Welcome to iGrow News, Your Source for the World of Indoor Vertical Farming
Bringing The Infarm Urban Farming (R)evolution To The UK With Marks & Spencer
Starting today, at Marks & Spencer’s Clapham Junction store in South West London, South London, you’ll be able to find fresh infarm herbs including Italian, Greek and Bordeaux Basil, fresh Mint, Curly Parsley and Mountain Coriander (just a few of the many varieties in our catalog)
infarm
By Erez Galonska, Guy Galonska and Osnat Michaeli — founders, infarm — Indoor Urban Farming, GmbH
Just under a decade ago, my co-founders and I started to experiment with growing our own fresh produce. We had just moved to Berlin, bought a 1955 Airstream trailer, outfitted it with DIY growing shelves and started experimenting with indoor farming.
Our 1955 Airstream in the early days of infarm
We grew all sorts of greens, lettuces, herbs and microgreens. The experience of having fresh basil, mint, lettuce and arugula and many other vegetables in the dead of winter, full of flavour and beauty was amazing. We never looked back.
Since launching the experiment that would mature into our company, infarm, we’ve installed our farms in hundreds of stores and distribution centers across Germany, France, Switzerland, Luxembourg and now, for the first time, we’re expanding our business to the UK with Marks & Spencer.
Starting today, at Marks & Spencer’s Clapham Junction store in South West London, South London, you’ll be able to find fresh infarm herbs including Italian, Greek and Bordeaux Basil, fresh Mint, Curly Parsley and Mountain Coriander (just a few of the many varieties in our catalog). We’ll be in additional Marks & Spencer locations in London through the end of the year.
infarm at M&S Clapham Junction
London — like Berlin — has been experiencing a revival of restaurants, Michelin-rated chefs and international cuisine which began around the time we started infarm in 2013.
We believe that whether you’re a top chef or just running by the grocer’s to put together a meal for your family after work, your food should not have traveled more than you have. It should be fresh and alive (with the roots still on), and bursting with nutrients when it reaches your plate.
Those of you who have already seen our modular farms, perhaps at an Intermarché in Paris, Edeka in Germany, Migros in Switzerland or Auchan in Luxembourg, may be curious about what to expect when you arrive at M&S.
What you can be sure of, is that the infarm herbs you find will be full of flavour and grown sustainably and with love, right in your neighbourhood.
This is the core of the infarm (r)evolution in food. Stop by M&S Clapham Junction store and taste our herbs for yourself. And feel free to experiment with them as you cook to upgrade your favourite dishes! Find out more about us at infarm.com.
WRITTEN by infarm
US: West Chicago - FOR SALE or RENT: Turn Key Vertical Hydroponic Indoor Urban Farm
The farm and its brand has been successful for over 4 years, the owner is moving on and has taken a managerial position with a large Indoor Vertical Farming company
This is an Indoor Urban Vertical Hydroponic Farm that was built and engineered in 2015
The farm and its brand has been successful for over 4 years, the owner is moving on and has taken a managerial position with a large Indoor Vertical Farming company.
This is an extremely functional hydroponic vertical farm. 1800 Sq ft with 18 foot ceilings.
This facility is able to produce 8 acres worth of food in just 4% of 1 acre (That’s 200x).
The present owner has grown 70+ varieties of microgreens, countless greens, herbs, and edible flowers, and small vining fruits.
The facility was built in collaboration with the DuPage County Public Health Department, and has been certified by the USDA and Third Party Certifiers like Primus, etc.
Everything in the space is food grade, and the facilities walls were built with the finest grade vapor/ particulate barriers inside the walls.
The lights are 60% fluorescent and 40% LED.
You will have access to all lights, but I would encourage you to invest in more LEDS.
This is a turn key facility ready to operate efficiently and at full capacity.
Greens / Herbs / Edible Flowers
33 shelves - 8’x3.5’
6 8’ NFT channels per shelf - 10 plant sites per channel
198 Total NFT Rails with 1,980 plant sites
1980 sites divided by 4 week grow > 495 grow sites/week X $2.5 = $1237/week
*NFT Channels are by Farmtek - size: 4”x2”x8’
Microgreens
27 shelves - 8’x 3.5’
8 Microgreen Specific NFT Channels - 2 10”x 20” trays per channel
432 Total spaces for 10”x 20” flats
432 flats X $13/4oz(very conservative) = $5616/week
*Cropking NFT channels specifically for 10 x 20 flats
Vining Fruits / Herbs
15 shelves - 8’x 3.5’
6 - 3.5’ NFT Channels per shelf - 3 sites per channel
90 - Total NFT Channels with 270 plant sites
Depending on what you grow $1000-3000/week
Also features:
Germination Chamber
Custom built to be an automated baker’s rack style setup to germinate microgreens, lettuces, and herbs in 10”x 20” flats. Capability of holding 144 10x20 trays. 4 sliding doors make it easy to open and close.
All materials are food grade safe and USDA/third party compliant.
Misters run on a very user friendly IPAD app that can be programmed down to the minute.
Separate Harvest Room
2 food grade tables and 3 food grade stainless steel shelves can hold your packaging and accompany 2-3 harvesters. There is a small walk in cooler in the room - 5’x5’x 6’ Tall.
There is also a small hand washing sink.
5 - Reservoirs
3 - 200 gal, 2 500 gallon
1 - 500 gal for microgreen system
1 - 500 gal for greens/herbs/edible flowers system
2 - 200 gal for vining fruits - grow / fruit cycles
1 - 200 gal for cleaning
The system is plumbed so that there are 5 water lines (one for each reservoir) that run parallel, and the cleaning water (generally bleach, etc) can be run through the system while the rest of the shelves are still running their proper water solutions.
For each reservoir there is a powerful pump that goes to the system, but also a seperate pump with separate water lines that go through a filter, then a water chiller, then through a dosing system, then back in the reservoir. So the water is constantly being purified and regulated for the system.
There are also Air pumps and lines for each reservoir.
*The current dosing systems are slowly but surely breaking down - I would strongly recommend purchasing new dosing systems for each reservoir you plan on operating.
3 - 48” x 48” Nurseries on one reservoir
Seeding Station with food grade shelves and stainless steel tables
3 - compartment sink
2 - 4’ x 4’ ventilation fans that sync up with 3 large evaporative cooling walls to ventilate and cool the space by 10-15 degrees F. This system is ran by an Autopilot Digital Environmental Controller.
354 Total Light fixtures capable of accepting 2 48” flourescent or LED bulbs
Plenty of Storage
Room to double the Greens/Herbs/Edible Flowers/Microgreens section
Employee Fridge and File cabinets (2 large, 1 small)
Rolling Stairs
Monthly Rent: $1250 - The space, Utilities (electric, water), Use of a scissor lift.
Sale Price: $115,000
Rental Price:
$3,200 Rent: All Equipment
$4,450 Total Monthly Rent
All information is from sources deemed reliable but is subject to errors, omissions, changes in price, prior sale or withdrawal without notice.
No representation is made as to the accuracy of any description.
All measurements, yields and square footages are approximate and all information should be confirmed by the customer.
Disclaimer of Warranty - The 2016 Freight Farms LGM hydroponic farming container is being sold “as is” and the Seller disclaims all warranties of quality, whether express or implied, including the warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose.
US , New York - Green City Growers Will Be Maintaining An On-Site Rooftop Garden For The Rainbow Room
The garden’s location on the 11th floor of 30 Rockefeller Center in hashtag#nyc is part of a revitalization of what was previously the “International Garden,” which was part of a collection of rooftop gardens installed throughout Rockefeller Center in 1935. We can’t wait to bring this historic garden back to life at 30 Rock!
Green City Growers is excited to announce that we will be maintaining an on-site rooftop garden for the iconic Rainbow Room at Rockefeller Center starting this fall!
This organic vegetable and herb garden will provide fresh ingredients to be used in the Rainbow Room’s culinary program.
The garden’s location on the 11th floor of 30 Rockefeller Center in hashtag#nyc is part of a revitalization of what was previously the “International Garden,” which was part of a collection of rooftop gardens installed throughout Rockefeller Center in 1935. We can’t wait to bring this historic garden back to life at 30 Rock!
Agriscience Program Teaches Urban Farming, Plant Biotechnology To High Schoolers
Agriscience is a new addition this year. The program, housed in a former manufacturing plant on Portland Road, doesn’t have garden beds or outdoor space. Instead, Valenzuela plans to teach students how to use aeroponic systems, growing everything from lettuce to herbs in a tower where plants get water and LED light
By Rachel Alexander – Salem Reporter September 6, 2019
Agriscience teacher Luis Valenzuela shows the aeroponic towers where students will grow plants at Salem-Keizer's Career Technical Education Center. (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter)
Salem-Keizer's new program has aeroponic towers and a tissue culture lab. Now, they're looking for a few more students.
Running an agriculture program with no soil is a challenge, but Luis Valenzuela is up to the task.
Valenzuela teaches agriscience at Salem-Keizer’s Career Technical Education Center, a hub where juniors and seniors from across the district take in-depth classes on careers from cosmetology to video game design.
Agriscience is a new addition this year. The program, housed in a former manufacturing plant on Portland Road, doesn’t have garden beds or outdoor space. Instead, Valenzuela plans to teach students how to use aeroponic systems, growing everything from lettuce to herbs in a tower where plants get water and LED light.
