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Australia’s First Indigenous Rooftop Farm Opens In Eveleigh
Clarence Slockee with Governor David Hurley at the opening of the Yerrabingin rooftop farm at South Eveleigh.
“You don’t expect to see an indigenous farm in the middle of the city,” she said.
By Heath Parkes-Hupton,
Daily Telegraph
April 10, 2019
Excerpt:
What started as an idea drafted during a comedy gig about 12 months ago has become Australia’s first indigenous rooftop farm, right in inner-city Sydney.
Cultural start-up Yerrabingin opened the working urban farm on top of its headquarters on Wednesday, in the heart of Mirvac’s $1 billion South Eveleigh redevelopment.
The garden, featuring more than 30 native bush foods including finger limes, warrigal greens, native raspberries and sea celery, will be used for cultural education and its products will be sold as fresh produce.
Yerrabingin co-founders, Christian Hampson and Clarence Slockee devised plans for the 2000-plant garden alongside Mirvac to produce a project that recognised Eveleigh’s rich Aboriginal heritage.
Mr Hampson said he hoped it would influence future designs by showing how native plants can integrate a sense of history into new developments.
“What we’re hoping to do with this place is there will be new chapters written at the site,” he said.
“This is a significant step forward in embedding reconciliation into placemaking while harnessing the potential of Aboriginal social enterprise.”
It would be self-funded through 16 monthly workshops, including cultural art and weaving, sustainability classes on permaculture, and food origin and cooking lessons.
Located in Gadigal land, the redevelopment site includes Eveleigh’s locomotive workshops, which were a source of employment for Aboriginal people who worked in the foundry, boiler room and workshops.
Mirvac managing director Susan Lloyd-Hurwitz said the company had paid “careful consideration” to the site’s Aboriginal significance, both in modern times and before settlement.
“You don’t expect to see an indigenous farm in the middle of the city,” she said.
“By working with Yerrabingin we were able to co-create an experience at the precinct that will engage and connect the public to Aboriginal culture and traditions, while educating them on the history of the site.”
NSW Governor David Hurley and his wife Linda Hurley attended Wednesday’s event, while Gardening Australia host Costa Georgiadis did the honour of proclaiming the site open.
Mr Georgiadis said the farm would produce “food for the soul”.
Italy: Lidl Trials Its First Shop To Have An Urban Garden
Spanish retailers follow the trend
A few weeks ago people were talking about the plans of El Corte Ingles to install a vertical garden in their store in Valladolid, now their focus is on Lidl, which has put into operation its first store in the world with an urban garden.
The discount company has opened this pioneer establishment in the Italian city of Turin. The store has 1,400 square meters of plant spaces on the roof of the building, which will be managed by Re.Te, a non-profit association that develops cooperation and social inclusion projects for people in need.
"Today we are not only here to inaugurate a new point of sale, but also to announce a unique project: the first Lidl store in the world, and there are already more than 10,500 of them, with a urban garden on the roof," stated the Regional director of Lidl Italy, Maurizio Cellini.
The urban garden will be administered in collaboration with other associations and will be entrusted to the inhabitants of the neighborhood, taking into account their income, work and personal situation.
"This is a story of which we are particularly proud and which expresses Lidl's willingness to meet the needs of the territory and to be part of a social inclusion project that will feature neighborhood families," added the director.
In this sense, the vice president of Re.Te, Luca Giliberti, stated that the urban garden would be administered in collaboration with other associations and would be entrusted to the inhabitants of the neighborhood, taking into account their income, work and personal situation.
The gardens will be used for awareness activities for school groups and labor reintegration, as well as to test agricultural techniques to combat the effects of climate change and support international agricultural projects in Latin America, the Caribbean, and sub-Saharan Africa.
The new store offers an assortment of more than 2,000 items, 80% of which are manufactured in Italy. It is also equipped with photovoltaic panels to reduce energy needs.
In this way, Lidl joins the trend of developing vertical and urban projects in food distribution, especially at the international level. In fact, similar initiatives have already been launched by chains such as Carrefour, Auchan Retail, and Mercadona. Specialized retail has also started to implement projects of this type, just as Ikea has recently done in Sweden.
Will The Urban Agricultural Revolution Be Vertical And Soilless?
Over the last seven years, New York City has become an epicenter for urban CEA, offering planners an in-situ setting in which to evaluate its impact
A case study of controlled environment agriculture in New York City
Controlled environment agriculture (CEA) is an emerging form of farming increasingly found in cities worldwide. Advocates promote CEA as the future of food production, arguing for its potential to address challenges ranging from climate change to food insecurity. Detractors state that CEA’s narrow focus on high-end produce, along with its intensive capital and energy needs, limit its meaningful contribution to the urban food system.
Over the last seven years, New York City has become an epicenter for urban CEA, offering planners an in-situ setting in which to evaluate its impact. A new case study examines the current state of CEA in New York City, its composition, requirements, and future. The authors identify CEA’s relative contributions, which include providing a small number of green-sector jobs and increasing access to produce in low-income communities. In parallel, they question if CEA provides sufficient benefits to warrant public-sector support.
Recommendations for cities considering CEA include critically analyzing its purported benefits; evaluating the environmental, economic and social potential of projects located on publicly-owned rooftops and land; and focusing incentives on nonprofit and institutional production that show clear community benefits.
Access the full study at ScienceDirect.
Publication date: 4/18/2019
Hong Kong Industrial Building Champions Green Spirit By Funding Rooftop Farming Through Recycled Cardboard
20 Apr, 2019
Jeff Chan (left) from Jones Lang LaSalle and farming expert Michelle Hong from Rooftop Republic. Photo: Jonathan Wong
YKK Building In Tuen Mun Boasts A 9,000 sq ft Farm That Workers Say Boosts Interaction With Clients And Promotes Bonding And Cohesiveness
At an industrial building in northwest Hong Kong, funds from selling piles of cardboard have been used to seed an unlikely endeavour on a 9,000 sq ft site on its roof – farming radishes and beans.
Workers at Tuen Mun’s YKK Building can choose to grow what they love according to the seasons, and freshly picked harvest are cooked at a staff canteen next door or given to charity.
The aim of the project – which was set up in September 2018 – goes beyond food production. Jones Lang LaSalle, the company which manages the building, launched the farm under expertise from agency Rooftop Republic to bring cheer to an otherwise dreary industrial district and for staff to bond.
Chu Oi-lan (left) enjoys rooftop farming with colleagues. Photo: Jonathan Wong
Jeff Chan Ka-chu, a senior director at the firm, said it wanted to create a relaxing work environment for tenants and foster exchanges between them and building management staff.
“In the past, when property owners and tenants come to the office, it’s mostly about complaints,” Chan said. “But through this project, with a softer touch, we can share experiences with our customers, such as on farming.”
Through this project, with a softer touch, we can share experiences with our customers, such as on farming, Jeff Chan, Jones Lang LaSalle
In the spirit of being environmentally friendly, the money for maintaining the farm comes from paper waste, alongside cans and plastic bottles, sold for recycling for about HK$20,000 to HK$30,000 monthly. The amount of waste each month, collected from tenants, can be up to 10 tonnes.
According to Chan, the farm was set up with more than HK$400,000 saved from over a year of selling waste material. The monthly operating cost now is a sustainable HK$4,000.
Hong Kong urban farmers find bliss in rooftop gardens
Chu Oi-lan, 38, a clerk who has worked at YKK for 19 years, said she loved the leisure activity of farming. Chu and her colleagues visit the rooftop garden during their off hours. She spends about 20 minutes each lunchtime tending to the plants.
Experts have called on the government to recognise the social benefits of rooftop farming. Photo: Jonathan Wong
“I have been waiting for this for a long time,” she said. “We can play and eat. I take watering the plants as an exercise.”
Chu said she bonded with colleagues through the project, and friends were also envious about her company’s farming perk after seeing her posts on social media.
Hong Kong has more than 60 rooftop farms, involving more than 1,500 people, according to Mathew Pryor, an associate professor and head of the landscape architecture division at the University of Hong Kong.
As Singapore runs out of room, rooftop farms offer solution to concerns about food security
In his study in 2016, Pryor estimated that there were some 600 hectares of farmable rooftop area across the city – about 32 times the size of Victoria Park.
“The primary benefit of rooftop farming was not food, but social cohesion and social interaction,” he said. “It’s not adding to the food supply of the city. But they are producing a huge amount of happiness.”
Pryor also noted the affordability of rooftop farms, and called on the government to view such projects as bringing social benefits, especially amid the ageing population.
“Older people who have a lot of time on their hands and particularly in the low-income areas [may not have good living conditions]. The idea of participating in a social [rooftop project] just for a bit of recreation and interaction ... That’s a powerful idea.”
