With Floating Farm, New York Looks to the Future of Public Parks

With Floating Farm, New York Looks to the Future of Public Parks

Public foraging farms are sprouting up from coast to coast, but one, in New York, has an especially ambitious social mission.

by Nikki Ekstein

March 31, 2017, 9:44 AM CDT March 31, 2017, 12:36 PM CDT

If you always thought Central Park needed more edible plants, you're in luck.

Come April, a farm full of fruit trees and other crops will float to locations in three New York City boroughs, and visitors will be invited to enjoy nature by literally picking, snipping, and sowing to their hearts' content. Located on a 5,000-square-foot barge, "Swale" will include 4,000 square feet of solar-powered growing space, including a perennial garden, an aquaponics area, and an apple orchard sponsored by Heineken USA's Strongbow Apple Ciders atop a large man-made hill. (The hill allows deeper root space for fruiting trees.)

The project will be open to the public, but it’s more interactive exhibit than floating Central Park; only 75 people can board at once, and docents will usher guests around the grounds. Free educational workshops will include “painting with plants” and “dying natural fabrics,” and volunteers will always be on hand to explain how thoughtful permaculture planning can create a virtually self-sustaining farm.

Waterpod, a predecessor to Swale, docked in Brooklyn, N.Y., in 2009.

Photographer: Michael Nagle

But founder Mary Mattingly’s goals go far beyond providing city dwellers with a high-design place to forage for mushrooms in their next attempt at Beef Bourgignon.

She wants to make people work harder for public spaces, and public spaces work harder for people. She wants to create a model for sustainable urban farming. She wants to create an educational space. And she wants to eradicate the problem of food deserts in blighted urban neighborhoods.

“We don’t have much access to stewardship in New York City,” Mattingly told Bloomberg, “so we wanted to highlight and cultivate opportunities around that idea. People care for spaces that they can pick food from.”

That's exactly what appealed to the approving committee at the New York City Parks Department. "We are trying to prioritize community engagement," said Bram Gunther, co-director of the Urban Field Station, who cited a growing field of study that believes that community involvement, empowerment, and land management must all go hand in hand. "This project will act like a magnet, in a way, and inspire people to civic action," he added. 

A rendering of Swale, the floating forest coming soon to New York.   Source: Swale

That's exactly Mattingly's plan. Eventually, she hopes community investment (and city grants) will take the project from floating farm to philanthropic powerhouse. She’d like to use it as a springboard to raise awareness of such food deserts as Hunts Point in New York's South Bronx, where, Mattingly says, “10,000 trucks pass through each day, and everyone has asthma, and nobody has access to fresh food.” In her perfect world, Swale becomes a conduit to a public park in the Bronx, where “people could pick food 24 hours a day.”

Here’s the only issue with that: Public policy in New York makes that kind of project legally impossible—or close to it—as it currently stands. And on a trial run last summer, Swale barely raised enough funds to keep itself going for a second season. Its manifestation this year in the East River was made possible by the partnership with Strongbow, which has made it a brand pillar to conserve and create orchards around the world. Before Mattingly can sustain entire neighborhoods, she’ll need to sustain Swale itself.

There’s reason to believe in the project, though. First, there’s Mattingly’s own record: In 2009, she spent half a year creating and living aboard a fully self-sustained ecosystem on a barge in New York, which partially inspired the Swale project.

Then there’s the success of other so-called “food farms” around the country.

In Hawaii, the Malama Kauai Food Forest supplies several underserved schools and food banks—to the tune of 37,000 pounds of fruit and 1,000 volunteer hours in the last two and a half years. In North Carolina, the George Washington Carver Edible Park anchored a major urban revitalization project near downtown Asheville, replacing a trash-filled lot with a natural source for plums, figs, chestnuts, and pawpaws, among other things. The list extends to Massachusetts, Colorado, Alaska, Seattle, and beyond.

With the exception of a nascent project in London, no other food forest has cropped up in such an urban setting. Certainly, no other initiative has as striking a design. So Swale should drum up interest. And with an advocate like Mattingly at its helm, converting interest into action should be a real possibility. Even if she fails to create her public farm in the South Bronx, she will likely open up a dialogue that can lead to lasting public policy impacts. 

And let's not ignore the twin goal of creating public stewards, which Gunther says is what he most looks forward to seeing. "The benefits start with people going to Swale and thinking about it—being more aware. Others will be inspired to come out each weekend and take care of their park or advocate for it." Over time, it's something that he thinks will come to represent "an evolution of more sophisticated community engagement in the New York City parks system."

Will Mattingly sail her concept elsewhere? Maybe. “People have approached us about using our plans in other cities,” she said, “but the scope of that seems pretty big for us right now.”

At least, one thing is for sure: There’s never been a more interesting way to treat your winter doldrums.

Nikki Ekstein@nikkiekstein

Exclusive: Bowery Farm’s CEO Irving Fain Talks Vertical Farming

Exclusive: Bowery Farm’s CEO Irving Fain Talks Vertical Farming

By Riana Soobadoo

March 30, 2017

The United Nations estimates by 2050, 66% of the world’s population will live in urban areas.  And yet, though population numbers keep increasing, traditional food production is unable to keep up with the growth.

“IN ORDER TO FEED THE 9-10 BILLION WE’LL HAVE ON EARTH BY 2050 THINGS ARE GOING TO HAVE TO CHANGE” – IRVING FAIN

Enter vertical farming, the practice of producing food in-doors as vertically stacked layers. It allows for control over all environmental factors through a combination of indoor farming techniques that control the environment crops are grown in. This allows for crop production all year round, irrespective of the weather.

To find out more about how the young industry of vertical farming is making an impact, we reached out to Irving Fain, CEO & CO-Founder of Bowery Farm.

Bowery Farm is a modern farming company that uses vertical farming techniques, including LED lights that allow them to mimic natural sunlight, to produce over 80 different varieties of greens under controlled environments.

Their products range from baby kale to mustard greens, and arugula. Founded only in February 2017, Bowery Farm has already raised $7.5 million from investors and, since this past February, has available products at select Whole Foods Stores in New Jersey and Foragers in NYC.

Fain believes there are a number of differences between Bowery and other indoor farming operations. He believes those differences explain how Bowery is quickly rising to a leading competitor position in the market, despite their relative youth when compared to competitors. 

Firstly, their growth system uses a unique combination of automation and proprietary software, which they call FarmOS, to grow the purest produce imaginable in a highly scalable and economic way. FarmOS leverages advanced vision systems, machine learning, and an extensive sensor network to provide complete visibility into every stage of plant growth. This allows them to continuously monitor the health and quality of their plants.

By monitoring the growth process and capture data at each stage, Bowery Farms are able to give their crops exactly what they need, and nothing more. With all of this technology, Bowery can compete not only with other indoor farms, but also with produce grown in the field. Unlike traditional produce, they grow year-round, regardless of weather conditions or seasonality factors.

Fain addressed the concerns held by many when talking about crops that are produced in an unconventional setting, and how to guarantee freshness and quality of produce.

To do this, Bowery Farm has created the “ideal conditions for growing the safest, purest produce imaginable”, Fain said.

They are able to do so because they grow close to the point of consumption, enabling them to deliver produce at the height of freshness, flavor, and nutrition; “food you can feel good about eating”.

Unlike organic producers, Bowery Farm does not use any pesticides, and controls the entire experience from seed to store to ensure freshness and quality.

Fain also went on to explain that Bowery Farms is working hard to “re-think the current agricultural system, bridging the gap between the world’s oldest and largest industry and a future where technology can be used to solve our hardest problems”.

Some of the biggest concerns include world supply of food, and the rise of concern over environmental impact and destruction.

“AS A NATION, WE DEPEND ON CHEAP, MASS-PRODUCED FOOD, SACRIFICING QUALITY FOR QUANTITY AT THE EXPENSE OF OUR HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT.” – IRVING FAIN

Fain explained how some of the most effective benefits the world could gain from increasing urban and vertical farming are environmental. Bowery Farms uses “95% less water” and is “100x+ more productive on the same footprint of land”, allowing them to produce food that’s better for us and our environment.

Bowery is only one of the many high-tech urban farm start-ups that have emerged in recent years. However, it promises to be leading the charge towards an increasingly environmentally conscious, and prosperous society.

Right now the company is focused on their first farm in New Jersey, whilst starting to plan for their next one. However, when asked about the next steps in the future in regards to Bowery Farm expansion, Fain stated how they plan to continue to build additional farms to scale their operations, but not at the expense of quality of produce.

“It’s important that our farms be located close to the point of consumption in order to deliver produce at the height of freshness and flavor, and we hope to serve more cities throughout the country and ultimately the globe.”

Irving Fain, CEO & CO-FOunder of Bowery Farms

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Bowery Butterhead and lettuce growing in a hydroponic system.