“We can grow almost any type of plant,” he said.
The career center started in 2015 as a partnership between the district and Mountain West Investment Corporation, which bought the building and worked with staff to develop programs.
The first offerings were residential construction and commercial manufacturing, and district staff rolled out two new programs each year. With the new agriscience and culinary arts programs, there are a total of 10.
Only 14 Salem-Keizer students had enrolled in the program by the first day of school, and Valenzuela wants more. Most other programs are near their capacity of 60 to 70 students.
That’s in part due to the program’s newness, but staff think it’s also because prospective students and their parents may not realize what’s being taught.
“When you hear ag science — our community doesn’t know what that is,” said James Weber, assistant principal at the career technical education center.
Valenzuela said his curriculum is inspired by urban agriculture and the role plants increasingly play in urban design. As more people look to grow food inside cities, using rooftop gardens or empty buildings, he wanted to focus on the possibilities of indoor agriculture.
“I think there is a stigma with agriculture,” he said. Many people perceive it as only running or working on farms, Valenzuela said, but with his background in horticulture, he’s interested in expanding that view.
Dakota Poehler, a junior at McKay High School, was among the students to sign up. After just one day of class, he proclaimed the program “definitely better than regular school” because of the hands-on aspect and chance to socialize with students with similar interests.
Poehler said he loves nature and wanted to learn more about it. He grew up on his grandparents’ farm in Newberg, where they raise sheep and chickens, and is interested in going into the environmental industry.
In the program, students will work in a tissue culture lab to propagate plants, grow food for a cafe operated by culinary students and have opportunities to partner with manufacturing students to design things like wall hangings with living plants.
First-year students will take courses in ecology, food safety and science, and sustainable plant propagation. Second-year students will study plant biotechnology, learning about genetics to breed and engineer plants.
“The sky’s the limit,” Valenzuela said.
Reporter Rachel Alexander: 503-575-1241, rachel@salemreporter.com
The Pinke Post: Vertical Farms Have Nowhere To Go But Up
There are empty buildings and warehouses everywhere that could become home to vertical farming, bringing fresh produce to areas often labeled as food deserts — areas where it is difficult to access fresh, quality food
Written By: Katie Pinke | Sep 16th 2019
Lettuce Abound Farms grows seven varieties of lettuce and basil at their indoor vertical farming facility in New London, Minn. Katie Pinke / Forum News Service
What is vertical farming? It is an agricultural practice of vertically growing food on an inclined surface. I have heard the term and considered vertical farming to be more for urban populations and city centers, but to get a look at vertical farming I didn’t travel to a city. Instead, my AgweekTV colleague and I went to New London, Minn., pulled off a rural road and, in between corn and soybean fields, walked into what was once an empty building.
Today the building is home to 180 acres of vertical lettuce farming and headquarters of Lettuce Abound.
Lettuce Abound Farms grows seven varieties of lettuce and basil. They produce inside, using no natural sunlight and just 4% of the water typically used in lettuce farming, according to Lettuce Abound founder and CEO Kevin Ortenblad.
Ortenblad gave a tour to a group of Minnesota Farm Service Agency managers and I was able to join. “This is a great way to grow food, and I think this is the farm of the future,” Ortenblad said.
After seeing Lettuce Abound’s facility I have a clearer vision of how it can grow and supplement established farms and create opportunities for a vertical farm to pop up anywhere globally. Ortenblad once was a corn and soybean farmer, but no more, “we are the only aeroponic organic facility, so we did the trial and error method, which is very painful and it takes a long time,” he said
I also appreciate the ingenuity and vision many farmers have to step out and find a new way — a different path in agriculture. I think Ortenblad and his family are those types of farmers.
Lettuce Abound Farms is harvesting 2,000 heads of lettuce a week and distributing across Minnesota and now into Hornbacher’s grocery stores in North Dakota. It’s better than any lettuce I’ve grown or purchased recently.
There are empty buildings and warehouses everywhere that could become home to vertical farming, bringing fresh produce to areas often labeled as food deserts — areas where it is difficult to access fresh, quality food. “It’s something that can be taken anywhere that it wants to go to. Instead of I don't have any land here, I can’t farm. Well, you can build a building.” Ortenblad said.
Of course, it takes capital to make it happen.
I learned on the tour that vertical farms like Lettuce Abound are not classified as a farm because they are not farming 10 or more acres of tillable land, limiting the farm programs or loans they could qualify for. Can this change? I hope so.
We need all kinds of farms to feed a booming global population. With more people, there is less land to farm. Vertical farms are a part of a bigger solution for agriculture. I am grateful for farmers in Mexico, South America, California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Florida, who provide fresh produce when it can’t be grown in the Upper Midwest.
But Lettuce Abound Farms is changing that. Fresh lettuce from central Minnesota in the dead of winter is a reality.
I hope to see more vertical farms get established and grow from our rural areas to urban centers.
Pinke is the publisher and general manager of Agweek. She can be reached at kpinke@agweek.com, or connect with her on Twitter @katpinke.
New Jersey: Riker Danzig Digs In At Urban Farm
Grow It Green Morristown is an earth-friendly community organization with a mission to create sustainable farms and gardens. Its goal is to provide access to fresh, local food and educate communities through programs focused on healthy eating and environmental stewardship
From left are Silva Dechoyan, Meagan Buckle, Collette Vassallo, Hayley Meigh, A.J. Banks, Anne Shulman, Rita Janson, Lynn Madden, Iryna Kastsiuk, Nora Juzefyk, Benjamin Gehlbach and Richelle Delavan of the law firm Riker Danzig Scherer Hyland & Perretti. The law firm pitched in to help Grow It Green Morristown to prepare for the fall season
September 15, 2019
MORRISTOWN - The Morristown-based law firm Riker Danzig Scherer Hyland & Perretti teamed up with Grow It Green Morristown for a volunteer event at the Urban Farm on Hazel Street on Tuesday, Sept 10.
Riker Danzig employees were given the afternoon off to assist with preparations for the fall growing season. The Urban Farm is New Jersey’s largest public school garden and is managed by a small staff, part-time interns and community volunteers.
Riker Danzig partner Jeffrey M. Beyer, an insurance litigator and board member of Grow it Green Morristown, coordinated the volunteer day at the Urban Farm in Morristown.
A group of 12 Riker Danzig volunteers comprising attorneys, paralegals, and administrative staff weeded and cleared garden beds and compost, weighed and bundled fresh radishes, harvested hops, and even fed the chickens, all under the direction of Grow It Green’s Director of Agriculture and Education, Shaun Ananko, and Assistant Farmer, Megan Phelan, otherwise known as “Farmer Shaun” and “Farmer Megan.”
Grow It Green Morristown is an earth-friendly community organization with a mission to create sustainable farms and gardens. Its goal is to provide access to fresh, local food and educate communities through programs focused on healthy eating and environmental stewardship.
For more information on Grow it Green Morristown, go to growitgreenmorristown.org.
RoBotany Builds 60,000-Square-Foot Vertical Farm In Braddock, Plans Nationwide Expansion As Fifth Season
The company's first urban farm, incubated at Carnegie Mellon University, uses proprietary robotics technology to grow affordable fresh produce for Pittsburgh-area grocery stores and restaurants
The company's first urban farm, incubated at Carnegie Mellon University, uses proprietary robotics technology to grow affordable fresh produce for Pittsburgh-area grocery stores and restaurants
NEWS PROVIDED BY Fifth Season
September 24, 2019
PITTSBURGH, Sept. 24, 2019,/PRNewswire/
Fifth Season, an indoor farming pioneer, announced plans for its first highly efficient, commercial-scale indoor vertical farm, which will open in early 2020 in Braddock, a historic steel town near Pittsburgh.
Fifth Season, originally founded as RoBotany Ltd., is a consumer-focused technology company that was incubated at Carnegie Mellon University's (CMU) Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship—an alliance of CMU's business, robotics, and other schools focused on fostering innovation. The company has raised over $35 million to date led by Drive Capital and other private investors with close ties to CMU. Its leadership team has deep expertise in plant science, robotics, AI and systems engineering.
Austin Webb, Fifth Season's co-founder, and CEO
Austin Webb, Fifth Season's co-founder, and CEO said the company's 60,000-square-foot Braddock farm will set a new vertical agriculture standard for efficient, safe and sustainable production of pesticide-free leafy greens and herbs in urban communities.
Fifth Season developed and perfected its technology with two R&D vertical farms in Pittsburgh's South Side neighborhood. Their leafy greens have been sold at local retailers, such as Giant Eagle and Whole Foods Market, along with popular Pittsburgh restaurants Superior Motors, honeygrow and Kahuna.
Produce from the flagship production farm coming to Braddock will also be available in Pittsburgh-area grocery stores and restaurants.
"The goal through our first three years of development was to prove we could bring fresh food to urban customers at prices competitive with conventionally grown produce," Webb said.
"We have developed fully integrated, proprietary technology to completely control the hydroponic growing process and optimize key factors such as energy, labor usage and crop output," Webb added. "The result is a vertical farm design that has over twice the efficiency and grow capacity of traditional vertical farms. Our unprecedented low costs set a new standard for the future of the industry."