Officials should give more recognition to rooftops farms by offering legislative and regulatory support, he said, while adding that technical help should be offered to people who want to take part in it.
“We can see the whole thing as a social project, rather than a food production project.”
New York City’s Best Urban Farms
When most people think of urban farming in New York City, they picture a bearded Brooklynite picking kale from atop a warehouse while drinking a home-brewed beer. And while that person does exist, there are a lot of other farms in this city that don’t fit the stereotype
From Bushwick to the Bronx, these 17 urban farms provide fresh food and green space for their communities
By Jessica Dailey and Amy Plitt
April 19, 2019
Eagle Street Rooftop Farm | UIG via Getty Images
When most people think of urban farming in New York City, they picture a bearded Brooklynite picking kale from atop a warehouse while drinking a home-brewed beer. And while that person does exist, there are a lot of other farms in this city that don’t fit the stereotype.
From a 19-year-old garden in East New York to a cooperative farm on a formerly vacant South Bronx lot, every borough plays host to at least one urban farm, and we’ve mapped 17 of the most notable ones here.
GrowNYC Teaching Garden
Governors Island
New York, NY 11231
Governors Island has partnered with GrowNYC on this 21,000-square-foot urban garden, which is filled with vegetable beds made from recycled materials. The garden is open for visitors to check out on weekends, and hosts occasional workshops and events.
Iwan Baan/Courtesy West8
The Battery Urban Farm
State St &, Battery Pl
New York, NY 10004
At the tip of Manhattan, one acre in the 25-acre Battery Park is dedicated to growing more than 100 types of vegetables. All of the food is harvest by NYC students, and donated to school cafeterias and food pantries, and resident turkey Zelda keeps everyone in line.
Shutterstock
Riverpark
450 E 29th St
New York, NY 10016
Many restaurants in New York City get their produce from the local Greenmarkets, but few grow it themselves. Riverpark, however, does. Located in the Alexandria Center, the farm uses 7,000 milk crates as grow beds. The farm provides food to Riverpark from spring until fall and grows more than 100 types of vegetables.
John Lamparski / Getty Images
Harlem Grown
118 W 134th St
New York, NY 10030
This urban farm, founded in 2011, aims to educate Harlem’s kids about agriculture, and does so through a variety of programs—there are volunteer opportunities, internships, and a summer camp. The farm has two locations: one on West 127th Street, and one on West 134th Street.
La Finca del Sur Community Garden
110 E 138th St
The Bronx, NY 10451
A group of Latina and black women living in the South Bronx banded together to turn an empty, abandoned lot on 138th Street into a farm in late 2009, and La Finca del Sur was born. The farming cooperative is an official nonprofit, and in 2014, the farm—where owners grow vegetables for personal use—helped launch the South Bronx Farmers Market.
Randall's Island Urban Farm
Wards Meadow Loop
New York, NY 10035
On Randall’s Island in the middle of the East River, 40,000 square feet of land hosts hundreds of plants in 80 raised beds. The farm, which has a great view of the Hell Gate Bridge, is maintained by GrowNYC and the Randall’s Island Park Alliance.
Brooklyn Grange, Long Island City
37-18 Northern Blvd
Long Island City, NY 11101
Brooklyn Grange’s flagship farm is not located, as one would assume, in Brooklyn. It sits on top of a 1919 Long Island City warehouse, and at 43,000 square feet, it’s one of the city’s largest rooftop farms. This commercial organic farm opened in 2010 and grows tens of thousands of pounds of produce every year, but it also hosts events, like tours and yoga classes.
Photo by Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Eagle Street Rooftop Farm
44 Eagle St
Brooklyn, NY 11222
Before building behemoth farms, Brooklyn Grange founder Ben Flanner co-founded the Eagle Street farm, the first rooftop soil farm in New York City. Today, his co-founder Annie Novak still runs the 6,000-square-foot farm, which is located atop a Greenpoint warehouse owned by Broadway Stages. The farm sells its produce at an on-site market, and delivers to local restaurants.
North Brooklyn Farms
320 Kent Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11249
North Brooklyn Farms was previously located on the Domino Refinery development site, but moved to a more permanent space on Kent Avenue and South 4th Street once construction on that mega project began. The farm hosts community dinners, educational programs, and sells the produce at a farm stand.
Oko Farms
104 Moore St
Brooklyn, NY 11206
Located in Bushwick, Oko Farms is an aquaponic farm, meaning that in addition to fruits and vegetables, its owners also cultivate freshwater fish. (Curious about how this works? They host workshops on aquaponics.) Oko recently partnered with Dabar Development Partners and Thorobird Real Estate, in partnership with the city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development to bring fresh food and urban farms to a low-income housing project that’s in the works in Bed-Stuy.
Brooklyn Grange, Brooklyn Navy Yard
63 Flushing Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11205
Two years after opening its first farm, Brooklyn Grange more than doubled its growing power by expanding with a 65,000-square-foot farm in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, moving the title of the world’s largest rooftop farm from Queens to Brooklyn. Together, the two farms produce tens of thousands of pounds of vegetables every year.
Phoenix Community Garden
2037 Fulton St
Brooklyn, NY 11233
Many community gardens dedicate space for produce, but the Phoenix Garden in Brownsville fills its entire 20,000-square-foot plot with edible plants. There’s a grape arbor, a large gazebo, and a rainwater harvesting system, and the garden produces about 2,000 pounds of vegetables every season. A portion of the output goes to a local soup kitchen across the street.
East New York Farms
613 New Lots Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11207
East New York was one of the first neighborhoods in New York City to experiment with urban farming. The first seed for the idea was planted in 1995, and three years later, the first actual seed was planted in the ground. Today, the community-run farm provides produce to 17,000 people each year.
The Youth Farm
600 Kingston Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11203
A one-acre youth farm run by the High School for Public Service grows vegetables and flowers for the community while teaching students about agriculture and food justice.
Whole Foods Market
214 3rd St
Brooklyn, NY 11215
Gotham Greens runs the 20,000-square-foot garden atop the Gowanus Whole Foods, in which they grow 200 tons of organic, non-GMO produce with hydroponic techniques. Much of the produce is sold right downstairs in the supermarket.
Shutterstock
Red Hook Farms
560 Columbia St
Brooklyn, NY 11231
Formerly known as Added Value, this community farm in Red Hook is one of New York City’s older urban farms. It started in 2001, and every year, the 2.5-acre plot produces enough vegetables for a neighborhood CSA.
Snug Harbor Heritage Farm
1000 Richmond Terrace
Staten Island, NY 10301
A century ago, the area where Snug Harbor, Staten Island’s Cultural Center and Botanical Garden, sits was farmland, and the center pays homage to that history with a farm of their own. All of the fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs that the farm grows are sold at the Snug Harbor Farm Stand.
The Trouble With The Urban Farming ‘Revolution’
by Emma Bryce | April 5, 2019
Commercial urban agriculture in New York City has provided questionable environmental gains, and has not significantly improved urban food security. These are the findings of a recent case study of New York City which shows that, despite the fanfare over commercial urban farming, it will need a careful re-evaluation if it’s going to play a sustainable role in our future food systems.
The rise of commercial controlled-environment agriculture (CEA)–comprised of large scale rooftop farms, vertical, and indoor farms–is a bid to re-envision cities as places where we could produce food more sustainably in the future. Proponents see CEA as way to bring agriculture closer to urban populations, thereby increasing food security, and improving agriculture’s environmental footprint by reducing the emissions associated with the production and transport of food.
But the researchers on the new paper wanted to explore whether these theoretical benefits are occurring in reality.
They focused on New York City, where CEA has dramatically increased in the last decade. Looking at 10 farms that produce roof- and indoor-grown vegetables at commercial scales, they investigated how much food the farms are producing, who it’s reaching, and how much space is available to expand CEA into.
They found that the biggest of these 10 commercial farms is around a third of an acre in size. Most are on roofs spread across New York City, and some are inside buildings and shipping containers. Mainly, these farms are producing impressive amounts of leafy greens such as lettuce, and herbs; some also produce fish.
But while rooftop farms rely on natural sunlight to feed the crops, indoor farms use artificial lights. These farms potentially have a greater energy footprint even than conventional outdoors farms, the researchers say–challenging the assumption that urban farms are less impactful than conventional ones.
Some farms also embraced high-tech systems, such as wind, rain, temperature, and humidity detectors and indoor heating, to enhance growing conditions in environments that aren’t naturally suited to agriculture. These elevate the energy costs of the food produced, and may be giving CEA an unexpectedly high carbon footprint, the researchers say.
Furthermore, the predominantly grown foods–such as lettuce–aren’t of great nutritional value for the urban population, especially those threatened by food insecurity. Most produce from CEAs is sold at a premium, something that partly reflects the cost of the real estate used to grow the food. Consequently, that produce is typically grown for high-end food stores and restaurants, meaning it’s unlikely to reach low-income urban populations who need it most.
