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Armela Brings Fresh Perspective To Farming In UAE
Armela Farms, an expert in hydroponic farming and the largest producer of water-grown lettuce in the UAE, now has a production capacity of 1.6 million lettuce heads – the equivalent of 330 tonnes per year
March 15, 2020
ABU DHABI
Armela Farms, an expert in hydroponic farming and the largest producer of water-grown lettuce in the UAE, now has a production capacity of 1.6 million lettuce heads – the equivalent of 330 tonnes per year.
As an innovator in the large-scale commercial production, packing and distribution of lettuce and kale, Armela Farms utilizes cutting-edge hydroponic growing technology, on-site storage, packing, and local distribution methods to redefine local food supply, the company said.
By producing natural, eco-friendly, locally grown, farm-fresh, 100% pesticide-free products, Armela Farms continuously reaffirms its commitment to feeding people in cities in a way that is positive for the environment.
The UAE is globally renowned for blending the core values of its agricultural history with the latest innovations and technologies. The Ministry of Climate Change and Environment has prioritized increasing the use of hydroponic farms, cooling and climate control technologies to overcome the historical problems of scarcity of water resources and arable land, soil salinity, difficult environmental conditions, and typically high production costs. Consequently, Armela Farms is striving to perfect the process and become the industry standard in UAE, it said.
After launching the company in August 2016, the Armela team has spent more than two years in Research and Development regarding the best techniques, varieties of produce and optimum climate conditions, before celebrating its first harvest in August 2018. Since then, the team has advanced its process to achieve over 250% of an increase in production and is currently finalizing the opening of a new facility for Q1 2021, which will boast over 3 hectares of fully automated advanced lettuce farm, making the largest commercial hydroponic project in the UAE.
At Armela Farms, produce is delivered immediately upon harvesting, with no or minimum storage or shipping time, to provide customers with produce that is fresher, tastier and more nutritious, while lasting longer. As the topic of food security becomes more prevalent across the GCC, these fantastic new technologies are going to make access to affordable and nutritious food easier for everyone.
Avir Shah, CEO and co-founder of Armela Farms, states: “Our mission is to sell hydroponic produce that is of high quality and high nutritional value, to maximize consumer benefits towards healthy living in the United Arab Emirates.”
Rachana Shah, director and co-founder at Armela Farms, adds: “Most people maybe don’t realize is that locally produced harvest, and, in particular, commercial hydroponics farming, provide not only better quality products, but also a cheaper price tag to benefit the customer, be it, retailers or consumers.” -
TradeArabia News Service
High-Tech Urban Farming In Paris
Paris is opening the largest cultivation company in the world. With its Parisculteurs project, France, along with other cities, is strongly committed to urban agriculture
Paris is opening the largest cultivation company in the world. With its Parisculteurs project, France, along with other cities, is strongly committed to urban agriculture. This creates an opportunity for Dutch businesses.
The Parisculteurs project aims to green another 100 hectares in Paris this year. A third of this is earmarked for urban farming. There is much interest among Parisians for locally-grown products. There is also a need for green areas in this large French city.
There is, therefore, great enthusiasm for a project such as this. However, in many cases, it is a challenge to realize such a project. Space in the city is limited and expensive. The use of pesticides will be met with great resistance too.
Innovative techniques are, therefore, often used for urban agriculture. These include vertical farming and mixed cultivation. But digital aids also play a significant role in urban agriculture. For example, water-monitoring sensors are used in hydroponic systems.
No fossil fuels
The French startup, Neofarm, has taken its first high-tech greenhouse into use. It is located just west of Paris. Just a few kilometers from Paris lies the small town of Saint-Nom-la-Breteche. There, on a 1,000m2 plot, Neofarm is growing carrots, lettuce, and beans.
By planting different kinds of vegetables together, pesticide use is kept to a minimum. The startup is also busy developing a weeding robot. It uses online decision-making tools to optimize the process. In this way, Neofarm wants to develop a model for micro-farms.
They want to make it possible to cultivate high-quality organic products. That on little land, close to the city. With this model, the startup also wants to contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. For example, their farm uses no fossil fuels. The healthy soil can store CO2 too.
Another French startup, Agricool, grows strawberries in containers. And since recently, herbs too. For this, this company uses an entirely closed system. Various sensors monitor it. According to Agricool, this closed system uses 90% less water than conventional farming.