Webb said the Braddock farm's ideal growing environment will deliver perfect, pure produce, in any season. It will produce over 500,000 pounds of lettuce, spinach, kale, arugula and herbs from its 25,000-square-foot grow room during the first full year of operation. The facility is partially solar-powered and requires 95 percent less water compared to traditional growing operations.
Webb said the company is planning a staged expansion in additional, similar-sized cities across the U.S.
Photos and graphics to accompany this announcement can be downloaded at this link: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/8ucvpnvlln10o7x/AADzxmH2iA3rr9LGNO_BrMc1a?dl=0
Contact:
Grant Vandenbussche, Fifth Season (248) 240-4694, grant@robotany.ag
or
Michele Wells, Wells Communications (303) 417-0696 or mwells@wellscommunications.net
SOURCE Fifth Season
Can Indoor Farming Surmount Agriculture’s Biggest Challenges?
Ten shipping containers dominate a corner of the Brooklyn parking area, each full of climate control tech, growing herbs that are distributed to local stores on bicycles. This is urban farming at its most literal
Russell Hotten | BBC | September 9, 2019
A car park opposite the infamous New York City housing estate where rapper Jay-Z grew up seems an unlikely place for an agricultural revolution.
Ten shipping containers dominate a corner of the Brooklyn parking area, each full of climate control tech, growing herbs that are distributed to local stores on bicycles. This is urban farming at its most literal.
The containers are owned by Square Roots, part of America’s fast-expanding vertical farming industry ….
The world’s best basil reputedly comes from Genoa, Italy. Square Roots grows Genovese seeds in a container that recreates the city’s daylight hours, humidity, Co2 levels – and all fed hydroponically in nutrient-rich water.
“Rather than ship food across the world, we ship the climate data and feed it into our operating system,” says co-founder Tobias Peggs.
Related article: Viewpoint: Why grow GMO crops? Because they cut pesticide use 37%
An artificial intelligence expert, Mr Peggs founded Square Roots with investor Kimball Musk (Elon’s brother) two years ago. They’ve signed a deal with one of America’s big distribution companies, Gordon Food Service, to locate herb-growing containers at some its 200 warehouses.
He says the deal represents everything about indoor farming’s potential: locally grown, quick-to-market, fresh produce that can be harvested year-round and is free of pesticides and not affected by harsh weather.
Read full, original article: The future of food: Why farming is moving indoors
Urban Farms Are Sprouting Up All Over NYC
You might be thinking that farms and New York City go together like good pizza and rural Iowa. But the city’s farm history dates to its founding. Orchard Street was once an actual orchard and in the 17th century, the Bowery was called Bouwerij, the Dutch word for farm. Today, farming in the Big Apple is making a big comeback
Adam Walker, programs coordinator at The Battery Conservancy, hits the dirt at Battery Urban Farm. Tamara Beckwith/NY Post
By Tim Donnelly
September 6, 2019 | 5:19pm
September has hit New York, and that means the air is getting cooler, the subways are getting slightly less sweaty and we can all resume arguing whether pumpkin-flavored things are good. It’s the time of year that makes us start thinking of farm life, getting the flannel out of the closet and hitting a hayride.
You might be thinking that farms and New York City go together like good pizza and rural Iowa. But the city’s farm history dates to its founding. Orchard Street was once an actual orchard and in the 17th century, the Bowery was called Bouwerij, the Dutch word for farm. Today, farming in the Big Apple is making a big comeback.
You just have to look around a little — or sometimes, look up — to find it. A new wave of urban farms are inviting city dwellers to get back to their roots, literally, this fall, and teach all of us why vibrant green space is so necessary in the growing city. Here’s how New Yorkers can get dirty — in a good way — and get some hyper local produce without leaving the five boroughs.
Battery Urban Farm
Tamara Beckwith/NY Post
The farmers on this patch of parkland nestled in the southern tip of Manhattan have to deal with something even their most seasoned rural counterparts don’t encounter: shadows from skyscrapers. The hidden little garden hosts about 40 rows of plant beds, sprouting tomatoes, peas, kale, radishes, carrots, herbs, sweet peppers and more. The farm opened in 2011 and is tended weekly by a team of volunteers, but its open gates welcome in lots of tourists on their way to catch the ferry to the Statue of Liberty.
Mary Beth Rogan started volunteering at the farm last year after moving from, appropriately, Garden City, LI, to Tribeca and realizing she missed her home garden. She’s retired and finds peace at the space, even when she’s just pulling weeds out of one of the vegetable beds as noisy tour buses roar by the park.
“I love being in the dirt,” she says. “There’s a sense of tranquility, of being connected to the earth, to the world.”
The site is also a teaching garden for city students; a few get their own patch of land to tend in the park. The veggies grown here are served to kids, and donated to local charities. State Street and Battery Place, open every day; check Web site for volunteer opportunities
Brooklyn Grange Sunset Park
Colin Mixson
Brooklyn Grange has been leading the way in turning New York rooftops into lush farmlands over the past decade. Its newest outpost, which opened in Sunset Park last month, is now the largest rooftop farm in the city. The site is an oasis on top of a building that contains a Bed Bath & Beyond and other stores, with 140,000 square feet of tomatoes, peppers, kale and more, marked with colorful bursts of sunflowers and other flowers. The effect is so transformative it’s easy to forget you’re in NYC, until you look up and see crops perfectly framing the Statue of Liberty in the distance.
Bring your date: It’s a perfect mix of the urban and rural, especially John Epifanio, 44, who grew up in suburban Connecticut and says he occasionally hits a “tipping point” where he needs to escape the claustrophobic city. His girlfriend, Niki Roger, surprised him with a date to the farm on a recent sunny Sunday.
“Just having the backdrop of the city with that kind of contrast between agriculture and then the most defined urban background you could possibly see, I thought it was really stunning,” he tells The Post.
The new site uses 4 million pounds of soil; in total, Brooklyn Grange’s three farms yield 80,000 pounds of produce a year to sell to local restaurants and at farmers markets. At the weekly open houses on Sundays, you can take a guided tour of the space ($18) or visit for free and buy produce from the rooftop market. The new farm is expecting to host more events in the spring, but in the meantime, you can check out its other locations in Long Island City and at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, which host rooftop yoga, dinner parties, workshops and more.
What’s in season? The end-of-summer bounty at the market includes tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, kale, eggplant and custom-made hot sauce. 850 Third Ave., Brooklyn; open to the public Sundays through the end of October, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Queens County Farm Museum
Courtesy of Queens County Farm Museum
The Queens County Farm Museum’s famous Halloween-season corn maze is far more fun, and easier to solve, than the underground labyrinth of Penn Station. But the site also sits on the largest remaining tract of undisturbed farmland in the city, with 47 acres of farming history dating to the 17th century.
It’s a great spot for a family-friendly outing this fall, with the Queens County Fair and pumpkin picking kicking off later this month. But you can also tour the premises to see the farming, livestock and machinery up close, and enjoy the fruits of the land at its farmstand.
What’s in season? The fall harvest here includes kale, lettuce, sweet potatoes, watermelon, squash, radishes and more. And this year, the maze will be crafted in a familiar shape: the famed Unisphere from the World’s Fair site. 73-50 Little Neck Parkway, Queens; open daily, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Randall’s Island Urban Farm
Matt Mead
The farm on the island, sandwiched between East Harlem and Astoria, feels like a true oasis away from the city. It has 100 raised beds growing veggies and flowers. The farm also grows specialized items to get kids excited about farming, including a cucamelon: a tiny cucumber that looks like a little watermelon.
“Exposing young people and adults to this shows that it is possible to have this type of experience in New York,” farm manager Ciara Sidell says. “It opens people’s minds to what they could be doing in their own lives.”
Worth the trip: On Sunday, the park is hosting an urban farming bike tour, which will roll through the NYC Parks 5-Borough Green Roof, a 45,000-square-foot garden on the island, and the Randall’s Island Urban Farm itself. It’s free; just BYO bike. Wards Meadow Loop, Randall’s Island. Visit during the open house from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, with “Art on the Farm” activities from 2 to 4 p.m., through mid-October
Hellgate Farm
Rachel Mukon/Hellgate Farm
Hellgate may be the most badass name for a farm in the city, but it’s actually not one site, it’s a whole network of rooftop and residential gardens across Astoria and other parts of Queens. Founded in 2011, the project turns underutilized plots into environmentally friendly green spaces and productive gardens, selling produce at local markets and through a subscription service. Converting concrete to green space is something environmentalists say is key to capturing carbon dioxide in the city and absorbing rain, which helps keep the waterways clean.
Get your hands dirty: Hellgate Farm offers to teach you the ins and outs of rooftop farming through classes, an apprenticeship program and volunteer days. Check the Web site for more info before the growing season ends in October; various addresses in Queens
FILED UNDER FARMING , FARMS , NEW YORK CITY , OUTDOOR ACTIVITY
The World's Largest Rooftop Urban Farm Is Set To Open In Paris Next Year
The goal is to make this urban farm a globally-recognized 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
A joint Project Between Viparis
And Its Partners Agripolis, Cultures en Ville and Le Perchoir.
Paris, March 1st, 2019
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, an integral part of Paris as much as a business centre. The initial phases have been completed; they include a new reception area, the redesign of the central walkway and the opening of the Paris Convention Centre, Europe's largest conference site.