The researchers also think it’s unlikely that CEA–which currently occupies just 3.09 acres in New York City–could expand into the roughly 1,864 acres they estimate is still suitable for urban farming in New York City.
The rising cost of real estate might put these urban acres beyond the reach of new farming start ups, they think. These companies also face increasing competition from a growing number of farms springing up on the outskirts of cities–where land is cheaper and there’s space to produce more food, while also benefiting from urban proximity.
With its one-city focus, the research isn’t representative of what might be unfolding in other places around the world. Other cities may be having more success–for instance, Tokyo has gained global attention for its large scale vertical farming efforts. Yet as a case study, it does reveal useful lessons–especially for cities wanting to meet the original twin goals of urban agriculture: equitably increasing access to food, at a lower environmental cost.
The researchers note first of all that CEA is optimal in places where less supplemental heat and light is needed to grow food. More thought might also be given to the nutritional value and cost of foods grown, to generate benefits for all the city’s residents, not just high-income ones. The researchers question whether smaller, community-driven plots of urban agriculture–like community gardens, school, and prison farms–might actually do a better job of providing food to at-risk city residents, compared to commercial urban farms that inevitably have to focus on profits.
Based on the study of New York, the researchers caution: “CEA may be touted as an exciting set of technologies with great promise, but it is unlikely to offer a panacea for social problems or an unqualified urban agricultural revolution.”
It’s easy to be drawn in by the dystopian allure of vertical farms and underground greens nestled into our cities. But until we’ve streamlined its role, we should perhaps not overstate what commercial urban agriculture can do – or, instead be guided by cities where there are stronger signs of social and environmental success.
Source: Goodman et. al. “Will the urban agricultural revolution be vertical and soilless? A case study of controlled environment agriculture in New York City.” Land Use Policy. 2019.
Image: Pixabay
Urban Farming: Gotham Greens Sees ‘Continued Rise’ In Demand
Gotham Greens said its Chicago facility is “the world’s largest” rooftop farm. © Gotham Greens/Julie McMahon
Posted By: Jules Scully
April 8, 2019
Following the recent romaine lettuce E coli outbreak across North America, US authorities called on the leafy greens supply chain to adopt emerging technologies to trace produce from field to fork.
From October to December, a total of 63 people were infected with the same strain of E coli. While no one died, 25 people were hospitalised and two developed kidney failure.
Following the romaine recall, prices of other lettuce varieties more than doubled at one point due to surging demand. The outbreak – which saw authorities warn consumers to avoid eating romaine lettuce – has heightened consumer demands for traceability, as they aim to ensure the food they purchase is safe to eat.
US urban agriculture pioneer Gotham Greens believes the scare, and resulting supply chain and traceability issues, served to validate its business model of growing produce in a secure environment that can reduce the risk of food-borne pathogens. Indeed, during the incident, the company saw a surge in orders of its romaine lettuce.
“Customers were confident in the origin of Gotham Greens produce and they knew they could rely on our products to be safe and grown locally in sterile greenhouses,” said CEO Viraj Puri, who co-founded the company in 2009.
The firm opened its first facility in 2011, located in Brooklyn, New York, and it now operates more than 180,000 square feet of greenhouse across four sites in New York and Chicago – and currently has an additional 500,000 square feet of development underway across five US states.
Viraj Puri, Gotham Greens CEO and co-founder. © Gotham Greens/Julie McMahon
Last June, the company secured $29 million in a funding round, as it aims to continue transforming urban real estate and promoting sustainable agriculture.
Supplying retail, restaurant, and institutional customers, Gotham Greens’ non-GMO, pesticide-free produce is grown using sustainable methods in climate-controlled urban greenhouses using 100% renewable electricity.
The firm sells produce such as iceberg lettuce, basil, baby kale, rocket, a range of leaf blends, as well as a selection of salad dressings and dips.
“When we built our first rooftop greenhouse, there was really no precedent for what we were trying to construct and we faced our fair share of scepticism from landlords,” Puri said. “Over the last ten years, urban farming has become commonplace in cities across the country, utilising space that wouldn’t traditionally be used for agriculture such as former industrial sites, rooftops, backyards, and parking lots.”
“Over the last decade, we’ve seen a major shift in consumer preferences towards local and sustainably produced food products. The rise in recent foodborne illness has underscored the need for greater traceability and transparency in the supply chain. As a result, we’ve seen a continued rise in demand for greenhouse-grown produce. There is an incredible value proposition of growing highly perishable fresh food in close proximity to large population centres while using fewer natural resources.”
Last week, Gotham Greens revealed plans for a new $12.5 million site in Providence, Rhode Island, which is expected to open its doors in early autumn 2019, creating 60 jobs. Geographically, New England is farthest from the West Coast, where the majority of leafy greens distributed across the US are currently grown.
Using growing methods such as recirculating hydroponics, data-driven climate control intelligence, and renewable energy, the facility is expected to produce approximately “30 times the yield of conventional agriculture per acre”.
The company offers produce such as iceberg lettuce, basil, baby kale, and rocket. © Gotham Greens.
The company’s technology enables it to capture irrigation water for re-use, which allows it to use “90% less water” than conventional farming, while eliminating all agricultural runoff. The greenhouses let it to grow year-round in regions that typically have much shorter growing seasons.
While it serves large foodservice operators and retailers such as Whole Foods Market and Target, Gotham strives to be community-minded and collaborates with local businesses, schools, and community partners where its facilities are situated.
“By locating our greenhouse farms in cities, Gotham Greens not only eliminates the environmental footprint and food waste linked to shipping produce long distances but also advocates for improved healthy food access, environmental education, and community development,” Puri said.
“We want to bring farming closer to city residents while simultaneously addressing supply chain issues for the food industry at large. We think globally but act locally.”
With seven years of data and experience to help inform growing decisions at future sites, the Gotham team believe they are ready to expand their project in 2019, with plans in place to more than double the workforce.
With the food traceability market predicted to surge in the coming years, the future looks positive for Gotham as it meets consumer demands for more sustainable, locally grown produce. Puri concluded: “The challenge is of course that the larger and more successful we get, the more complex scaling the business becomes.”
Tags:Gotham Greens sustainability Urban agriculture US
US (SC): Indoor Urban Micro Farm Could Be Coming To Myrtle Beach
“I think my family will be glad to have me out of the dining room,” Margot Tennant smiled after getting the nod from Myrtle Beach’s Planning Commission to start an indoor urban micro farm.
Tennant has been operating Seedside Greens from her home in Plantation Point but she’s “kind of at max capacity.”
The business involves growing vegetables on vertical racks under grow lights, she explained. The vegetables are sold to restaurants such as Kindbelly Cafe and Fire & Smoke Gastropub.
Tennant said she is hoping to lease an 850-square-foot facility in the St. James Square area near the Food Lion off 38th Avenue North.
Her micro farm could be the first of its kind inside the city, if approved by the Myrtle Beach City Council. Tennant had to get the planning commission’s approval because micro farming was not included in any zone.
The planning commission is recommending it be allowed in mixed use medium density zones. It is also recommending a one-year pilot program so any negative impacts can be addressed. The pilot program is limited to six permits for urban micro farming and it includes a two-year amortization limit in case the city would decide they do not want micro urban farming allowed in the city.
Other limits in the pilot program include the production and growing has to be done indoors and the space can’t be more than 2,000 square feet.
How Urban Indoor Farming Technology Is Changing
Lana Bandoim Contributor
Some of the crops are available to taste and buy during a tour at Square Roots Urban Growers in New York. Photo credit: DON EMMERT/AFP/Getty Images
As automation and data collection processes become more common, they are affecting more areas of the food industry. Urban indoor farming technology is also changing. Tobias Peggs, CEO and co-founder of Square Roots, shared more about how tech is transforming the industry.
Located in Brooklyn, Square Roots focuses on urban indoor farming. Its scalable “farmer first” technology platform brings fresh, healthy food to urban areas year-round, while simultaneously training future generations of farmers. The company recently announced its first major national expansion and partnership with Gordon Food Service.
"Gordon Food Service is one of North America's leading food service providers. It is a massive $15 billion per year food company with distribution operations spanning North America, as well as 175 retail locations in the U.S. Together, we will be building new campuses of our Square Roots indoor farms on or near Gordon Food Service distribution centers and retail stores across the continent," Peggs says.
Square Roots
Square Roots' technology focuses on data, insights and tools that help farmers learn to grow non-GMO, pesticide-free and delicious food all year round. Its platform also has a network of cloud-connected, modular farms, which are built inside shipping containers. Each farm has its own controlled climate that is optimized for growing certain crops.
