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Eco-Activist Joost Bakker Plans Rooftop Urban Farm For Shopping Center
Eco-Activist Joost Bakker Plans Rooftop Urban Farm For Shopping Center
PAUL BEST | Feb 9, 2018
Flower grower and sustainability activist Joost Bakker promotes green design and zero waste. Photo: Simon Schluter
Flower grower and sustainability activist Joost Bakker finally has the chance to help realize one of his long-held ambitions – to see the tops of our metropolitan buildings harnessed to become productive urban farms.
Frasers Property Australia has enlisted Bakker to establish an urban farm and restaurant on the 2000-square-meter rooftop of its proposed shopping center development on the former Burwood Brickworks site in Melbourne's east, which begins construction mid-year.
"It's the kind of [project] I've been talking about for years and years, and here's a company that actually has the balls to go out and do it," says Bakker, best known for his pop-up restaurants promoting sustainable design, recycling, and zero waste. His ventures include Greenhouse by Joost in Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney, as well as Silo and Brothl in Melbourne's CBD.
Artist's impression of the sustainable shopping center and urban farm planned for the former Burwood Brickworks site. Photo: Supplied
In what the developer is labeling an "Australian first", the Burwood Brickworks rooftop will feature a mix of greenhouses, planter boxes, and gardens, both horizontal and vertical – something Bakker has been instrumental in designing – supplying food and beverage outlets.
Bakker also envisages a larger version of his terracotta-pot vertical garden design, growing Asian produce, reflecting the area's strong Chinese and south-east Asian communities, as well as event and activity areas, especially for schoolkids.
The rooftop urban farm and restaurant is part of Frasers' larger initiative to create "the world's most sustainable shopping centre", a mixed-use development with 12,700 square metres of retail space incorporating such green measures as a solar PV system and embedded electricity network. The developer expects the centre to open in the second half of next year.
At this stage, Frasers has released an expression of interest without approaching prospective tenants. Bakker says he has designed the urban farm without anyone particularly in mind. "I deliberately haven't spoken to the Neil Perrys and the like," he says. "I like the idea of someone who is a conventional hospitality player that can [use this garden to] inform the rest of their business."
Anchorage Wants To Make It Easier To Build Rooftop Greenhouses
Anchorage Wants To Make It Easier To Build Rooftop Greenhouses
February 12, 2018 | Author: Devin Kelly
Artist rendering: Baxter Senior Living, a planned senior housing project in East Anchorage, included rooftop greenhouses as part of its initial plans, but that piece is on hold until the city approves new regulations. (Provided by J.R. Wilcox / Baxter Senior Living)
As part of plans to build senior housing in East Anchorage, the development company Baxter Senior Living wanted to give residents a place to garden — and settled on rooftop greenhouses.
But the idea ran into trouble at the city's permitting office. The greenhouses would have made the building too tall.
It was a wrinkle for a new project — but it also fed into a larger conversation in Anchorage about making it easier for people to grow and even sell their own food. Now, a few years later, there's a proposal from the administration of Mayor Ethan Berkowitz to make rooftop greenhouses easier to build.
The proposal would allow developers to build rooftop greenhouses 10 feet above height limits. It's aimed at new construction for large apartment, commercial and industrial buildings, said city planner Ryan Yelle.
The measure, being introduced to the Anchorage Assembly Tuesday, is one of several efforts by the city to ease regulations farmers and food advocates have called burdensome. In the past two years, the city has adopted laws that cut fees for farmers markets, eased the sale of cottage foods like bread and jam, and allowed the markets to be located on parkland.
For the greenhouses, a land use permit and inspection would be required, because of how much a greenhouse weighs and holds water. The greenhouse also can't block sunlight for neighbors between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. in the winter.
Anchorage, like all other towns and villages in Alaska, is vulnerable to disruptions in the food supply network. The state imports nearly all of its food, mostly on container ships. A mechanical problem on a ship in Seattle can mean that milk, eggs or bananas don't make it to Anchorage shelves.
The rooftop greenhouse proposal isn't meant to fix Anchorage's supply shortage, Yelle said. He framed it as an extra way for developers to offer gardening to people who live and work in Anchorage.
City restrictions haven't entirely stopped rooftop greenhouses from sprouting up in Anchorage. But the current laws make it more difficult, Yelle said.
J.R. Wilcox is the president of Baxter Senior Living, a senior housing facility being built in East Anchorage. The plans call for 116 apartment units for seniors, including services for residents with Alzheimer's and dementia.
The company's architect came up with the idea of putting greenhouses on the roof, Wilcox said. Renderings of the project show transparent structures with slanted tops.
"This is something really nice in assisted living, for people to be able to garden," Wilcox said.
But the greenhouse would have exceeded the height limit for the building, Wilcox said. The developers would have had to remove an entire story to make it work. After talking to the city, it turned out that changing the law itself was easier than granting an exception to the rule, Wilcox said.
Rooftop gardens are ubiquitous in New York City and other cities around the U.S. and Canada. Yelle, the Anchorage planner, said he looked at regulations in New York and Montreal while drafting the city's proposal.
"It's a very popular thing throughout the north," Wilcox said.
More than a year ago, the Alaska Food Policy Council, a nonprofit coalition that advocates for more self-reliance in statewide food production, began floating the rooftop greenhouse idea to city planners and economic development officials.
Danny Consenstein, a board member of the council, said there's a business argument for changing regulations that otherwise make it difficult to garden on a small scale.
A few months ago, the Food Policy Council and the Berkowitz administration announced "mini-grants" for local food projects. Consenstein said he's been impressed while reading through the applications. Many came from schools and involve hydroponics, the process of growing plants indoors in water, Consenstein said.
Consenstein said rooftop gardening is another piece of that puzzle.
"There are exciting, good things going on at the school level, the apartment complex level, at the community garden level," Consenstein said.
When applying for its building permit, Baxter Senior Living excluded a greenhouse from the plans.
But Wilcox said the building is months from being finished, and it's been engineered so a greenhouse can be added if the Berkowitz administration's proposal becomes law.
The Anchorage Assembly is expected to hold a hearing on the proposal on Feb. 27.
About this Author
Devin Kelly covers Anchorage city government and general assignments.
Young Startup Brings Vertical Farming To Your Doorstep
Are you an organic food lover and have you ever wanted to grow your own vegetables or herbs at home but is unable to do so for lack of space?
Young Startup Brings Vertical Farming To Your Doorstep
By S V Krishna Chaitanya | Express News Service | Published: 10th February 2018
A model of the vertical mini farm developed by Mumbai-based start-up U-Farm Technologies
CHENNAI: Are you an organic food lover and have you ever wanted to grow your own vegetables or herbs at home but is unable to do so for lack of space?
If so, here is a Mumbai-based start-up firm U-Farm Technologies that is using the hydroponic gardening technique to customize modular farm for an individual apartment complex or for a supermarket.
A group of four, comprising three graduate students from Birla Institute of Technology and Sciences (BITS) Pilani and a horticulturist came with an innovative idea of building an automated, Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered small-scale vertical farming appliance for farming in the city (supermarkets, restaurants, schools, hospitals and households).
Utsav Gudhaka, one of the founders, said the idea was to grow fresh organic food at one’s place. “There are large-scale hydroponic farms in places like Hyderabad and Pune located 100 km away from the cities. The nutrition value comes down by half by the time it reaches the customer and there are complaints of wilting. To overcome this problem, we came up with this idea,” he said.
He clarified that U-Farm is not the first hydroponic start-up. “There are a few players, but the difference is they give the set-up and you have to manage, which is found to be difficult in most cases. Here, we will set-up the farm and our professional growers will come every day doing the routine and the only thing that is required is subscribe to our produce. Our business model will work in an apartment complex having a minimum of 40 families. We are still working on revenue sharing formula with supermarkets,” Gudhaka said.
He said the project was initially supported by Department of Science and Technology (DST) through IIT-Bombay receiving a grant of `3.67 lakh per year and now under Carbon Zero Challenge-2018 the team has received `five lakh to develop the prototype. The team received applause from the jury.
While one can grow almost anything hydroponically, some vegetables thrive more in hydroponic systems than others. “We have chosen plants that don’t mind moisture and that don’t get too big for our set up, such as wheat grass, lettuce, herbs, microgreens and leafy greens.
On the price, the team said it would cost the same as quoted in “Nature Basket” for organic produce. For instance, spinach (250 grams) would cost around `65.
What is hydroponic gardening?
The science of soil-less gardening is called hydroponics. It basically involves growing healthy plants without the use of a traditional soil medium by using a nutrient like a mineral-rich water solution instead.
A plant just needs select nutrients, some water and sunlight to grow. Not only do plants grow without soil, they often grow a lot better with their roots in water instead
Agricool Strawberries, Coming To Monoprix 🚀
Today we have 4 Cooltainers in Paris (Bercy, Station F, Stade de France, Halle Flachat). Each of them can produce 7 tons of strawberries per year, which is about 28,000 cartons.
Agricool Strawberries, Coming To Monoprix 🚀
Co-Founder and CEO, Agricool
February 16, 2017
So now that our direct sales have been going on for 4 months (jeez, already?!), it’s time for us to step up to the next challenge: getting our strawberries into the fruit and vegetable aisles in your grocery stores. The goal is to find the model that will let us make our fruits and vegetables accessible to everyone, across the whole world. Let’s go! Here’s where we are.
Strawberries are coming !!
A New Model
Today we have 4 Cooltainers in Paris (Bercy, Station F, Stade de France, Halle Flachat). Each of them can produce 7 tons of strawberries per year, which is about 28,000 cartons. That gives us a current total production of roughly 112,000 cartons every year. Tomorrow, we’ll have thousands of Cooltainers around the world. The number of cartons won’t be counted in the thousands, but in the millions. And when that happens, we need to have found the right way to sell them easily, efficiently, and at scale.
To make it all work, best to get started right now. The facts are simple: more than 70% of French people buy their fruits and vegetables in a supermarket or hypermarket. In other words, if we want to build a new agricultural model that gives everyone access to better fruits and vegetables, we need to figure out how to sell there. And so we’re about to take our first steps down the grocery stores aisle.
Everybody to Monoprix 🍓
Here we aaaare !!
For our first store event (🎉🎉🎉), we chose to go to Monoprix. Why? The store’s mission has been the same since they opened their first store in 1932: “Bringing the best to everyone, in the middle of the city”. It’s pretty close to ours, no? What’s more, they’ve recently decided to go even further. More than just offering “the best” products, they’ve started a brand of “Made in pas très loin” (“Made not far away”) to encourage local production. Awesome! And if we could get even closer? What if we had the label reading “Made in very very close, in a paradise for fruits and vegetables right in the heart of the city”?
For us, it’s an incredible opportunity to discover the world of in-store sales. What do we know for sure? Our recipe will stay the same (❤️) and we’ll be preparing for the next steps. Our strawberries will always be harvested that morning by our Cooltivators. This time, they’ll be dropped off in the closest store and displayed in a case specially made by us, just for this purpose, everything done in order for them to be sold that very day. And if you arrive around 10am, you’ll probably cross paths with Charlotte or Georges (our Cooltivators), there to drop off the day’s cartons. And then there’ll be nothing left to do but taste the berries.
Laura and Charlotte, ready for this new challenge !
Test & Learn 💡
We’re the first to sell strawberries produced in the heart of the city, without any pesticides and harvested that morning in order to be eaten that day, on Parisian fruits and vegetables aisles. That means that we need to learn a ton about the current sales model as well as everything that we could potentially invent. It’s an incredible challenge!
How will it work, concretely? We’ll tackle it like all of our subjects: by trying it, testing it, proving it. The sum total of what we need to learn is huge. From packaging to the display to the branding to in-store events, we have thousands of things to discover. Then once we’ve understood your expectations and how we can best respond to them, we’ll be able to dream even bigger (🚀). And that’s good, because with more than 325 Monoprix stores in the Paris region, we can move step-by-step to deploy our model further and get our strawberries to everyone in Paris.