During this transformation, events hosted there continue uninterrupted. Paris Expo Porte de Versailles welcomes trade fairs and conferences, but it is also rapidly becoming a haven for 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 in cooperation with Agripolis and Cultures en Ville
These two companies, specializing in urban agriculture, have teamed up to create a dedicated structure for the use of this exceptional space.
The goal is to make this urban farm a globally-recognized 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 market gardens will produce over a thousand fruits and vegetables every day in season, from about thirty different varieties of plants.
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.
3D view of the urban farm on the rooftop of Pavilion 6 (Paris Expo Porte de Versailles)
© VALODE&PISTRE ARCHITECTES/ATLAV - AJN 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.
--
"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 working 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 complex, primarily Le Perchoir, but also residents of southern Paris and neighbouring municipalities, either directly or through distribution, 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."
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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.com, or follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn. About Agripolis
Christophe Talon, President, Le Perchoir
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.
MEDIA CONTACT - AGENCE GEN-G
Adrien De Casabianca
Tel.: +33 (0) 1 44 94 83 66
Cell: +33 (0)6 30 30 34 84 mailto:adrien.decasabianca@gen-g.com
These UMD Researchers Are Helping Farmers Grow Crops on Urban Roofs
John Lea-Cox, a plant science and landscape architecture professor at this university, and Andrew Ristvey, an affiliate faculty in the department, are working with the D.C.-based farming foundation Up Top Acres to grow crops on urban rooftops
September 6, 2019
The green roof at the top of the Physical Sciences Complex is just one among many around campus that serve as drainage and an ecosystem. (Joe Ryan/The Diamondback)
With the help of University of Maryland researchers, farms across Washington, D.C., are taking watermelons, cucumbers and cherry tomatoes to the next level: the roof.
John Lea-Cox, a plant science and landscape architecture professor at this university, and Andrew Ristvey, an affiliate faculty in the department, are working with the D.C.-based farming foundation Up Top Acres to grow crops on urban rooftops.
Kristof Grina, co-founder and farm director of Up Top Acres, said he initially connected with Lea-Cox and Ristvey a few years ago for help with research and data collection surrounding stormwater management and water retention on their rooftop farms.
Lea-Cox and his team monitor the rainfall, soil temperature and soil moisture on Up Top Acres’ rooftop farms, Grina said. Lea-Cox said he was impressed by the quality of the rooftop produce, which grows across eight farms in Maryland and D.C. The crops are delivered to restaurants downstairs or sold in a community-supported agriculture system.
“There’s like a little bit of Little Italy on the roof down in D.C.,” Lea-Cox said.
Relish Catering, a catering company in North Bethesda, started working with Up Top Acres about a year ago. The company operates about half a mile away from the rooftop farm at Pike and Rose.
The rooftop farm cuts transportation costs for the company, said chef Laura Calderone, since it’s both walkable and bikeable. When she needs ten pounds of pea shoots, for example, she can just load them in her backpack.
“They will literally pick it that morning, and it is going out to our clients that afternoon for the following day,” Calderone said. “Sometimes there are still bugs in it that are moving around, but that’s okay.”
Calderone said Relish Catering has incorporated local rooftop ingredients into salads, salsa verde and tarts, among other dishes.
“Their greens are sweeter and they are not as fibrous,” Calderone said. “You don’t have to manipulate it much. We can let it shine as it is.”
This university’s researchers collect data that gives the farm’s operators “better insight” into how the systems are functioning, Grina said. It lets them know how they’re doing with irrigation practices, and can spur ideas for design improvement.
Lea-Cox and his team also monitor nitrogen and phosphorus levels in the crops. An excess of these nutrients can runoff into local waterways and trigger excessive algae growth. When algae grows too quickly and too abundantly, oxygen levels decline, ultimately killing the fish.
La Betty, an American-style restaurant on K Street in D.C., featured wild rooftop-sourced bouquets on the tabletops. Owner and head of operations Tessa Velazquez said that the flowers last longer than alternatives.
“The story behind it is great,” Velazquez said. “To say that we’re featuring local farmed flowers makes us feel good, makes our customers excited … they’re beautiful and they’re colorful and you really just get that sense of how natural and fresh that they are.”
La Betty is located about two miles from Up Top Acres’ 55 M Street farm in the Capitol Riverfront neighborhood, which opened in 2016. Soon, Velazquez said, she hopes to feature produce from a rooftop farm on her menu.
“I love that they’re actually engaged with the community, as well as really trying to bring that fresh farm-to-table experience — which is a fuzzy term, but they’re really doing it,” Velazquez said. “They’re your neighbors. They’re down the street. They’re not two hours away in Pennsylvania, they are really here.”
VIDEO: How One Boston Hospital Is Feeding Patients Through Its Rooftop Farm
Carrie Golden believes the only reason she’s diabetes free is that she has access to fresh, locally grown food. A few years after the Boston resident was diagnosed with prediabetes, she was referred to Boston Medical Center’s Preventative Food Pantry as someone who was food insecure. The food pantry is a free food resource for low-income patients
Boston Medical Center’s rooftop farm spans 2,658 square feet.
Photography Matthew Morris
Carrie Golden believes the only reason she’s diabetes free is that she has access to fresh, locally grown food.
A few years after the Boston resident was diagnosed with prediabetes, she was referred to Boston Medical Center’s Preventative Food Pantry as someone who was food insecure. The food pantry is a free food resource for low-income patients.
“You become diabetic because when you don’t have good food to eat, you eat whatever you can to survive,” Golden says. “Because of the healthy food I get from the pantry… I’ve learned how to eat.”
Three years ago, the hospital launched a rooftop farm to grow fresh produce for the pantry. The farm has produced 6,000 pounds of food a year, with 3,500 pounds slated for the pantry. The rest of its produce goes to the hospital’s cafeteria, patients, a teaching kitchen and an in-house portable farmers market.
The hospital joined a handful of medical facilities across the country that have started growing food on their roofs. The initiative is the first hospital-based farm in Massachusetts and the largest rooftop farm in Boston. The facility’s 2,658-square-foot garden houses more than 25 crops, organically grown in a milk crate system.
“Food is medicine. That’s why we’re doing what we’re doing,” says David Maffeo, the hospital’s senior director of support services. “Most urban environments are food deserts. It’s hard to get locally grown food and I think it’s something that we owe to our patients and our community.”
Lindsay Allen, a farmer who has been managing the rooftop oasis since its inception, says her farm’s produce is being used for preventative care as well as in reactive care. She says 72 percent of the hospital’s patients are considered underserved, and likely don’t have access to healthy, local organic food.
What people put in their bodies has a direct link to their health she says, adding that hospitals have a responsibility to give their patients better food.
“I generally feel that hospital food is pretty terrible and gross, which I always find ironic since that’s where we are sick and at our most vulnerable and we need to be nourished,” she says.
In addition to running the farm, Allen teaches a number of farming workshops to educate patients, employees and their families on how to grow their own food. The hospital’s teaching kitchen employs a number of food technicians and dieticians who offer their expertise to patients on how they can make meals with the local produce they’re given.
This is part of the medical center’s objective to not only give patients good food, but also provide them the tools to lead a healthy life.
Golden, who has used the pantry for the last three years, says the experience has changed the way she looks at food.
“I’ve gone many days with nothing to eat, so I know what that feels like when you get something like the food pantry that gives you what you need to stay healthy,” she says. “I appreciate all the people that put their heart into working in the garden. If only they knew how we really need them.”
Meet The Farm-Based Neighborhoods Changing The Face of Master-Planned Communities
Forget the pristine landscaping, five-star golf courses and resort-style amenities that master-planned communities have become known for. Thanks to a handful of developers and their more sustainable approach to planning, a new vision of the American neighborhood has emerged—and it’s called the “agrihood.”
September 12, 2019
Aly J. Yale Senior Contributor Real Estate
I cover mortgage, housing and real estate.
Farmers at the Willowsford community farm in Aldie, Virginia, harvest fall greens for the neighborhoods CSA program and public farm stand. PHOTO BY DEBORAH DRAMBY
Forget the pristine landscaping, five-star golf courses and resort-style amenities that master-planned communities have become known for. Thanks to a handful of developers and their more sustainable approach to planning, a new vision of the American neighborhood has emerged—and it’s called the “agrihood.”
Rather than lap pools and community centers, these neighborhoods boast organic farms, herb gardens and edible nature trails. They have weekend farmer’s markets, cooking classes and employ full-time farm directors and artists-in-residence. Some even have camps and children’s programs to help foster healthy, sustainable living in the next generation.
According to the Urban Land Institute, “Agrihoods offer proven financial, health, and environmental benefits—to the stakeholders involved in their implementation, to surrounding communities and to the planet.”
One of the foremost examples of this trend? That’d be Serenbe. The Georgia agrihood offers residents a 25-acre organic farm, regular farmer’s markets and an annual plant sale. Blueberry bushes are planted along all the community’s crosswalks for “seasonal snacking,” according to the neighborhood’s VP of Marketing Monica Olsen.
The neighborhood also conserves water via landscaping and uses naturally treated wastewater for irrigation.