Innovation
The importance Parisians attach to locally-produced products, therefore, ensures innovation in the chain. In France, there is a trend toward more organic, locally produced goods. Taking this into account, these developments will, more than likely, continue in the next few years.
This trend is also the case in other European countries. That offers opportunities for Dutch businesses. They can respond to these developments. They can, for example, supply materials that can be used at these types of urban farms.
Source: Agroberichten Buitenland / Renske Buisman
Publication date: Tue 11 Feb 2020
One of The Decades 10 Best Climate Innovations - Indoor Farming Technology
Alternative farming methods have been around for centuries — but over the past decade, the field has really grown thanks to technological innovation. Namely, new technology such as LED lights, temperature-controlled shipping container farms
SOURCE: COURTESY OF PONIX
Alternative farming methods have been around for centuries — but over the past decade, the field has really grown thanks to technological innovation. Namely, new technology such as LED lights, temperature-controlled shipping container farms, and indoor vertical farms have allowed for so many advancements in improving the way we grow produce — namely, by making it more accessible and by lowering agriculture's environmental impact.
Compared to conventional farming, indoor farming, and vertical farming take up less land, there is no risk of pests (or need for pesticides), they yield more crops, and they bring locally-grown produce to communities that cannot grow a variety of produce year-round (which is more nutritious and has less of an environmental impact, since it isn’t traveling across the world).
FarmBox Foods
December 27, 2019
SOUTH KOREA: Urban Farming Bonds Communities In Seoul
Tucked away in a dark, damp corner of an underground parking lot in Nowon-gu, northeastern Seoul, mushrooms mature under fluorescent lights. The vertical farm is tended by residents who live right above it, in Sanggye Hyundai Apartment Complex.
Residents at Nowon Energy Zero housing complex in Nowon-gu, northeastern Seoul, tend small box gardens earlier this year. / Courtesy of Nowon-gu Office
By Lee Suh-yoon
Tucked away in a dark, damp corner of an underground parking lot in Nowon-gu, northeastern Seoul, mushrooms mature under fluorescent lights.
The vertical farm is tended by residents who live right above it, in Sanggye Hyundai Apartment Complex.
Together, the residents grow, share and sell the mushrooms, donating the profits to local charities and welfare centers.
A community mushroom farm is located under Sanggye Hyundai Apartment Complex in Nowon-gu, northeastern Seoul. / Courtesy of Nowon-gu Office
About five kilometers south, residents of Nowon Energy Zero housing complex, known for its energy-efficient apartment and villa designs, come together to tend small box gardens.
"People who live in the same apartment complexes don't really talk to each other these days," Park Geun-gu, an official from Nowon-gu Office, told The Korea Times recently. "Apart from providing safe locally grown produce, these urban farms help residents get to know each other better, strengthening community bonds."
To create an urban farm in their leftover spaces, usually snuggled between close-knit buildings or on a roof, residents can easily apply for financial and professional support from their local government offices. The city government and district offices fund 80 percent to 100 percent of the initial installation fees of accepted projects.
Seoul is now home to a thriving network of community gardens. The number of urban farms increased six-fold in the last seven years, bringing the total area of such green spaces in Seoul to 170 hectares ― about the size of 238 football fields.
Most are located in patches between apartments or on the roofs of schools and government buildings.
"We refer to these participating groups as urban farming communities," said Lee Byung-hun, a city official in charge of the urban farm projects.
"The main focus of these projects is not supplying food; it's about the social experience the urban farms can bring to residents. We're also providing hands-on gardening experience and environmental education to children at urban farms set up next to kindergartens."
Last year, the city government started allocating a 5 million won ($4,400) annual budget to each district to solicit help from professionals who can give lectures and offer personalized gardening solutions ― ranging from raising soil productivity to using safe pesticides ― to urban farming communities.
Called "farm clinics," these classes are currently held at 4,000 urban farm sites across 19 districts in Seoul. Last month, the city government announced plans to extend the classes to 7,000 sites.
Districts that lie along the green belt, like Gangdong-gu and Gwangjin-gu, can spare more green space for these community farms.
The land, usually located at the foot of a mountain or riverside, is divided up among residents in an open lottery system at the beginning of each spring.
