-produced food and the opportunity to cultivate their own gardens. Working alongside our expert partners, we are proud to be building the world's largest rooftop urban farm!"
Clément Lebellé, Co-Founder, Cultures en Ville
"This project combines ecology, high-quality produce, the highlighting of the Parisian landscape, authentic experiences, cultural richness and human warmth. Le Perchoir shares these values, and is delighted to be part of this ambitious, trailblazing effort."
Christophe Talon, President, Le Perchoir
KEY FIGURES
1T of fruits and vegetables / day in full season 22 gardeners
140 cultivation squares to rent
14 000 m2
10 000 visitors / a year / 500 m2 for special events
About Viparis
Viparis, a subsidiary of the Paris Ile-de-France Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, is the European leader in conferences and trade events. Viparis manages nine event venues in the Greater Paris region. Each year, it welcomes ten million visitors (the general public, business visitors and spectators), and hosts 800 events in a diverse range of sectors at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, Paris Le Bourget, Paris Nord Villepinte, Espace Champerret, the Palais des Congrès de Paris, the Palais des Congrès d'Issy, the Salles du Carrousel, the Espace Grande Arche and the Hôtel Salomon de Rothschild.
To learn more , visit Viparis, or follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.
About Agripolis
Agripolis is transforming food systems by installing and operating urban farms that use innovative techniques to generate high-quality, responsibly-produced vegetables and fruit. Our soil-free, aeroponic "vertical farms" require minimal installation. Fruit and vegetables can be grown without pesticides and harvested at maturity, optimising water use and with a very low carbon footprint. Agripolis' vision is a city in which flat roofs and abandoned surfaces are covered with these new growing systems that contribute directly to feeding urban residents, who now represent the bulk of the world's population.
About Cultures en Ville
Cultures en Ville specialises in urban agricultural development. Our core business is the creation of productive, playful and aesthetic vegetable ecosystems. Cultures en Ville is a partner of the AgroParisTech research institute and takes part in cutting-edge research into urban agriculture. With a customisable offer that includes the design, production and management of vegetable gardens, the company has already carried out more than thirty large-scale projects, including the urban agriculture demonstrator at La Maison de la RATP, a vegetable garden at one of La Poste's headquarters and another at the head office of Vinci Construction France in suburban Paris.
Agripolis and Cultures en Ville have each won several calls for projects, including the "Inventing the Greater Paris Metropolis" and "Les Parisculteurs" initiatives.
About Le Perchoir
Le Perchoir's mission is based on the desire to re-inhabit the rooftops of Paris and give Parisians the opportunity to reclaim unusual spaces. Our first challenge was transforming a Parisian industrial building's 400 m2 terrace into a nighttime attraction.
Our rooftop bar quickly became a genuine crossroads for creative minds, a setting for collaborations and partnerships that generated a range of original projects - exhibitions, concerts, popup rooftop restaurants, outdoor film projections, and more.
To expand this nomadic undertaking, we turned to other venues - the Perchoir Marais, with its breathtaking view of Paris and its finest monuments, and the Pavillon Puebla located in the heart of the historic Buttes-Chaumont park.
Our goal when developing and re-appropriating spaces is to spotlight urban heritage and encourage the greening of cities. The venues are Parisian, but act as gateways to other places and other spaces. This is reflected in our musical programming featuring gems from around the world selected by Karl Planck from Radiooooo.com, an eclectic Internet radio station.
ComCrop Completes 2nd Rooftop Farm In Singapore
ComCrop, Singapore’s first and premier rooftop farming company, has completed the “Phase One” portion of it’s new rooftop farming complex in the Woodlands section.
This is ComCrop’s second rooftop operation, with it’s initial rooftop farm atop the Scape Building on Orchard Link. Recently, Joe Swartz, VP of AmHydro traveled from Massachusetts to Singapore to finalize system operations and conduct grower training with ComCrop CEO Peter Barber and his growing team, using AmHydro’s 3-stage NFT growing system.
ComCrop’s Sales and Outreach Coordinator Darren Tan, Board Member/CoFounder Allan Lim, CEO Peter Baber, and Farm Manager Samantha Chin at ComCrop’s original farm site.
ComCrop, with the success of the Orchard Link farm, set it’s sights on larger scale commercial farming with this new 8,600 square foot “phase 1” system to provide more fresh food to this densely populated island nation. Construction recently completed and initial planting began in late October.
To design and build their new rooftop growing systems, ComCrop CEO Peter Barber explains that
“ComCrop chose AmHydro over competing systems because they are best suited for our rooftop environment and will deliver the best yields in Singapore’s unique climate.”