The Serenbe community outside of Atlanta boasts edible landscaping throughout its trails. Blueberry bushes line this bridge that leads to the neighborhood farm. PHOTO BY ALI HARPER PHOTOGRAPHY
There’s also Willowsford, a Virginia community boasting a public farm stand and weekly produce subscriptions, and Arden, an agrihood located in Palm Beach County, Fla.
Arden is home to a five-acre farm, run by a pair of full-time farm directors. Residents can take their pick of fruits, vegetables and herbs all grown right in the neighborhood. There’s also a general store and plenty of opportunities to help out around the farm.
Brenda Helman and her husband were the 15th buyers to secure their spot in the Arden community.
“It provides a lifestyle that seems to have been left behind in bygone times,” Helman said. “The homes have front porches, you know your neighbors here, and there are children always playing in the fresh outdoors. This community brings hometown values, fresh-grown vegetables and neighbors knowing neighbors back to us.”
Arden, an agrihood in Palm Beach County, Florida boasts a five-acre community garden and two full-time farm directors. COURTESY OF FREEHOLD COMMUNITIES
There’s currently an agrihood in at least 27 of the country’s 50 states, but a report from the Urban Land Institute says the trend is growing.
It’s no wonder why, either. The communities don’t just benefit those who live there. According to ULI, there are big benefits for developers, too.
“By including a working farm as a central project feature, developers can unlock special advantages, ranging from reduced amenity costs, increased project marketability and faster sales for residential properties to opportunities for enhanced community social ties and access to land for current and would-be farmers,” ULI reported.
There’s a price premium, too. According to Brad Leibov, homes in the agrihood he helped develop in Grayslake, Illinois, are going for 30% more than homes in comparable neighborhoods.
Throw in that agrihoods are also typically clustered, with homes located on densely concentrated, smaller lots, and developers can often make more with less in these communities. In Serenbe, for example, founder Steven Nygren was able to use clustering to add 20% more residential units than traditional planning would allow.
Still, profitability isn’t the only thing to be gained from this new practice. Developers also have the chance to make a difference—both on the world and those who inhabit it.
As ULI explains, “By building agrihoods, real estate decision-makers—including developers, investors, owners and property managers—can leverage a focus on food production in development to create value, promote equitable economic development, enhance environmental sustainability and improve public health.”
I'm a freelance writer and journalist from Houston, covering real estate, mortgage and finance topics. See my current work in Forbes, The Mortgage Reports, The Balance, Bankrate and The Simple Dollar. Past gigs: The Dallas Morning News, NBC, Radio Disney and PBS.
USA - OHIO: A Microgreen Garden Grows In Salem
Amorette Farms is an indoor, vertical farm that grows non GMO microgreens – the shoots of salad greens like arugula – using controlled environment agriculture. Since launching this spring, the company is already serving about a dozen commercial clients, said its founder, Devyn Rothbrust
Pictured: A crop of amaranth, a bright magenta microgreen high in calcium and vitamin C, grows at Amorette Farms.
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — A startup agriculture business looks to harvest an ecologically sustainable industry in Salem.
Amorette Farms is an indoor, vertical farm that grows non GMO microgreens – the shoots of salad greens like arugula – using controlled environment agriculture. Since launching this spring, the company is already serving about a dozen commercial clients, said its founder, Devyn Rothbrust.
“It’s introducing a new type of agriculture into an area that’s predominantly traditional agriculture,” Rothbust says. “For me right now, it’s just getting my brand out there to try to get people to know who I am, what I’m doing and that this is in the area now.”
After graduating from Kent State University Salem in 2016, Rothbrust worked as a senior researcher in the field for a few years. The indoor, vertical farm trend is something that’s very popular in Europe and Japan and is “something that’s on the move elsewhere in the United States,” he says. Currently, AeroFarms in New Jersey is the big name in the industry, he says.
With the vast inventory of vacant industrial space in the five-county region, the area is ripe for this type of agriculture, he says. Empty factories and abandoned buildings are “the types of things that vertical farmers can fit into perfectly,” he says, because they can control the light levels, temperature and air.
And with urban areas like Youngstown building itself back up, it’s the right time to make a go of it in his hometown of Salem, he says.
“I think it’s important for people my age, especially entrepreneurs, to improve the place they live in,” Rothbrust says. “I think this type of industry will add value to the city and bring something new and unique.”
Initially, Rothbrust wanted to set up in a large space within the city, but eventually decided to start smaller and work his way up, says Julie Needs, executive director of the Sustainable Opportunity Development Center, Inc. The SOD Center has been working with Amorette for nearly a year to help Rothbrust put together a business plan and get his company off the ground, Needs says.
Needs connected Rothbrust with the Ohio Small Business Development Center to develop a business plan, she says. The organization also courted local restaurants to try Rothbrust’s product.
“We have a large amount of restaurants here in Salem, a lot of them are family owned,” Needs says. “So there’s a great benefit for the product that he sells to many of the restaurants to offer them fresh produce.”
Currently operating out of a small space in Beloit, Rothbrust grows about 200 to 400 ounces of microgreens at a time – about two weeks from seed to harvest. Some crops like cilantro may take up to three weeks, while others, such as radishes, take just eight days. Microgreens are harvested after the first true leaf emerges, “about two inches in height,” he says.
The process is so quick because it isn’t reliant upon the outside weather, Rothbrust explains. He has complete control over light and water throughout the entire life of the plant, “so it’s growing in optimal conditions to grow as fast as it can,” he says. “All the energy is stored in the seed, so there’s no need to fertilize.”
Rather than invest in cutting-edge technology like artificial intelligence and robotics, which are popular in the industry, Rothbrust minimizes technology use to keep costs low, instead relying on his knowledge of the process, he says. Operating costs are kept to “a couple hundred bucks” monthly, he says.
As he expands, the vertical farming process “has the potential to use a lot of electricity,” but still uses 95% less water than conventional farming, he says. This helps keep his utility costs low.
In addition to cilantro and radishes, he grows arugula, broccoli, amaranth, mustard, cress, and mild and spicy lettuce mixes.
“I’m continuing to grow that list as I move forward,” he says.
Clients order produce for special events and farmers markets, but Rothbrust projects increased orders as more learn about and understand the process, he says. Deliveries are guaranteed within 24 hours of harvest, he says, so customers are getting “the absolute freshest greens they can get.” Food miles are kept anywhere from zero to 60.
And as national news stories of E. Coli outbreaks force the recall of some traditionally grown products and put greater scrutiny on food safety, vertical farming reducing those risks, he says.
“Our crop never touches human skin,” he says. “We wear the proper equipment to handle it to where it’s going to be the safest it can be.”
With Amorette up and producing and selling to customers about a year after the idea was first conceived, SOD’s Needs attributes that to Rothbrust’s “great entrepreneurial spirit and mindset,” she says. And with it being a unique product, “it’s been fun to watch,” she says.
“When someone brings you that idea and you see how it can benefit the community and the individuals in the community and all the other business they can touch, it’s fantastic,” Needs says. “It’s really what we’ve seen in our downtown. We’ve had some successful entrepreneurs and they’re feeding off of each other.”
Which is why Rothbrust hopes to soon move his operation into a downtown location to be a part of that growth, he says. To get there, he looks to continue building his brand, adding customers and opening up opportunities for investors to help expand his operation further.
“Our goal since the beginning has been to add value to the community we are in,” he says. “By establishing our offices downtown we can be a part of that restoration. We would be a unique business to the area and I believe setting up in Salem would be a great opportunity.”
INDIA: Green Your Home, Green Your Mind
MB Nirmal, founder and chairman of Exnora International says, “Even in homes, there are multiple ways to create a home garden, terrace farming, indoor farming, compound wall farming, sun-shade farming etc. These farming techniques restrict entry of polluted air from city
DECCAN CHRONICLE. | EZEKIEL MAJELLO G
September 11, 2019
If you think you can't grow your own food because you live in the city, don't have a yard or have a serious lack of space - we have news for you.
MB Nirmal
The fruits of labour are said to be sweeter. Nowhere is this truer than in gardening. Many of us look forward to the unmistakable taste of fresh, locally grown vegetables and fruits, and those that come from our own soil taste even better.
But space constraints in urban settings barely give one the place to grow vegetables in the little available space with erratic sun exposure, but surprisingly, many vegetables tolerate partial shade, and a few could even be considered ‘shade vegetables’ as they don't tolerate full exposure to the sun.
MB Nirmal, founder and chairman of Exnora International says, “Even in homes, there are multiple ways to create a home garden, terrace farming, indoor farming, compound wall farming, sun-shade farming etc. These farming techniques restrict entry of polluted air from city. It is a myth that plants cannot grow without light. If it is really a problem, one can rotate the plants from terrace and balcony every two days”.
Shibu Alexander’s ‘Hi-Tech Drip Box’ project on a terrace
The options for vertical gardening are vast and require only some creativity. “One can also build a vertical garden inside their apartments with a 12-ft tall ceiling”, explains Nirmal.
Rashmi Sunil’s exhibition in balcony; Vertical Farming (right)
It is possible for urbanites and apartment-dwellers to take part in the grow-your-own-food movement, even in a balcony. “Farming and agriculture went down when the IT boomed 13 years ago. Therefore I came up with the idea ‘Hi-Tech Drip Box’ and started launching it in houses. With this setup, even children, physically challenged people and senior citizens can do farming inside their houses,” says Shibu Alexander, a naturalist.