"This means better speed to market. Using a modular container, we can open a new farm in three months and be very efficient with capital instead of taking years and spending millions of dollars to build a plant factory or a large scale industrial indoor farm or greenhouse. We can test a new market very quickly and can also be very creative with existing city infrastructure. We can pop up in a parking lot or take over a disused warehouse," Peggs explains.
The company's farms can be built in the same zip code as the end consumer. This means fresher products for the customers and more engaged urban communities. The setup can help customers feel connected to their local farm and farmers through events like regular farm tours. For example, in Brooklyn, Square Roots can go from harvest to store shelf in 24 hours or less.
Urban indoor farming is also easy to scale. To meet increasing customer demand in any market, they can simply add another container to any existing farm. Each of the container farms can grow 100 pounds per week of products, so they can add farms to meet the market needs when necessary.
Square Roots
"This means just-in-time capital deployment (very efficient) and also just-in-time technology deployment, which is important, as technology in this industry is improving fast, and you do not want to spend years and millions to open a big farm full of old tech," Peggs shares.
Another advantage is faster learning. The farms are cloud-connected and collect millions of data points in real-time that they can analyze with machine learning techniques to determine how changes in certain environmental parameters can impact the yield and taste of the final produce. More climates in more containers mean more feedback loops, which means faster learning. For example, the system has learned how to bring down the time to grow basil from 50 days to 28 days. That same system will also help them develop new "recipes" for new SKUs later this year, like strawberries or tomatoes, faster.
Peggs explains the company's mission is to bring local, real food to people in cities across the world and empower the next generation of leaders in urban farming. The company has plans to build, scale and expand, while training more farmers to grow delicious food on a global scale.
Lana Bandoim Contributor
I am a freelance writer and editor with more than a decade of experience. My work has appeared on Yahoo! News, Business Insider, The Huffington Post, The Week, MSN Money...
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In Places Like NYC Urban Agriculture May Not Be A Panacea
By Vitaliy Soloviy on April 17, 2019
Commercial urban agriculture in New York provides the city with tons of green salad. Yet, according to a new study in the journal Land Use Policy, its environmental outcomes are far less green.
Indoor and rooftop farms are becoming increasingly popular. In the case of New York, which is featured in the study, the city’s commercial controlled-environment agriculture (CEA) includes large-scale rooftop farms, vertical farms, and indoor farms. In theory, they should increase food security, reduce the local ecological footprint and curb emissions connected to transporting food. Only in theory, though.
To find out what happens in practice, the researchers looked at 10 roof and indoor commercial farms, exploring how much food they produce, where it is going and what the energy demands and future expansion opportunities are. While rooftop farms did quite well when it came to their energy demands and ecological impacts, most of the indoor farms have even larger environmental footprints than conventional outdoor ones. Meanwhile, the tech they rely on, including multiple sensors and climate-control features, increase energy demands further.
When it comes to claims regarding food security, such expensive conditions result in premium prices for consumers that can afford them like luxury food stores and restaurants. These benefits, however, mean no contribution to food security for most people. Another issue is the high price of real estate in New York, which makes new indoor agriculture startups a risky bet considering the limited size of the premium market and competition from traditional farms outside the city, which have far better expansion opportunities.
However, the researchers note that no globally applicable conclusions can be drawn from the case of New York City alone. Some cities like Tokyo are global success stories of vertical agriculture and they might prove more vital for local food security. The researchers also point out that the efficiency of high-tech urban agriculture might be higher in places that require little additional heat and sunlight, while crop and vegetable choices can be better tailored to actual local needs and not just the luxury segment.
The team sees a brighter future for non-commercial urban agriculture driven by citizens, including initiatives such as community gardens. Built on values and local vision, such projects might go much further in strengthening local food security, improving community resilience and providing actual environmental gains.
AVF Speaker Announcement: Unlocking The Potential of Indoor Farming In Cities of the Future
AVF Speaker Announcement
22-23 May in Oslo, Norway @ Urban Future Global Conference
We are excited to announce the first round of confirmed speakers for our conference entitled: Unlocking the Potential of Indoor Farming in Cities of the Future. Event details here: https://pretix.eu/associationverticalfarming/urban-future-2019/
This conference will be the only part of the wider Urban Future programme to focus on food production in the city.
Our first confirmed speakers are:
Dr. Joel Cuello, Professor of Biosystems Engineering and Director of the Global Initiative for Strategic Agriculture in Dry Lands (GISAD) at The University of Arizona.
Dr. Leo Marcelis, PhD., Head of chair group Horticulture and Product Physiology, Wageningen University
Josef Schmidhuber, Deputy Director, Trade and Markets Division, FAO
The AVF will run two half-day sessions, which will include:
Keynote speeches from industry experts
Roundtable discussions on the industry and society's most pressing topics
Guided workshops to create realistic strategies for the industry's future
We will connect cities and industry to create solutions for food in the city.
Your ticket also includes:
Access to the conference venue on May 22 and May 23
Access to all sessions (except the Mayors Only sessions)
Access to the Green Business Village
Food and beverages at the conference venue
Participation in field trips on May 24
Access to the event app
Access to speakers presentations
Get your Early Bird Ticket now! This is the lowest price you will find anywhere for this event.
We look forward to seeing you in Oslo! Should you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us at re@vertical-farming.net.
Sincerely,
The AVF Team
Moving Forward With Urban Farming
April 8th, 2019, Economy | News
by SHAZNI ONG / pic by ISMAIL CHE RUS
URBAN farming could be the answer to the ever increasing cost of living, amid the rapid development that has resulted in limited space for food production.
Urban Farm Tech Sdn Bhd founder Francis Chuah (picture) said almost every space — be it a balcony, front yard or backyard — is a potential plot for urban farming.
He said farming is no longer only about having a wide-open agriculture land out in the countryside.
“Other than the rooftop or any horizontal vacant space, we can even develop a wall farming system that utilises the vertical surface of a building,” he said in an exclusive interview with The Malaysian Reserve recently.
With a relatively small space — perhaps a balcony of just 8ft (2.44m) wide and 10ft high — one can grow organic vegetation that would satisfy the need of a whole family sufficiently.
Chuah said the new farming technique, otherwise known as urban agriculture or urban gardening, could contribute in providing people with locally produced food and within the city limits, if not the world.
The engineer-turned-entrepreneur also said it is possible to help the needy in coping with food scarcity and hunger through the growing of plants within and around cities, communities and rooftops.
“If you see our design or concept of the urban farming system, we can grow food wherever there is a surface and sunlight.
“When I talk about surface, it does not only mean horizontal surface but also vertical. We have the idea, technicalities, technology and skills to build, make and grow food,” he said.
Chuah added that one can even utilise the indoor space that’s originally not able to grow plants due to insufficient light.
“Implementing urban farming in an office space is also a brilliant idea, as it is not only producing food for employees, but would make the environment greener and eco-friendly too,” he said. The world population is expected to rise by about three billion by 2050.
It is estimated that nearly 80% of the population will be living in urban areas or centres.
The rapid process and development of urbanisation in developing countries is accompanied with subsequent issues and problems such as urban food insecurity and urban poverty.
Most developed countries have established urban farming as a solution for urban food insecurity.
Chuah said there is a bright future for such an agriculture concept in Malaysia.
“I have seen transformation over the past two years since I began urban farming. I saw how the market grew and I can still see that there are many potential places that can be turned into urban farming,” he said.
While it is subjective to the kind of vegetation that one grows and how the crops would be marketed afterwards, urban farming can serve as a decent supplementary income for the planters.
“According to our record, one could generate a revenue of about RM600 per month from growing vegetables for a space of about 30ft x 8ft,” Chuah said.
Three years ago, the former project manager for water treatment engineering projects looked at the organic farming concept seriously by putting some research and development works before setting up a farm at a house in Bandar Saujana Putra, Selangor.
With just a capital of about RM100,000, his intention was clear — to get urban communities closer to nature by growing food in their own areas.
“This urban farm is about 2,000 sq ft, and it combines different types of aquaponics systems and concepts.
“Why the variety? That is because we want to show people that you can use different vacant places to grow your food through the aquaponics system.
“Through the system, we manage about 1,800 pots of vegetables,” he said.