"The competition for a plot of land at these community farms is very high: we get 10 to 15 times more applicants than the number of plots available, depending on the location," a Gwangjin-gu official said. "Residents usually grow lettuce or peppers, and some of the produce is donated to local welfare centers."
A community farm near the Han River in Gangdong-gu, eastern Seoul / Courtesy of Gangdong-gu Office
A rooftop community garden in Seodaemun-gu, northwestern Seoul. / Courtesy of Seodaemun-gu Office
Residents listen to a gardening instructor at an urban farm in Gwangjin-gu, eastern Seoul. / Courtesy of Gwangjin-gu Office
Nature Fresh Farms Focused On Giving Back In 2019 Holiday Season
Nature Fresh Farms continues to give back to their community through their various initiatives providing some much-needed joy for families in need
Nature Fresh Farms continues to give back to their community through their various initiatives providing some much-needed joy for families in need.
On December 21st and 22nd, as part of their Holiday Giveaway initiative, Nature Fresh Farms and South Essex Fabricating visited a total of 45 families; 34 in Windsor/Essex and 11 families in Fulton County Ohio, providing each of them with $200 in groceries and a $500 gift card. This has been the third consecutive year the companies have carried out their Holiday Giveaway. The companies initially set out to sponsor 30 families, however, employees of the companies came together to sponsor an additional 15 families – bringing the total number to 45 families.
In addition to their Giveaway, the cross-company food drive took place over a two-week period where South Essex Fabricating and Nature Fresh Farms employee donations led to a total of 5,128 dry goods collected. The companies brought the non-perishable food items to the local Salvation Army in Leamington, Ontario & The Open Door in Delta, Ohio.
Both initiatives were extremely successful in providing families with some much-needed cheer this season.
“The amount of donations raised for our Holiday Giveaway and cross-company food drive really shows the incredible generosity and kindness of our team members at Nature Fresh Farms and South Essex Fabricating,” said Founder and Owner, Peter Quiring. “It was very humbling to see how everyone was inspired to give back to people in need in our communities in such a meaningful way.”
On December 17th Nature Fresh Farms also presented a $2000 donation to the local organization, The Bridge, where Allocation Manager at Nature Fresh Farms, Justin Guenther, brought the donation on behalf of the participants of their 15-kilometer fundraiser. Beginning in August, participants would walk or run a total of 15 km per week for 12 weeks. Any participant that did not reach the 15 km had to donate $5 for each kilometer they were under. The goal of the fundraiser was to promote a healthy lifestyle while raising funds for the local organization.
“As a team, we always want to challenge ourselves to lead healthy lifestyles,” shared Justin Guenther. “A fundraiser like this encourages that while raising money for an organization that our company already supports heavily. This has been a win-win for our team.”
Nature Fresh Farms constantly seeks to engage with their communities in their ongoing fundraising efforts. Helping support local organizations and providing deserving families with some much-needed cheer is one way they are able to show their appreciation to the community and their commitment to those needing some extra assistance.
For more information:
Kara Badder
Nature Fresh Farms
Tel: +1 (519) 326-1111
Email: kara@naturefresh.ca
www.naturefresh.ca
Publication date: Fri 3 Jan 2020
Vertical Farming vs. Greenhouse Farming
When starting a farming operation, the first choice you face is what type of farm to start
June 1, 2019
When starting a farming operation, the first choice you face is what type of farm to start. The options are many: indoor vs. outdoor; arable vs pastoral; intensive vs. extensive. For farmers going the indoor route, one of the biggest decisions is between vertical farms and greenhouses. Both vertical farms and greenhouses operate indoors, which means they enjoy benefits like climate control, year-round growing, and chemical-free pest control.
However, there are as many differences between these types of farms as there are similarities. Each one serves a unique purpose; but, they can be compared in terms of efficiency. For a long time, it was thought that greenhouses were more efficient and profitable than vertical farms, due to the lack of a need for artificial lighting. But recently, a study out of Quebec showed that vertical farms enjoy a number of benefits over greenhouses–especially if the farm is operating for commercial purposes.
To understand what those benefits are, we first need to understand the reasons for farming indoors in the first place.
WHY GROW INDOORS?
For most of human history, farming has been an outdoor operation. Plants need sunlight to live, and soil to get water and nutrients from, so it’s no surprise that the traditional farm is an outdoor farm.