Bring Back South Central Farm

Bring Back South Central Farm

South Central Farm Restoration Committee Los Angeles, CA

Once the largest urban farm in the United States, spanning 14 acres and feeding 350 families in the midst of an industrial and residential landscape, the South Central Farm was an oasis flourishing from 1992 - 2006.

Our Mission:
Farmers and supporters have formed the South Central Farm Restoration Committee with the intention to #BuyBackTheFarm. Our goal is to secure the farm and protect one of the last and largest remaining undeveloped parcels of land in LA County. With a land trust in place the farm would be a permanent jewel for the city of LA’s sustainability and green endeavors.

Current Landowner:
Today the land is owned by the PIMA Alameda Partners, LLC, a clothing conglomerate (Poetry, Impact Mfg., Miss Me, Active Basic USA) – with plans to develop the parcel into a retail manufacturing and warehouse facility. With literally hundreds of comparable sites in the LA metro area to choose from, selling the parcel back to the South Central Community will allow for PIMA to be part of the solution for a greener Los Angeles.

The South Central Farm is securing pledges with partners who are ready to step up with funding if PIMA becomes a willing seller.

How to Help: 
In addition to signing the petition, join the conversation online through following @BringBackSCFarm on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. You may also send a Letter of Support to the to the City Council. In the coming weeks we will share community events and powerful opportunities to lend your valuable support. You can email the campaign directly: BringBackSCFarm@gmail.com

The South Central Farmers have continued their mission and currently sell organic produce at 10 Farmers Markets throughout Los Angeles, as well as drop-off CSA boxes in over 15 locations (which we encourage you to visit).

Widespread Support:
Response to the initial phase of the campaign has been strong with widespread support from respected leaders and celebrity advocates like: Daryl Hannah, Scottie Thompson, Shailene Woodley, Nicole Richie, Ian Somerhalder, Van Jones, Moby, and others.

Closing: 
Restoring the farm to it's original location will help grow community involvement and cultural celebration through its programs and park facilities. It will provide more oxygen and less pollution as well as lower greenhouse gasses in one of the dirtiest air corridors in all of Los Angeles, and it will grow the idea in people’s hearts and minds that if you work hard enough for something it will bloom.

This petition will be delivered to:

• Miss Me (Sweet People Apparel Inc.)
  Young Cho

Food System Leaders Gather In Brooklyn To Benefit Change Food

Food System Leaders Gather In Brooklyn To Benefit Change Food

Fifty-five attendees gathered for a mini-gala dinner on March 27 to raise money for Change Food, an organization which strives to create a healthy food system for all by developing programs, events, and resources for individuals and groups changing the food system from the ground up.

Lighthouse serves eggs, meat, poultry, and seafood from local, socially responsible, mostly organic farms and purveyors.

The benefit dinner was held at Lighthouse, a small restaurant in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, offering locally-sourced, seasonal dishes in an intimate setting. As the brainchild of Change Food’s Founder and Executive Director Diane Hatz, known to bring together great food minds, and Lighthouse’s Naama Tamir, an outspoken advocate for sustainability in New York’s restaurant scene, it featured a family-style meal custom-made by Chef Joey Scalabrino.

Attendees filled out a questionnaire prior to the event, which had thoughtfully assigned seating to promote meaningful connections and conversations surrounding different areas of the food system.

Food system leaders in attendance included Andrew Ive, Managing Director at Food-X; Viraj Puri, Co-Founder and CEO of Gotham Greens; Stephen Ritz, Founder of the Green Bronx Machine; and Robert Graham, MD, MPH, Co-Founder of FRESH Med NYC.

The dinner celebrated local producers in Brooklyn: microgreens courtesy of Edenworks’aquaponics operation; organic produce from Local Roots NYC; Sea to Table‘s small-scale sustainable wild shellfish; pesticide-free lettuce cultivated by Gotham Greens; and Sweet Loren’s all-natural cookies to finish. Beer was provided compliments of Brooklyn’s own Strong Rope Brewery.

The event also featured a corresponding online auction of items ranging from a one-hour consultation with Food+Tech Connect Founder Danielle Gould to a beer-making kit from Brooklyn Brew House. All proceeds benefited Change Food as the nonprofit strives to create a healthy food system for all.

From 2011 to 2015, Diane Hatz’s TEDxManhattan series, “Changing the Way We Eat,” brought together thought leaders in the food system. Click here to view Change Food’s free video library, consisting of short-length videos covering both problems and solutions to food and farming today.

City Bitty Farm Has Big Plans For Microgreens

City Bitty Farm Has Big Plans For Microgreens

By Pete Dulin

 - March 29th, 2017 at 9:00 AM

Greg Garbos of City Bitty Farm walks among tiny crops that will be harvested soon in the midst of winter in southeast Kansas City, Missouri.

Standing approximately one to two inches tall, arugula, sugar pea, mizuna, red cabbage, red stem radish, mustard, celery, and cilantro are just a few of the microgreens grown and harvested twice weekly in the farm’s custom-built greenhouse.

Microgreens are whole plants that germinate from seeds and form two seed leaves (cotyledons), which are followed by the true leaves that begin to look more like the mature plant. In later stages of growth, as the true leaves become larger, microgreens are considered a different culinary product. Baby leaf greens typically sold in grocery stores are larger than the specialty products sold by City Bitty Farm.

“As a microgreen grower, we totally focus on quality products for chefs and people focused on hyper-nutrition,” said Garbos, referring to the farm’s client base.

Chef Ted Habiger, owner of Room 39, was the first restaurant to order from City Bitty Farm. It took three years before the microgreen farm landed an account that generated a steady source of income. Over the years, Chefs Brandon Winn of The Webster House, Michael Foust of The Farmhouse, Jonathan Justus of Justus Drugstore, and Colby Garrelts of Rye and Bluestem have also been customers. Chefs use these delicate greens to add flavor and color accents to prepared dishes.

A Big Idea Starts Small

Greg and his wife Jen, an engineer at Hallmark, launched City Bitty Farm in 2010 behind their home on a section of their two-acre property in south Kansas City.

Garbos is also an engineer by trade. He previously worked at Ford Motor Company and a firm in the energy sector, gaining a wealth of expertise in advanced engineering, hybrid fuel technologies, and data management systems. Garbos, a LEED-accredited professional, possess a deep knowledge of renewable energy solutions, how to make buildings energy-efficient, and winter food production.

Strikingly, Garbos had no prior agricultural experience before City Bitty Farm. Years ago, he designed a custom microgreen greenhouse for Eric Franks, a Pennsylvania microgreen farmer. In turn, Franks taught Garbos about this farming niche.

With City Bitty Farm, Garbos sought to reinvent the business model for farming. Rather than a large-scale farm, farmers market, or community-supported agriculture (CSA) model, Garbos devised an urban farm as a high-yield, energy-efficient operation with a small physical footprint.

“I have an engineer’s mindset,” said Garbos, who custom-built each aspect of the greenhouse.

City Bitty sows seeds, harvests microgreens, and makes deliveries 104 times annually. Table surface area in the greenhouse is designed to fit an ideal arrangement of trays. Below, layers of racks serve as insulated germination chambers where seeds pop and grow. When the seedlings reach the desired growth stage, seed trays are rotated to table tops. Growth continues on this “prime real estate” until the microgreens are harvested. Watering hoses and trolley carts are suspended on rails and slide along the length of the greenhouse, saving time while maximizing reach and efficiency.

“My wife and I own the farm but work full-time in professions off the farm,” said Garbos. “I needed staff [so] I am not on site every day. I needed to scale farm operations to make it profitable.”

A small team handles microgreen growing, harvesting, delivery, and client relationships. Garbos sees a parallel connection between the microgreen grower and restaurant cook as well as the farm and restaurant industries.

“Both farms and restaurants have easy entry into the field. You can work your way up,” said Garbos. “Our business model is tied to their business model. Both businesses rely on deliverables with a relentless schedule and heavy seasonality. They don’t stop for holidays so we don’t stop. They keep tables flipping year-round. We do the same thing with our trays in the greenhouse.”

Seasonal production and cash flow at large-scale crop farms tends to dip in winter. “It’s the same with farmers market and the CSA farm model,” said Garbos. “It’s hard to retain clients and employees when you only farm seasonally.”

City Bitty Farm’s ongoing demand and supply cycle enables it to forge through “the backside of the calendar,” and generate year-round cash flow.

“We try to have chefs not think of us as just ‘their microgreen grower,’” said Garbos. “We are a greenhouse extension of their restaurant. We grow to order. It’s intentional. We do this to support restaurants.”

Starting Life in Soil Versus Water

Garbos draws a clear distinction between his microgreens grown in certified organic compost and the majority of those grown across the nation using hydroponic methods.

“Our microgreens have more nutrition density and better appearance and flavor than those grown hydroponically,” noted Garbos.