The team, looking for the perfect place for our strawberries ✌
So…see you there? 🙂
Come by on Saturday, February 17 at Monoprix (2 Rue de la Station, 92600 Asnières-sur-Seine) to be part of the first in-store adventure.
A Man Waters Plants In A Rooftop Garden On Top of Le Bon Marché Department Store In Paris
A man waters plants in a rooftop garden on top of Le Bon Marché department store in Paris. Regis Duvignau/Reuters
Big Data Suggests Big Potential for Urban Farming
February 15, 2018 AMY CRAWFORD
A global analysis finds that urban agriculture could yield up to 10 percent of many food crops, plus a host of positive side benefits.
otham Greens’ boxed lettuces have been popping up on the shelves of high-end grocers in New York and the Upper Midwest since 2009, and with names like “Windy City Crunch,” “Queens Crisp,” and “Blooming Brooklyn Iceberg,” it’s clear the company is selling a story as much as it is selling salad.
Grown in hydroponic greenhouses on the rooftops of buildings in New York and Chicago, the greens are shipped to nearby stores and restaurants within hours of being harvested. That means a fresher product, less spoilage, and lower transportation emissions than a similar rural operation might have—plus, for the customer, the warm feeling of participating in a local food web.
“As a company, we want to connect urban residents to their food, with produce grown a few short miles from where you are,” said Viraj Puri, Gotham Greens’ co-founder, and CEO.
Gotham Greens’ appealing narrative and eight-figure annual revenues suggest a healthy future for urban agriculture. But while it makes intuitive sense that growing crops as close as possible to the people who will eat them is more environmentally friendly than shipping them across continents, evidence that urban agriculture is good for the environment has been harder to pin down.
A widely cited 2008 study by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University found that transportation from producer to store only accounts for 4 percent of food’s total greenhouse gas emissions, which calls into question the concern over “food miles.” Meanwhile, some forms of urban farming may be more energy-intensive than rural agriculture, especially indoor vertical farms that rely on artificial lighting and climate control.
An operation like Gotham Greens can recycle water through its hydroponic system, but outdoor farms such as the ones sprouting on vacant lots in Detroit usually require irrigation, a potential problem when many municipal water systems are struggling to keep up with demand. And many urban farms struggle financially; in a 2016 survey of urban farmers in the U.S., only one in three said they made a living from the farm.
Although cities and states have begun to loosen restrictions on urban agriculture, and even to encourage it with financial incentives, it has remained an open question whether growing food in cities is ultimately going to make them greener. Will the amount of food produced be worth the tradeoffs? A recent analysis of urban agriculture’s global potential, published in the journal Earth’s Future, has taken a big step toward an answer—and the news looks good for urban farming.
“Not only could urban agriculture account for several percent of global food production, but there are added co-benefits beyond that, and beyond the social impacts,” said Matei Georgescu, a professor of geographical sciences and urban planning at Arizona State University and a co-author of the study, along with other researchers at Arizona State, Google, China’s Tsinghua University, the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Hawaii.
A MODIS Land Cover Type satellite image of the United States, similar to imagery analyzed by the researchers. Different colors indicate different land uses: red is urban; bright green is a deciduous broadleaf forest. (Obtained from https://lpdaac.usgs.gov/ maintained by the NASA EOSDIS Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center, USGS/Earth Resources Observation and Science Center)
Using Google’s Earth Engine software, as well as population, meteorological, and other datasets, the researchers determined that, if fully implemented in cities around the world, urban agriculture could produce as much as 180 million metric tons of food a year—perhaps 10 percent of the global output of legumes, roots and tubers, and vegetable crops.
Those numbers are big. Researchers hope they encourage other scientists, as well as urban planners and local leaders, to begin to take urban agriculture more seriously as a potential force for sustainability.
The study also looks at “ecosystem services” associated with urban agriculture, including reduction of the urban heat-island effect, avoided stormwater runoff, nitrogen fixation, pest control, and energy savings. Taken together, these additional benefits make urban agriculture worth as much as $160 billion annually around the globe. The concept of ecosystem services has been around for decades, but it is growing in popularity as a way to account, in economic terms, for the benefits that humans gain from healthy ecosystems. Georgescu and his collaborators decided to investigate the potential ecosystem services that could be provided through widespread adoption of urban agriculture, something that had not been attempted before.
The team began with satellite imagery, using pre-existing analyses to determine which pixels in the images were likely to represent vegetation and urban infrastructure. Looking at existing vegetation in cities (it can be difficult to determine, from satellite imagery, what’s a park and what’s a farm), as well as suitable roofs, vacant land, and potential locations for vertical farms, they created a system for analyzing the benefits of so-called “natural capital”—here, that means soil and plants—on a global and country-wide scale.
Beyond the benefits we already enjoy from having street trees and parks in our cities, the researchers estimated that fully-realized urban agriculture could provide as much as 15 billion kilowatt hours of annual energy savings worldwide—equivalent to nearly half the power generated by solar panels in the U.S. It could also sequester up to 170,000 tons of nitrogen and prevent as much as 57 billion cubic meters of stormwater runoff, a major source of pollution in rivers and streams.
“We had no notion of what we would find until we developed the algorithm and the models and made the calculation,” Georgescu said. “And that work had never been done before. This is a benchmark study, and our hope with this work is that others now know what sort of data to look for.”
Robert Costanza, a professor of public policy at Australian National University, co-founded the International Society for Ecological Economics and researches sustainable urbanism and the economic relationship between humans and our environment. He called the study (in which he played no part) “a major advance.”
“This is the first global estimate of the potential for urban agriculture,” Costanza wrote in an email. “Urban agriculture will never feed the world, and this paper confirms that, but the important point is that natural capital in cities can be vastly improved and this would produce a range of benefits, not just food.”
“Urban agriculture will never feed the world … but the important point is that natural capital in cities can be vastly improved.”
Costanza said he would like to see the researchers’ big data approach become standard in urban planning, as a way to determine the best balance between urban infrastructure and green space—whether it’s farms, forests, parks, or wetlands. That is the researchers’ hope as well, and they’ve released their code to allow other scientists and urban planners to run their own data, especially at the local level.
“Somebody, maybe in Romania, say, could just plug their values in and that will produce local estimates,” Georgescu said. “If they have a grand vision of developing or expanding some city with X amount of available land where urban agriculture can be grown, they can now quantify these added co-benefits.”
That could be very valuable, said Sabina Shaikh, director of the Program on the Global Environment at the University of Chicago, who researches the urban environment and the economics of environmental policy.
“Ecosystem services is something that is very site-specific,” she said. “But this research may help people make comparisons a little bit better, particularly policymakers who want to think through, ‘What’s the benefit of a park vs. food production?’ or some combination of things. It doesn’t necessarily mean, because it has the additional benefit of food production, that a farm is going to be more highly valued than a park. But it gives policymakers another tool, another thing to consider.”
Meanwhile, policy in the U.S. and internationally is already changing to accommodate and encourage urban agriculture. California, for example, passed its Urban Agriculture Incentive Zones Act in 2014, allowing landowners who place urban plots into agricultural use to score valuable tax breaks. The idea has proven controversial—especially in housing-starved San Francisco. Beyond raising rents, critics have argued that urban agriculture, if it impedes the development of housing, could reduce density, contributing to the sort of sprawl that compels people to drive their cars more. Put urban farms in the wrong place, and an effort to reduce food’s carbon footprint could have the opposite effect.
On the other hand, businesses like Gotham Greens that aim to expand may still be hampered by zoning—Puri and his co-founders had to work with New York’s zoning authority to change regulations affecting greenhouses before they could open their first farm. As the company looks to add sites in other cities, the wide array of their zoning rules, utility access, and regulations will influence its decisions.
“I think we could benefit from the more cohesive policy,” Puri said, “but it’s also a very new industry. And then there are so many approaches to urban agriculture. How does a city approach something that is so broad and diverse at this stage?”
While more data about the potential ecosystem services and tradeoffs would surely help create a more navigable regulatory landscape, Puri, like others in his industry, is also something of an evangelist, eager to put in a word for urban farming’s less quantifiable benefits.
“I don’t believe that urban farming is ever going to replace more conventional farming,” he said. “I don’t think a city is going to be able to produce its entire food supply within city limits, but I think it can play a role in bringing people closer to their food, and in making our cities more diverse and interesting and green.”
About the Author
Amy Crawford has written for Boston magazine, the Boston Globe, Slate, and Smithsonian. She lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Container Farms Shorten Distance From Farm To Plate
Container Farms Shorten Distance From Farm To Plate
Feb 9, 2018
Hydroponics. Aeroponics. Aquaponics. All are accepted methods of producing food without soil. Some are in confined spaces located a distance away from rural America. Many have achieved success while others have suffered dismal failure.
This has not stopped the entrepreneurial spirit seeking ways to feed more people, cut costs and reduce carbon footprints in order to give year- round access to certain foods.
Tobias Peggs, CEO of Square Roots: “So there’s no doubt, and I hope that during the course of a year here, we would definitely inspire a number of the people here to embark on a lifelong journey to be farmers.”
The here is the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. On the edge of the parking lot of a former Pfizer pharmaceutical plant sit ten shipping containers. Each has been converted for growing hydroponic vegetables under LED lighting. Ten laboratories for aspiring agricultural entrepreneurs, growing food that is unique in product and location.
The brainchild of Tobias Peggs, Square Roots is a non-profit that aims to bring fresh produce to urban consumers by training farmers to build businesses in their communities. Each container has the production capacity of two acres of land and promises a better quality product by maintaining a consistent environment.
Tobias Peggs, Co-Founder, CEO of Square Roots: “Obviously people are increasingly moving to the city, so we have to figure out how to farm, in those urban areas. Whether that is indoors in containers, or whether that is outdoors in more urban gardens, or greenhouses or whatever it is, the more food that is grown close to the city, the more access that people have to local food, the better.”
Square Roots mentors spend a year teaching the “How To” of business and hydroponic agriculture to classes of recruits who dream of becoming urban farmers. Few of the entrepreneurs arrive with an agricultural background, so the learning curve can be steep. Farmer Josh Aliber spent his year learning to grow basil and build an audience for his crops.
Josh Aliber, Farmer, and entrepreneur: “I spent the first 2 to 3 months walking around from restaurant to restaurant in Manhattan meeting chefs. Learning about what they value, how can I improve my crops, and becoming a better farmer. The startup time was really hard.(EDIT) but it worked. Because the product we grow is so fresh, and you say I harvested this today, and they say ‘I’ve never tasted basil like this.’ “
Freshness is only one of the selling points for the Square Roots farmer. Growing crops unavailable in the wholesale and retail supply chain can help close a sale.
Josh Aliber, Farmer and entrepreneur: “A lot of these chefs have been in the culinary industry for 30 or 40 years, and as a brand new farmer, because I’m growing in a really unique environment where I can grow really unique crops, I can bring them things that they have never tried before. And the taste speaks for itself, because it is growing in the exact environment that it wants.”
The taste drives a solid price for produce. While a salad mix starts at $10 per pound, rare varieties of basil command $30 per pound at local restaurants. Each farmer develops a customer mix of restaurants and food retailers who buy in bulk, and individuals who purchase salad greens through a subscription model. The greens are handpicked and delivered up to three times a week.
Tobias Peggs, Co-Founder, CEO of Square Roots: “So we feel that the way that the product is priced is definitely mass-market, but every single day we work to improve the technology, make the system more efficient, that will allow us ultimately to bring down that price and ultimately fulfill the mission that the company has, which is to bring real food to everyone.”