“The water will not be wasted in this process and recycled within the system. People can execute this plan even in 80 square feet space. We can grow plants in any dry land, whether it's inside the house, the balcony or the terrace”, he adds.
People have also started gifting a plant to their friends and relatives. Rashmi Sunil, who owns a garden shop, says, “People are approaching us often for customised plants to gift to their relatives or friends.”
They also offer a method called bio-breathing walls in home farming for people who think they have a lack of space at home.
“This method is a success among customers. We have created farms in kitchens, terraces, near bathroom sinks etc. Herbs like alovera are being sold like hotcakes in the city,” Rashmi elaborates. “Corporate offices also request for table plants for each employee to reduce work stress since the plants produce more oxygen. People are going more natural and eco-friendly now for a better tomorrow,” she concludes.
Like Nirmal says, “Greening your home is greening your mind".
Could Rooftop Gardens Save Our Cities From Climate Change?
Lucent, a 17-storey residential tower at trendy Newstead in inner-city Brisbane, is one of those, winning local, state and national design awards. The tower, completed in November 2017, included a 1,600 square metre rooftop area with expansive views over Brisbane
09-05-19
Rooftop gardens could save our cities from climate change, but archaic planning laws are holding back a green revolution.
Australian cities are heating up, with an alarming report this year finding temperature increases from climate change and urban growth will make Brisbane "a difficult place" to live by 2050.
Key points:
Rooftop gardens are considered a storey of a building, so it is not financially viable to have one as a garden instead of sellable space
Research shows rooftop gardens promote physical activity and psychological wellbeing and have a positive impact on air pollution, noise levels and temperature regulation
Town planners want the Brisbane City Council to legislate to enforce rooftop gardens in all new apartments
Scientists blame what is called the urban heat island effect, which means cities are hotter than nearby rural areas due to development.
But it is not too late to turn it around, and plants could be the solution.
Green rooftops could help to take the heat out of the city, but Brisbane's property developers and planners said local laws were holding them back.
Cities like Singapore and New York have long embraced sky gardens and while Brisbane is late to the garden party, there are dozens of developments in the pipeline that would use clever ways to provide greenspace, when room on the ground is at a premium.
In September 2018, then-Brisbane lord mayor Graham Quirk announced the Council would amend the Brisbane City Plan to formalise the Council's support for rooftop gardens and green spaces, but 12 months on, that had not happened.
Currently a rooftop garden is considered a storey of the building, so if a developer has planning permission for a certain number of storeys, it is not financially viable to have one as a garden instead of sellable space.
Developers hamstrung by poor planning laws
Brisbane town planner Mia Hickey said the majority of large-scale inner-city apartment developments in Brisbane wanted to incorporate rooftop spaces, but were hamstrung by the poor planning laws.
"There are definitely some developers who are shying away from adding rooftop gardens for this reason," she said.
"It's not a good look when they [council] said they were going to do this [change planning laws] and it hasn't been done."
Ms. Hickey said research showed rooftop gardens promoted physical activity, psychological wellbeing, and had a positive impact on air pollution, noise levels and temperature regulation.
"It's no longer just OK to put a half-shaded BBQ area up there with a little bit of grass," she said.
"We're now starting to see developments that incorporate resort-style amenities that are winning awards.
Newstead rooftop garden a 'sky retreat'
Lucent, a 17-storey residential tower at trendy Newstead in inner-city Brisbane, is one of those, winning local, state and national design awards.
The tower, completed in November 2017, included a 1,600 square metre rooftop area with expansive views over Brisbane.
The luxury development by Cavcorp described its rooftop garden as a "sky retreat" complete with "lifestyle-enhancing amenities".
It claims to have Australia's longest infinity pool, along with a detox sauna and spa, yoga lawn, Zen gardens and even a golf green on the rooftop.
With more families abandoning the suburbs in favour of inner-city living, Ms Hickey said even those on more restricted budgets were demanding rooftop garden space.
Consumers looking for the 'up-yard'
"It's just as important as the local school catchment," Ms Hickey said.
"It's no longer about the size of the backyard, but about the size and amenities of the rooftop, or as I like to call it — 'the up-yard'."
There are numerous inner-city apartment proposals with ambitious rooftop gardens on the drawing boards.
Cbus Property is building a 47-storey apartment block at 443 Queen Street in Brisbane's CBD.
Claiming to be Australia's first "subtropical-designed" building, construction is underway on the riverside development.
The building will have a "breathable facade" with gardens on every floor as well as on the rooftop, aiming to reduce energy consumption by up to 60 per cent.
At New Farm in Brisbane, the Maison project by Frank Developments will have cascading gardens on every floor of the proposed five-storey development.
The development, yet to receive Brisbane City Council (BCC) approval, claimed it would be one of the most heavily landscaped buildings in the city, with more than 86 per cent of the site to be planted, when the current council requirement was just 10 per cent.
Further afield, a Victorian property developer has plans for a "sustainable shopping centre" at Burwood in suburban Melbourne.
Frasers Property group is building a 2,000 square-metre urban farm on the shopping centre's rooftop, which it said is a first for Australia.
Failure to move quickly hampering rooftop landscaping
The Urban Development Institute of Australia (UDIA) agreed the BCC's failure to move quickly is hampering rooftop landscaping in Queensland.
UDIA Qld CEO Kirsty Chessher-Brown said currently there was "really no incentive for our members to be able to do this — it's actually disincentivised".
"The current situation is that our members can provide communal space on rooftops, but the minute that any roof structure is added to that rooftop space, it's then considered to be an additional storey to the building.
"That then impacts on our members' ability to comply with acceptable rules for building heights.
"If our [UDIA] members do put a structure on the roof, which is incredibly important for our climate, we see our members lose a complete storey, which could obviously be habitable space."
She said these spaces provided "really critical opportunities for landscaping".
"People can provide community or productive gardens and the real lure is being able to reduce some of the heat-island affect, traditionally associated with built-up environments," she said.
Ms Chessher-Brown said there was also a need for further incentives for developers.
"The next step is to replicate other programs in place across the world including Singapore, where there's actually a program to encourage developers to consider greater landscaping and use of planting on rooftop spaces," she said.
Legislation needed for developers to do rooftop gardens
In 2009, Singapore introduced its Landscaping for Urban Spaces and High-Rises (LUSH) Program, which encouraged developers to provide green roofs in all new developments and gave financial incentives for those that went beyond the minimum requirements.
The Property Council of Australia (PCA) is more forgiving of the council for the delay.
Acting Queensland deputy executive director Nathan Percy said the PCA supported the action contained in the BCC Brisbane Future Blueprint to make it easier for new developments to include rooftop gardens.
"We are working with Brisbane City Council on the implementation of this action, but it is important to remember that planning amendments do take time," he said.
"As Brisbane grows, we need to ensure that we continue to deliver spaces that allow people to enjoy our subtropical climate and rooftop gardens are one way that we can achieve this."
In a statement, BCCs planning chairman, Matthew Bourke, acknowledged there was a need for rooftop gardens but admitted it would take until the end of the year to make changes.
"Brisbane is a great place to live, work and relax, and we are increasingly seeing residents and visitors enjoying the city's vistas and subtropical weather from the rooftops of inner-city dwellings," he said.
"Increasing green spaces means a healthier and more sustainable city and Brisbane City Council has proposed an amendment to make it easier to include rooftop gardens for new developments as part of its review of City Plan.
"Investigations, research and drafting of the amendment package is underway and Council plans to be able to send it to the State Government for review soon, before opening up the proposed amendment for public consultation in late 2019."
Investment Brings New Life, New Jobs For RecoveryPark
After working for more than a decade to launch its first social enterprise, RecoveryPark is poised to break ground in November on a commercial-scale hydroponics greenhouse that will create jobs and eventually, equity ownership for Detroiters facing employment barriers
September 08, 2019
Project has attracted investments from three high-profile investors
Will establish Detroit's first commercial-scale hydropronics grower
Expected to sow and harvest first crop, baby leaf lettuce, in August 2020
Justin Phillips, farm associate at RecoveryPark, harvests greens from the nonprofit's pilot hydroponics growing operation. Photo: Bill Bowen
After working for more than a decade to launch its first social enterprise, RecoveryPark is poised to break ground in November on a commercial-scale hydroponics greenhouse that will create jobs and eventually, equity ownership for Detroiters facing employment barriers.
The $10 million project on East Palmer Street near Chene will bring farming — albeit a different type — back to a part of the city that was once home to flower and vegetable seed producer D.M. Ferry & Co. and establish Detroit's first commercial-scale hydroponics grower.
It's attracted three high-profile investors: Stephen Polk, CEO of Birmingham investment company Highgate LLC.; Jim M. Nicholson, co-chairman, PVS Chemicals Inc.; and Walter Tripp Howell, retired international director of Jones Lang LaSalle in Washington, D.C., and an ex-pat of the Detroit area, who learned of the project during the 2018 Detroit Homecoming.
Detroit-based Nextek Power Systems is also considering an equity investment, its CEO Paul Savage confirmed.