The United States Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service led a study of key nutrients in 25 varieties of vegetable microgreens. The study was published in 2012 in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. The results show that red cabbage microgreens had 40 times more vitamin E and six times more vitamin C than mature red cabbage. Cilantro microgreens had three times more beta-carotene than mature cilantro. Overall, microgreens have nutrient concentrations that are four- to 40-fold stronger than their mature counterparts, according to researcher Qin Wang, Ph.D., assistant professor at the University of Maryland in College Park.

City Bitty’s growers also pay close attention to the appearance of their microgreens.

“We harvest microgreens daily at the specific size,” said Garbos. “We are professional germinators. We start millions of plants each year.”

Growers watch the heighth of microgreen stalks so they don’t “get too leggy” in ratio to the leaves. Also, a day’s growth may entirely change the shape of leaves of kale frills, for example, that don’t fit established aesthetic standards that chefs expect. Microgreen leaves sell at a high price point. Allowed to grow slightly larger, these greens fall into a different product category at a different price.

As engineers and farm designers, Greg and Jen Garbos launched City Bitty Farm so they could better understand and service farms across the country.

When asked why he started his farm, Garbos replied, “My vision for a more resilient food system involves a dramatic increase in small-scale, year-round food production. We launched City Bitty Farm for chefs, and customers, who eat year round.”

— Pete Dulin writes about food trends for Flatland and is the author of the “KC Ale Trail.” Follow @FlatlandKC and #TapList on Twitter for more food news and trends.

City Bitty Farm grows an abundance of microgreens.

A look inside the greenhouse at City Bitty Farm. (Pete Dulin I Flatland)

Federal Realty Bringing Hydroponic Shipping Containers To A Shopping Center Near You

Federal Realty Bringing Hydroponic Shipping Containers To A Shopping Center Near You

Mar 29, 2017, 7:45am EDT

Updated Mar 29, 2017, 8:27am EDT

Michael Neibauer: Associate Editor Washington Business Journal

If shipping containers can be reused as housing, why not retrofit them for farms, too?

Rockville-based Federal Realty Investment Trust (NYSE: FRT) has struck up a partnership with a Boston-based company to bring farms contained in retrofitted shipping containers to select shopping centers across the United States.

VIEW SLIDESHOW

The partnership with Freight Farms, according to a release, "empowers anyone to use this technology while repurposing Federal Realty's unused parking spaces as a place to locally and sustainably produce food that benefits the shopping centers' tenants, customers and community."

Freight Farms produces what it calls the "Leafy Green Machine," a "complete hydroponic growing system capable of producing a variety of lettuces, herbs and hearty greens." The 40 x 8 x 9.5 shipping containers, weighing 7.5 tons each, include climate technology and growing equipment — LED light strips, closed-loop water system, multi-planed airflow — to ensure a regular harvest, Freight Farms claims.

The Leafy Green Machine costs $85,000, plus an estimated $13,000 a year to operate. The containers consume about 100 kWh of energy per day. With that, plus water, Freight Farms says a farmer can harvest, for example, more than 500 full-size heads of lettuce per week.

"Finding the right location is a major hurdle for most new farmers," Caroline Katsiroubas, Freight Farms' marketing director, said in the release. "By partnering up with Federal Realty, we are eliminating a large barrier to entry for individuals looking to grow fresh produce for their local communities."

Federal Realty will offer parking spaces for rent to freight farmers, providing, perhaps, opportunities to partner with restaurants and grocery stores.

It is unclear whether any Greater Washington shopping centers will be selected initially for the shipping container rollout, expected this spring, though the program is expected to be expanded eventually nationwide. Federal Realty representatives were not immediately available for comment.

Federal Realty's properties in Greater Washington include Pike & Rose, Bethesda Row, Rockville's Courthouse Center and Federal Plaza, Free State Shopping Center in Bowie, Gaithersburg Square, Friendship Center in Friendship Heights and Sam's Park & Shop in Cleveland Park, and Graham Park Plaza and Barcroft Plaza in Falls Church.

Michael Neibauer oversees our real estate coverage and edits stories for the website and print edition.

Lindsey Shute, National Young Farmers Coalition: "We need empathy"

Lindsey Shute, National Young Farmers Coalition: "We need empathy"

Lindsey Lusher Shute, Executive Director and Co-Founder of the National Young Farmers Coalition (NYFC), is speaking at the inaugural Boston Food Tank Summit, “Investing in Discovery,” which will be held in collaboration with Tufts University and Oxfam America on April 1, 2017.

With a background in organizing and state policy, Lindsey co-founded NYFC as a platform for young, progressive farmers to have a meaningful influence on the structural obstacles in the way of their success. Lindsey is a respected speaker and an expert on the structural issues facing family farms. In 2014, she was named a “Champion of Change” by the White House. In addition to her work with NYFC, Lindsey is co-owner of Hearty Roots Community Farm in Tivoli, New York.

Food Tank had a chance to speak with Lindsey about her background and inspiration, as well as the opportunity for talented and ambitious young farmers to inspire food system change.

Lindsey Lusher Shute is speaking at the inaugural Boston Food Tank Summit.

Food Tank (FT): What originally inspired you to get involved in your work?

Lindsey Shute (LS): I started organizing with young farmers because of the challenges that my husband Ben and I faced in growing our own farm. As we met more and more farmers who were facing similar struggles across the nation, I realized that we lacked a political voice. There were too many young people with the ambition and will to farm, but without a way to get there. 

FT: What makes you continue to want to be involved in this kind of work?

LS: I have a constant source of inspiration and motivation in the people that I work to represent: young farmers. These farmers are out to change the country by growing great food, taking care of the soils and water that they depend on, and daring to compete as small farmers in a highly consolidated food system. The risk that these farmers take on behalf of their communities keeps me going. I want them to succeed, and I know what they’re up against. 

I’m also encouraged by our bi-partisan traction and success at cutting through partisan divides. Just a few weeks ago, Rep. Glen Thompson (R-PA) and Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT) reintroduced the Young Farmer Success Act (H.R. 1060) to add farmers to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. These co-sponsors were joined by two additional Republicans and two additional Democrats. These actions demonstrate how farming can be unifying—and a way to overcome national divisions in favor of help for ordinary people.

FT: Who inspired you as a kid?

LS: My two grandfathers were rural ministers and World War II chaplains. As a child, they served as beacons of service, faith, and devotion to community that I can only hope to achieve. When I would attend my family’s church in southeast Ohio as a child, the day would be filled with stories from church members about how my grandfather made a difference in their lives. One particular story that stuck with me is about a neighbor boy who repeatedly robbed my grandfather’s farmhouse. Over the course of months, electronics went missing and eventually my grandfather’s gun. After the kid went to jail on other counts, my grandfather repeatedly visited him and expressed his forgiveness and hope for the kid’s future. 

FT: What do you see as the biggest opportunity to fix the food system?

LS: The biggest opportunity lies in the talent and ambition of young farmers. If they’re given a real chance of success—land to own, sufficient capital, healthcare, and appropriate technical support—they will thrive and change the food system through their entrepreneurship. The candidate for Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Purdue, can leverage this new talent by directing the USDA to stand by young people in agriculture.

FT: Can you share a story about a food hero who inspired you?

LS: Leah Penniman is one of my food heroes. Last spring I gave a short, public talk about why we have lost so many farmers in the United States and I failed to speak to the effects of racism. Leah, in the audience at the time, rightly let our team know that my narrative was incomplete. Her willingness to speak up in that moment and to continue dialogue with our team led to the development of a racial equity program at NYFC—as well as more farmers of color identifying with and joining the coalition. Leah helped me in that moment and I am deeply grateful for her strong voice and leadership.

FT: What’s the most pressing issue in food and agriculture that you’d like to see solved?

LS: With the massive cuts proposed at USDA, healthcare access for farmers on the brink of collapse, and immigration enforcement threatening the farm workforce, it’s hard to ignore the myriad of rural issues created by the Trump Administration. But outside of these immediate policy crises, the nation must address the issue of affordable land access for farmers. In the next 20 years, two-thirds of the farmland in the United States will change hands as our aging farm population retires. How that land transitions will set the stage for the future of our food system. If we provide access for working class, small farmers, we will promote economic vitality, national security, and sustainability. 

FT: What is one small change every person can make in their daily lives to make a big difference?

LS: Practice empathy. In so many of the political discussions that I’ve been hearing recently, there has been so much antipathy for people facing struggle. We critique immigrants who, like most of us, came here for good work and opportunity. We call out folks who couldn’t afford healthcare before the Affordable Healthcare Act, and we undermine government programs that stoke innovation in areas of the country where mobility and economic agency have grown dim. I believe we need smart government programs that leverage best practices in technology and management, but I also want a government that stands by the principles of empathy and compassion for our neighbors. To get there, we need empathy. And to practice empathy, we probably need to drop our phones and make time for conversation with people outside our immediate circles. 