The physical constraints of a Square Roots container farm limit the types of crops grown by each farmer to just the small and valuable. Salad greens, kales, sorrel, Swiss chard, and herbs are best suited to the vertical towers inside the farms. Crops grow quickly under the red and blue LED lighting optimized for plant growth. A footprint of only 400 square feet allows a farm to squeeze into tight urban environments and shorten the literal distance from farm-to-plate. Under LED lighting some crops go from seed to harvest in as little as 8 weeks. The container farm has operating costs of roughly $1000 per month, but requires only 8 gallons of water per day. Once a crop rotation is developed, harvesting can happen each week, year round.
Josh Aliber, Farmer, and entrepreneur: “So what we are able to do is to create unique environments for outcrops in very urban settings. Today we are in Bed-Sty. I personally grow crops that you wouldn’t be able to find in an urban environment.”
The ability to simulate varied environments is another advantage of growing crops inside a container. If a variety of basil prefers a specific temperature, humidity or altitude, the environmental controls within a Square Roots farm can be set to mimic ideal growing conditions.
While the ability to grow a high volume of quality produce in a small amount of urban space has been confirmed, price is the next frontier. For urban container farming to scale-up and become affordable for a neighborhood, the cost per pound will have to decline.
Josh Aliber, Farmer and entrepreneur: “The fact that we are able to compete now, tells us that as we really increase production to bring the costs down, we are going to be able to produce food at a much more competitive cost that is better quality than is already existing in the marketplace.”
Until then, this farm incubator will continue to experiment with a food supply chain that can be measured in yards rather than miles.
Tobias Peggs, Co-Founder, CEO of Square Roots: “At the end of the day I think what the consumer wants is food they can trust, and that tastes really amazing. And if you know your farmer, you trust the food. Once you taste that food, you are won over.”
For Market to Market, I’m Peter Tubbs.
How To Use Microgreens
How To Use Microgreens
February 13, 2018
You’re on a Valentine's date, order a heart-shaped pizza with veggies because your date enjoys the occasional basil or arugula on their pizza. Let’s say you order and expect the normal piece of grown parsley fusing with the cheese…You realize this is not the case while you receive the pizza. You find tiny leaves fusing with the succulent melting cheese. You take your first bite: Heaven. It not only taste good but microgreens look extremely cute. This is your entrance to the world of microgreens! After this you become inspired to grow and use them in more of your everyday foods that you prepare at home. Microgreens will do that to you. Impress you more than your date.
Product Uses
Tasty little morsels that they are, microgreens are quite versatile, and can be used in a number of ways. Put them on sandwiches, in salads, on tacos, pizza, soups, anywhere you’d put lettuce or sprouts or cooked them in stir fry. Use them as an eye-catching garnish or ingredient on virtually any dish, meat and fish included. They are generally intended to be used fresh and raw. They make an excellent salad main ingredient, too....just toss with a balsamic vinaigrette dressing and perhaps a little tomato. Voila! A taste sensation that will have you coming back for more!
Microgreens on Sandwiches
Many people are unsure on how to use microgreens. Sandwiches can be fat and heavy. Microgreens pack a punch of light flavor and freshness, weighing out earthier flavor's and providing added nutritional value. Using microgreens in sandwiches can also provide a blessing through an added crunch of texture. Switch up the variety of microgreens depending on the ingredients of the sandwich to take your sandwich to the next level.
Microgreens in Salads
Microgreens salads are both tasty and nutritious. Because different microgreens varieties hold such different flavor profiles, they can be combined to build salads with a light and spicy flavor, or hit the taste buds with a punch of sweet or mild, it's up to you. Microgreens can also be a fantastic addition to a typical leafy greens salad. Add a punch of flavor and nutrition to your salads with a spicy microgreens like red ruby streak mustard.
Microgreens in Nutritional Shakes
Having a clamshell of microgreens that you can grab and use in nutritional shakes every morning or throughout the day can help you live a happier lifestyle, if that's what you are pursuing. Some microgreens varieties have proven to pack up to 40 times the nutritional value versus mature plants.
Other Uses For Microgreens
Microgreens are often used in Wraps, Sushi, Stir fry's, Soups, Tacos and in meat dishes. Microgreens are versatile and flavorful and can compliment in any dish. And yes, they make powerful and delicious garnishes, but they are more than just garnishes.
You should always stay curious and adventurous while cooking or growing microgreens. Remember microgreens are a lifestyle – a fruitful journey.
Microgreens Recipe
Author: Malibu Kitchen
Recipe type: Breakfast
Cuisine: Gluten-free, Detox, Vegetarian
Serves: 2
Ingredients
2 slices multi-grain or gluten free bread, toasted
1 ripe organic avocado, pitted, peeled, and sliced
1/4 lemon, cut into wedges
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup Asian micro mix or other microgreens
1/4 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon sesame seeds, toasted
Instructions
Divide avocado slices evenly and place on top of toast slices. Using a butter knife, carefully smash avocado slices. Squeeze lemon slices over avocado, sprinkle with salt and pepper, top with microgreens, drizzle with sesame oil, then complete with a sprinkling of sesame seeds.
Nutrition Information
Serving size:2 Calories:253 Fat:16 g Protein:4 g Cholesterol:0
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"How to grow microgreens from seed"
Tags: microgreens using microgreens leafy greens urban agriculture
Bee Is For Brooklyn! Rooftop Farm Teaches Urban Honey Harvesting
Bee Is For Brooklyn! Rooftop Farm Teaches Urban Honey Harvesting
©Esther Horvath
Oh say can you bee: Brooklyn Grange will host an “Introduction to Beekeeping” class on Feb. 18, where you can learn how bees like these produce honey.
By Adam Lucente
Home on the Grange: Brooklyn Grange hosts bees on its rooftop farm.
This workshop has a lot of buzz!
©Esther Horvath
Home on the Grange: Brooklyn Grange hosts bees on its rooftop farm.
A rooftop farm in the Brooklyn Navy Yard will teach urbanites the secret to raising bees and harvesting their honey while in a crowded borough. And those who take the “Introduction to Beekeeping” class at the Brooklyn Grange on Feb. 18 may learn something from the way the industrious insects work together, said one of the farm’s founders.
“They all work collaboratively to the benefit of the organism,” said Anastasia Plakias. “In a city like New York, it can feel like we’re working against each other.”
Brooklyn Grange keeps 30 beehives at different rooftop locations throughout the city, and its bee classes are among its most popular events, said Plakias. The class on Feb. 18 is designed for those who are totally new to the subject, covering bee anatomy, their role in the environment, and how much outdoor space you need to keep a beehive — which is less than you might think, said its teacher.
“Four by four feet is enough space to keep a beehive,” said Carin Zinter, a professional beekeeper. “It’s not space intensive.”
Bees also require a source of fresh water near the hive, she said, and beekeepers must register their hives with the New York City Department of Health.
Bees are dormant for the winter, so the beekeeping season in Brooklyn usually begins in April. But those seeking sweet returns must be patient, said Zinter — beekeepers typically harvest honey in the fall of the year after starting the hive. During the first year, the hive will need all its honey as a food source to survive the winter.
Those who do not keep bees can still support the busy buzzers by buying local, said Zinter.
“If you buy local honey, it supports local beekeepers,” she said. “People sometimes don’t think about where the honey they buy comes from.”
Brooklynites can also support the green spaces that bees need, said Zinter.
“Rooftop farms, gardens, parks. Support these spaces anyway you can,” she said.
Zinter and Brooklyn Grange have a bee in their bonnet about the honey producers, bee-cause bees pollinate a wide variety of the vegetables and fruits that humans eat.
“They’re out there pollinating our food and plants,” said Plakias. “They’re critical to the ecosystem.”
“Introduction to Beekeeping” at Brooklyn Grange (63 Flushing Ave. at Clinton Avenue in Fort Greene, www.brooklyngrangefarm.com]. Feb. 18 at 11 am. $45.
A Lush Green Garden Without Soil On The Rooftop
You no longer need soil to grow a sustainable garden. A DIY tinkerer, D D Rajesvaran cultivates his plants by floating their roots on mineral enriched water on the terrace of his house. It is called hydroponics.
A Lush Green Garden Without Soil On The Rooftop
Soma Basu MADURAI | FEBRUARY 09, 2018
Fruit of labour and love: D D Rajesvaran and his wife Grace Rajesh spend much time inside their greenhouse named Southern Springs Hydroponics to check the progress of no-soil less-water plants. Photo: S. James
You no longer need soil to grow a sustainable garden. A DIY tinkerer, D D Rajesvaran cultivates his plants by floating their roots on mineral enriched water on the terrace of his house. It is called hydroponics.
As I stepped on to the roof of Rajesvaran’s house in Vishwanathapuram, I caught a glimpse of the future.
Inside a clean, perfect and healthy greenhouse with not a speck of dirt or soil, he has grown over a dozen varieties of fruits, herbs, and green leafy vegetables. The soft sound of gurgling water in the compact enclosed room and the sunlight filtering in through the green mesh over the fresh plants in contrasting colours was an instant feel-good and a sight to behold.
“These are the growing green walls of hydroponics,” he says with pride. Still visibly fascinated by the less water-based and no-soil planting system, he says initially he too did not believe but the yield he has got in just four months has made him chew his thoughts. He is the first Madurai resident to successfully grow a hydroponic garden at home.
The abundance of the very healthy looking green spinach, parsley, local keerais, mint, asparagus, celery, red and green lettuce, bok choy has magically revved up 400 sq.feet on his rooftop. “You can actually grow up to thousand plants in 500 sq feet,” he says, “and I have just begun.”
He is very happy to get a head start on his dream project, the idea for which came from a friend. This was about two years ago when he had to take his bore well from 250 to 900 feet. “And when I got the water tested in the lab, it showed a lot of microbial elements and two dangerous elements – chlorine and sodium – much above the normal levels.”
The quality of keerais grown locally in the city already under the grip of water shortage struck him and he began reading about hydroponics on the net. “Israel and the US were full of success stories and it was very heartwarming to see how technology had automated soil-less growing methods, such as hydroponics, aquaponics, and aeroponics,” says Rajesvaran.
There are techniques like the Dutch bucket system or the single bucket deep water cultivation but Rajesvaran chose hydroponics based on Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) because mixing 16 types of water-soluble macro-and micronutrients and trace elements in different measures and practically directing the plants to grow brought out the chemistry student in the otherwise quintessential businessman.
In places where there is not enough fertile ground or enough water, hydroponics can provide a much-needed solution, wows the 68-year-old now who in the last 12 months -- through trial and error -- has also grown brinjals, lady’s finger, types of beans, cucumbers and watermelon.
But it is the rich harvest of cherry tomatoes and two exotic breeds of tomatoes – the Big Boy from UK (resemble our desi tomatoes but are bigger and bright red in colour with resistance to cracking and work well in salads and sandwiches) and the San Marzano, the famous plum tomatoes of Italy known for the elongated pointed shape, thick flesh, fewer seeds, sweeter and low acidity – that has put Rajesvaran on a high.
Experimenting with circulating water and soluble nutrients was challenging enough but growing plants of different climatic conditions and temperatures required regulated conditions and constant monitoring. It prompted Rajesvaran – whose family markets motor pump boosters, stabilizers, inverters and solar panels and run restaurants in the city besides a cosmetic manufacturing unit in Pondicherry -- to turn into an ardent urban farmer in no time.
“He grew up in verdant Kanyakumari before shifting to Madurai in 1963, so his passion for greenery was showing,’ says his wife, Grace, “it was like he was living his dream.”
For weeks together, both of them would check day and night the seeds they had sown, the progress of the plants from sapling to trees and anxiously awaited the first fruits. Just a fortnight back their greenhouse, which they have named ‘Southern Springs Hydroponics’, was a riot of red and greens. The tomato trees had grown 10 feet tall and with much joy, they went around distributing the fruit. “It has been a very rewarding experience,” beams Rajesvaran.
“Greens are the easiest to grow but once you understand the basic concept of hydroponics, you can grow anything,” he adds.