This Urban Farm Grows Strawberries In Shipping Containers In Central Paris
Mónica R. Goya
In terms of humidity, air quality and light, Agricool has created the perfect environment by growing strawberries in customized, reclaimed shipping containers. Every year, seven tons of strawberries are produced in each container. According to Agricool, these containers can yield 120 times as much as a field. | Mónica R. Goya
Agricool is a Parisian urban agriculture tech start-up that recently raised $28 million to scale its business: growing strawberries in reclaimed shipping containers in central Paris using vertical farming methods. Since the plants are cultivated using aeroponics — that is, by spraying a mist of water and nutrients on the plants' exposed roots (as opposed to the plants growing in soil) — their process uses 90 percent less water than conventional agriculture. Pesticides aren't needed because they grow in a controlled environment, and their carbon footprint is almost nonexistent because the transportation radius is less than 20 kilometers. Additionally, they claim to be 120 times more productive than traditional, soil-based agriculture, and their LED lights are powered by renewable energy.
The final design of each shipping container looks modern, with its external shell covered by a wooden panel. One of the reasons why the company uses reclaimed containers is because they are weatherproof. | Mónica R. Goya
Founded in 2015 by Gonzague Gru and Guillaume Fourdinier — two friends who grew up on farms in the French countryside — Agricool's principles are based on sustainability without compromising profitability. Furthermore, their business model can be imitated anywhere. Proof of their scalability is that they operate a strawberry container in Dubai. With their latest round of investments, they are planning to add about 100 containers to their current fleet by 2021.
Vertical farming makes the most of available space. Also, the company designs and produces its own LED lights, which are tailored specifically to its needs.
Mónica R. Goya
When the right time comes, colonies of bumblebees are brought into the shipping containers for pollination. | Mónica R. Goya
Their strawberries can be purchased at Monoprix supermarkets, as well as La Grande Epicerie de Paris, one of the city's most exclusive food halls.
Lab tests are conducted to assess the sugar levels and nutrients of the fruit. According to Agricool's own lab tests and external tests, their strawberries contain 30 percent more vitamins and 20 percent more sugar than conventional ones. | Mónica R. Goya
Remy Faury is an engineer who works on the research and development team at Agricool. The company's R&D team makes up 70 percent of the company.
Mónica R. Goya
Maria Foncillas is a "cooltivatrice" or an urban farmer, at Agricool.
Mónica R. Goya
At Agricool, several varieties of strawberries are grown throughout the year. These ones, in particular, belong to the Magnum variety. The growing cycle of the fruit is two months from seed to harvest.
From Fumes to Farming: Pittsburgh Sheds Industrial ‘Steel City’ Past to Open Nation’s Largest Urban Farm
Pittsburgh, the western Pennsylvania city once a hub for soot-spewing steel and coke mills, is about to become home to the nation’s largest urban farm. A 23-acre urban farm project named the Hilltop Urban Farm is set to open in 2019 just two miles from downtown Pittsburgh
iStock/linephoto
Pittsburgh, the western Pennsylvania city once a hub for soot-spewing steel and coke mills, is about to become home to the nation’s largest urban farm.
A 23-acre urban farm project named the Hilltop Urban Farm is set to open in 2019 just two miles from downtown Pittsburgh.
“The land was just kind of sitting there, fenced and looking very post-apocalyptic,” Aaron Sukenik, head of the Hilltop Alliance, which is building the farm, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
“On top of farmland where winter peas and other fresh produce will be grown by local residents and sold in the community, the farm will feature a fruit orchard, a youth farm and skills-building program. Hillside land will eventually have trails,” Reuters notes of the project.
“I can’t imagine the last time that a mayor had the opportunity to cut a ribbon on a farm in the city of Pittsburgh, and not just a farm, but the largest urban farm in America,” the city’s Mayor Bill Peduto boasted at the project’s ribbon cutting last month.
At the center of America’s Rust Belt, which runs from Detroit up to Buffalo, Pittsburgh has made inroads in recent years to reimagine itself and shake-off much of the rust image. While once known as the Steel City, with skies black from industrial pollution, it’s also been the home to mega food brand Kraft Heinz, which is now working toward improved sustainability initiatives and decreasing its carbon footprint, including how it manufactures within its hometown city and around the world by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, energy and water usage, and decreasing its waste by 15 percent globally by 2020, it notes on its website.
Pittsburgh’s relationship with industrialist Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919) injected the city with world-class museums, libraries, and universities. And its association with pop artist Andy Warhol (1928-1987) who was born in the city, also lends itself to a thriving eclectic art scene (even though Warhol distanced himself from Pittsburgh and spent most of his adult life in New York City) that has come to shape much of the city’s post-industrial image.
And one can’t talk about Pittsburgh without acknowledging its spiritual life-blood, which, despite the city being home to the world’s best-selling ketchup, is not red at all, but black and gold — the colors of the city’s three major sports franchises: the Pittsburgh Pirates, Penguins, and Steelers. With 16 championship wins between them, the Steel City is better known these days as The City of Champions, a wellspring of pride for locals. (With another Stanley Cup win earlier this summer, the Penguins became the first team to win back-to-back championships in nearly two decades.)
“Every fanbase thinks it has the best and most passionate on the planet. Regardless of the city, there is a legion of fans walking around with an inferiority complex, just waiting for someone to ever question their fandom,” Tyler Conway wrote in the Bleacher Report in 2014. “Pittsburgh has those people. They’re there, they’re annoying and no one ever wants to sit within 10 rows of them at a stadium. But taken as a whole, the fans stand out for their duality between passion and rationality.”
That mix of passion and rationality sustains the city through the long, grey winters, and hot, humid summers. And for a city that’s not quite sure how to shed its 100-year-old industrial image, team spirit offers unity, a common ground and a strong foundation in visioning about the city’s future.
“Pittsburgh is the forefront for the next generation of creative connoisseurs in the Northeast,” Michaela Trimble wrote in Vogue. “Google now calls the town’s old Nabisco factory home; Uber tested its first driverless cars here; and new, community-focused hotels like Ace Hotel Pittsburgh are collaboratively beckoning in a new meaning to black and yellow pride.”
The steel mills that once lined Pittsburgh’s three rivers have long been abandoned — some retooled into trendy shops, restaurants, hotels, and lofts. Parts of the city have become artistic hipster havens with New Yorkers escaping the high rents of Brooklyn just five hours east to open restaurants, bars, coffee shops, and art galleries in the more affordable neighborhoods of Pittsburgh.
the Farm plans
Urban farms and farming projects are of course nothing new — they can be found in major U.S. cities like Chicago and New York. Twenty percent of fresh food can now be attributed to urban operations. The number of farmers markets has also increased significantly in recent years. The USDA notes that in 1994, the number of markets across the U.S. totaled 1,755. Today there are more than 8,000 farmers markets nationwide, most of which are found in densely-populated urban areas. But food deserts –areas without easy access to fresh foods — are significantly more common than farmers markets or urban farm projects. According to the USDA, more than 23 million Americans live in food deserts.
It’s an issue Pittsburgh-based nonprofit The Fruit Tree Planting Foundation works to address both locally and globally through its fruit orchard-planting projects and educational programs. “As a Pittsburgh-based tree planting organization, we couldn’t be more proud of our city and this initiative to improve food security for our residents,” Cem Akin, FTPF’s executive director, told Organic Authority, adding that the group extends a “standing offer” to Hilltop to provide fruit trees “for any of their nonprofit efforts in the future.”
While not as dire as the burnout in Rust Belt cities like Detroit or Buffalo, Pittsburgh still struggles. For one, Pittsburgh’s layout isn’t a grid (not even close), which can leave its local communities isolated and insular. That can present difficulties when it comes to change — like adding more community gardens, farmers markets, or conventional supermarkets. There can be issues with both community interest and the logistical side of implementation. Pittsburgh also has the largest percentage of communities with “low-supermarket access” in the U.S. for its size (250k – 500k). The Hilltop Urban Farm project is aiming to not only help the city in reshaping its identity and embrace a food-centered upgrade, but it may also serve to solve a very real problem for thousands of residents in these challenged communities, where access to fresh, healthy food isn’t abundant — particularly in the city’s Southside neighborhood where the farm will be located.
“You just have blight, just so much blight in Rust Belt cities,” Heather Manzo, a farm and food business educator for Penn State Extension, an applied research arm of the Pennsylvania State University, and co-author of a 2014 report on the farm project, told Reuters.
“So you see the longstanding residents of neighborhoods who are used to trying to find their place in the world looking at this blight and just say ‘We can do something different, we can do something better’.”
The World's Largest Rooftop Urban Farm Is Set To Open In Paris Next Year
A joint project between Viparis and its partners Agripolis,
Cultures en Ville and Le Perchoir
In 2015, Viparis launched an extensive renovation project at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles exhibition complex. This decade-long initiative will raise the complex to the highest international standards and make it a model of sustainable development.
Paris Expo Porte de Versailles welcomes trade fairs and conferences, but it will also become a haven for sustainable farming and biodiversity, thanks to a 14,000 m2 urban farm on future Pavilion 6's roof. This will be the world's largest rooftop urban farm, offering a range of activities starting in spring 2020. To bring this exciting project to completion, Viparis teamed up with three partners, all of whom are experts in their fields.