FT: What advice can you give to President Trump and the U.S. Congress on food and agriculture? 

LS: Agriculture is the wealth of the nation, and a large part of our national security. Although so few Americans are now farming, these farmers have an outsized impact on the nation’s health and prosperity. We need to invest in their futures and ensure that we are supporting smaller farms that minimize risk, make our economy more resilient, and keep dollars in rural communities.

Lindsey Lusher Shute is speaking at the inaugural Boston Food Tank Summit.

Consider Urban Agriculture In National Policy Development

Consider Urban Agriculture In National Policy Development

By Joyce Danso, GNA

Accra, March 29, GNA – The Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana on Wednesday implored government to include Urban Agriculture (gardening) in its policy of “Planting for Food and Jobs” to curb unemployment among the youth.

Mrs Victoria Adongo, Programmes Coordinator of the Association also appealed to government to encourage backyard gardening which boosted food production when the “Operation feed yourself” was introduced some year ago. 

Mrs Adongo who was speaking at a National Forum on Local Seeds, Nutrition and Urban gardening held in Accra noted that 200 million people were involved in urban agriculture worldwide and that had contributed to the feeding of 800 million urban dwellers.

According to her, Urban Agriculture had been branded as compliment in the urban food supply with 40 per cent of the population in Africa engaged in the practice.

The programme jointly held by Centre for Indigenous Knowledge and Organisational Development (CIKOD) and the Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana is aimed at drawing public attention to seed diversity for nutrition, health and wealth.

The forum also sought to create awareness on the impact of agro-chemicals on the environment and food quality and educate the public on nutritive potentials of our local seeds, food and the importance of biological agriculture in urban gardening. 

Mrs Adongo noted that urban agriculture maintained biodiversity, ecosystem and provided climate resilience and temperature control in urban and peri-urban areas.

According to the Programmes Coordinator, the concept was however plagued with challenges such as increasing population and urbanisation and the threat of Commercial food production.

She noted that access to land or space by estate developers, competition for water, lack of storage facilities, and conflict on lands were some of the militating factors against urban agriculture.

She called for the institutionalisation and integration of urban agriculture into the country’s economic development agenda.

“Estate Developers should also be entreated to allocate portions of lands for community gardening to boost food production and promote social cohesion.”

Mr Bernard Guri, Executive Director, CIKOD, noted that over the years the focus had been on provision of seeds and chemical fertilizers for increased yield without much concern for dietary diversity for nutrition and health.

Mr Guri noted that those policies had rather resulted in pollution on the environment and water bodies which affected the health of many people.

He said it was therefore important to promote seed diversity and food nutrition.

Mrs Grace Dzifa Wornyoh, Clinical Dietician said no single food could give one all the nutritional needs and called for the consumption of balanced diets to ensure growth.

Mrs Wornyoh contended that the power of nutrition should not also be underestimated noting that under nutrition and over nutrition were the causes of some ailment in the country health problems.

The Clinical Dietician listed urbanisation, income, education and the media as factors affecting dietary diversity.

She suggested the creation of backyard farming as well as promoting improved technology for the preservation of food.

Mrs Wornyoh was of the opinion that nutrition should be a course in educational institutions in order to promote good eating habits.

GNA

South Jersey Startup Alfrea Has Platform to Match People to Land They Can Farm

South Jersey Startup Alfrea Has Platform to Match People to Land They Can Farm

By Esther Surden, March 7, 2017, 10 p.m.

And to match farmers and gardeners to people who want to work their land

Alfrea, a Galloway-based startup, has developed a platform to help individuals move towards growing and consuming local, sustainable food.

According to founder David Wagstaff, the idea for Alfrea came from his family. “My father is 92 and my mother is 86, and they own a farm and live in a house near it. I live in New Jersey and they live in Maryland. As time went on, they needed more help managing and working the farm. I needed to hire more people to help. Over the years, we put signs on the road and used Craigslist. Neither of those methods seemed like the right way to match people to land to me.”

Also, Wagstaff was thinking about his own health and longevity. While he has good genes, with grandparents living past 100, he wanted to make those years quality years. “Food is really the cornerstone for quality longevity,” he said. “It really made some sense to create an application that makes it easier for people to connect with the land, makes it easier for people to find farm and garden help and services, and easier for people to eat well.”

Additionally, Wagstaff and his father both had another problem this platform could fix. They both wanted to grow a vegetable garden near their homes, for their own use. Wagstaff wondered how he could get people to keep up the garden while he went on vacation. “It wasn’t easy to find someone. There are landscapers, but they aren’t necessarily the right avenue to take, especially if you want to grow sustainable foods.”

So Alfrea was born.

Wagstaff began ideating the startup in August 2015, and launched a minimal viable product (MVP) 10 months later. “Simply put, we connect supply with demand,” much like Airbnb, he said. The first task Alfrea took on was to connect people with their neighbors for the purpose of farming or growing food. For now, the startup is focusing on New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Maryland. Wagstaff is working with two additional full-time employees, Lindsey Ricker, customer engagement manager, and John Dynak, who is called “chief everything else officer.”

The MVP was developed as a hybrid open-source platform with some custom development. The startup used offshore developers to achieve its goal. Wagstaff noted that the MVP is fully functional: People can go onto the website and find land or services. And they can use their credit cards, so they don’t have to give cash to anyone. There is a geographic search capability and a way for customers to rate their experiences.

“We are on track to get 7,000 subscribers by the end of the year,” Wagstaff said. He added that the MVP, while not fully featured, is highly scalable, so it wouldn’t be a problem if 100,000 subscribers signed up.

Wagstaff is excited about the social impact his startup could have as it continues to grow. “One of the things I find exciting about Alfrea is that, not only does it have the potential to be a big, scalable business, it has the potential to have a big impact.”

For example, he said, it is a very cost-effective solution to give people who don’t have access to locally grown food access to the platform.  He cited Camden as an example, which is a “food desert,” with no supermarket. “If we had one person once a week in Camden to provide food delivery, it will provide employment for them and access to food for the community,” Wagstaff said.

Also, locally grown food cuts back significantly on carbon emissions, as trucks are no longer driving long distances to deliver food to a community. “Industrial agriculture is one of the problems leading to climate change,” said Wagstaff. “When people grow sustainably and locally, there is the potential to put carbon back in the ground.”

While Alfrea is aimed at individuals, one of the ways the company is going to market itself is to encourage apartment complex managers to offer the sustainable-food-matching service as a perk to folks who live in their communities. “There are over 56 million people living in apartments, and some of those would like to grow their own food, but they don’t have a space to do it. So we can connect them with a community plot or a farm nearby,” Wagstaff said.

Wagstaff is also going after the health and wellness market, attempting have the platform adopted as part of the healthier-eating services offered by company health plans.

Alfrea offers its platform on a freemium basis to buyers. “If you are looking for someone to work in your garden, you don’t have to pay for that. However, the person who is earning income thorough the services Alfrea provides, whether land, services or food, pays a nominal monthly fee.” Right now the fee is $4.50 for individuals and $15 for business customers, although the fees have been temporarily waived to build up the customer base. The startup also charges transaction-processing fees, as well as fees for marketing. And it’s considering exclusive advertising deals as well.

Wagstaff says that the overall market for his platform is large. “Some 42 million Americans are growing some part of their food supply today. I’ve seen studies that say that as many as 82 percent of Americans would like to grow their own food if they had that option.” Those folks are grocery store shoppers, he said. But the problem with grocery stores is that they are hit or miss. Sometimes they have local sustainable food and other times they don’t. Also, they may define “local” a bit more liberally than most foodies would, he said.

The startup isn’t alone trying to help individuals grow their own food. Shared Earth (Fairfield, Conn.) and Urban Garden Share (Seattle, Wash.) focus on people sharing their backyards, Wagstaff said. On the services side, there are a million landscapers; and on the land side, a million farmers. They can be seen as competitors, said Wagstaff, but also as folks who could use Alfrea’s platform.

David Wagstaff, founder of Alfrea   | Courtesy Alfrea

A farm stand, | Courtesy Alfrea

Agricultural Futures: From Home Aeroponic Gardens to Vertical Urban Farms

Agricultural Futures: From Home Aeroponic Gardens to Vertical Urban Farms

03.27.17

Kurt Kohlstedt

Located in an abandoned 70,000-square-foot factory in Newark, New Jersey, the world’s largest vertical farm aims to produce 2,000,000 pounds of food per year. This AeroFarms operation is also set up to use 95% less water than open fields, with yields 75 times higher per square foot. Their stacked, high-efficiency aeroponics system needs no sunlight, soil or pesticides. The farm’s proximity to New York City means lower transportation costs and fresher goods to a local market. It also means new jobs for a former industrial district.