But as agriculture developed, farmers gradually realized that there were benefits to farming indoors. For one, it allowed certain crops to be grown all year long. For another, it kept pesticides at bay. And finally, indoor farming in ‘hot’ greenhouses could cause plants to grow faster than they would outdoors. By the late Roman Empire, greenhouse-like methods were already being used for these and other reasons.
In the 1800s, Greenhouses hit their stride, as European farmers started using them to grow tropical plants that otherwise wouldn’t grow naturally on their continent. This fact illustrates the main benefit of indoor farming: it provides the ability to grow crops year round, in a controlled environment, free from pests.
if you want it a bit shorter, this whole section can easily be cut
THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN VERTICAL FARMS AND GREENHOUSES
Although vertical farms and greenhouses are both indoor facilities, the similarities end there. First, greenhouses rely on sunlight, while vertical farms rely on artificial light. Second, vertical farms have plants stacked in layers, while greenhouses have them arranged on one horizontal plane. Third, vertical farms can operate in urban areas, while greenhouses require a large amount of space and are therefore best suited for rural or suburban environments.
Many people have argued that, because vertical farms require artificial light, they are necessarily less efficient than greenhouses. It is true that artificial light is a major cost at vertical farms. However, the paper “Comparing a Greenhouse to a Vertical Farm in Quebec” showed that growing lettuce in a vertical farm can actually be more profitable than growing it in a greenhouse, owing to two factors: increased yield per square meter, and centralized distribution.
"When starting a farming operation, the first choice you face is what type of farm to start. The options are many: indoor vs. outdoor; arable vs pastoral; intensive vs. extensive"
YIELD
The main advantage that vertical farms have over greenhouses is greater yield per square meter. Although vertical farms have higher light and heat costs, they have the benefit of more produce grown per unit of soil. This means that even though vertical farms cost more to operate, they produce more crops, with the end result being higher revenue.
The policy paper mentioned proves this through the results of a simulation, which showed that lettuce grown in a vertical farm has a slightly higher yield than that grown in a greenhouse.
DISTRIBUTION
One major advantage of vertical farms is centralized distribution. Because these farms can be run in warehouses or almost any kind of building, they can be located in urban areas. This puts them right at the heart of major distribution hubs, in the middle of a big local customer base. So, compared to a rural greenhouse, a vertical farm has less distance to travel to get to customers, and when it does have to ship over a distance, it has better transportation options.
As a result, vertical farm crops can be sold more quickly and at higher margins than greenhouse crops. According to the Quebec paper, this creates a perception of freshness that helps the vertical farm produce sell quicker than the greenhouse equivalent.
GROSS PROFITS
As a result of centralized distribution, vertical farms may enjoy higher gross profits than greenhouses. The Quebec paper showed this to be the case specifically for lettuce grown in the Quebec area. Although the wholesale price of lettuce produced at greenhouses and vertical farms is usually the same, the vertical farm’s lettuce may enjoy a premium when sold in its local market due to the perception of freshness. Additionally, because the vertical farm is located in an urban area, it can ship more fresh produce to more customers, without high transportation costs.
A second reason for the higher gross profits at vertical farms is winter heating costs. It’s almost taken as a gospel truth that greenhouses use more electricity than urban farms. But that’s not necessarily the case. It really depends on the specific farm(s) in question. As the Quebec experiment showed, in areas that get extremely cold in the winter, Greenhouses can be very expensive to heat. Depending on how rural their location is, they may need to be heated by a generator; and depending on their size, they may consume quite a bit of electricity. So while the vertical farm needs to be heated year round, the greenhouse can actually be more expensive to heat in the crucial winter season.
GROWTH POTENTIAL
One area where vertical farms really shine is the potential for growth. While sales from greenhouses are growing at 8% year-over-year, sales from vertical farms are growing at a full 30% annually. That means that vertical farms are growing more than three times as quickly as greenhouses. While part of this can be explained by the fact that vertical farms are newer than greenhouses, it also has to do with centralized distribution. Since vertical farms have access to urban distribution centers, they can get more product out, more quickly, than greenhouses can. The greater yield per square metre of vertical farm space also contributes to this fast growth.