An urban farm set and run by Agripolis
The goal is to make this urban farm a globally-recognised model for responsible production, with nutrients used in organic farming and quality products grown in rhythm with nature's cycles, all in the heart of Paris. More than twenty gardeners will produce over a thousand Kg or baskets of fruits and vegetables every day in season, from about thirty different varieties of plants, with Agripolis vertical farming technique.
3D view of the urban farm on the rooftop of Pavilion 6 (Paris Expo Porte de Versailles)
© VALODE&PISTRE ARCHITECTES/ATLAV - AJN
Services by Cultures en Ville
Taking things to the next level, the farm will offer a range of services related to urban agriculture: educational tours, team-building workshops for companies, and vegetable plots leased by residents.
A restaurant and bar with a unique concept signed Le Perchoir
Le Perchoir, Paris's renowned chain of rooftop venues, will open a bar and restaurant on the panoramic terrace of Pavilion 6, with a menu that will include produce grown on site. Le Perchoir's aim when developing its spaces is to spotlight urban heritage and encourage the greening of cities. Building on the success of its previous efforts, the company has now set its sights on western Paris.
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"This project is in line with our goal of making the exhibition complex a part of Paris. We are transforming our venues with a view to sustainable development and maintaining biodiversity, which is reflected in our "Better Events Viparis 2030" strategy. Viparis is proud to contribute to the development of urban agriculture in Paris by making Paris Expo Porte de Versailles a flagship point of reference, and we are excited by the passionate commitment of our partners: Agripolis, Cultures en ville and Le Perchoir.
Pablo Nakhlé Cerruti, CEO, Viparis
"By installing productive farms on the sites we operate, we are helping to foster environmental and economic resilience in tomorrow's cities. This is our guiding principle. To this end, the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles site will supply restaurants in the area, primarily Le Perchoir, but also residents of southern Paris and neighbouring municipalities, either directly or through distribution, and company canteens and hotels."
Pascal Hardy, Founder, Agripolis
"Today, large metropolitan areas are the focal point of a number of ecological issues. These include the loss of natural groundcover, pollution and rainwater management, but also societal issues such as the lack of connection between urban dwellers and their food supply. Cultures en Ville is keenly aware of these challenges, which is why, for the past four years, we have been providing innovative solutions that reconnect city dwellers with a healthier diet. The Paris Expo Porte de Versailles project is an ideal response, by offering local residents high- quality, locally-produced food and the opportunity to cultivate their own gardens. Working alongside our expert partners, we are proud to be building the world's largest rooftop urban farm!"
Clément Lebellé, Co-Founder, Cultures en Ville
"This project combines ecology, high-quality produce, the highlighting of the Parisian landscape, authentic experiences, cultural richness and human warmth. Le Perchoir shares these values, and is delighted to be part of this ambitious, trailblazing effort."
Christophe Talon, President, Le Perchoir
KEY FIGURES
1T of fruits and vegetables / day in full season 22 gardeners
140 cultivation squares to rent
14 000 m2
10 000 visitors / a year / 500 m2 for special events
About Viparis
Viparis, a subsidiary of the Paris Ile-de-France Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, is the European leader in conferences and trade events. Viparis manages nine event venues in the Greater Paris region. Each year, it welcomes ten million visitors (the general public, business visitors and spectators), and hosts 800 events in a diverse range of sectors at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, Paris Le Bourget, Paris Nord Villepinte, Espace Champerret, the Palais des Congrès de Paris, the Palais des Congrès d'Issy, the Salles du Carrousel, the Espace Grande Arche and the Hôtel Salomon de Rothschild.
To learn more , visit Viparis, or follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.
About Agripolis
Agripolis is transforming food systems by installing and operating urban farms that use innovative techniques to generate high-quality, responsibly-produced vegetables and fruit. Our soil-free, aeroponic "vertical farms" require minimal installation. Fruit and vegetables can be grown without pesticides and harvested at maturity, optimising water use and with a very low carbon footprint. Agripolis' vision is a city in which flat roofs and abandoned surfaces are covered with these new growing systems that contribute directly to feeding urban residents, who now represent the bulk of the world's population.
About Cultures en Ville
Cultures en Ville specialises in urban agricultural development. Our core business is the creation of productive, playful and aesthetic vegetable ecosystems. Cultures en Ville is a partner of the AgroParisTech research institute and takes part in cutting-edge research into urban agriculture. With a customisable offer that includes the design, production and management of vegetable gardens, the company has already carried out more than thirty large-scale projects, including the urban agriculture demonstrator at La Maison de la RATP, a vegetable garden at one of La Poste's headquarters and another at the head office of Vinci Construction France in suburban Paris.
Agripolis and Cultures en Ville have each won several calls for projects, including the "Inventing the Greater Paris Metropolis" and "Les Parisculteurs" initiatives.
About Le Perchoir
Le Perchoir's mission is based on the desire to re-inhabit the rooftops of Paris and give Parisians the opportunity to reclaim unusual spaces. Our first challenge was transforming a Parisian industrial building's 400 m2 terrace into a nighttime attraction.
Our rooftop bar quickly became a genuine crossroads for creative minds, a setting for collaborations and partnerships that generated a range of original projects - exhibitions, concerts, popup rooftop restaurants, outdoor film projections, and more.
To expand this nomadic undertaking, we turned to other venues - the Perchoir Marais, with its breathtaking view of Paris and its finest monuments, and the Pavillon Puebla located in the heart of the historic Buttes-Chaumont park.
Our goal when developing and re-appropriating spaces is to spotlight urban heritage and encourage the greening of cities. The venues are Parisian, but act as gateways to other places and other spaces. This is reflected in our musical programming featuring gems from around the world selected by Karl Planck from Radiooooo.com, an eclectic Internet radio station.
UK: Roof Of Community Food Market Will Produce Enough Fresh Vegetables And Herbs To Feed 100,000 In London
The rooftop farm, using 1200 sq m of hydroponics, will produce 60-80 tonnes of mixed vegetables a year – largely leaves such as lettuce and spinach – retailing to diners at around £8 per kilo, compared to around £25 per kilo in supermarket
Day and night: the hydroponic farm sits on the roof one storey, timber structure of the food market. Interrobang
Thirty food stalls and seating for 600 people will take up the ground floor with the farm covering the entire roof.
By John Walsh
Forbes
March 25, 2019
Excerpt:
The rooftop farm, using 1200 sq m of hydroponics, will produce 60-80 tonnes of mixed vegetables a year – largely leaves such as lettuce and spinach – retailing to diners at around £8 per kilo, compared to around £25 per kilo in supermarkets.
To put the harvest into some kind of context “we will easily provide fruit or salad in a good portion for around 100,000 people, probably around 20% of what we need,” says Rasca.
Redbridge Council, working with the Greater London Authority and London Enterprise Partnership, attracted funding for the regeneration project of which £1.4 million be used to fund the Ilford market.
Rasca never thinks of himself as a leader – “I just have ideas” – but he has thought about food since he was six years old.
Read the complete article here.
Will Vertical Farming Solve The World’s Growing Ecological And Human Crises?
4 Apr 2019 by Jonny Williamson
Vertical Farming is a new approach that could help solve the world’s escalating food chain crisis. And it is all made possible by data and Lean manufacturing.
We have witnessed an exponential rise in the capability of digital systems to gather data through sensors and process and analyse it – image courtesy of Depositphotos.
Though vertical farming is not a new concept – the theory that food can be grown in large quantities inside tall buildings has been around for decades, it is only recently that it has become possible at a price point that matches that of produce grown using traditional methods, and that is thanks to the same digital manufacturing technologies that are revolutionising our factories.
AeroFarms of Newark, New Jersey, is a pioneer of aeroponic farming with an ambition to set up vertical farms in towns and cities across the world to meet the growing ecological and human crises of the next few decades.
(Unlike hydroponics, where plant roots sit in a small container of water, aeroponics involves ‘misting’ roots with water and nutrients.)
Founded in 2004, and the recipient of substantial financial investment from major Ag investors like ADM Capital, to global celebrity chef David Chang, and the Swedish furniture giant IKEA, AeroFarms is the very model of a solution rising to a global challenge using imagination, ingenuity and technology.
As the company’s founding date suggests, it takes time, coupled with intensive, micro-level R&D to reach that critical point where costs are brought down, allowing prices to compete with traditionally farmed produce.
AeroFarms co-founder David Rosenberg says they are there, producing their own-label pre-packed ‘Dream Greens’. But it was not always easy.
“We didn’t always understand why plants sometimes grew, sometimes didn’t grow,” he told me. “We started tracking data, at first for data’s sake, seeing if we could understand what’s going on in this puzzle called plant biology.