Hydroponics will save Madurai’s water, he makes a case, as a struggle for land, water and resources will increase. “Indoor or rooftop gardening will make our food more accessible to us. Hydroponics makes plants grow much faster because they neither have to search for nutrients like in soil nor fight the soil bugs. Safe from fungal attacks, they require no weeding and we can also regulate their growth to any height and increase the yield as well,” he further explains.
Rajesvaran spent Rs.Two lakhs to set up his greenhouse and put the NFT Hydroponics system in place. The greenhouse is designed to give complete control of the growing environment, including light, temperature, humidity, CO2, and nutrition. He has used the regular irrigation tubes through which the water circulates continuously and is mixed with the enriched solution so that the plants’ roots are bathed in the nutrients. Rajesh has connected his NFT to a 500 watts solar power plant which keeps a motor running for oxygenation in the tubes and four small fans that circulate the air inside the enclosure.
“Once the set up is established, you just have to learn to balance the water chemistry by getting the right mix of nutrients, with the right seeds, and at the right pH,” he says, adding, regular cleaning of the tubes after each harvest is equally important.
“Hydroponics is less wasteful farming future,” he says, “It gives you the real, delicious, fresh and also fast food that is not necessarily seasonal,” “The Babylonians used hydroponics at its most basic for their ancient hanging gardens and we have come full circle.”
QUOTE
Hydroponics uses up to 90 percent less water than soil farming and you can grow high-density, high-value, rich in taste organic food 365 days literally anywhere -- D D Rajesvaran
For the beginners
The hydroponic system is uncomplicated, easy to learn and maintain, says Rajesvaran who has devised a starter’s kit to make the system more accessible to all. It contains a 20 litres plastic basket with a cover tray and the pots to sow the saplings, different varieties of seeds, a small air pump to oxygenate the water, a TDS meter to check nutrient level and the water-soluble nutrients divided into four groups of master solutions. It costs Rs.3,800.
He is also in the process of developing a Junior kit that will be the miniature model of the water circulating system. Priced at Rs.10,000
The Promise of Indoor, Hurricane-Proof ‘Vertical’ Farms
A worker rides a lift past stacks of vertical farming beds with LED lights
A worker at an indoor vertical farm in Newark, New JerseyMike Segar / Reuters
The Promise of Indoor, Hurricane-Proof ‘Vertical’ Farms
They might be an efficient way to produce food in a world withmore extreme weather—but only if growers can figure out a successful business model.
February 12, 2018, The Atlantic Daily | MEAGAN FLYNN
Federico Marques feared the worst for his farm as he watched live coverage of Hurricane Harvey ravaging fields across the Gulf Coast and inundating every pocket of Houston.
Marques was trapped at home during Harvey and could only monitor his crops from his couch, anxiously viewing footage from the farm’s single working indoor camera. “We couldn’t get in here for four days,” Marques said as he showed me around on an unseasonably warm afternoon this November. “I’m looking at all these aerial photos and thinking, ‘Oh my God, everything is underwater.’ When we finally got back, we had 10 inches of water on the floor—but we only lost maybe 5 percent of the product. The rest was perfectly fine.”
In a way, Harvey was a test for Moonflower Farms. Founded by Marques in December 2015, it was one of the state’s very first indoor “vertical” farms—where plants are stacked in trays on shelves, instead of laid out horizontally across larger plots of land. In these high-tech structures, plants don’t rely on sunlight or soil, rainwater or pesticides, but LED lights and minerals instead. The goal of vertical farms isn’t just to save space; it’s also to find a more economical way of producing food for the growing population—and to reduce the costs and consequences of getting that food to where people actually live.
Moonflower is in an industrial area about 15 miles south of downtown Houston, tucked away inside a relatively small, unassuming white shack. The small farm is housed in a 900-square-foot room with a 14-foot ceiling. There are hot-pink lights and a small irrigation system quietly feeding 20 varieties of micro-greens, which sprout up from a mineral-based substitute for soil called vermiculite. In Marques’s growing room, everything from the temperature to the lighting to the watering schedule has been engineered to replicate conventional outdoor farming, but without all the interruptions that plague it: seasonal changes, droughts, bitter cold, fires, and, of course, floods.
A Moonflower Farms employee checks on produce in the 900-square-foot growing room in southeast Houston. (Meagan Flynn / The Atlantic)
Houston has developed other vertical-farm concepts in the past two years. There’s Space City Farms, a backyard aeroponic vertical garden; Dream Harvest, a hydroponic system similar to Moonflower; and Acre in a Box, a literal take on the operation housed in a shipping container.
Acre in a Box’s founders—Andrew Abendshein, who works for an oil and gas trading firm in Houston, and Ana Buckman, a Rice University languages and creative-writing instructor—had no background in agriculture when they invested $80,000 in their first shipping-container farm. Abendshein said he has long had an interest in getting fresh produce to urban food deserts and hopes to one day start moving shipping-container vertical farms into those neighborhoods. For now, though, Acre in a Box’s two farms are hidden in the parking lot of an abandoned drill-bit factory at the end of a dead-end street in Houston’s East Downtown, a few blocks from where Houston’s two largest bayous intersect.
Harvey, and the deluge it brought, are exactly the kind of scenario that vertical farms are designed to withstand. Catastrophic flooding events like Harvey are only expected to become more frequent, and threats of food and water scarcity are projected to worsen in the years to come—all as the population grows. The United Nations projects that the world’s population will be 9.8 billion by 2050, with roughly two-thirds of those people living in urban areas, which aren’t exactly conducive to large-scale farming.
To meet the growing demand for food, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that there needs to be a 50 percent increase in global agriculture production—a distinct challenge, the UN warns, in the face of climate change and the growing need for water conservation. Vertical farms present a potential solution: There is no fertilizer runoff into the groundwater, fewer CO2 emissions from delivery trucks’ long journeys, and no land to till. They require only a fraction of the acreage and use only a fraction of the water—anywhere from 90 to 97 percent less—that traditional farms do.
“We are kind of at the beginning of a revolution,” Per Pinstrup-Andersen, a graduate-school professor at Cornell University’s College of Human Ecology, told me. “We’re at the beginning of a very rapid development in the use of indoor controlled facilities for producing vegetables and some fruits,” he said. “No matter what happens with climate change, you still have your controlled environment.”
The technology used for these farms has been around for decades. In fact, Marques began studying it in the 1990s after learning that NASA used it to grow plants in space. But only in the last several years has interest in using the technology for urban, commercial-scale agriculture picked up. Indoor farms have recently sprouted up in old warehouses, shipping containers, and small skyscrapers in New Jersey, South Korea, Germany, India, and Dubai—places where traditional farming is either difficult or impossible due to climate, population density, or the land itself. In Houston, sprawling commercial and residential developments were built on top of a swamp, making large-scale outdoor farming virtually impossible.
Marques and I hopped in his minivan and headed about a mile away from his garden to the site of the Moonflower Farms expansion, where men in hard hats were surveying the land. The new facility doesn’t look like much yet—just a large elevated mound of dirt with metal poles sticking out of it. But by the time it’s operational, Marques plans to have a 20,000-square-foot greenhouse that he expects will churn out 1,000 pounds of produce per day—compared with the 20 pounds that his tiny facility produces now. He currently sells to a couple dozen restaurants but plans to expand to regional and national distributors and local grocers once the new facility is up and running.
The elimination of long, cross-country transports to get the produce to grocery stores means consumers wind up with fresher food. Right now, Marques said, the time from harvest to table is sometimes only a matter of hours, which means that produce arrives in better shape and then lasts longer both in the store and in people’s homes. “If we can make this work in the city of Houston and produce 1,000 pounds a day or more of product—high-quality product that has three times the shelf life—then we have a good model that we can pretty much [take] to any city in the world and replicate,” Marques said.
The new greenhouse will operate like a research-and-development facility, helping Marques perfect a prototype that interested farmers around the world can use as a template. He already knows that he’ll need to make some changes. For starters, he’s not going to rely exclusively on LED lighting as he does now; instead he will mostly use sunlight, plugging in energy-efficient lighting as a supplement—a measure that will cut costs significantly. Marques said he has already had inquiries about this model from a food distributor in Cairo, where the arid climate and heavy reliance on imported crops make the food supply unpredictable. Marques says he has also talked to strawberry growers in Norway, where thousands of metric tons of strawberries are imported every year due to the short growing season. And he has heard from cattle farmers in Brazil, where the shrinking availability of pastureland and prohibitions on razing rainforests mean that some farmers may need to import grass to feed their cows.
Ana Buckman, Acre in a Box’s CFO, shows off kale that was later sent off to local businesses in Houston. (Meagan Flynn / The Atlantic)
Cutting the costs of building and maintaining the systems themselves will be crucial as vertical farms continue to evolve, according to Henry Gordon-Smith, the co-founder of the International Association for Vertical Farming and a consultant at the New York-based firm Agritecture. As a result of high costs, Gordon-Smith said, several vertical farms in North America have failed in recent years. That’s what happened at LocalGarden, a rooftop vertical farm in Vancouver that went bankrupt in 2014, and at PodPonics, a shipping-container vertical farm in Atlanta, where high labor and technology costs were consistently undermining return on investment.
Mike Nasseri, who was the harvest supervisor at LocalGarden, said that design flaws had inflated the endeavor’s operational and energy costs to the point that the farm couldn’t make enough money. Even though the farm had started small, Nasser said the crew decided to scale up too quickly to a commercial operation. To make matters worse, Nasseri said, the costs of the real estate in the middle of downtown Vancouver—a central location he said he would not recommend for new vertical farmers —were way too high. “That placement [in the middle of downtown] is basically the first way you can screw up,” Nasseri said.
Still, he’s a major proponent of vertical farming, primarily because of its environmental benefits. He’s now working at a startup called Ava Technologies, developing indoor “smart gardens,” essentially mini vertical farms that can fit on kitchen counters.
Gordon-Smith said the industry-wide goal going forward has to be to minimize the risk of failure, financial or otherwise, as much as possible in order to make vertical farming more accessible to the younger generation of produce growers, who have been moving steadily away from rural areas and toward cities over the past few decades. Still, he said, the failures serve as lessons for new investors as they continue to develop various types of vertical farms.
Like Marques, Abendshein, the founder of Acre in a Box, was stuck at home monitoring his produce from the couch during Harvey. But he knew he could rest assured that, as the waters raged, his produce was safe. Without land that could be ruined for an entire season, the worst that could happen, he thought, was that his farms would float away.
How Urban Farmers Are learning To Grow Food Without Soil Or Natural Light
Growing food in cities became popular in Europe and North America during and immediately after World War II.
How Urban Farmers Are learning To Grow Food Without Soil Or Natural Light
February 13, 2018
Mandy Zammit/Grow Up, Author provided
Author
- Silvio Caputo
Senior Lecturer, University of Portsmouth
Disclosure statement
Silvio Caputo does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Partners
University of Portsmouth provides funding as a member of The Conversation UK.
Growing food in cities became popular in Europe and North America during and immediately after World War II. Urban farming provided citizens with food, at a time when resources were desperately scarce. In the decades that followed, parcels of land which had been given over to allotments and city farms were gradually taken up for urban development. But recently, there has been a renewed interest in urban farming – albeit for very different reasons than before.
As part of a recent research project investigating how urban farming is evolving across Europe, I found that in countries where growing food was embedded in the national culture, many people have started new food production projects. There was less uptake in countries such as Greece and Slovenia, where there was no tradition of urban farming. Yet a few community projects had recently been started in those places too.
Today’s urban farmers don’t just grow food to eat; they also see urban agriculture as a way of increasing the diversity of plants and animals in the city, bringing people from different backgrounds and age groups together, improving mental and physical health and regenerating derelict neighbourhoods.
Many new urban farming projects still struggle to find suitable green spaces. But people are finding inventive solutions; growing food in skips or on rooftops, on sites that are only temporarily free, or on raised beds in abandoned industrial yards. Growers are even using technologies such as hydroponics, aquaculture and aquaponics to make the most of unoccupied spaces.