Around the world, urban farms are sprouting up at the intersection of new growing technologies and localvore movements. They vary in scale and focus, but their goals are generally similar: produce fruits and vegetables in more efficient, cheaper and greener ways. Growing in controlled environments also reduces environmental variables, like pests, weather and even seasons (allowing for more predictable year-round yields). Factory farm tenants can also take over and adaptively reuse structures in depressed areas with disused industrial building stock, creating employment opportunities in the process.

In a way, these endeavors are a natural extension of long-standing trends in farming. Small farms gave way to large farms, but the latter still involved open fields and variable environments. Urban farms take things to the next level, making the farm-to-table distance shorter, controlling conditions and further optimizing around available space.

Factory farm approaches are not without the limitations, however. Currently, the cost of material and technological inputs remain high. Also, many of these bigger indoor farms are designed to yield a limited subset of crops (like leafy greens) rather than a complex array of produce. Production weights and yield statistics would be somewhat less impressive were these farms focusing on a broader spectrum of fruits and vegetables, including ones that require more space to grow.

Still, the more these technologies are explored and refined the more efficient they will become — it is worth pushing them forward. At the same time, moving food production indoors and/or to urban settings is not limited to large factory operations. The global trend is unfolding at multiple scales and in different ways.

Expressions of commercial indoor farming can vary from one city to the next, responding to specific opportunities and needs in different built environments. In London, England, old subterranean WWII bomb shelters have been converted into herb farms serving local restaurants. In Berlin, Germany, a supermarket chain has introduced vertical micro-farms to grow greens for their shoppers right inside their stores. In New York City, a prototype barge farm docks at various stops, bringing produce to food deserts. In rural Japan, a high-tech vegetable factory run entirely by robots is set to produce 30,000 heads of lettuce a day.

Small-Scale & Individual Indoor Farming

While some initiatives focus on larger-scale or city-specific production, a trend is developing at the smaller end of the spectrum, enabling urban homeowners and small businesses to become part of a distributed network of production (much like 3D printing). IKEA, for example, now offers an aeroponics kit for indoor home gardening that needs no soil and uses sensors to monitor water levels.

IKEA also recently developed a prototype farming system aimed at letting restaurants grow their own ingredients in-house. As with larger-scale urban farms, these offer a critical advantage over outdoor equivalents: they require no rooftops or backyards to operate.

Integrated & Shared Indoor Farming

Hybrid approaches are also growing in popularity, combining aspects of collaboration and individualization. Shared farming space can take advantage of scale and consolidation but also build communities around shared tasks (and rewards).

A project called ReGen aims to combine the best of all worlds, blending urban, suburban and rural living in a series of off-grid communities. Each ReGen village hosts an integrated array of homes, greenhouses and other institutions, mixing farming and community. They are building the first prototype village outside Amsterdam and then aim to begin deploying the same model around the world.

A Tokyo office building, meanwhile, has already mixed productive greenery into its office spaces, aiming to provide workers with a more natural environment while growing edible fruits and veggies for their cafeteria. Food production is built right into the structure and aesthetic of the building, plugging nature directly into the architecture.

The Future of Indoor Urban Farming

At the heart of the ten projects featured here is an effort to rethink the way we produce food now and will in the future. Existing paradigms of small personal gardens and large outdoor farms can be thought of as bookends to a growing library of indoor farming possibilities.

Of course, some of these projects go viral without regard to feasibility, which could sour the public’s appetite for innovation when visionary designs fizzle in the face of reality. A Farmbot, for instance, sounds great in theory, but the device costs thousands of dollars and is arguably more of a novelty item than a practical technology.

It is hard to say whether large-scale urban farms, city-specific solutions, distributed-tech approaches or hybrid ideas will dominate the next generation of urban agriculture, but it is well worth pursuing projects spanning these extremes (as well as alternatives in between).

Exterior rendering of AeroFarms factory conversion in New Jersey

Aeroponics system diagram

Bomb shelter farm, supermarket micro-farm, floating barge farm and robot-run factory farm

Why Yardfarm?

Why Yardfarm?

• Yardfarmers Trailer
•  Call For Contestants
• About Us
• Blog
•  Resources
•  Why Yardfarm?

America’s future depends on cultivating the next generation to be yardfarmers.

The global climate is changing fast. This will require a radical shift in America’s economy, either proactively to limit carbon emissions, or in response to disruptions in global trade, and in food and energy supplies caused by runaway climate change. In turn, the consumer economy that provides the majority of the country’s jobs will inevitably contract.

Young people are often the first pushed out of a shrinking economy (as can be seen in Spain and Greece, both with youth unemployment rates of over 50 percent). Even today in the U.S.—in a relatively strong economic position globally—unemployment for 20-29 year olds with a college degree is at 11 percent, with many more ‘underemployed.’ Economists from the University of British Columbia and York University found that “Having a B.A. is less about obtaining access to high-paying managerial and technology jobs and more about beating less-educated workers for the barista or clerical job.” About 60 percent of 20-29 year olds still rely on parents for money, and 20 percent have moved back in with them—typically a source of great shame in the individualist American culture.

Meanwhile, the fifth largest crop in America is the turf-grass lawn with 40 million acres under cultivation, just after corn, soy, hay and wheat. These lawns are significant emitters of carbon dioxide (thanks to lawn mowing), major users of water (including in drought-prone areas), and considerable polluters as they absorb three million tons of chemical fertilizers and 30,000 tons of pesticides each year.

But imagine turning this upside down. What if adult children could proudly move back in with their parents—filling underutilized housing stock, reviving multigenerational living, and converting the ecologically problematic lawns around the neighborhood into a major source of sustainable food, household security and community resilience?

While yardfarming isn’t easy, it can be highly productive. Just a quarter acre of yard can produce more than 2,000 pounds of fruits and vegetables and provide a six-fold return on every dollar invested. The Victory Garden movement during World War II reveals the potential of this type of small-scale farming mobilization, with 18-20 million Victory Gardens producing 40 percent of household vegetable needs by the war’s end.

Imagine if suburban, exurban and even small urban plots around the country were converted to yardfarms. This land could create new livelihoods, food security, community resilience, and more biodiverse lands that would absorb water runoff, attract local wildlife, and sequester carbon (in the form of richer soils). Moreover it would reduce demand for lawn chemicals, and over time reduce demand for industrial food and farming—in turn making it possible for those lands to be rewilded.

And perhaps best of all, it would start rebuilding the norm around multigenerational living. In 2013, average home size in the U.S. hit a new record of 2,598 square feet, with an average of just 2.54 people living in the average American household. Having young people move back in to family homes would rebuild family ties and increase family interdependence, shrink household living costs, and reduce housing impacts on the environment and demand for new housing, all of which is a far more resilient, more sustainable way to design households and communities in the disrupted future that’s on our doorstep.

Growing Greens In The Grid: The Future of Urban Agriculture

Growing Greens In The Grid: The Future of Urban Agriculture

Feil Hall Brooklyn Law School

205 State Street Brooklyn NY 11210, Brooklyn, New York 11201

Thursday, April 6
6:30 to 8:30 p.m.: Networking Reception with Panel Discussion to Follow

Before the reception and panel, you are invited to attend the Fourth Annual CUBE Innovators Competition from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.

About the Panel Discussion
The Center for Urban Business Entrepreneurship (CUBE) will host a panel and networking event to discuss the growth of the urban agriculture industry in the Brooklyn and greater New York City communities. Joined by the Office of the Brooklyn Borough President and members of the New York City Council, the panel will feature industry leaders and policy experts who will explore the technology and market forces driving innovation in urban agriculture, and chart a legislative path forward to expand existing policy, foster the creation of food growth opportunities in local communities, and nurture thriving new businesses.

Discussion topics will include the role played by attorneys in providing guidance to stakeholders in this pioneering market and the ways in which city officials and policymakers are addressing the economic and nutritional needs of local communities. The discussion will be bookended by CUBE Fellow Tatiana Pawlowski's ’17 presentation of her white paper “From Food Desserts to Just Deserts: Expanding Urban Agriculture In New York City Through Sustainable Policy.” Please join this conversation about the future of how urbanites will grow and source their food.

Moderated by John Rudikoff, CEO and Managing Director, CUBE

Sponsored by CUBE, Office of the Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams and Rafael L. Espinal Jr., Council Member for the 37th District

Location
Brooklyn Law School
Feil Hall, Forchelli Conference Center, 22nd Floor
205 State Street
Brooklyn, NY
brooklaw.edu/directions

CUBE Innovators Competition
Watch Brooklyn Law School’s own version of “Shark Tank,” in which five teams of students present to a distinguished panel of judges their proposals for entrepreneurial approaches to address social and business issues or legal problems and legal practice. Learn more.