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
Vertical farming is the cutting edge of agriculture. Offering the ability to grow more crops, in a controlled environment, inside major distributions hubs (i.e. cities), it takes advantage of economies of scale in a way no other farming operation can. In the past, many critics have cited lighting costs as a stumbling block to profitability for vertical farms. But as the Quebec research paper showed, vertical farming can actually be more profitable than a conventional greenhouse operation. Especially when situated in major urban centers, and taking full advantage of the distribution benefits that come with that, vertical farms can be highly profitable. And when you add the benefits of automated labor into the equation, the benefits can be greater still.
We see VF as the evolution of the greenhouseWe see VF as the evolution of the greenhouse
Latest developments in LED (less consumption) and solar energy (higher efficiency) will reduce the biggest remaining cost factor (energy) during the next years
Automation will increase the benefits of a VF even further
MORE NEWS
Europe’s most automated Vertical Farm in Basel (CH)
August 1, 2019
Growcer is setting up Switzerland’s first vertical farm in Basel. At the same time, it’s one of Europe’s most automated Vertical Farms using latest achievements in Robotics & AI. The farm is six floors high and can produce leafy vegetables, herbs, shoots and fruit all year round.
How do we feed a growing population most of whom live in cities?
Why We Don’t Use Containers For Our Farms
July 1, 2019
When you decide to start a vertical farm, you’re immediately faced with a number of choices.
Should you put your farm in an urban location, or a rural location?
In a cold environment, or a warm one?
Should you use hydroponic systems, or soil?
About Growcer
May 1, 2019
Feeding the world has always been a challenge. With ever-growing populations and a limited supply of food, innovations are needed to make food better, cheaper, and more abundant. From the early days of agriculture to the mass farming of today, new technologies have arisen to meet the challenge of providing food for the world….
Lettuce Scare Spurs Sales At Superior's Bay Produce
Recent outbreaks of foodborne illnesses have generally been bad news for lettuce growers nationwide, but one greenhouse operation in snowy Superior reports its sales actually have been bolstered as consumers search for healthy alternatives to field-grown greens
Written By: Peter Passi | Dec 21st, 2019
Greenhouse with a mission delivers safe greens to the local market.
Rich Fisher, Bay Produce's head grower, checks the pH level of the water in flats growing butterhead lettuce at Bay Produce in Superior. (Clint Austin / caustin@duluthnews.com)
Recent outbreaks of foodborne illnesses have generally been bad news for lettuce growers nationwide, but one greenhouse operation in snowy Superior reports its sales actually have been bolstered as consumers search for healthy alternatives to field-grown greens.
Bay Produce, located next door to the Mariner Retail and Business Center, has found a strong market for the red and green butterhead lettuces it grows in the wake of a national lettuce scare.
"It seems like any time there's a lettuce recall, our sales go up," said Don Gitz, a specialist for Bay Produce.
Most recently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned consumers to avoid eating romaine lettuce harvested in California's Salinas Valley — a prolific agricultural region often referred to as the nation's salad bowl. This latest E. coli outbreak resulted in more than 100 reported cases of illness in 23 states. But regulators advised people that there was no reason to avoid hydroponic and greenhouse-grown lettuce.
8 / 8
The silver tube at the center of the photo houses a high-intensity ultraviolet light used to kill pathogens in the water at Bay Produce in Superior. (Clint Austin / caustin@duluthnews.com)
Bay Produce fits that bill to a T. It grows lettuce, basil, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and eggplant inside a 1 1/2-acre greenhouse equipped with hydroponics.
Rich Fisher, Bay Produce's head grower, said the greenhouse uses Superior city water that has been treated with ultraviolet light, rendering it "99.9% microbe-free."
He contrasted the sterile greenhouse setting at Bay Produce to farm fields where lettuce is often grown on plots adjacent to livestock "where they really have almost no control over runoff."
In addition to producing a consistently safe and tasty product, Bay Produce also has a story to sell. The greenhouse is operated by Challenge Center Inc., an organization established by Catholic Charities 50 years ago to serve children and adults with developmental disabilities. The greenhouse is staffed with 10 Challenge Center staff members and up to about 40 clients at any given time.
Challenge Center Director Mark Kroll said the greenhouse provides a sheltered work setting that can accommodate clients' unique needs, whether that's a short two-hour shift or one accompanied by a job coach.
"We provide sheltered employment for folks with disabilities," Kroll said. "It's an amazing program we have here. So, we already have a lot of local folks looking for our projects anyway, because they support our mission. But this provides a little extra push for us. It's one more reason for folks to look for Bay Produce products."