Something fishy
Hydroponic systems were engineered as a highly space and resource efficient form of farming. Today, they represent a considerable source of industrially grown produce; one estimate suggests that, in 2016, the hydroponic vegetable market was worth about US$6.9 billion worldwide.
Hydroponics enable people to grow food without soil and natural light, using blocks of porous material where the plants’ roots grow, and artificial lighting such as low-energy LED. A study on lettuce production found that although hydroponic crops require significantly more energy than conventionally grown food, they also use less water and have considerably higher yields.
Growing hydroponic crops usually requires sophisticated technology, specialist skills and expensive equipment. But simplified versions can be affordable and easy to use.
They grow up so fast. Mandy Zammit/Grow Up, Author provided
Hemmaodlat is an organisation based in Malmö, in a neighbourhood primarily occupied by low-income groups and immigrants. The area is densely built, and there’s no green space available to grow food locally. Plus, the Swedish summer is short and not always ideal for growing crops. Instead, the organisation aims to promote hydroponic systems among local communities, as a way to grow fresh food using low-cost equipment.
The Bristol Fish Project is a community-supported aquaponics farm, which breeds fish and uses the organic waste they produce to fertilise plants grown hydroponically. GrowUp is another aquaponics venture located in an East London warehouse – they grow food and farm fish using only artificial light. Similarly, Growing Underground is an enterprise that produces crops in tunnels, which were originally built as air raid shelters during World War II in London.
The next big thing?
The potential to grow food in small spaces, under any environmental conditions, are certainly big advantages in an urban context. But these technologies also mean that the time spent outdoors, weathering the natural cycles of the seasons, is lost. Also, hydroponic systems require nutrients that are often synthesised chemically – although organic nutrients are now becoming available. Many urban farmers grow their food following organic principles, partly because the excessive use of chemical fertilisers is damaging soil fertilityand polluting groundwater.
To see whether these drawbacks would put urban growers off using hydroponic systems, my colleagues and I conducted a pilot study in Portsmouth. We installed small hydroponic units in two local community gardens, and interviewed volunteers and visitors to the gardens. Many of the people we spoke to were well informed about hydroponic technology, and knew that some of the vegetables sold in supermarkets today are produced with this system.
A simplified hydroponic frame in Portsmouth. Silvio Caputo/University of Portsmouth, Author provided
Many were fascinated by the idea of growing food without soil within their community projects, but at the same time reluctant to consume the produce because of the chemical nutrients used. A few interviewees were also uncomfortable with the idea that the food was not grown naturally. We intend to repeat this experiment in the near future, to see how public opinion changes over time.
And while we don’t think hydroponic systems can replace the enjoyment that growing food in soil can offer, they can save water and produce safe food, either indoors or outdoors, in a world with increasingly scarce resources. Learning to use these new technologies, and integrating them into existing projects, can only help to grow even more sustainable food.
As with many technological advancements, it could be that a period of slow acceptance will be followed by rapid, widespread uptake. Perhaps the fact that IKEA is selling portable hydroponic units, while hydroponic cabinets are on the market as components of kitchen systems, is a sign that this technology is primed to enter mainstream use.
Bringing Fresh to the Frozen State—A Farmer Spotlight
Bringing Fresh to the Frozen State—A Farmer Spotlight
by Mia Lauenroth | Jan 31, 2018 | Upstart U News & Announcements
A modern farmer’s call to fresh food
In a repurposed car garage, somewhere in Anchorage, Alaska, there is an indoor farm built from an unexpected combination of rectangular towers held in long, wooden racks.
The farm is CityFarms Alaska, and it’s six months old. It was born for the purpose of serving the Anchorage community with fresh herbs, something that the residents of Alaska usually only experience for 2 or 3 months of the year.
For the rest of the year, much of Alaska’s food system relies on barges and planes that bring produce from the lower 48 states. If the shipment can’t make it, shelves are left empty.
When the shipment does arrive, it delivers less-than-desirable produce; fruits and vegetables that have traveled thousands of miles. By the time they reach the table, they are days if not weeks old, are stemmy, and have bland flavor.
And it’s not just the small urban areas that feel the effects of the tedious shipping process—the large cities of Alaska share the dependency on imported foods due to the short growing season and long winters among a long list of other limiting factors¹. In addition, the state has been inclined to focus more effort on producing valuable exports, like oil, than on sustaining viable food systems. In short, fresh foods in Alaska is an accessibility game, and Alaska was dealt a bad hand.
The process of rebuilding
To solve that problem and other food security issues around the world, many farmers, like those in the Upstart University community, are implementing modern sustainable methods in and around cities to reduce the amount of time and distance produce travels, and to increase the quality.
The garage farm is one of many to join the movement that aims to rebuild the foundation of the food systems in America and across the world. CityFarms Alaska is an up-and-coming modern agriculture solution to the shortage of fresh in the 49th state.
Nik Bouman, the founder of CityFarms Alaska, was an unlikely candidate for starting a farm. Having attended college for an education in business and finance, he always knew he wanted to start a business of his own. He had no idea it would be farming.
Naturally, there were some knowledge gaps to fill. When asked about the ways he overcame those experience gaps, Nik said that the most valuable resources by far were Upstart University andYouTube videos featuring Dr. Nate Storey.
Like so many great experiments, Nik’s began in his basement while he was a student in Oregon. It was a small hobby system, nothing more than a few Towers on the wall. It wasn’t until he moved back to Alaska that he invested in a system that could support a commercial yield. “Before, it was just me in a basement with a few heads of lettuce and some basil,” he recalls.
Intrigued by the innovation opportunities of a fairly young industry, he found that he enjoyed farming, but was frustrated by the crop limitations of the towers. He knew his small system was a means to an end—kale, parsley, and chives would all come in time—so he made the most of it by learning as much as he could from it.
Nik ended up appreciating the small beginning, as the risks and mistakes yielded less expensive consequences. With this in mind, he built out the commercial farm in his garage, mimicking a large farm as closely as his budget would allow.
The farm holds fifty seven-foot ZipGrow Towers, arranged in wooden racks that Nik handmade. Each Tower bursts with verdant growth; sweet basil, Thai basil, and lemon basil, varieties that have so far had the best yield as well as profit.
Someday, he says, he hopes to bring fresh tomatoes and even strawberries to the last frontier. Luckily, the market is brimming with potential for locally grown fruits with reliable availability.
Rising to the local need
At only six months old, the farm is already producing enough to be sold in the local Anchorage grocery stores. He provides recognizable value to his customers by using the Alaska Grown logo on his custom display.
CityFarms Alaska clamshells hang from custom displays under signs that proudly boast the “Alaska Grown” logo.
Alaska Grown is a program developed by the agriculture industry in the state to bring awareness to consumers regarding products grown regionally. It encourages growers to use the logo, but only on produce that is 100% local².
Nik’s basil is among the 4% of food that is grown locally in the state of Alaska, a number that increased in recent years³. Most produce grown in the state is available for only three months, and from November to April, the state relies on storage and imports.
“Seasonal Produce Availability.” http://dnr.alaska.gov/ag/sourcebook/2014SBimages/Seasonalproduce.pdf
Nik produces year round. “People really care about local up here, and there’s hardly any of it,” he says. Thus, the value and potential of controlled environment agriculture have been recognized as a viable approach—if not solution.
Because local products are currently so hard to find, entering grocery stores was fairly easy for Nik. It was also a more profitable option than restaurants, who were more concerned about price than about quality. In addition to inconsistent availability, quality and flavor are a common complaint of locals. Nik’s superior quality has been a huge selling point for the basil. The flavor of something that was harvested just a few hours ago is hugely different from the conventional product harvested a week ago.
Nik saw the opportunity for innovation and novelty in the indoor agriculture industry and jumped on the chance to combine his dream of owning a business with helping to solve the struggling Alaskan food system. He came to understand that the satisfaction of providing his community with high-quality freshness gave way to owning a business he is proud of.
See Nik’s farm in action at the CityFarms Alaska website, and follow the farm on the CityFarms Alaska Facebook page.
Would you like to have your farm featured on Upstart University?
Contact us by reaching out to support@upstartuniversity.net!
- ¹ Phu, Lisa. “Alaska only grows 4 percent of its food. Can we do better?” JuneauEmpire, http://juneauempire.com/local/2016-09-08/alaska-only-grows-4-percent-its-food-can-we-do-better
- ² Alaska Department of Natural Resources. “Alaska Grown Program.” Division of Agriculture, http://dnr.alaska.gov/ag/ag_AKGrown.htm
- ³ Phu, Lisa. “Alaska only grows 4 percent of its food. Can we do better?” JuneauEmpire, http://juneauempire.com/local/2016-09-08/alaska-only-grows-4-percent-its-food-can-we-do-better
- ⁴ Alaska Department of Natural Resources. “Seasonal Produce Availability.” Divisio of Agriculture, http://dnr.alaska.gov/ag/sourcebook/2014SBimages/Seasonalproduce.pdf
Two Companies Taking A Vertical Leap In Newark
Two Companies Taking A Vertical Leap In Newark
By Sarah Fensom
Salad may not be the first thing that springs to mind when thinking of Newark. With its long history of environmental pollution and food deserts, Brick City is not a paragon of health.
Yet in recent years, it has embarked on a quest for wellness. In 2015, a ShopRite opened in the Central Ward, where there had previously been a scarcity of supermarkets. The following year, Newark Beth Israel Medical Center established the Beth Greenhouse, a small hydroponic farm that sells affordable produce in the South Ward.
In 2017, the former Hahne's department store building on Broad Street became home to Newark's first Whole Foods. And even former Newark mayor and current New Jersey senator Cory Booker has gone green, sharing snaps of his plant-based meals on social media and talking publicly about his veganism.
Getting in on the act are AeroFarms and Radicle Farm, two relatively new companies that are growing farm-fresh salad greens not in fields but in the city itself. The larger of the two, AeroFarms, runs several facilities in the Newark area, including a sustainable 70,000-square-foot vertical farm in a former steel plant in the Ironbound section. There, 2 million pounds of greens and herbs are produced each year, using an aeroponic growing method.
The other, Radicle Farm, operates in an 8,000-square-foot greenhouse in Branch Brook Park and grows greens hydroponically in horizontally-oriented plots using a method called nutrient film technique (NFT).
Both methods cut down on the environmental costs of field farming by using less water, less energy, and less space. Growing indoors allows the two companies to bypass fickle weather patterns and maintain the ideal conditions for their crops year-round, increasing both the yield and the freshness of their greens. AeroFarms and Radicle are showcasing two models for efficient, sustainable food growth, all the while helping to place Newark at the forefront of urban farming -- as unlikely as that may seem.
AeroFarms is the vanguard of the vanguard. Based on annual growing capacity, its Ironbound facility on Rome Street houses the largest indoor vertical farm in the world. With projects in development in China, the United Arab Emirates, and Europe, the company has its sights on the world but is still very focused on Newark.
"We embody Mayor Baraka's initiative 'Hire. Buy. Live.,' " says Marc Oshima, the chief marketing officer and a co-founder of AeroFarms. "In Newark alone, we have four farming operations and employ over 120 people -- 40 percent of which live in Newark, with 80 percent within a 15-mile radius."
The company's roots have spread throughout the city, with a research and development farm in a former downtown nightclub on Market Street; a 30,000-square-foot farm on Ferry Street, in what was once Inferno Limits, the paintball and laser-tag arena; and a smaller, 50-square-foot vertical farm in the dining hall of Phillips Academy. The school farm, which has been up and running since 2011, was a catalyst for the company to move its headquarters from Utica, N.Y., to Newark several years ago.
Later this year, AeroFarms is set to open a 78,000-square-foot vertical farm -- its biggest yet -- in Camden.