He also adds that “the new greenhouses combined with AmHydro growing systems will significantly increase our yield and allow us to sell higher volumes and larger varieties of leafy green vegetables to local customers.”
AmHydro has developed rooftop farm systems for notable Urban Farms Gotham Greens and Sky Vegetables in the US, and Lufa Farms in Canada. With the first several plantings underway, ComCrop is already looking toward Phase 2 Expansion for early 2019.
This rooftop farming complex will ultimately consist of 8 rooftop greenhouses when complete, and will total over 35,000 square feet. Other sites across the city are also being evaluated for future farms.
Rooftop Farming high above the Singapore Skyline with completed AmHydro NFT system ready to plant
Seeding Bok Choy (left) and after 4 days growth (right)
Bok Choy progressing quickly!
Over 2/3 of greenhouse planted
For more information, please contact Joe Swartz, Vice President of AmHydro at: Joe@AmHydro.com
Or
Peter Barber, CEO of ComCrop at: Peter@comcrop.com
To learn more about ComCrop, please see:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buEB21UVyao https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPRySy3Qtvs
To learn more about AmHydro, please see:
UK: Roof Of Community Food Market Will Produce Enough Fresh Vegetables And Herbs To Feed 100,000 In London
The rooftop farm, using 1200 sq m of hydroponics, will produce 60-80 tonnes of mixed vegetables a year – largely leaves such as lettuce and spinach – retailing to diners at around £8 per kilo, compared to around £25 per kilo in supermarket
Day and night: the hydroponic farm sits on the roof one storey, timber structure of the food market. Interrobang
Thirty food stalls and seating for 600 people will take up the ground floor with the farm covering the entire roof.
By John Walsh
Forbes
March 25, 2019
Excerpt:
The rooftop farm, using 1200 sq m of hydroponics, will produce 60-80 tonnes of mixed vegetables a year – largely leaves such as lettuce and spinach – retailing to diners at around £8 per kilo, compared to around £25 per kilo in supermarkets.
To put the harvest into some kind of context “we will easily provide fruit or salad in a good portion for around 100,000 people, probably around 20% of what we need,” says Rasca.
Redbridge Council, working with the Greater London Authority and London Enterprise Partnership, attracted funding for the regeneration project of which £1.4 million be used to fund the Ilford market.
Rasca never thinks of himself as a leader – “I just have ideas” – but he has thought about food since he was six years old.
Read the complete article here.
Montreal Hits The Roof For Veggies
March 18, 2019 - Produce with Pamela
Lufa Farms, a rooftop hydroponic farming venture launched in Montreal in 2011, has been finding success with the urban greenhouse approach and has been profitable since 2016.
Canada’s Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, toured Lufa’s new 63,000-square-foot facility in Montreal last year.
This particular structure was Lufa’s third rooftop hydroponic greenhouse and helped bring the grower’s total square footage to 138,000 across three Montreal-area rooftops. The greenhouse features purple LED lighting—in addition to available sunlight—so crops can grow year round.
Lufa offers direct-to-consumer, customized baskets, in a business model that is a combination of AmazonPrime and community supported agriculture (CSA). Customers are emailed Friday when the website’s marketplace opens, and they can then customize their basket up until Sunday night at midnight.
Lufa provides about a quarter of the food it sells on the marketplace, including hydroponically grown bok choy, cucumbers, eggplant, lettuce, peppers, and zucchini. Combining this harvest with those of other local growers results in a varied mix of fresh produce, ready for pickup at one of 300 locations throughout the city or for delivery by electric car (for an additional fee). The growing company delivers over 12,000 baskets every week in the Montreal area.
A different rooftop approach, albeit not in a greenhouse, has also been gathering attention in Montreal. Atop an IGA Duchemin store in St. Laurent, 30 varieties of organic produce, including tomatoes, herbs, peppers, and lettuce, are grown for purchase in the grocery store below.
The 25,000-square-foot farm accepts orders from a kiosk located in the produce department downstairs, and shoppers can use the touchscreen to prompt a harvester on the roof to pick their basket and send it down to the store below.
There are also eight beehives on the roof, providing shoppers the opportunity to purchase hyper-local honey. In a smart marketing move, IGA Duchemin has created and posted an entertaining video of the ordering process at the store, available on YouTube.
In addition to Lufa Farms and IGA Duchemin’s rooftop greenhouses, other local sourcing efforts are popping up in the region. Solar and cold weather greenhouses are being improved in hopes of extending the growing season and cultivating food nearer to population centers, and vertical farming initiatives are also getting attention from the research community.