Bay Produce has enjoyed a safety edge over larger growers in regard to other products, too. For instance, earlier this summer people across the nation were sickened with cyclosporiasis from contaminated basil grown in Mexico. Again, Bay Produce offered a safe alternative.
"It's amazing how things that happen on a national scale that make the national news can really affect local growers," Kroll said.
Bay Produce distributes its products exclusively in the Northland through grocers and restaurants as far north as Grand Marais and as far east as Ashland. Because its produce isn't traveling great distances, Kroll said they are able to deliver a product that's ripe and ready to eat the moment it hits the shelves or lands on a restaurant's sandwich.
Detroit Organization Uses Shipping Containers As Farms Providing Food For Soup Kitchen, Restaurant
The farming being done inside the shipping container is the equivalent of almost two acres of land
By Amy Lange
December 2, 2019
DETROIT (FOX 2) - At the new Three Cats restaurant in Clawson, co-owner and Chef Matt Prentice is serving up the Cass Community arugula salad and the beet stack with Cass basil.
Prentice, a big fan of farm to table, says this is as close and as fresh as you can get.
Shipping container farm is as close to fresh as it gets
It comes from the Freight Farm at Cass Community Social Services in Detroit where seeds are watered in trays then transferred to hangers farming vertically inside a shipping container"It gets harvested two, three, four days a week.
The arugula that I get from California -- I mean it's fine, but it's two weeks old before I get it. Here it's sometimes two hours old," he said.
That's because it comes from the Freight Farm at Cass Community Social Services in Detroit, where seeds are watered in trays then transferred to hangers, farming vertically inside a shipping container."So you can see everything's dated - what it is and when it was started so they'll know," said Faith Fowler, Cass Community Social Services. "It comes down almost like drip irrigation so that you're wasting very little water at all."
This is a great solution to having fresh good food year-round.
"Donated by the Ford Fund about a year ago, the Freight Farm is now producing fresh produce year-round for the soup kitchen at Cass and at Three Cats."
It means his restaurant is able to have farm to table, table to farm in a really good way and to support the work we're doing here, with hungry people and homeless people and others," said Rev. Faith Fowler with Cass Community Social Services. Fowler runs Cass Community Social Services, where serving the homeless and getting them work and housing is also about health and the environment."It tastes really good and it is good for you," she said. "We're using solar for here and considerably less water so it ties in with sustainability which is a theme at Cass.
"The farming being done inside the shipping container is the equivalent of almost two acres of land.
"It's a lot better product but it also gets the Cass name out there," said Prentice. "I mean, this little kitchen here feeds hundreds of thousands of people every year."
Prentice should know. As a longtime volunteer at Cass who then became the director of food services, serving up fresh produce to clients at the soup kitchen and customers here at Three Cats - it's about more than just good food."
The bottom line is, the fresher the produce is, the better it is for you - it's just that simple," he said. "There's a lot of advantages to it but the biggest thing is just making people aware of what we're doing down here."
Have You Ever Considered Turning A Shipping Container Into A Greenhouse?
Here Lucchini custom-made a BoxXLand container with Senmatic’s LED-fixtures, fertilizer mixer, and climate control to fit the specific needs at HAMK University
That is what happened at HAMK University in Finland. The entire project started when our partner and greenhouse-supplier Lucchini was contacted by HAMK University in Lepaa, Finland. They asked Lucchini to assist in building and supplying box container system with the aim of R&D of indoor farming.
Here Lucchini custom-made a BoxXLand container with Senmatic’s LED-fixtures, fertilizer mixer, and climate control to fit the specific needs at HAMK University.
At the university, they are doing trials on lettuce and herbs of all kinds – and so far, they have been very happy with the results from the first production cycle. The box container greenhouse brings several benefits such as being able to grow vegetables in locations, where the climate normally makes it impossible.
Read the full article here
Greenhouse Might Be Key Ingredient In Safer Salads
Consumers should only eat romaine if it is from a harvest region other than Salinas, Calif., or if it was grown indoors, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said
Greenhouse Might Be Key Ingredient In Safer Salads
By Kristen Leigh Painter Star Tribune
DECEMBER 9, 2019
Jay Johnson, Revol Greens president and partner, with greens at the company's Medford, Minn., indoor growing facility. DAVID JOLES – STAR TRIBUNE
Another outbreak of E. coli in romaine lettuce has sickened more than 100 people nationwide and left others wondering if raw salad is safe.