AeroFarms worked with RBH Group, the developers behind Teachers Village, on its Rome Street facility, with substantial backing from Goldman Sachs and Prudential Investment. (While it has raised some $50 million from investors, AeroFarms has yet to make a profit.)
"We looked at just about every ward and every property, and then we found the opportunity with RBH in the Ironbound and we thought it was somewhere we could make an impact," says Oshima. "There's a food desert right there."
One way AeroFarms is trying to stamp out food deserts is by giving Newark residents immediate access to their products, Oshima says.
"Wherever our farms are, people can come in and get greens all year round."
Many of the supermarkets that sell AeroFarms's retail brand Dream Greens (a 4.5 oz. package retails for $3.99) are extremely close to the farm, as well, reducing the toll that transportation takes on both the environment and the quality of the food.
The distribution center for ShopRite, one of AeroFarms's key partners, is just minutes from the Rome Street farm. "ShopRite puts a lot of emphasis on sourcing produce from local farms in the communities where our stores operate, and AeroFarms offers fresh produce we can source right here in Newark for our local ShopRite store," says Derrick Jenkins, vice president of produce and floral for ShopRite. "AeroFarms is a local business making an investment in Newark, and ShopRite believes it's important to support our neighbors and the city."
AeroFarms was co-founded by Oshima (the only Jersey native of the bunch), David Rosenberg, the company's CEO, and Ed Harwood, the chief science officer. Oshima and Rosenberg, who met in business school, formed a company called Just Greens in 2004. Research into the latest sustainable agricultural methods led them to Harwood, a former professor at Cornell's School of Agriculture, who was perfecting methods of aeroponic farming.
AeroFarms' patented growth method uses neither sun nor soil. The seeds rest on a special reusable cloth, developed by Harwood, which is made of BPA-free recycled plastic. They're housed in mobile modules that can be stacked many stories, effectively creating high-rises for plants.
Unlike with hydroponic methods, the seeds don't sit in water but are instead misted with a solution of nutrients, water, and oxygen deployed by a special nozzle (also developed by Harwood). Because the system is closed, fertilizer isn't leached into the waterways.
The method uses 95 percent less water than traditional farming and 40 percent less than hydroponics. In lieu of sunlight, energy-efficient LED lights supply the exact spectrum, intensity, and frequency that each individual plant needs for photosynthesis. This light system also ensures tyrannical control over each plant's texture, color, flavor, nutrition, shape, and size.
The farms also employ big data, monitoring more than 130,000 data points every harvest. Computer-generated algorithms enable the 250 varieties of greens and herbs the company grows to grow fast, some reaching maturity in two weeks, about half the time as those in the field.
Radicle Farm, though a much smaller operation than AeroFarms, also represents the future of farming. Co-founders Tony Gibbons and Jim Livengood started the company in Newark in 2014 and expanded quickly, adding a 50,000-square-foot facility in Utica in 2015.
Radicle grows a variety of microgreens, such as spinach, kale, tatsoi, and Russian mizuna, which have gained a reputation for their extraordinary flavor. As a measure to ensure freshness and maintain a diminutive carbon footprint, it keeps things exclusive, limiting its delivery zone to a 300-mile radius.
Before Radicle, Gibbons, a native of Maplewood, was immersed in the fine dining world, serving as the maitre d' at the celebrated Manhattan restaurant Gramercy Tavern for nearly a decade. He'd also dipped a toe into sustainable agriculture, establishing Garden State Urban Farms with his mother, Lorraine, in 2008 (together they helped launch the Beth Greenhouse).
Livengood, who grew up in South Orange, was a grant writer at the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City before joining up with Gibbons. While working on an indoor growing exhibition, he became fascinated by traditional agriculture's concerns and hydroponic agriculture's benefits.
"In terms of conserving water and land," says Livengood, "hydroponics sounded like an elegant solution."
He began looking for companies that were using hydroponic and sustainable growing methods and eventually found Gibbons.
When Garden State Urban Farms received a grant to turn the Branch Brook Park greenhouse into a working farm, the space hadn't been used in 20 years and was in bad shape.
"It looked like Jumanji when I first went in there," says Gibbons. With an opportunity to transform the historic space, the duo didn't initially have business in mind.
"Our original goal was just to get it up and running," says Gibbons, "but then, because of how much room was available, we decided to launch Radicle and use the greenhouse as a commercial space."
Still, the operation is a relatively small one, with only five people -- most of whom come through training programs from halfway houses -- working in the space.
"It's important for us to work with the community and give our employees job skills," says Gibbons. "We hire a small number of people and train them to do a lot of things. Most of our employees can do 80 percent of what we do here."
The nutrient film technique that Gibbons and Livengood use in the greenhouse involves irrigating and fertilizing the plants with a recirculating solution that contains all of the nutrients necessary for proper growth. No soil is used; instead, the plants sit in long, pod-like channels with a shallow film of the solution lightly bathing their root systems. Because the fertilizer is contained within the growing system, it doesn't enter the local water table and harm the ecosystem.
The method uses only 10 percent of the water that field farming does. It also cuts down on the use of fossil fuels -- the minimal amount of machinery Radicle employs is powered electrically -- and space.
"It accounts for the needs of the plants, so they're not sprawling out, looking for water like they would in the field," says Livengood. "We can also grow more -- we get five times more yield per square foot because we're growing year-round, and the plants themselves grow two or three times as fast."
As with aeroponics, this hydroponic system can be used to grow any plant, but it is particularly efficient with greens. "Focusing on greens allowed us to start quickly," says Livengood.
Ensuring that their greens taste good is a priority for the Radicle crew, who are always experimenting with what they grow and with various blends in which their products can be sold.
"Selling mixes allows us to be creative with what we send our customers," says Gibbons. Their "Chef's Selection" blend, for example, combines red and green romaine lettuce with bitter mustard greens, as well as peppery arugula and mizunas. The result is a fiery mixture of piquant flavors.
The "Petal Power" adds a visual pop, with edible flowers joining beet greens, baby chard, and romaine.
This attention to look and flavor has helped Radicle develop a niche fan base among fine restaurants in New York and Jersey City.
"In the very beginning," says Gibbons, "we had success with restaurants in New Jersey that were Italian in an authentic way, which makes sense because Italian cooking is defined by going to the market and getting fresh food."
Arturo's, an osteria and pizzeria in Maplewood, was one of Radicle's first clients. "When they first started, their production was limited to primarily delivering to us and Gramercy Tavern," says Fred Shandler, the owner
of Arturo's. "To see how far they've grown and leveraged that experience into Radicle Farm is pretty impressive. Their product and overall operation are really solid. We'll regularly receive awesome basil or a micro green (that's delivered while still in its root system) and literally use it the same day."
Radicle sells its blends straight from the farm to consumers through Fresh Direct and several grocery stores across New Jersey, such as Whole Foods. A 4-ounce package sells at the same price point as AeroFarms's Dream Greens, $3.99.
Global Expansion Tipped For ‘Breakthrough’ Indoor Farming Venture
80 Acres Farms regards itself as a supply chain disruptor; choosing to focus on delivering high quality produce without the food miles by converting indoor urban spaces into ultra-efficient controlled environment agriculture (CEA) farms.
Global Expansion Tipped For ‘Breakthrough’ Indoor Farming Venture
by Gill McShane
30 January 2018
Samantha Bergman shows 80 Acres Farms' freshly picked lettuce at high-end U.S. retailer Dorothy Lane Market in Dayton, Ohio.
80 Acres Farms' shelf space at Clifton Market in Cincinnati, Ohio, which is just 2.4 miles from the company's farm.
Setting its sights on going global in the future, progressive indoor farming business 80 Acres Farms is about to launch on the mainstream U.S. market with a 12-month offer of locally-grown micro-greens, culinary herbs, leafy greens, tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers that have been bred, grown and harvested for nutrition and taste, rather than transportation. PBUK speaks with co-founders Mike Zelkind and Tisha Livingston, and their first major investor, Shawn Harris from start-up facilitator Orange Wings in the Netherlands.
80 Acres Farms regards itself as a supply chain disruptor; choosing to focus on delivering high quality produce without the food miles by converting indoor urban spaces into ultra-efficient controlled environment agriculture (CEA) farms.
Since its creation in late 2015, the company has worked tirelessly with major U.S. universities and Dutch technology company Priva to fine-tune its hydroponic growing systems. At a time when they saw other indoor growers facing challenges, 80 Acres Farms believes it has made phenomenal progress and is approaching a major breakthrough.
“This is the first real proven indoor farming business that is on the verge of getting the process completely right,” claims Harris. “We can now confidently say that we will be part of this game-changing trend to deliver fresh, healthy produce from around the corner.”
Harris invested in 80 Acres Farms in 2016 and sits on the board of directors. She set up her start-up accelerator Orange Wings after stepping down late last year as chief executive of another firm she founded – Nature’s Pride, Europe’s biggest exotic fruit and vegetable importer.
Having developed four urban indoor production sites with experienced growers in Ohio, Alabama, Arkansas and North Carolina, 80 Acres Farms has been selling its produce commercially for almost a year. In the last few months, Harris says the business has secured early commitments from some highly respected retailers and one of the biggest foodservice companies in the United States.
Using local depots, each production site will pick its produce at the peak stage of ripeness to deliver daily to local restaurants and various regional and national retailers located within 100 miles. Further details have yet to be disclosed.
Ultimately, 80 Acres Farms aims to deliver its accessible, nutritious, tasty and affordable local food concept to other parts of the world, particularly areas that are unable to either produce outdoors or in conventional greenhouses for 12 months of the year.
Disrupting the supply chain
According to company CEO Zelkind, the key factor that sets the business apart from others is the indoor status of its farms and its product mix, added to the fact that the team not only has food industry experience but has run food companies on a commercial scale.
Importantly, Zelkind says 80 Acres has built an indoor system that grows affordable produce all year round under a completely controlled environment.
“It’s the next generation of controlled environment agriculture,” he claims. “80 Acres grows products much faster than in the traditional outdoor environment or even in a greenhouse environment. We can control all the factors, like CO2 levels, and when and how much to deliberately stress the plant to get the right level of nutrition and flavour.”
Co-founders Zelkind and Livingston have spent decades running companies in the food industry. Before 80 Acres Farms, Zelkind was president and chief executive officer of Sager Creek Vegetable Company when it was a division of Del Monte Foods Inc., San Francisco, while Livingston was chief operating officer at the same firm.
In establishing 80 Acres Farms, the duo says they are bringing back the “backyard fresh taste” of produce to many communities around the United States all year-round.
Livingston points out that currently fresh produce often travels long distances.
“Because of these distances traveled, our food is now being bred, grown and harvested for transportation rather than nutrition and taste,” adds Zelkind. “80 Acres Farms drastically disrupts current produce supply chains.”
Indeed, being local to its customers in four U.S. states means 80 Acres Farms can pick produce when it’s ripe, and plant varieties that are bred for flavor and yield, rather than transportation and survival in an unpredictable environment.
“This is a huge differentiating point,” Livingston says. “We can deliver ‘just-picked’ quality produce to a retailer or restaurant year-round. We have partnered with and continue to partner with commercial and research institutions to gather nutritional information and to grow produce that has much more nutritional value.”
Thanks to the proximity to customers, Zelkind claims the products offered by 80 Acres Farms are also “more nutritious than most organics”. “We view ourselves as the next generation of organics,” he explains. “We don’t use pesticides – organic does.
“We are considering getting an organic certification but at this point, we are better than organic. We abide by most organic practices but we go way beyond what organic does. We are closer to the customer and we offer fresher products.”
Already, Zelkind explains that the first chef and consumer feedback is about how the produce offered by 80 Acres Farms is much tastier and fresh.
“I have visited stores with Mike and Tisha and I have heard customers talk about their experience with the products and the taste difference, which is why they keep coming back – it just makes you feel good,” Harris explains.