Those investments will make up about a third of the $12.5 million raised to cover bridge operational funding for the nonprofit RecoveryPark over the past several months and construction and startup costs for the climate-controlled greenhouse operation, which is set to launch in August 2020, RecoveryPark CEO Gary Wozniak said last week.
A 28-year loan backed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Small Business Administration and a 10-year loan backed by the U.S. Small Business Administration, both made through the Greater Nevada Credit Union's Greater Commercial Lending arm to for-profit company RecoveryPark JV LLC, are set to close in October, rounding out funding, Wozniak said.
Wozniak projects the greenhouse operation, run by the for-profit company, will yield $6 million in revenue its first year and $18 million annually within four years with two planned expansions that will triple its "acres under glass."
RecoveryPark has already proven the business model through pilot hydroponics and high-tunnel or soil-based growing operations a couple of blocks away near its headquarters on Chene, Wozniak said. It has contracts to supply lettuce to Detroit wholesale distributor Del Bene Produce that produced $180,000 in revenue last year and are set to do about the same this year.
It's now in talks with retailers including Nino Salvaggio and Meijer, Wozniak said.
Next to tomatoes, leafy greens are the second most in-demand vegetable, he said. And recent romaine lettuce recalls have spurred demand for hydroponically grown lettuce and greens even more.
The greenhouse will help RecoveryPark achieve its social mission, said Wozniak, who is himself a recovering addict and ex-offender.
"Our mission is to create jobs for people with barriers to employment: people coming out of prison and/or drug treatment programs," Wozniak said. "Our vision is to do that by creating jobs in the food industry and eventually we'll transfer majority ownership to the workforce in those businesses."
The new greenhouse will also help change the way consumers view food by establishing local, hyper-fresh options and local accountability for the quality of that food, he said.
Joint venture
RecoveryPark JV will be jointly owned by the nonprofit RecoveryPark as minority owner and the equity investors holding a combined 70-percent stake. RecoveryPark will look to buy back equity from the investors over 10 years, before transitioning ownership to employees, Wozniak said.
Charles Motley, COO, RecoveryPark JV LLC; and Gary Wozniak, president and CEO of the nonprofit RecoveryPark. Photo: Bill Bowen
Automotive and manufacturing veteran Charles Motley has joined the new company as COO.
Motley, 47, brings 25 years of experience at manufacturing companies, most recently serving as vice president of manufacturing at Wixom-based gun sight manufacturer Trijicon Inc.
With his experience and expertise in construction and team management, process flow, lean systems and continuous improvement skills, "he's taking us from being a church committee to being a real business," Wozniak said.
Motley, a native Detroiter, said he was attracted by the opportunity to give back at this point in his career.
"We're committed to taking ... not just the greenhouse (but) the whole area ... from being blighted to being a stronger economic centerpiece for the city," he said.
Beyond their investments, each of the equity investors brings specific expertise and is helping mentor the startup greenhouse company, Wozniak said. Polk has given advice on managing the stress of pulling together financing for the greenhouse while balancing operational and funding needs for the nonprofit. Nicholson was instrumental in driving to hire someone like Motley to lead the greenhouse operations. Howell has brought an understanding of the farm-to-table movement and marketing for the food industry.
The RecoveryPark greenhouse venture has a lot of interesting facets and is a good approach to helping Detroit, Polk said. "It's early on, (but) we're excited about it."
When you look at the neighborhood where the new greenhouse will be located, it's a tough area to build a food economy, he said. But RecoveryPark's plan will reclaim land and put it to good use.
The goal of helping people come back from addiction and other challenges is also a beneficial project for Detroit, Polk said.
And the opportunity to turn it into a profitable venture is also interesting. "They've had a good start getting their products from the existing test facility into local restaurants. People like the homegrown aspect of it," he said.
"With the local food scene in Detroit, I think the drive for local produce will continue to grow."
Howell said he's been interested in agriculture since he was growing up in Grosse Pointe. That interest and his desire to make a difference in Detroit drew him to the RecoveryPark greenhouse project.
"I've been an investor in a series of restaurants in the Washington, D.C., region, and I've found that the lettuce product is hard to get a hold of, expensive, and when we receive it on the East Coast, there's so much that's thrown away," he said.
The opportunity to have something grown locally, harvested locally and consumed within days of being harvested is attractive, he said.
Coupled with that, "I think the fact that the Department of Agriculture is getting involved in a farm that's in an urban setting ... is a next-generation move," Howell said.
"The way the social side meets the for-profit side is just a good model for so many things. I really want to see this succeed."
Demolition of a former Kroger store and former potato chip manufacturing building at 2259 East Palmer St. near Chene, about two miles north of Detroit's Eastern Market, is underway to make room for the new, 2-acre greenhouse. Site preparation is set to begin Nov. 1.
The hydroponics greenhouse will be located in an Opportunity Zone, but the deferment of capital gains tax associated with those low-income zones was not a factor in attracting the initial investments to the greenhouse project, Wozniak said.
Gakon Horticultural Projects
RecoveryPark and a group of investors plan to break ground Nov. 1 on Detroit's first commercial-scale hydroponics greenhouse, similar to this Gakon Horticultural Projects building in the Netherlands.
The greenhouse itself will be assembled from a kit shipped here by Netherlands greenhouse manufacturer Gakon Horticultural Projects.
Hamilton Anderson Associates is the local architect on the project and O'Brien Construction as general contractor.
Next summer, Motley said, he'll look to hire and train 12-15 people coming out prison and/or drug recovery programs. Through a contract with the nonprofit RecoveryPark, they'll be lined up with supportive services like transportation.
The greenhouse will operate year-round with a continuous growth cycle, with seeding at one end of a large pond of water and trays of plants slowly moving across the water over 12-14 days for harvesting on the other end.
Motley projects the annual costs to operate the greenhouse will run about $800,000.
RecoveryPark will get three cents of every dollar of revenue from the joint venture as a royalty, he said, projecting that will be about $350,000 the first year and increase with each expansion. The joint venture company will also pay a set amount each month per employee to RecoveryPark to provide wrap-around support services.
By the time the greenhouse has 6 acres of crops, RecoveryPark should be receiving about $1 million each year from the for-profit joint venture, enough to be self-sustainable, Wozniak said.
While the greenhouse takes shape, Motley is working with Detroit companies Skidmore Studio and Nebulous Concepts LLC on brand development and marketing. He believes it's important to include RecoveryPark's mission on packaging, if possible, to help people understand why buying the product is important, he said.
The new company plans to take taste testing of its leafy product — possibly under the "RecoveryPark Farms 313" brand — directly to retail locations in January and hopes to have contracts with retailers in place by about the end of the first quarter, Motley said.
"We're building brand awareness through wholesale, (but) expect to see retail sales really be a big part of the growth."
Initially, the greenhouse will focus on growing baby leaf lettuce "but we're doing a lot of research over the next three or four months to say 'OK, these are other options that consumers are looking at that might fit our portfolio,'" Motley said.
Going forward
As Motley takes on oversight of the greenhouse operations, Wozniak and RecoveryPark will look to new pastures.
The nonprofit will look to shift the high-tunnel growing it's done in recent years to a niche farming business or education and community gathering program, Wozniak said.
The nonprofit will shrink to four to six employees. It will focus on providing support services for greenhouse employees and developing other social enterprise pilots such as new lines of tomato seeds, an indoor fish farm and/or a small greenhouse to grow starter plants for other growers.
RecoveryPark currently operates on a $1.2 million budget with nine full-time employees after laying off employees last year when it shut down the high-tunnel growing operation to save money on heating costs over the winter and let the ground regenerate.
Part of moving forward will be settling old debts.
"We've got a lot of debt on our balance sheet and are looking for creative ways (to settle it)," Wozniak said.
RecoveryPark has pitched the idea of converting debt to stock ownership in RecoveryPark Farms, the nonprofit's holding company for the social enterprises, and is working on deals to convert $1.8 million of debt into stock ownership in the holding company. If it's successful in those conversions, it will be left with 57-percent ownership in the holding company.
The Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Foundation, which made a $400,000 program-related investment loan to the nonprofit in 2016, is in the process of looking at the conversion terms, said Meredith Freeman, who is serving as interim executive director of the Fisher Foundation while Executive Director Doug Stewart is on sabbatical.
Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Foundation
Meredith Freman
"I really applaud them for their commitment not only to the city and the neighborhood but to keeping that social aspect in place around making sure they are employing those who have challenges to employment. ... they've never let that go," she said.
"It could have been easier business-wise to let that go, but they made that commitment, stuck to it, and we are really happy to support that."
Letter
Sustainable Farming On The Rise In UAE
We import a huge amount of goods, and need to find ways of being not only more sustainable but more self-sustaining as well, meeting local demand through local production," said Mustafa Moiz, managing director of Uns Farms, a local indoor hydroponic farm growing fresh, locally produced leafy greens with no chemicals or preservatives
8/31/2019
(MENAFN - Khaleej Times)
Vertical farming is boosting the UAE's crop-producing capacity, helping the country build a sustainable future.
According to statistics, the UAE imports 80 per cent of its food, which is a major challenge for the country's food security. To address the situation, steps are being taken to restructure the food supply chain.
Vertical farming, a practice of growing local fruits and vegetables with minimal resources, is currently making waves.