RSVP online before Monday, April 3

Urban Agriculture Shifts Tactics Under Trump

Urban Agriculture Shifts Tactics Under Trump

D.C. organizations who depend on urban agriculture to feed the food insecure will be impacted.

JENNY SPLITTER

 MAR 28, 2017 9 AM

Advocates for urban agriculture are nervous these days. President Donald Trump has said little about his agriculture policy plans, his Agriculture Secretary nominee Sonny Perdue is a longtime ally to traditional rural agribusiness interests, and Trump’s proposed budget slashes funding for many of the agencies upon which urban residents depend.

At a recent daylong summit on “The Future of Food Policy” hosted by Washington D.C.-based Food Tank, urban agriculture advocates expressed dismay over the current political climate, describing it as both chaotic and frightening. In the midst of this chaos, negotiations for the 2018 Farm Bill are already underway and supporters of urban agriculture are scrambling.

Kathleen Merrigan is a former U.S. Department of Agriculture Deputy Secretary and longtime advocate for both organic and urban farming. Many observers say she’d be the Agriculture Secretary right now had Hillary Clinton won the election. Less than 100 days into Trump’s presidency, she sounds worried.

Executive Director of Sustainability at George Washington University, Merrigan, told the food policy summit audience she’d heard “the forces of darkness want to eliminate organic” from the Farm Bill entirely. Both organic and urban agriculture programs may be at risk for federal funding cuts, but Merrigan stands ready to defend the space urban agriculture has carved out for itself.

“Urban agriculture can’t feed the world—heck, it may not even be able to feed the block,” she quipped, but Merrigan insists the movement has more than earned its seat at the policy table. Urban farms matter, according to Merrigan, because they offer city dwellers a way to find a connection to the land and even their rural-dwelling, fellow Americans.

Historically, the Farm Bill has always brought together unlikely allies, so Merrigan is urging urban agriculture advocates to work with traditional rural agriculture groups. Considering the many cuts to rural programs that Trump is proposing, Merrigan’s suggestion makes a lot of sense. She made that plea while sharing the stage with Kip Tom, a rural farmer from Indiana and a Trump supporter, signaling, perhaps, that negotiations can happen anywhere.

While Merrigan opined about federal funding, Chris Bradshaw, Executive Director of the D.C.-based non-profit Dreaming Out Loud, honed in on urban agriculture programs in the District. Bradshaw also sits on the D.C. Food Policy Council. For Bradshaw, D.C.’s city farms grow food, yes, but they’re also a conduit for social justice, or at least that’s what Bradshaw feels they should be.

Bradshaw was one of the few to explicitly mention racial justice at the Food Tank summit and, as quoted in a recent piece over at Civil Eats about urban farms and gentrification, Bradshaw says that for urban farms to truly feed food insecure residents, and not just those who already have a wide array of fresh and local produce options, urban farmers have to take the time to build relationships within the communities they want to serve.

Dreaming Out Loud’s urban agriculture project Kelly Farms will cover an ambitious two acres in Ward 7, and that requires funding. Right now, the U.S. Department of Agriculture provides support for urban farming projects like Kelly Farms in a variety of ways, including grants, loans, and training programs, so if Congress were to follow Trump’s recommendations and cut many of these programs, how would that impact D.C.?

If federal grants and other funding support were cut, urban agriculture advocates may become increasingly reliant on city funding. Speaking later that day at the Food Tank summit, Councilwoman Mary Cheh explained that when past presidential administrations cut federal funding, city governments were the ones to step in and fill the gaps.

For now, Trump’s budget proposal is just a proposal, of course, but if these cuts are eventually enacted by Congress, Cheh says D.C. is indeed ready to make up the difference. Councilperson Cheh was the legislative driving force behind funding for school vegetable gardens, tax incentives for urban farms, and the D.C. Food Policy Council, so her track record for funding urban agriculture programs is well-established.

Of course, D.C.’s financial and political independence feel just a bit precarious these days, thanks to Trump and some recent maneuvering by politicians like Congressman Jason Chaffetz, but many of D.C.’s urban agriculture supporters say all they can do is use the funding they have today and make sure their local political support is lined up for tomorrow.

Case Study: Boston Urban Farm Retailing Ordinance

Case Study: Boston Urban Farm Retailing Ordinance

March 28, 2017

by Barry Greenfield

While urban farming was catching on in many cities, changes to a Boston ordinance — Article 89 — allowed urban farmers to sell direct.

BOSTON — Originally published June 4, 2014 — Boston officials passed legislation to accommodate a comprehensive transactional urban agriculture system to provide healthy, locally-sourced food in low-income neighborhoods. The law helps farmers grow and sell their produce within the city.

Goal
Boston residents had been pushing lawmakers to support urban farming legislation to increase accessibility of healthy produce to low-income neighborhoods. In response, the city passed Article 89 and the mayor signed it into law. Prior to the passing of Article 89, farmers were not permitted to sell the goods derived from city gardens. Likewise, local restaurants could not buy from farmers within city limits. The legislation expanded changes to the city’s zoning code that supported community gardens to also allow for urban farms.

Not only did Article 89 lift restrictions on growing and selling produce within Boston, but it also detailed all the steps farmers must take to properly build an urban farm and launch a local business in line with other city laws to avoid fines or penalties. It provides farmers the guidance they may need to translate growing practices into an urban environment, such as apartment building rooftops.

Furthermore, Boston officials identified city-owned pieces of land that would be suitable for farming as well as seeking out proposals from farmers interested in setting up a farm in the city. Farmers will be able to purchase up to 6,000 square feet plots of land for $100 to get their farms up and running, so long as the land is used for farming for the next 50 years.

Thus, Article 89 not only eliminated barriers to urban farming immediately, but set up requirements to ensure long-term sustainability of projects that address communities in need.

Urban Farms Sprouting
Many major cities have embraced urban farming initiatives, including Chicago, Los Angeles and New York City. In the Big Apple, Gotham Greens launched with the goal of enabling urban farmers and providing the community with organic, pesticide-free vegetables. The group leverages advanced technology to create a climate-controlled, greenhouse environment where produce can be grown year-round despite the New York City climate. Because their urban farms are not located on open rooftops victims to weather fluctuations, Gotham Greens produce is available year-round.

Gotham Greens has several locations throughout New York City. One 20,000 square foot space atop a Whole Foods in Brooklyn reportedly harvests 200 tons of organic produce annually. The facility utilizes hydroponic technology to provide plants with nutrients through a water supply, rather than soil. Through hydroponics, Gotham Greens is able to bypass the need for green space to support urban farming, instead focus on a water-efficient form of agriculture using recycled water to grow produce. Hydroponics offer a solution to problems plaguing farmlands across the country – such as drought and extreme temperatures – that are shrinking harvests and driving up fresh food costs.

City-Grown Goodness
EfficientGov has reported on a variety of urban farming initiatives, many of which start with simple adjustments to city zoning codes.

Michael Abelman: Urban Agriculture

Michael Abelman: Urban Agriculture

By PeakProsperity on March 27, 2017 3:43 pm in Politics, Videos

Food security is a foundational cornerstone of resilience, which is why here at Peak Prosperity we recommend sourcing a substantial percentage of your food calories locally. Buy from nearby sustainable farms and, if at all possible, grow some of your own food yourself.

Broin / Pixabay

Urban Agriculture

While many of our readers are now doing exactly this, we commonly hear how difficult it can be to follow these steps for those living in the suburbs or large cities.

Today, we welcome Michael Abelman to the program to share a successful urban agriculture model he’s helped to pioneer. Michael is the founder of the non-profit Center For Urban Agriculture, and has recently authored the book Street Farm: Growing Food, Jobs, and Hope on the Urban Frontier — which focuses on his efforts to transform acres of vacant and contaminated land in one of North America’s worst urban slums and grow artisan-quality fruits and vegetables.

In today’s discussion, Michael Abelman walks us through how farming in our cities is indeed possible. In fact, it not only results in healthier foods, but in healthier communities, too:

Our Sole Food Street Farm started when I received a phone call, eight or nine years ago, asking me to attend a meeting in Vancouver on the downtown eastside. The downtown eastside is a distressed neighborhood where the term “Skid Row” was coined. The invitation was to meet with several social service agencies in the neighborhood to discuss some interesting strategies for helping people in that community — the entire neighborhood is almost entirely inhabited by folks who are dealing with some form of long-term addiction, mental illness, and certainly, high levels of material poverty.

The group of people meeting had access to a half acre parking lot next to one of the dive hotels, and we decided there was a desire to do something agricultural. We decided that the most important thing that we could achieve was to try to create a model that developed meaningful work employment; a reason for people to get out of bed each day. And so, we developed that first half acre as a model — we created a technical system that allowed us to safely grow on either pavement or contaminated land using innovative boxes we designed that isolate the growing medium.