“Slowly, after disseminating the data, the picture became clearer, and we understood sometimes we were saturating a plant with too much light. Sometimes not enough. Sometimes not enough water, sometimes too much. Sometimes different nutrients and micronutrients. The problems we have to solve are analogous to the field, and at the same time, very different.”
Technology growth
AeroFarms is a pioneer of aeroponic farming with an ambition to set up vertical farms in towns and cities across the world – image courtesy of AeroFarms.
The technology world today is also very different from 2004. We have witnessed an exponential rise in the capability of digital systems to gather data through sensors (IoT) and process and analyse it, and an exponential fall in the transmission and storage costs that that data analysis requires.
As the technology matured, so Rosenberg and his team began to acquire the tools they needed to refine how their vertical farm works.
“Having access to the information at our fingertips, having it separated into its different components to be interpreted is key,” he said. “We have used imaging systems, including multispectral cameras to capture our plants in our farm. We have sensors that are connected wirelessly through systems like the Dell Gateways, to connect to our different people.
“We have plant scientists, physiologists, plant pathologists, and molecular biologists that are trying to understand what’s going on. We have people in operations using Lean manufacturing. So, the interconnectedness of the farm is all coming together. It wouldn’t be possible without a complete harmony of these systems, hardware and software, that are connecting all the data.”
It is the application of manufacturing principles like Lean, in a way that could never happen in traditional agriculture, that stood out for Nigel Moulton, Global CTO for Dell EMC, whose systems make the AeroFarms ambitions possible.
“If you take the Six Sigma principle, and you applied it to agriculture, you end up with AeroFarms,” he told me. “It is the combination of a lean process married to a set of technologies that help you deliver Six Sigma, in this case, in agriculture.
“There is the added benefit that it’s in a brownfield location that might have very low yield and use if it weren’t for somebody as innovative as AeroFarms coming in and saying, ‘We can occupy this space, we can apply Six Sigma. We can apply technology to actually grow something.’”
Global challenge:
70% of the world’s water goes to agriculture
70% of freshwater contamination is caused by agriculture
50% more people on the planet by 2050
30% loss of arable land over 40 years
60% of food currently spoiled before it’s eaten
CO2 emissions from food miles increasing
AeroFarms grows produce without sun or soil in a fully-controlled indoor environment – image courtesy of AeroFarms.
Upscaling
Nigel Moulton’s point about the sites AeroFarms uses is well made. Their global HQ is their ninth farm, and is in a converted steel mill in Newark, New Jersey. It’s R&D centre, also in Newark, is a former nightclub. Another farm in Newark is a former paintball and laser tag arena. This is entirely consistent with their philosophy of using as few new resources as possible and recycling as much as they can.
AeroFarms is a member of the Ellen McArthur Foundation’s Circular Economy 100, an elite grouping of companies whose goal is to minimise waste and live by the principles of the circular economy.
Inevitably, it was their ability to micromanage waste out of the system that also contributed to reaching that crucial price point. As a small example, if a plant only needs a part of the light spectrum to grow, why not find a way to deliver just the bit it needs?
AeroFarms is also a certified B Corporation, which means they meet “the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose.”
Their contribution to social and environmental good is augmented by programmes such as placing a growing unit inside inner city schools to enable children to see the technology at work – and give them fresh food to eat.
AeroFarm solution vs traditional field farms
Up to 95% less water used and no pesticides
Up to 50% less time to grow plants
Millions of data points each harvest
390-times more productivity annually
One million kilos of leafy greens per farm annually by AeroFarms
Farms growing food where people live
The future is vertical
AeroFarms’ commitment to the philosophy and principles of the B Corporation is apparent in more than just the way its values and management are entirely bent towards solving global issues such as population growth, hunger and water contamination. It is also obvious in the way that this is not just another high-tech company seeking to corner a lucrative market for itself.
“AeroFarms are the world leaders in this space,” David Rosenberg told me. “But it’s
not a space where there’s one winner and lots of losers. There’s going to be several winners in this space. It is not unlike other industries: there’s a rush of people getting in, excited and inspired by what AeroFarms is doing. And hopefully that competition is good, ups the game, and makes us innovate faster and get to our goals faster.”
To put it another way, onwards and upwards.
How does AeroFarm’s do it?
Smart aeroponics
Mist the roots of the greens with nutrients, water, and oxygen. The aeroponic system is a closed-loop system, using up to 95% less water than field farming and 40% less than hydroponics.
Smart light
LED lights create a specific light recipe for each plant, giving the greens exactly the spectrum, intensity and frequency they need for photosynthesis in the most energy-efficient way possible. This allows control of size, shape, texture, colour, flavour and nutrition with razor-sharp precision and increased productivity.
Smart nutrition
Constantly monitoring all the macro- and micro-nutrients for plants to provide them with everything that they need to thrive. The exact same seed from the field can be grown in half the time as a traditional field farmer, leading to 390 times more productivity per square foot annually than a commercial field farm.
Smart data
Plant scientists monitor millions of data points every harvest, constantly reviewing, testing and improving the growing system using predictive analytics to create a superior and consistent result. With remote monitoring and controls in place, the typical risks associated with traditional agriculture are minimised.
Smart substrate
A patented, reusable cloth medium for seeding, germinating, growing, and harvesting. The growing cloth medium is made out of BPA-free, post-consumer recycled plastic, each taking 350 500ml water bottles out of the waste stream. The cloth can be fully sanitised after harvest and reseeded with no risk of contamination, acting as a barrier between the mist and the plants.
*Adapted from here – courtesy of AeroFarms
How This Man Has Turned A Warehouse Into An Organic Farm
UNS farm to soon make of greens available at local super markets at affordable prices
April 05, 2019
Mustafa Moiz, MD of UNS Hydroponic Farms, explains functioning and benefits of Hydroponic farms at the UNS Farms in Al Quoz.Image Credit: Clint Egbert/Gulf News
Dubai: Sustainable urban farming has now become a reality in the UAE. Instead of picking up expensive organic vegetables that have travelled thousands of miles around the world guzzling aviation fuel and clocking high on the carbon footprint, we now have an alternative. We can actually have pesticide-free, zero carbon, indigenously grown, reasonably priced organic vegetables round the year.
Meet Mustafa Moiz, a young Indian expatriate and resident entrepreneur from Dubai. He is the Managing Director of UNS farm situated in a large warehouse of Al Quoz Industrial area. Utilising principles of vertical farming with eight vertical levels of farming, his farm utilises 30,000 square feet of space and is the largest urban farm in the city.
“There is a misconception that good quality, organic, pesticide-free vegetables have to be expensive. We are offering through UNS affordably priced vegetables for all,” said Moiz
UNS farm that began operation in September 2018, harvests anything between 1,000 to 1,500kg of vegetables every day and is currently supplying to gourmet chefs, hotels and restaurants. However, its produce will soon be available to individuals on supermarket shelves.
Hydroponic farmers work hard at growing viable and sustainable herbs, fruits and vegetables at the UNS Farms in Al Quoz.
The farm works on principles of hydroponics which rests on growing vegetables soil free in peat moss. Nutrition is supplied to plants through macro and micronutrients dissolved in water, through drip farming optimising the use of water. The indoor farm is temperature controlled so has the same yield throughout the year, even during the peak of summers. It is sustainable because it uses minimum water and the green, red and yellow ultraviolet solar colours that are used in the indoor farm come from energy saving LED lights.
The Moiz family which also runs a family hardware business, invested $10 million (Dh36.7 million) in this project as they completely believe in organic, sustainable urban farming. Moiz added: “Urban farming is the future of the world. Using the principles of drip irrigation and aerial farming and economising on congested city spaces, it is not only eco-friendly but is also financially and environmentally sustainable. Most cities can actually become self- sufficient in indigenous food production. This is the key to food security in our near future.”
The Uns farm currently produces tonnes of greens — baby spinach, kale, basil, lettuce and salad leaves. The farm plans to diversify into growing fruit such as strawberry and also cultivate mushrooms. It also is into cultivation of flowers.
The produce, minus pesticides and harmful chemicals, are imbued with great natural flavours. Moiz added: “The vegetables grown here taste incredible. Usually soils in general have chemicals and pesticides leeched into it over some years. But here we grow without soil and there is no contamination of any kind of harmful chemicals.”
Hydroponic farmers work hard at growing viable and sustainable herbs, fruits and vegetables at the UNS Farms in Al Quoz.Image Credit: Clint Egbert/Gulf News
Uns plans to get into mushroom cultivation soon. “Worldwide mushrooms are the favourite fungi for exotic cuisines but are not required to be grown in compost base which is not always very hygienic. We will be adhering to very high hygienic standards while cultivating mushrooms too. We want people to know that health and quality need not come at a premium, and at UNs were are working towards that goal,” added Moiz.