As such, Zelkind and Livingston believe the company’s target consumer market is wide open to anyone who likes high quality, fresh, tasty and pesticide-free produce, whether that be millennials or baby boomers.
Expansion plans
From its headquarters in Cincinnati, Ohio, 80 Acres Farms now plans to build many more sites across the US, while aiming to expand globally. Each individual farm will deliver a product mix driven by the needs of local customers. On top of that, the company is building its biggest farm that will use 100% renewable energy when completed.
“80 Acres has very ambitious goals, but there is a lot to prove before that kind of expansion is warranted,” Zelkind notes. “We believe in keeping our heads in the clouds and feet firmly planted in the mud!”
For now, that means scaling with its customer base and striving to delight its growing consumer base. To that end, 80 Acres Farms has an exciting R&D product portfolio in the pipeline that includes root crops, which will complement its current range of micro-greens, culinary herbs, leafy greens and vine crops such as tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and hops.
“No one has yet figured out how to grow vine crops profitably indoors, in a completely controlled environment,” Zelkind comments. “We are the first and only ones in the world doing it so far but we can do it better. That’s the most exciting part. That’s the challenge for the next few years.”
Of course, one of the drawbacks of indoor farming is that it isn’t possible yet to economically grow all fruits and vegetables. “You won’t be able to do so for a long time to come,” admits Zelkind. “But there is no intention to replace traditional farmers. 80 Acres wants to work with these farmers and supplement what they can grow locally.”
Getting the process right
While the concept of indoor agriculture is logical and straightforward when broken into its subunits, Zelkind says bringing together all the components is not simple.
Firstly, to achieve the optimal growing environment you need multi-disciplined engineering, an understanding of plant science, and good farming experience. Then to grow crops profitably you must be able to understand manufacturing practices, automation and how to scale production.
Once you have that, you need the ability to brand and sell your products in a crowded marketplace. Plus, to run and build the business, you need the right people with the right experience. To set up the farms in the first place also requires a great deal of capital investment.
So, starting in late 2015 with a small R&D facility, 80 Acres Farms teamed up with international academics and scientists to figure out how to grow high quality plants with the right nutrition and flavour levels in the most effective way.
Since then, the company has developed a strong in-house engineering team and a large pool of data analysts who manage a production system guided by various sensors and other technologies to understand and optimise plant growth and development.
Following much trial and error, 80 Acres Farms is now on the fourth iteration of its production systems, which are installed across its current production sites in four states of the US. From here on, the company remains committed to driving the industry forward.
“This is a new industry and we all have so much to learn,” concludes Zelkind.
What is Controlled Environment Agriculture?
Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) is designed to optimise the growing conditions for food and aquatic production in an enclosed area, such as a greenhouse or building.
By controlling variables, such as: light, carbon dioxide, temperature, humidity, water, nutrients and pH levels, plants receive the correct amounts of water and nutrients, which often results in greater yields, all year-round. Production technologies include: hydroponics, aquaculture and aquaponics.
CEA operations can vary from fully-automated glasshouses with computer controls for watering, lighting and ventilation, to low-tech facilities that use cloches or plastic film to cover rows of field-grown crops, or basic plastic-covered tunnels.
CEA focuses on raising efficiency and maximising resources, including: space, water, energy, labour and capital. Given its nature, CEA also reduces the incidences of pest and disease, and allows the grower to recycle inputs like water or nutrients.
80 Acres Farms has developed a CEA system for urban indoor buildings where it claims the growing environment is completely controlled and guided by sophisticated technology. The company uses hydroponic technology to locally produce year-round and pesticide-free commercial volumes of micro-greens, culinary herbs and leafy greens, as well as vine crops, such as tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and hops.
Aquaculture And Urban Farming Key To UAE Food Security
Aquaculture And Urban Farming Key To UAE Food Security
More than 40 innovations to be exhibited at Global Forum for Innovations in Agriculture
February 1, 2018
Binsal Abdul Kader, Senior Reporter
Abu Dhabi: The UAE will promote innovations in aquaculture and urban farming to ensure food security, a top official told Gulf News on Thursday.
“Aquaculture and urban farming have a lot of potential in the UAE,” said Mariam Al Muhairi, Minister of State for Food Security, on the sidelines of a press conference to announce the details of a global conference on food security to be held in Abu Dhabi next week.
“We are working on [aquaculture projects] and will announce the target [in this sector] soon,” she said.
Aquaculture is the farming of fish and other aquatic organisms in controlled conditions, even in the desert.
Al Muhairi said technologies are available in the market and some private companies in the UAE have already proven the viability of aquaculture. “We can now start looking into the commercialization of these technologies,” she said.
The minister said she was looking forward to the innovations in aquaculture and urban farming to be exhibited at the Global Forum for Innovations in Agriculture (GFIA) that opens on Monday at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (Adnec).
She said urban farming also has a lot of potential in the UAE as food can be grown in closed environments. “People need to know what urban farming is,” she said.
The minister plans to instill this idea in people so they can do it in their homes. “We can conduct awareness campaigns and ensure it is implemented,” Al Muhairi told Gulf News.
The organizers of the GFIA said more than 40 innovations in the agriculture sector will be on display at the event to be held under the patronage of Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs; and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority (Adfca).
Sultan Bin Saeed Al Mansouri, Minister of Economy, commented that the UAE companies can learn about the latest innovations and technologies in the agriculture sector at the forum.
Suhail Mohammad Faraj Al Mazroui, Minister of Energy and Industry, commented that it is an opportunity to discuss global best practices to achieve water and energy sustainability.
Saeed Salem Al Ameri, director-general of Adfca, said Shaikh Zayed’s vision and values of promoting sustainability would be reflected at the GFIA.
Khalifa Ahmad Al Ali, director-general of Abu Dhabi Food Security Centre, said leading public and private sector leaders and experts would analyze the performance of local food production sector and come up with a practical roadmap to accelerate growth.
GFIA this year also includes the region’s first International Conference of Arab Beekeeping Organisation. Dr. Ahmad Al Ghamdi, chairman of Arab Beekeeping Organisation, said the initiative would help develop the bee industry in the Arab world.
Thamer Al Qasimi, chairman of the GFIA 2018 Organising Committee, said GFIA is based on the notion that the ongoing drive for innovation in the agriculture sector is the only way to feed nine billion people sustainably by 2050.
New Jersey: Governor Murphy's Team Wants to Put The Garden Back in Garden State
MURPHY’S TEAM WANTS TO PUT THE GARDEN BACK IN GARDEN STATE
CARLY SITRIN | JANUARY 30, 2018
Governor’s advisory committee wants more state support for agri-tourism, a revived Jersey Fresh program, and to get more people involved in farming
Agriculture has always been a keystone of the state’s economy; if no longer dominant in dollars, it certainly still plays a significant role in the Garden State’s image. The Department of Agriculture’s transition report underscores that fact, with its advisory committee hoping to enhance New Jersey’s public image by supporting agritourism efforts and bringing back the sidelined and underfunded Jersey Fresh program.
The new Murphy administration appointed a transition committee for each of the state’s cabinet-level departments, seeking advice and information on what the departments’ stakeholders — experts, analysts, business leaders, officials of non-profits, etc. — view as priorities for the administration. The report on agriculture was among a number that were released publicly last week: These are just advisory reports — Murphy has no obligation to follow their advice.
Make New Jersey Fresh Again
One of the recurring themes throughout the report is the need for strong state branding — starting with the Jersey Fresh program.
The report takes former governors to task for drastic funding cuts over the last decade that have reduced the marketing program's budget from a peak of $1 million down to $50,000, an amount they say barely covers the cost of the inspection and grading efforts.
The advisory committee calls for Murphy not only to revive the program, but also to permit farmers to sell home-baked goods, farm beer and cider, and industrial hemp. As it stands, New Jersey is the only state where selling home-baked goods is prevented by law.
Another rebranding effort would focus on the 2.25 million acres of wineries in the southern counties of Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, Ocean, Monmouth and Salem which the report targets as a growing tourist space.
The report calls for the creation of road signs and other promotional materials dubbing that region the "Coastal Plains Wine Corridor” which they believe could become the "Napa Valley of the East." The advisory committee recommends putting the Economic Development Authority and Rutgers Agricultural Experiment Station program (NJAES) in charge of this effort, giving interested wineries access to EDA loans for winery expansion, vineyard establishment, and necessary equipment.
More Farmers
The report also emphasizes the need to get young people interested in farming again. According to the report, New Jersey farms are facing a decline, with the average age of a New Jersey farmer at 60. What's more, because the state resources set aside to preserve farmland come with the exception that the land should remain in farming, that creates a need for a new generation of farmers.
To combat this issue, the advisory committee recommends pouring more resources and budgetary support into the research efforts at the NJAES, which is the main source of technical support for farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural professionals in the state. The report also seeks to get young people involved though Future Farmers of America (FFA), 4H, and vocational tech programs.
The report also recommends making changes to encourage urban, niche, and beginner farmers by extending tax benefits to farms under five acres and removing barriers to urban farming such as the department of health regulation that prohibits small farms from accepting food stamp benefits like Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and WIC.
The issue of food deserts in some New Jersey cities is also targeted in the report, which advises directing the department of agriculture to work with education programs and establish EDA loan programs to get beginner farmers the equipment and information they need to start urban farms.
Food Security
According to the report, the number one priority for the Murphy team should be immediately restoring the “heat and eat" benefits that would make it easier for those participating in the SNAP program, which is overseen by the federal Department of Agriculture, to also receive help paying heating bills. While in office, Gov. Chris Christie repeatedly vetoed budget language that would have restored the program and according to recent Benefits Data Trust research, some 160,000 Garden State residents have seen their SNAP benefits dip by about $90 a month due to Christie's actions.
It also recommends streamlining food insecurity programs like SNAP, WIC, school breakfast and lunch, adult-care food programs and food assistance for disaster relief into two departments (Agriculture, and either Human Services or Health) and making them easier to apply to.
Deer and Insects
The report also touches on some issues that are more difficult to categorize like deer-hunting permit changes and funding for an insect laboratory.
Deer in the state are largely overpopulated and have been negatively impacting farmers by contributing to annual crop losses of up to 40 percent, according to the report. In response, the committee recommends a “strategic deer management plan” that would “develop target population numbers for a sustainable herd” — all of which really means more deer hunting. Some of the proposed regulations include allowing bow hunting during summer months and creating an all-season, all-zone, “Earn-A-Buck” program similar to ones in states like Indiana and Virginia where more does and antlerless deer can be taken per buck until the population “has reached a scientifically acceptable level.” This would be a change from the current law which restricts doe counts in some zones and in some seasons unless a hunter is in possession of an unlimited doe tag.
The committee also supports repairing and funding the Phillip Alampi Beneficial Insect Rearing Laboratory, a facility constructed in the mid 1980's for research related to raising and releasing insects like weevils and beetles to control invasive species in New Jersey.
Restaurants Are Installing Their Own Mini Indoor Farms To Grow Mushrooms
Restaurants Are Installing Their Own Mini Indoor Farms To Grow Mushrooms
BY AIMEE LUTKIN
January 29, 2018
A company called Smallhold is changing how restaurants procure produce. They've developed a hydroponic system that can be installed to suit most kitchen spaces, or even as an aesthetic addition to the dining room. Inside these glowing blue shelves are mushrooms, whose health and growth is monitored by technology at Smallhold's headquarters. Vogue interviewed the company's founders, Andrew Carter and Adam DeMartino.
Carter and DeMartino are based in Brooklyn, in a deliberately urban environment. They're interested in changing the supply chain for cities and believe they can start a movement towards sustainable food production that eliminates some of the issues associated with transport. After meeting as roommates in college, they went their separate ways. Carter started experimenting with growing mushrooms in basements and other spaces he could find in the city. He started building out a shipping container as a larger mushroom farm; after showing his work to DeMartino, they decided to go into business together.