And we eventually expanded to over almost five acres of land on four different sites — including a production orchard, 16,000 square feet of high tunnel unheated greenhouses, and large open parking lots — to the point where we’re now producing 25 tons of food annually and employing close to 30 people.

And we now have people employed with us who before had never held a job for longer five or six months, but they’ve been with us now for almost eight years in supervisor positions, having in many ways cleaned up their act, learned new skills, and found some sense of purpose.

Click the play button below to listen to Adam’ interview with Michael Abelman (58m:23s).

The Growing Trend of Vertical Farming

CBS NEWS

March 27, 2017, 11:46 AM

The Growing Trend of Vertical Farming

The world’s population will climb from around seven billion people to nearly 10 billion by 2050. That will make it even more challenging to feed everyone on the planet.

Companies like AeroFarms are rethinking how we grow fresh and affordable produce through vertical farming -- growing vegetables like kale, arugula and watercress indoors on shelves stacked seven levels high. When all is said and done, AeroFarms hopes to produce 1.7 million pounds of greens a year.

A 70,000-square foot facility, housed in a former Newark, N.J., steel plant, is AeroFarms CEO David Rosenberg’s green machine. It grows 130 times more produce than the average American field farm of the same size per year.

But to fully understand this large-scale operation, you’ve got to go back to its roots, where it all began seven years ago, inside Philip’s Academy Charter School.

AeroFarms’ prototype was planted in the school’s cafeteria as a teaching tool for students to learn the basics of biology, chemistry, and nutrition.

“I think growing food every day and seeing it, I understand and have a better taste for it, and understanding for it,” said student Susannah Love. “I appreciate it a lot more.”

The technology is called aeroponics, which grows plants on a re-usable fabric -- proprietary information.

But as Love explained it to CBS News correspondent Michelle Miller, this process needs no soil, no sunlight, and uses less water than conventional farming.

“We’re misting it from underneath, so the water comes up through the sheet and it hits the seedlings.”

Hits them with a nutrient-rich solution that allows the plant to take root. LED lights substitute for the sun.

Rosenberg says vertical farming offers higher yields with less land, less time, and no pesticides. They can farm indoors in any city, anywhere around the world: “From seed to harvest in 16 days, what otherwise takes 30 days in the field,” he told Miller. “And then we’re able to do that 22 times a year versus, in the field, three times a year, because of seasonality.”

Still, not everyone is sold.

“Early adopting is not necessarily bad,” said Cornell University researcher Kale Harbick. But he says his studies found indoor farms that rely solely on artificial light are not energy-efficient or sustainable.

“Just because it’s possible to grow inside a warehouse doesn’t mean it’s a good idea, doesn’t mean it’s cost effective,” said Harbick. “If you do the math, the energy costs just aren’t what they should be.”

Harbick warns these companies struggle once their seed money runs dry. Case in point: One Chicago-based company recently shut down its growing operations.

Rosenberg says AeroFarms LEDs that run 24/7 have been tweaked to save energy. He didn’t share just how much.

Investors believe in it. AeroFarms has raised more than $50 million from the likes of Goldman Sachs and Prudential, and received more than $9 million in state and local grants.

Miller asked, “Why would someone want to buy from you as opposed to a field farmer or a greenhouse farmer?”

“Here, we’re growing in the local community,” he replied. “That’s the supply chain difference. But it turns out that we’re able to compete on taste and texture.”

By adjusting the lights and nutrients, Rosenberg says they can also make their arugula more peppery, their kale a little sweeter.

Which for many of us, parents in particular, might be the biggest selling point of all, to get their kids to enjoy their greens.

AeroFarms’ product is available in area grocery stores and supermarkets for about $3.99 a package.

        
For more info:

• aerofarms.com
• Philip’s Academy Charter School, Newark
• Kale Harbick, Cornell University

Aerofarms' 70,000-square foot facility, a former Newark, N.J., steel plant, grows 130 times more produce than the average American field farm of the same size per year.

 CBS NEWS

Seedlings being grown by students at Philip's Academy Charter school. The students grow some of the greens for their cafeteria's salad bar.

 CBS NEWS

CEO David Rosenberg gives correspondent Michelle Miller a tour of Aerofarms' vertical farming facility.

 CBS NEWS

How A Rooftop Farm Feeds A City

How A Rooftop Farm Feeds A City

FEBRUARY 18, 2016 BY JESS

You all probably know my love for greenhouses, local food and educating city folk on where their food comes from.

Last night, I just put on another ted talk to watch whilst I cooked dinner, and decided to simply click on one of the ‘recommended’ videos that popped up on Youtube. My mood went from average to incredibly happy, in a matter of seconds. THANKS Youtube, you have impressed me once again. 

This Ted talk video merged all these passions of mine, into one.

Greenhouses formed the major part of my first job as a graduate. I loved observing how the crops were growing in a protected environment, and how different growing techniques influenced the quality and yield gained. My Australian boss was Dutch, so understandably I learned a lot on the processes involved with growing a good greenhouse crop, from this expert.

Local food, as outlined in the video, is something that ‘is not new’ but something we miss in urban populations. I love growing my own veg at home, and consider myself to know quite a bit about agriculture, however, I cringe a bit, every time I visit a farm to see waste, or hear of food getting wasted. In the Montreal rooftop greenhouse outlined in the video, there is very little food waste, as produce is eaten very soon after production, with minimal transportation. Incredible.

Educating city folk on where food comes from, my final passion, really needn’t even be an issue. Hearing towards the end of the video, that urbanites were picking their own food and reducing the need for not only food miles, but resources, whilst seeding sustainability by knowing their food, just gave me so many warm fuzzies- we definitely need more of this.

So in this Ted Talk, Mohamed Hage, a Lebanese born Montreal-dweller, educates us on the disconnect I observe daily, and how to address it, by utilizing the ‘underwear’ of the building- the roof.

Sustainable agriculture means recycling water, optimizing energy use and growing without any synthetic pesticides, herbicides or fungicides. It doesn’t just stop at the farm.

• Water conservation: Recirculation of irrigation water and capturing rain water
• Pest control: Biocontrols take care of harmful pests
• Saving energy: Using half the energy to heat
• Compost: Composting organic waste on-site
• Freshness: Delivering the same day produce is harvested

Here is his business if you’d like to read more: http://lufa.com/en/ Please do- it’s an amazing website and concept.

Here we go, Canadians, once again, bawse.

Who else is up for greenhouses on supermarket/community centre rooves? Who would like to help me instigate this technology in Australia’s largest cities of Sydney and Melbourne?

HELP SPREAD THESE LITTLE SEEDS OF SUSTAINABILITY FOR ME! 

Peace,

Jess

Innovator Uses Technology To Build Urban Micro-Farms

Innovator Uses Technology To Build Urban Micro-Farms

Former resident’s Cityblooms firm working on sustainable food solutions.

By Aleese Kopf - Daily News Staff Writer

Nick Halmos, the son of Palm Beach resident Vicki Halmos, recently received an Innovator of the Year Award for his company Cityblooms and its work for sustainable food solutions in Santa Cruz, Calif. Halmos is seen here at his mother’s home Thursday in Palm Beach.

(Michael Ares / Daily News)

Posted: 6:30 a.m. Monday, March 27, 2017

Nick Halmos, son of longtime Palm Beacher Vicki Halmos, recently was recognized for his work to fight food insecurity.

Halmos, 37, grew up on the island and attended Palm Beach Day Academy. He now lives in Santa Cruz, Calif., and is CEO and founder of Cityblooms, a company that uses technology to create controlled, micro-farms in urban environments.

Cityblooms farms grow in an enclosed environment with automated controls for temperature and water use. Farm management software keeps track of crop schedules and maintenance.

Last week, Halmos was named Innovator of the Year by Event Santa Cruz at its annual NEXTies awards show that honors individuals and businesses who inspire the Santa Cruz community.

Halmos, a graduate of Brown University with a law degree from Vanderbilt, was recently in town and shared what his company is about and why its work is important.

How did you become interested in farms and growing things?

I first became interested in urban agriculture in an entrepreneurship class (my undergraduate focus) at Brown. At that time (2001), global warming issues were finally getting mainstream attention. I became keenly interested in the business case for improving supply-chain inefficiencies in our food system by learning to grow food in the underutilized nooks and crannies of the urban environment. In other words, what would happen if we could bring the farm to the people and measure seed to fork in yards, rather than miles?

What was your first project?

After graduating from Brown, I stayed in Providence and started to collaborate with some of my friends who had just graduated from RISD [Rhode Island School of Design]. They were interested in urban renewal. I was interested in urban farming. So together we built the first “shipping container farm” by building a hydroponic system inside an old shipping container. We set up operations at an abandoned steel mill and that project ran for three years, growing basil for restaurants in the Italian district of Providence.

What was your first Cityblooms success story?