As food-safety investigators clear the vegetable aisle of contaminated lettuce, authorities provided more guidance on how to shop for a safer product.
Consumers should only eat romaine if it is from a harvest region other than Salinas, Calif., or if it was grown indoors, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said. If it's not labeled with a harvest region or growing method, don't eat it.
By singling out indoor-grown lettuce as a potentially safer alternative to field-grown lettuce, food-safety regulators are boosting demand for product grown by Medford-based Revol Greens and its greenhouse-growing peers around the country.
"That [government advice] is definitely helping us out this time," said Brendon Krieg, a partner and sales manager at Revol Greens. "We are seeing an uptick in demand from retailers and restaurants because it has such a major impact on their business when they suddenly can't serve salads."
E. coli contamination in produce nearly always comes from irrigation water used on fields, said Kirk Smith, director of the Minnesota Integrated Food Safety Center of Excellence, one of six centers around the U.S. designated by the CDC to strengthen the safety of the nation's food system.
Revol Greens is a new competitor to the California greens market and is growing five varieties of lettuce in greenhouses only an hour's drive south of Minneapolis at a fraction of the transportation costs. Here, a worker inside the sprawling greenhouse at Revol Greens Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2018, in Medford, MN.
DAVID JOLES, STAR TRIBUNE
A lettuce field could be contaminated by dust, pests or wild animals carrying E. coli from elsewhere, but it is usually through the irrigation water source "in some way, shape or form," he said.
A major risk with outdoor-grown lettuce is sharing a water source with a nearby animal farm. It's especially risky near cattle, which are widely considered the largest reservoir of E. coli, Smith said.
Some food-safety experts theorize that during California's dry season — which lasts into the fall — the water table drops and the surface water from a cattle operation gets sucked down into the groundwater that is then used to irrigate lettuce crops.
That's why the CDC and FDA are telling consumers to consider buying leafy greens from greenhouse-grown facilities that use alternative water sources.
Revol Greens captures rainwater and snow melt from its greenhouse roof that it then stores in a covered, on-site holding pond. The company tests its water daily and runs it through a chemical-free UV sterilization process to make sure there's no festering bacteria before spraying its indoor lettuce. "Most, if not all, indoor growers of a certain size will have some sort of sterilization for their water," Krieg said.
Symptoms of E. coli usually surface within a few days to a week after ingesting the bacteria and include stomach cramps, diarrhea and vomiting.
Cases in the current outbreak span 23 states, with 31 in Wisconsin — the most of any state. Three cases have been reported in Minnesota. For now, it appears the rate of illness is slowing, with symptoms of the last reported cases beginning Nov. 18. Still, the CDC and FDA recommend consumers avoid purchasing Salinas-grown lettuce for the remainder of this growing season.
A year ago, an E. coli outbreak sickened 88 people in the U.S. and Canada and led regulators to issue a blanket don't-eat-romaine-lettuce warning. Retailers and restaurants pulled all romaine lettuce from shelves and menus before investigators zeroed in on north and central California as the likely source of contamination. But, by then, all romaine growers suffered the consequences.
In response, Revol and five other greenhouse lettuce growers formed a coalition to increase consumer and regulator education, and to encourage the controlled-environment agriculture (CEA) community to adopt stricter standards than already established.
"The coalition was established to develop credible, strong, and appropriate food safety standards, educate consumers and regulators on controlled environment growing, and communicate the value of controlled environment agriculture," said Marni Karlin, executive director of the group, called the CEA Food Safety Coalition.
This year, authorities took a more tailored approach to their warnings, identifying Salinas as the likely growing region in the first public health notice last month. Karlin said the companies she represents were pleased that the CDC and FDA's most recent update called out the relative safety of indoor-grown lettuce.
While most E. coli bacteria are harmless, these investigations track the dangerous types, such as Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, that can be life threatening. Such pathogenic outbreaks have been identified since the mid-1990s with at least one leafy-green outbreak occurring every year since Smith said.
But what's disconcerting, he said, is how little progress has been made in preventing these outbreaks since the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the FDA gave the industry more serious directives in addressing the problem in the early to mid-2000s.