How does Hydroponic farming at UNS happen?
Each herb or green has its own cycle of growth from 7-14 days. The farm follows definite steps for cultivation:
• Seeds of the plants to be cultivated are procured and filled with nutrients.
• They are inserted in oasis sheets which is then soaked in hydrogen peroxide solution and kept for 10 minutes. This is done to avoid fungal and other bacterial growth. Again the seeds are sprayed with the nutrient solution which are bio stimulators enhancing the growth of the crop.
• These seeds are then taken to the growing trays where they are continuously supplied with nutrient filled irrigation solution supplied through three dedicated nutrient tanks. There are three ozone units installed in the farm that kills any kind of bacterial growth
• The farm temperature is maintained under 24 degree Celsius, the PH level is maintained at 5.80 and carbon dioxide is maintained is at 600 ppm. All of which is controlled and maintained by an automated control panel that checks optimum PH, temperature, nutrient target and humidity.
Hydroponic farmers work hard at growing viable and sustainable herbs, fruits and vegetables at the UNS Farms in Al Quoz.Image Credit: Clint Egbert/Gulf News
• The LED lights supply nourishment through the colours of the rays.
• The harvesting depends on the kind of crop. Some crops start germinating between the fifth and seventh day. The harvest can be done from tenth day and the same plant can is re-harvested up to 4 or 5 times from the same growing tray.
• The crop is taken to the harvest machine where it is sized uniformly and then is taken to the sterilising bubble washing machine where it sterilises the plants and increases the shelf life
• The crop is then taken to the dryer where it is dried in a manner that 10 per cent of the moisture is retained to maintain the freshness of the crop.
Hydroponics nutrition
The composition of the nutrients in hydroponic farming is essential as plants grow without soil. There are over 20 elements that are essential. These include elements such as carbon, hydrogen and oxygen that the plant absorbs from the air and water. In addition plants require essential minerals and nutrients that are dissolved in water in correct proportions and delivered to the plant through drip irrigation.
The essential minerals in solution for hydroponic farming must include”
•Nitrogen (N)
•Potassium (K)
•Phosphorus (P)
•Calcium (Ca)
•Magnesium (Mg)
•Sulphur (S)
•Iron (Fe)
•Manganese (Mn)
Hydroponic farmers work hard at growing viable and sustainable herbs, fruits and vegetables at the UNS Farms in Al Quoz.Image Credit: Clint Egbert/Gulf News
Across China: Profits Grow Out of "Plant Factory"
The factory, with an area of over 10,000 square meters, is a project of Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-30 | Editor: mingmei
BEIJING, March 30 (Xinhua) -- At 8 a.m., Qin Peng puts on a white coat and stands in front of a machine that blows dust off of him, preparing to start work.
Qin, 45, said the dust on the human body may contain pest eggs, so it has to be blown off.
Qin is a vegetable planter. Instead of toiling in fields, he works in a "plant factory" in the southeastern suburb of Beijing, where eight types of vegetables including lettuce and spinach are growing on planting beds.
The factory, with an area of over 10,000 square meters, is a project of Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com.
Last December, the company's fresh food brand JD Fresh partnered with Japanese chemical manufacturing giant Mitsubishi Chemical to open the factory featuring Japanese hydroponic technology.
To enhance livability, seeds are isolated in a sealed seedling box for around one week. The temperature, humidity and carbon dioxide concentration inside the box are adjustable to keep seeds growing in the best condition. LED lights are also equipped to accelerate the growth of vegetables.
After maturing, the seeds are taken out of the box and plugged into the holes on the plant beds, where their roots can be soaked in a nutrient solution.
The adoption of the recycled nutrient solution enables the factory to consume 90 percent less water than a traditional plantation, and the standard growing process is much more efficient, said Zhao Lei, head of the plant factory project.
"For instance, the growing season of spinach is only 19 days, which allows 19 harvests in one year, while the traditional cultivation of spinach on a farmland plot has only four harvests each year at most," he said.
Zhao said the factory-grown vegetables are sold both online and offline at four to five times the market price of ordinary vegetables, but still sell out every day.
The company aims to set up to 10 plant factories in China. The newly built facility is located in the Tongzhou District of Beijing and is expected to produce 300 tons of vegetable annually with its 11,040 square meter production area.
Zhou Wenjuan, a customer in Changping District, Beijing, has been ordering hydroponic vegetables online for more than a month.
"They are so clean that I don't even need to wash them. The vegetables are grown in a fully enclosed room without pests, and thus pesticide is not used," she said.
With rising incomes and a growing demand for a better life, an increasing number of Chinese consumers are willing to spend more on high-quality food that is nutritious and free of pesticides.
Besides the hydroponic plant factory in Beijing, similar soilless cultivation projects are seen in Shenzhen, Suzhou, Dalian, Changchun and other cities across the country.
Many enterprises, including China's largest food trade company COFCO, and scientific research institutions like the Chinese Academy of Sciences, have been engaged in the sector.
Zhao did not disclose the profits of the plant factory but said they are planning to expand.
"The factory does not need pesticides and can avoid soil pollution. Our 10,000-square-meter factory only needs eight workers. These advantages ensure the profitability prospect of the plant factory," he said.
“The JD Plant Factory in Tongzhou marks JD’s entry into the very beginning of the fresh food production chain, allowing us to guarantee that the fresh goods we sell have been treated with the care JD applies to everything we do. JD’s supply chain technology, logistics network and e-commerce expertise combined with Mitsubishi Chemical’s sophisticated growing technology puts us in an ideal position to create an entirely new model for agriculture, and cultivates a fresh and healthy lifestyle in China,” said Xiaosong Wang, president of JD FMCG and food businesses
Singapore Focuses On Food Security To Counter External Threats
Singapore, which imports 90% of the food it consumes, is making concerted efforts to produce and store its own food, as it seeks greater food security in the face of external threats such as climate change and pressures from neighboring Malaysia
City-state rolls out 'agri tech park' project as it seeks to reduce dependency on food imports
JUSTINA LEE, Nikkei staff writer
MARCH 30, 2019
The Singapore government has launched a series of new food projects in order to be able to feed its growing population. Earlier this month, it announced it would open an 'Agri-Food Innovation Park' for high-tech farming processes. © AP
SINGAPORE -- Singapore, which imports 90% of the food it consumes, is making concerted efforts to produce and store its own food, as it seeks greater food security in the face of external threats such as climate change and pressures from neighboring Malaysia.
The Singapore government has launched a series of new food projects in order to be able to feed its growing population. Earlier this month, it announced that it would open a 18ha "Agri-Food Innovation Park" which will be used for high-tech farming processes and research and development activities including insect farms.
"We are working with local and overseas industry players to develop this first phase of the park, which will be ready from the second quarter of 2021 with potential for future expansion," said Koh Poh Koon, Singapore's senior minister of state for trade and industry.
Singapore is also looking to develop a new sector of agri-technology using local talent in its bid for more secure food supplies. SEEDS Capital, the investment arm of government agency Enterprise Singapore, has appointed seven co-investment partners to inject more than S$90 million into Singapore-based agri-food tech startups.
With no natural resources of its own, Singapore depends heavily on foreign food imports, including live animals, worth around S$11.3 billion in 2018 alone. Less than 10% of its food is homegrown due to its small territory and limited available land. Most of its food comes from countries including Malaysia, Australia and Indonesia.
Additional factors such as climate change and tensions with Malaysia mean the city-state is vulnerable to potential disruptions to its food supply.
Last December, Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, Malaysia's domestic trade and consumer affairs minister, said Malaysia was looking at limiting or stopping exports of eggs in order to ensure a sufficient supply for its domestic market. Singapore imports approximately 73 per cent of its eggs from Malaysia, according to the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore.
To prevent shortages from any such potential moves, and despite its limited resources, Singapore is aiming to triple its home-grown food productivity by 2030.
Some local companies are involved in the efforts. Sustenir Agriculture, a local vertical farming company, has successfully cultivated strawberry plants in the laboratory, with the fruits already being sold at Singaporean online supermarket operator Redmart. It has also grown some vegetables which are being sold locally.
Paul Teng, managing director and dean of the National Institute of Education in Singapore, noted that such efforts could help Singapore to boost its food productivity, as indoor vertical farms do not require "large land pockets" which the city-state does not have. "It can be expected that land will not be a major roadblock," he said.
However, due to the heavy involvement of technology in the growing processes, food grown in Singapore might become more expensive, he warned. "Singapore-produced vegetables need to have a justified price premium due to the relatively higher costs of per kilogram production when compared to imports from neighboring countries."
"Food safety, freshness and sustainable production may be part of the certification required to help consumers choose in favor of local produce," he added.