McGill University’s Mark Lefsrud, associate professor of bioresource engineering, knows from his days at NASA (the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration) that it “takes a little less than eight square meters to feed a human.”
Vertical farms, if financially sustainable, could feed the masses near multiple population centers in the provinces. Lefsrud consulted with Urban Barns Foods, Inc. in the grower’s recent efforts in Quebec to make vertical (hydroponic) farming a reality, particularly with respect to leafy greens.
The company has since relocated to Milner, British Columbia, and operates under the name Cubic Farms. Founder Dave Dinesen continues to advocate for urban farming, including in a recent TEDx speech on lettuce—since Canada imports nearly a billion heads of lettuce every year.
This is an excerpt from the most recent Produce Blueprints quarterly journal. Click here to read the full article.
Tagged Quebec
Rooftop Farming to Help Meet Demand For Fresh Produce
The implementation of urban gardens on building rooftops could help boost the production of agricultural crops and ensure the food security of cities.
Urban agriculture on rooftops is an optimal and feasible solution to produce healthy, fresh and sustainable food in the face of increasing demand for these products in cities, according to a study by the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA-UAB).
According to this research, carried out within the framework of the FertileCity project, the implementation of urban gardens on building rooftops would allow the production of agricultural foods and help guarantee the food sovereignty of cities, which are increasingly populated. ICTA researchers estimate that by 2050, 66% of the world's population will reside in cities and the demand for food will increase by 30%.
In this context, urban agriculture is not only a more sustainable food production system, but also leads to improvements in air quality and temperatures, reduces the environmental impact of freight transport and helps support local economies.
On the rooftops
The fertilecity project, which also counts with the participation of researchers from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC), has analyzed the implementation of urban agriculture on the roofs of buildings with the aim of taking advantage of these empty spaces through the installation of greenhouses.
The study highlights that one of the factors that limit the development of urban agriculture is the fear that air pollution in cities could have an impact on the healthiness of cultivated agricultural foods.
The results show that the vegetables produced both in the ICTA-UAB greenhouse (located on the UAB campus next to the AP-7) and in other orchards located in areas with high traffic density in Barcelona are not contaminated with heavy metals, and that the levels of nickel, arsenic, cadmium and lead are well below the legal limits.
The study analyzed the production of soilless vegetables using perlite as a substrate and providing the plant with the necessary nutrients, together with irrigation water from the rain. The contamination with heavy metals through the substrate was also ruled out.
Source: efeagro.com
Publication date: 4/5/2019
Farming On The Roofs of Shopping Malls In Singapore
Agriculture, takes up only about 1% of its land area.
Amidst the luxurious commercial setting of Singapore's Orchard Road, filled with fancy malls, department stores and food courts, there is a farm.
Reuters reports that the 6,450 sq ft Comcrop farm utilises vertical racks and hydroponics to grow leafy greens and herbs such as basil and perppermint, which are sold to nearby bars, restaurants and stores.
Allan Lim set up the rooftop farm five years ago, and recently opened a 4,000-square-metre farm with a greenhouse on the edge of the city.
The goal, in Singapore where land is at a premium, is to tackle food security.
“Agriculture is not seen as a key sector in Singapore. But we import most of our food, so we are very vulnerable to sudden disruptions in supply,” Lim said.
“Land, natural resources and low-cost labor used to be the predominant way that countries achieved food security. But we can use technology to solve any deficiencies,” he said.
In the country where 5.6 million people are densely packed in, land reclamation, moving transport utilities and storage underground, and clearing cemeteries for homes and highways have been undertaken.
Agriculture, takes up only about 1% of its land area.
Last year, Singapore topped the Economist Intelligence Unit’s (EIU) Global Food Security Index of 113 countries for the first time, scoring high on affordability, availability and safety.
However, importing more than 90% of its food, food security is susceptible to climate change and natural resource risks.
As climate change makes its impact felt across the world, the scarcity of water, shifting weather, and population growth will require better ways to feed the people.
A study published last year, cited by Reuters notes that urban agriculture currently produces as much as 180 million metric tonnes of food a year - up to 10% of the global output of pulses and vegetables.
From what was once an agrarian economy that produced nearly all of its own food, from pig farms, vegetable gardens and durian orchards and chicken in the kampongs, to government is now pushing to relocate over 60 farms in the countryside by 2021, to reclaim land for the military.
Speaking to the publication, Chelsea Wan, a second-generation farmer who runs Jurong Frog Farm said: “It’s getting tougher because leases are shorter, it’s harder to hire workers, and it’s expensive to invest in new technologies.
“We support the government’s effort to increase productivity through technology, but we feel sidelined,” she said.