"Vertical farming is the future of sustainable agriculture in the UAE. We import a huge amount of goods, and need to find ways of being not only more sustainable but more self-sustaining as well, meeting local demand through local production," said Mustafa Moiz, managing director of Uns Farms, a local indoor hydroponic farm growing fresh, locally produced leafy greens with no chemicals or preservatives.
"We're able to offer a wide variety of salad leaves, kale leaves, various types of lettuce and basil leaves at 30 to 40 per cent less than the cost of imported produce. Once the 30,000 sq-ft facility reaches its full capacity, we'll be producing about 1.5 tonnes per day and, therefore, meet the growing demand in the country," added Moiz.
Agrotech company VeggiTech, on the other hand, focuses on addressing the key challenges of traditional farming - soil, temperature and water - through its design of "protected hydroponics" and "grow-light-assisted hydroponics".
The company has over 15 hectares of farms in the UAE with protected hydroponics and 4,500sqm indoor vertical farms that use grow-light-assisted hydroponics. "The UAE currently produces between 10 per cent and 15 per cent of its food locally. We are committed to expanding the local farming footprint in a sustainable manner," said Hemant Julka, co-founder and COO of Veggitech.
A VeggiTech-designed hydroponics greenhouse is functional at GEMS Modern Academy in Nad Al Sheba, offering a hands-on curriculum that teach students, parents and teachers sustainable farming techniques.
"The adoption of thermal insulation material used in Veggitech greenhouses allows farms to be operational 12 months a year. Hydroponics is a growing technique that consumes 75 per cent to 95 per cent less water, as compared to traditional farming methods. Soil-less farming means there is no need for pesticides, thus providing safe products to consumers," said Julka.
Radical measures like harvesting water with alternative energy sources have also yielded positive results. Erik Smidt, agricultural counsellor from The Netherlands, said: "The state of agriculture in the UAE is rising. The Netherlands is extending assistance in horticulture through techniques that allows one to produce vegetables with almost no water and with the use of alternative energy resources (solar, wind).
"Circular agriculture is a new priority in The Netherlands. As the world population is growing, set to reach 9.5 billion by 2050, we need to produce more. For this, we need to produce food using all available materials and minimise waste. The Netherlands is willing to assist the UAE in implementing this concept," he added.
National strategy
Aside from promoting sustainability, the UAE's food security strategy also aims to ensure access to safe and nutritious food.
This is why organic farming - a method that doesn't rely on synthetic fertilisers - has also been gaining traction.
"I have seen a huge evolution, from not being able to find organic produce to seeing a wide array of companies in the market. There is a rise in the demand for organic produce. And many of the farms have grown significantly over the last few years to meet this demand," said Ripe founder Becky Balderstone, who has been in Dubai for the past 13 years. Ripe works with farms that follow strict organic farming procedures and have organic certification from the Emirates Authority for Standardisation and Metrology.
The availability of these local crops has also encouraged more residents to adopt a healthier lifestyles.
Harvest water from the air
Dutch firm SunGlacier has been selected to design a new and innovative 'solar-powered' unit that can generate water for the Dutch Pavilion at the World Expo 2020 in Dubai. The unit shall harvest an average of 800 litres of freshwater per day from the surrounding desert air.
The SunGlacier team is maximising a new and natural configuration of sunlight, air and gravity that can produce potable water from air nearly anywhere on the planet, even in hot and dry desert areas.
Quinoa: Most promising crop for UAE farmers
It may be surprising to hear, but one crop that is showing a lot of promise in the UAE is quinoa, according to scientists at the agricultural research-for-development centre International Centre for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA). The number of farmers cultivating quinoa in the UAE has been steadily increasing since 2016, with ICBA scientists distributing quinoa seeds to 12 pioneer farmers in Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Sharjah, and Fujairah.
Established in 1999 by the UAE and the Islamic Development Bank, the ICBA has been working with farmers in the UAE to introduce crop varieties and technologies that have performed well during trials under local conditions.
Dr Ismahane Elouafi, director-general, ICBA, said: "The UAE has improved its ranking on the Global Food Security Index (GFSI) from 33rd in 2017 to 31st in 2018, based on three core categories of affordability, availability and quality and safety. However, its rank is fifth within the Mena region based on the country's commitment to food security."
Different organisations based in the UAE, including ICBA, are supporting the great initiative for the sustainable food production in the region with innovative technologies like growing crops that need less water or can thrive with the brackish water or producing nutritious food (like quinoa and millet) from marginal lands with poor quality water.
"The UAE must further invest in innovation and science to develop and adopt new food systems that can fulfil their national targets," added Elouafi.
The UAE has appointed a Minister of State for Food Security to strategically address food security and nutrition challenges. The country ranks fourth in food affordability, but 50th in availability, hence a large amount of the food security is based on the import of food products.
Harsh desert climate and scarce freshwater resources have been considered major challenges
Sandhya D'Mello
Journalist. Period. My interests are Economics, Finance and Information Technology. Prior to joining Khaleej Times, I have worked with some leading publications in India, including the Economic Times.
This Company Grows Crops Inside, Stacked on Top of One Another
Is it an agriculture or a tech venture? AeroFarms is blurring the lines between the two with its vertical farm. Crops are grown inside, under lights, one on top of the other
These crops grow all year and have less environmental impact than traditional farming.
Image: Our Planet, Netflix
Image: Our Planet, Netflix
The advantages are numerous: higher productivity in a much smaller area; shorter growing times; lower water use; fresh produce grown much closer to where it’s eaten; and, AeroFarm executives say, improved food taste.
Here at AeroFarms, our aeroponic technology is a closed loop system, recycling water and nutrients with virtually 0 waste, resulting in 95% less water use than field farming. That also means no soil contamination and no toxic runoff into our waterways - https://aerofarms.com/environmental-impact/ …
“On one hand we’re a farming company,” explains Chief Executive David Rosenberg. “On the other hand, we’re a technology company.”
The perfect growing conditions
Technology is central to making a vertical farm work.
AeroFarms uses an aeroponic system to provide the right amount of water and nutrients, with temperature and humidity constantly fine-tuned, so that each crop has the perfect growing conditions.
Image: Our Planet, Netflix
As a result, they can grow a variety of produce all year round, defying the seasons.
All of this adds up to farms that use 95% less water than traditional ones, while yielding up to 390-times more crops per-square-foot.
Circular and nutritious
And all these wins start with recycled bottles.
That’s how AeroFarms make the cloth on which the crops grow, which is also completely reusable.
There are benefits both for the environment – including lower carbon emissions as a result of growing crops right in the centre of a city rather than having them transported – and for our health.
“One of the most exciting opportunities about changing the environment is improving nutrition,” says Dr. April Agee Carroll, Vice President of Research and Development at AeroFarms.
“We know if we can really improve that with different environmental conditions, then we can have a product that’s more nutritious, that can bring a better value to people in their diets as well as really improving human health.”
Food for thought.
About the series: Each week we’ll bring you a new video story about the people striving to restore nature and fighting climate change. In collaboration with @WWF and the team behind the Netflix documentary #OurPlanet. #ShareOurPlanet
Want to raise your #VoiceForThePlanet? Life on Earth is under threat, but you can help. People around the world are raising their voice in support of urgent action. Add yours now at www.voicefortheplanet.org
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Written by
Joe Myers, Writer, Formative Content
The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.
A Look Inside The First Certified Organic Rooftop Farm In The Country
"A small working farm that provided food for a restaurant, provided a community center and place for people to learn how to grow food and a place for us to teach people about local food and why that's so important," Co-Owner Helen Cameron said
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For eleven years, Devon St. has been home to the first certified organic rooftop farm in the country.
By Jalyn Henderson
July 12, 2019 CHICAGO (WLS)
On the corner of Devon and Glenwood Ave. in Edgewater, sits Uncommon Ground.
"A small working farm that provided food for a restaurant, provided a community center and place for people to learn how to grow food and a place for us to teach people about local food and why that's so important," Co-Owner Helen Cameron said.
A restaurant with an all-natural, organic farm, you can find on the roof. The first of its kind in the country, certified by the Midwest Organic Services Association.
"You know, we're a zero spray farm so we're not killing the good bugs or the bad bugs, we kind of let them battle it out so we're working with nature instead of working against nature," said Allison Glovak-Webb, Uncommon Ground's Farm Director.
The farm grows a variety of crops including peas, carrots, peppers, garlic and hops.
"I mean we just are growing all manner of goodies here," Cameron said.
But running a farm takes a lot of work, work that Cameron couldn't handle on her own.
"Then we decided we were going to create an internship program," Cameron said. "In exchange for interns coming to help us with this, we would teach them about urban agriculture, sustainable food systems, organic farming and try to give them as much input as we could to make this kind of thing happen."
More than 100 students have interned at Uncommon Ground from all across the city, some interns even travel internationally.
Cameron's goal is to make her businesses as sustainable as possible. So the restaurant is solar-powered, locally sourced, and everything that comes out of the kitchen is organic.
"We don't use any conventional fertilizers, herbicides or pesticides. We don't use anything that's genetically modified," Cameron said.
"We about the furthest thing from a monoculture you can possibly get. A lot of farms focus on one crop and we focus on a diverse amount of crops. That's not just because that's what our kitchen prefers, but it's also because it's what's best for the environment and the ecosystem. We kind of have our own little ecosystem here," Glovak-Webb added