The "hardware" of the mushroom grow boxes, or "fruit chambers," are just one part of the equation. Temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide levels, airflow, and light exposure are all monitored with sensors and tiny cameras inside. Smallhold can check in to see how their shrooms are doing from their laptop anywhere, which makes it easier on the restaurants where they're installed. No one has to become a champion mushroom farmer overnight.
Even the material the mushrooms grow in is sustainable. It's a substrate made from recycled materials, like sawdust, coffee grounds, or wheat berries. The mushrooms mature in a Smallhold facility before being brought to their new home in a restaurant's fruit chamber. A few days later, the guys come by and help with the harvest. Mushrooms have a relatively short shelf life after they're harvested, so making their transport part of their growth cycle means having the freshest product possible at hand.
Danny Bowien is the chef and owner of Mission Chinese Food, which proudly features a fruit chamber. Having so many fresh mushrooms to hand has even changed his menu. He now has a mushroom jerky option to top fried rice—before it was beef. That probably makes local vegans happy, and the fruit chamber itself has become part of the restaurant's look.
“A lot of people think it is art,” said Bowien. “It doesn’t look like anything you’d see in any other Chinese restaurant.”
Smallhold is a great example of how hydroponic growing can be incorporated into every meal; according to their website, they've also started to offer fresh greens and herbs as part of their mini-farms. Soon, indoor farms could be adding flavor to every dish.
How a Mushroom Farm Grows in a Manhattan Restaurant
Lion's Mane Mushrooms | Photographed by Caroline Tompkins
Walking into Mission Chinese Food on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, a mix of textures provide plenty to look at. The pink chairs and robin’s egg-blue tabletops contrast with the stark reds, whites, and blacks of the walls and wainscoting. A chandelier glitters above, sparkling against the stock of bottles behind the bar, itself electric with aqua-hued lights.
But the most alluring sight is an overhead box at the entrance that glows neon blue. Clear plastic bags tied at the top and stretched taut sit inside. Abstract and intricate forms protrude from them—some pink, others bright yellow, a third variety bluish in hue, they look as though they have been pulled from the ocean deep.
Mission Chinese Food's mini-farm | Photographed by Caroline Tompkins
“A lot of people think it is art,” says Danny Bowien, the chef, and owner ofMission Chinese Food. “It doesn’t look like anything you’d see in any other Chinese restaurant.” Though intentionally futuristic in design, the installation is more than aesthetic—it’s a miniature mushroom farm. A far cry from the tired and bruised portobello, cremini, and shitake that frequent grocery store shelves, the fungi here radiate life.
Andrew Carter and Adam DiMartino installed the miniature mushroom farm at Mission Chinese Food in late 2017. College roommates-turned-business partners, they propose a different approach to urban farming— rather than grow and distribute produce, they design, build, and install small-scale indoor farms outfitted to provide a rolling supply of fresh mushrooms. Equal parts urban farm and tech startup, their company, Smallhold, deploys hardware and software not only to grow a bounty of fungi but to carve out alternative routes from farm to table.
By the bar at Mission Chinese Food | Photographed by Caroline Tompkins
There are few signs of life surrounding the Smallhold office in Bushwick, Brooklyn. The landscape alternates between garages, warehouses, and empty lots. The bunker-like workshop and office space look out over a gravel courtyard decorated with shipping containers; cranes swing overhead, at work on a new development. But for Carter and DiMartino, this was the place to start a farm. Taking advantage of unused urban space—no matter the size—is integral to how Carter and DiMartino want to redesign the supply chain for cities. “If we can do it here,” Carter says, “we can do it anywhere.”
Mushrooms at Mission Chinese | Photographed by Caroline Tompkins
Carter dove headlong into urban mushroom farming two years ago—he wanted to use the skill-set he’d developed working in hydroponics systems design to develop a semi-automatic indoor mushroom farm. He wanted to explore how to use technology to enable more sustainable food production and bring agriculture to urban environments—he and DiMartino see Smallhold as part of a larger movement towards a more conscious way of eating.
After a year doing research and development (it involved a lot of growing mushrooms in basements), Carter bought a shipping container to turn into a commercial facility. Just as he was building it out, DiMartino returned from a motorcycle trip across the country. The friends decided to go into business together—but not wanting to be constrained by the limitations of a single space like a rooftop, backyard, or greenhouse farm, they devised a network of miniature farms they can monitor from anywhere.
Andrew Carter and Adam DiMartino, cofounders of Smallhold
Photographed by Caroline Tompkins
The mini-farms, also called “fruiting chambers” are largely automated. Sensors and cameras monitor temperature, humidity, CO2 levels, airflow, and light exposure. Carter and DiMartino can keep an eye on any unit from a laptop anywhere. Before the mushrooms are ready for restaurants, they spend between four and six weeks maturing in a warehouse. The mushrooms grow in a substrate made of recycled materials—mostly sawdust mixed with organic matter like wheat berries and coffee grounds.
Every week, Smallhold delivers fresh bags of mushrooms to the restaurants they work with. They mature for a few days, then Carter and DiMartino come by to harvest. Freshness matters a lot for mushrooms, confirms Dr. John Pecchia, a professor of mushroom science at Penn State University. They have a short shelf life—once they’re harvested, the quality depreciates rapidly. “We’re not fighting decomposition because [the mushroom] is still living the entire time. It’s as fresh as possible,” Carter says. Smallhold grows ten varieties of mushrooms, many of which are unfamiliar to the American market, where the white button still dominates. DiMartino likes the Lion’s Mane best—furry and oblong, it could be mistaken for an oversized hamster. Pink, yellow, and blue oyster mushrooms curl out of the bags, their delicate, bubbly forms like something from Dr. Seuss.
Oyster Mushrooms | Photographed by Caroline Tompkins
An ample supply of fresh, exotic mushrooms pushed Bowien to rethink his menu. He uses a portion of the weekly harvest to make mushroom jerky that tops fried rice. Before Mission Chinese started working with Smallhold, Bowien used beef—now the dish is vegan. “I like that the mini-farm grows mushrooms,” he says. “It feels very democratic.”
Back in Bushwick, chef Tara Novell runs the food program at Honey’s, around the corner from the Smallhold offices. She always sought out wild foraged varieties of mushrooms, but Smallhold provides her with a predictable supply—indoor farming is more efficient, and consistent. She whips a variety of powdered mushrooms into chocolate cake, and makes tempura out of the Lion’s Mane. Battered and deep-fried, it tastes like chicken nuggets.
The technology remains unfamiliar—like encountering virtual reality in the 1980s, chefs and consumers aren’t used to seeing automated, indoor forms of growing. But the potential is great. “Imagine that instead of the walk-in, it’s just your own mini-farm,” Novell says. “It’s just like the Jetsons. There is no limit, you can just keep growing in these little spaces.”
Ecobain Gardens Announces New Name
Ecobain Gardens Announces New Name
Saskatoon, SK, January 8, 2018
Ecobain Gardens, a major producer of natural herbs from its vertical hydroponic urban farm in Saskatoon, SK, has announced a name change to better reflect its business.
In the making of the announcement, Brian Bain, Cofounder and CEO said, “we have rebranded to become “Ecobain Naturals.” Bain continued, “Our new name better describes what we do, selling live natural, tasty and aromatic herbs to consumers through more than 450 retail locations in western Canada. These include Sobeys/Safeway & Federated Co-op locations.”
The Ecobain Natural herbs are sold in live potted, living clamshell, and bare root forms in bags to allow retailers a unique natural aromatic herb product catered to their specific demographics. Bain said, “Selling live natural herbs grown in Canada enables us to supply a fresher, more nutritional product. As well, this has the advantage of a longer shelf-life for retailers, who now do not have to rely on imported products to stock their retail shelves.
Bain continued, “Our technologically-advanced hydroponic buildings use 98% less water, which is good for the environment, and our LED lighting allows us to offer the most aromatic, tasty live herbs to the consumers, 365 days per year.”
Presently, Ecobain Naturals grows four herbs for their live herb market, including basil, mint, dill, and chives that are available in nine differing packages. Brian Bain said, “Since our business began in 2014, we have found our nine differing SKU packages including, four potted herbs, three root-attached smaller herb bags, and the larger clamshell basil are the most consistent sellers in the market.
In concluding the announcement on the rebranding to Ecobain Naturals, Brian Bain said, “Our goal is to continue to grow our business by supplying the best live natural and aromatic herbs to the consumer market while providing a very cost competitive product for retailers. Our new name, EcoBain Naturals reflects what we offer for the future.”
Ecobain Natural produces 80,000 units of live herb products each month from its 6,000-square foot facility located in northern Saskatoon. It is the hydroponic system that accommodates this, and like its vertical hydroponic buildings, with Ecobain Naturals, the only way for the business is “up.”
For more information on EcoBain Naturals, please go to the company’s website at
www.ecobainnaturals.ca or check them out on Twitter (@ecobainnaturals), Instagram and Facebook.
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New Haven Farms To Expand Healthful Garden Program
New Haven Farms To Expand Healthful Garden Program
By Esteban L. Hernandez
Published 3:53 pm, Sunday, January 14, 2018
hoto: Credit: New Haven Farms
NEW HAVEN—New Haven Farms will expand its popular incubator program this spring to include 25 additional families who will manage their own garden plot and have access to fresh produce.
New Haven Farms Executive Director Russell Moore said the program has grown every year since it launched in 2015. Two new incubator sites will be placed in Fair Haven on Stevens Street, near Shelter and Clay streets, and on Davenport Avenue in the Hill neighborhood.
Fair Haven’s site will support 15 families, while the Hill is expected to serve 10. The program currently has 50 families, a majority of whom are low-income residents.
Families first participate in a wellness program operated jointly by Fair Haven Community Health Center and NHF before joining the incubator program, which provides them a plot of land to build their own vegetable garden. The goal of the wellness program is to assist people in developing more healthful eating choices to address possible health concerns. The incubator garden allows participants to continue healthful habits learned through the wellness program.
“The significance of it is not just 25 families,” Moore said. “It’s that their family members will benefit from fresh produce.”
NHF works in partnership with the New Haven Land Trust and the Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare Foundation to fund the incubator program.
Moore recently visited the Fair Haven site. At the moment, it looks barren, with what he suspected were dead collard greens near the entrance. But the site will eventually be home to 15 additional families using the land, once seeding begins in March and the season starts in May.
New Haven Farms manager Jacqueline Maisonpierre, who helped to develop the incubator garden program in 2015, said the program fits well into NHF’s mission to, “promote health and community development through urban agriculture.”
The program has just about a 100 percent retention rate, though two families have moved out of the city, Maisonpierre said.
Moore said between the seven gardens, which together comprise just about one acre, New Haven Farms produced 18,000 pounds of produce. Providing produce for 50 families means more than 200 people receive help.
“We’re really getting people to change, to make large behavioral shifts in their lives so that they can live a healthier life and reduce their dependence on medication,” Maisonpierre said.
The incubator gardens teach families “that they have the powers to change their own health outcomes,” Maisonpierre said.
New Haven Land Trust Executive Director Justin Elicker said the trust supports 52 community gardens in New Haven. Elicker said NHF’s program teaches citizens how to be more healthy.
“This partnership was a great fit for both organizations,” Elicker said. “Graduates of the wellness programs have an ability to continue their connection to the community that they developed.”
Last fall, an NHF site near Ferry Street was the site of a robbery that left a seasonal worker injured. The man who was attacked is still working for NHF; Moore said the attack seemed to make his commitment to the organization even stronger.
The attack prompted a community meeting and increased police patrol. Added safety measures, including lights, were installed on a nearby post, and have helped with security, Moore said. He was happy with both the community and local law enforcement response to the incident.
“It was galvanizing,” Moore said.
The response seems to reflect what Moore said is another important effect from their gardening programs, which is people learning by example.
“One shining example can have a ripple effect throughout the community,” Moore said.
Reach Esteban L. Hernandez at 203-680-9901