It must have been my proximity to major technology and agricultural centers (i.e. Silicon Valley and Salinas), but by 2011, I once again found myself keenly interested in the technology of growing food. I spun the Cityblooms effort back up inside a barn where we built almost 50 prototypes and filed four patents before we drew the attention of one of the large technology companies in the Bay Area (Plantronics) that was interested in hosting an installation to grow fresh produce for its campus eatery. This gave us the incredible opportunity to put some of our ideas into action and make a big push forward with our technology.

That first “food growing robot” has been remarkably successful and has produced over 100 different varieties of crops in the three years since our first harvest. It was not long before other organizations were contacting us about similar projects. Over the course of the last three years, we have been fortunate to work with companies as large as Apple and as small as our local community organizations. In the process, we have learned how to create intensive food-producing systems in a variety of underutilized urban settings such as parking lots, rooftops, and warehouses. We have also been fortunate to be able to deploy our technology in more traditional agricultural settings, such as the greenhouses of Central California.

Why are you passionate about this topic?

The Cityblooms team is passionate about contributing to the transformation of our food system. With a global population projected to reach 9 billion by 2050, global agricultural output must increase by 70 percent. As Nobel Prize winner Normal Borlaug pointed out, over the next 50 years we have to produce more food than we have in the past 10,000 years. Considering the impressive sustainability gains created by efficient and local food production, there will be the opportunity to grow certain classes of highly perishable crops in a much more decentralized, and community oriented, fashion than the status quo. This will not be the single silver bullet that solves this tremendous challenge, but it will be a part of the larger solution.

How can residents and businesses contribute to food sustainability?

There are many fruits and vegetables sold in Palm Beach stores that travel thousands of miles. This not only has a negative impact on the environment, but also food that travels long distances can be of inferior quality to locally sourced products. For example, many types of green vegetables can lose up to half of their beneficial nutrients after only a few days in packaging.

Palm Beach residents can help this transformation of our food system by supporting locally grown products. Consumers should embrace the seasonality of fresh produce items. Look at the packaging on your food, and pay attention to where it is from. Vote with your wallets and buy local. As the demand for local food products increases, local farms will spring up to meet that demand.

Toronto’s Urban Farming Residence Will Bridge the Gap Between Housing and Agriculture

Toronto’s Urban Farming Residence Will Bridge the Gap Between Housing and Agriculture

• 14:00 - 25 March, 2017
• by Osman Bari

 With the ever-expanding global population, cities around the world today are caught in the midst of mass urbanization; the resultant problems are the topic of much of the current architectural discourse. From these trends stems the challenges of providing adequate amounts of both housing and urban green space, and by extension, providing adequate food production. In order to address this divide, Toronto will soon be home to The Plant – a mixed-use community revolving around sustainable residential urban farming and social responsibility in the Queen Street West neighborhood.

“It might seem extreme, but we orientated this entire project around our connection to food,” says Curated Properties partner Gary Eisen, one of the developers involved in the project. “It’s our guiding principle and the result is a building that lives and breathes and offers a better quality of life to the people who will live and work here. The Plant is a community that fits with the foodie culture that has come to define Queen West.”

Developed by Curated Properties and Windmill Developments, both of which have ample experience with prior sustainable projects in the area, The Plant is to be a beacon for sustainability and “agri-tecture,” located at the former site of Dufflet Bakery, one of Toronto’s most innovative food production companies.

With retail outlets at street level and offices on the second floor, the intention is to appeal to businesses and tenants that share the project's ideals. Additionally, single- and two-story residences are available on upper floors, each with its own custom micro-garden beds to supply the residents with fresh herbs.

The shallow floor plates allow ample sunlight into the units, while spacious latticed terraces and balconies can accommodate furniture, plants, and a barbecue. Communal food-focused programs include an internal greenhouse as a nursery for plants and seeds, as well as an industrial kitchen for shared food production and hosting events.

“The choices we make as developers dictate the lifestyle available to the people that live in our buildings. Urban living used to mean choosing between being a cool neighborhood full of amenities or having enough land to cultivate a robust garden,” states Adam Ochshorn, also a partner at Curated Properties. “When you consider two-thirds of all humans will soon be city-dwellers, having to choose between an urban residence or the ability to comfortably grow your herbs and vegetables no longer makes sense.”

The 10-story building, which was designed by which was designed by KOHN SHNIER architects and SMW Architects, alongside interior designers +tongtong, is currently under construction. Its developers hope it will serve as an example of how Toronto’s local expertise and promotion of sustainable ideals can help push the city in the right direction, and address the key concerns of food production and urban living that architecture faces today.

Rooftop Farming: How Nature Flourishes On London's Skyline - Plus The Top 5 Edibles For Beginners

Rooftop Farming: How Nature Flourishes On London's Skyline - Plus The Top 5 Edibles For Beginners

•  Alice Vincent 

25 MARCH 2017 • 8:00AM

The winter purslane at the five star Rosewood Hotel in Holborn is excellent. Served immediately after picking, it is sweet and fresh. Amandine Chaignot, the hotel’s Executive Chef, tells me it’s the best crop they've ever had. However, I’m not eating it in the marble-walled serenity of the restaurant, but in the wind and drizzle on Rosewood’s roof, where it is grown in one of Bee London's rooftop gardens.

The Rosewood London is one of three rooftop farms in the part of London that is calling itself Midtown – the pocket of buses, offices and chain food outlets between Bloomsbury, Holborn and Clerkenwell. Another is sandwiched on a terrace on the first floor of an office block and a third is perched on top of Le Cordon Bleu cookery school, which overlooks the gently peaked roof of the British Museum.

Winter purslane at the Rosewood London CREDIT:  RII SCHROER

Bee London, which represents 320 businesses across the area, is working with the Wildlife Trust to design and deliver greening projects to Midtown, helping to tackle air quality and urban sustainability. The rooftop gardens are one example of this. Sean Gifford of Sky Farmers Ltd, who works on Bee London's gardens, hopes the initiative will also change the way people see food by growing it locally.

In a city, that means making the most of every bit of space available – and it transpires that the tops of large buildings provide a lot of room to grow.

Gifford has transformed these wind-blown, sun-exposed spaces into enormous container gardens. Although the Bee London team sets up the farms in the first place (a more complicated process than it may sound – you try hefting 18 tonnes of compost in 20 kilogram bags through a five star hotel) and maintains them, much of the tending is done by volunteers from the buildings they sit on.

In the case of Le Cordon Bleu and The Rosewood London that would be chefs, who are learning about their ingredients in the process, but at the office block it’s lawyers who roll up their sleeves on their lunch break.  

Head Gardener for Bee London Sean Gifford at the beehive at Le Cordon Bleu” CREDIT: RII SCHROER

Gifford has mastered a number of ingenious ways to grow in urban landscapes all year round. While I'm touring the rooftop farms on a particularly unpleasant day in early February, there is a lot of life going on.

Mustard, 'Arctic King' lettuce and rainbow chard emerge from the re-appropriated recycling crates which comprise many of the planters (they are cheap, eco-friendly in their re-use and, essentially, lightweight.

With holes drilled in the bottom they are perfect for small crops), three-cornered leekstumble over the sides of containers and mintputs on a good show against the cold.

While the country bemoans a courgette crisis, mizuna, green-in-snow, buckler leaf sorrel and lambs lettuce thrive in these most unlikely of gardens.

Biodiversity is a big part of Bee London's ethos, and as well as the planting and pest-control being chemical-free (although owing to Soil Association restrictions on acknowledging container gardens, the farms aren’t officially “organic”), these urban farms also house wormeries and beehives. Small plots of nettles are allowed to grow because their stems, over winter, provide “homes for allies” – the ladybirds Gifford bought online, were delivered in a box, and now dine on the aphids in the garden.

While the modest greenhouse at the office block currently houses a lemon tree, in the summer it will produce 1,500 vegetable seedlings.

But Gifford recommends Organic Plants as a provider of a diverse range of quality plug plants, and for rookies wanting to grow at home they are perfect, bundling up plants by seasonality to take some of the confusion out of growing produce.

The rooftop farms provide inspiration for those who think small spaces put a stop to growing food. The garden on top of Le Cordon Bleu is tiny, but possibly my favourite. A huge rosemary bush grows joyfully in the warm, cake-scented air that puffs endlessly out of the cookery school’s extractor fans. “It flowers four times a year”, Gifford says.

There’s also stevia, the leaves of which taste 130 times sweeter than sugar (I know because Gifford is very enthusiastic in making me eat everything possible), and is happily overwintering despite hailing from South America.

Fennel loves its windy, sun-exposed situation and there’s a self-seeded gorse bush just beyond the rail where health and safety stops humans from going. As a result, it is massive. Proof, perhaps, that nature can choose to flourish in urban environments, if only it is given half a chance.

For more urban gardening, follow Alice on Instagram.com/noughticulture