"This has been a known problem for a long time now, but there are a couple of remarkable things that have happened recently," Smith said. First, spring 2018 was marked by the largest leafy green outbreak of E. coli ever, specifically in romaine, with 219 reported illnesses. The other noteworthy trend, Smith said, is that "we now have recurring outbreaks of the same strain and region."
The reason it keeps happening, he said, is that investigators are rarely able to trace the contamination all the way back to the exact farm.
Lettuce farmers often send their produce to a central processing facility where it is washed and packed. "You could get a bag of lettuce that includes stuff from many different sources," Smith said.
Indoor agriculture is generally much smaller in scale and therefore more easily protected from weather, pests and animals, he said.
Kristen Leigh Painter covers the food industry for the Star Tribune. She previously covered growth and development for the paper. Prior to that, Painter was a business reporter at the Denver Post, covering airlines and aerospace. She frequently writes about sustainable food production, consumer food trends and airlines.
Power Generator With Battery Allows Growers To Go Off-Grid
Rolls-Royce offers with its MTU microgrids the company's first eco-friendly and on-site power generation solution suitable for agricultural applications
Rolls-Royce offers with its MTU microgrids the company's first eco-friendly and on-site power generation solution suitable for agricultural applications. These autonomous power grids combine renewable energy sources with battery storage and gas and diesel generators using a microgrid control system developed by Rolls-Royce, thereby reducing CO2 emissions in power generation. Farmers also lose their dependency on the public grid and can integrate existing energy sources such as photovoltaics or biogas plants, which offers financial benefits. Rolls-Royce will be presenting its microgrid solutions for farming applications at the agricultural trade show Agritechnica from 10 to 16 November.
“Many farmers already have large-scale photovoltaic or biogas plants and are therefore ideally equipped to use a microgrid. Our MTU EnergyPack, the battery container, and a smart energy management system allow the various energy sources to be optimally deployed – both technically and in terms of cost,” explains Cordelia Thielitz, Vice President Microgrids at Rolls-Royce.
The components of a Microgrid can be adapted according to the requirements. The possible applications in agriculture are manifold and offer advantages in terms of return-on-investment (ROI), decentralization and decarbonization. Here are three examples:
Prime power from biomass
Instead of continually pumping all the electrical power won from a biogas plant into the public grid, it can be stored in the MTU-EnergyPack. The smart energy management system then ensures that this energy is only fed into the public grid at times of peak demand when prices are at their highest.
Self-sufficient greenhouses
To flourish and grow, crops cultivated in greenhouses need temperature levels and light exposure to be kept as constant as possible. The heat and power required to achieve that constitute major cost factors for any farmer.
But with combined power generation using a photovoltaic installation and MTU generator linked up to a battery and master controller, the greenhouse can operate independently round-the-clock without recourse to the public grid. Electrical energy generated by photovoltaics and a gas-powered CHP module during the day can be fed into the batteries, where it is subsequently available for lighting the crops and other electrical consumers. Heat from the CHP module is used to heat the greenhouses while CO2 recovered from its exhaust emissions promotes plant growth.
Profitability in times of change
For farmers in Germany who generate power for the public grid using photovoltaics and biogas plants and are subsidized under the German Renewable Energies Act (EEG), the microgrid can be a very worthwhile investment. This is because subsidy rates are falling, with many subsidy schemes soon to reach the end of their twenty-year term. Furthermore, operators of larger-scale PV plants also have to pay an EEG levy on the power they consume themselves.
Integrating these systems with batteries and a smart controller creates new cost benefits for farmers, who reduce their CO2 output at the same time.
“Integrating existing renewable energy sources as a microgrid creates an independent, reliable supply of energy which is gentle on the environment and saves money. For a not inconsiderable number of farmers, microgrids can open up new earning potential,” said Armin Fürderer, head of customer solutions in the power generation section at Rolls-Royce.
For more information:
www.rolls-royce.com/bergen
Publication date: Thu 7 Nov 2019
A Better Use For Sprawling, Big-Box Store Parking Lots? Urban Farms
A typical parking lot at a big-box store, sprawling over several acres, is empty most of the time. With a new design called Car Parks 2.0, the French design firm Studio NAB shows how that space could be reimagined as an urban farm, with a little room left at the side for charging electric cars from onsite solar panels
11.11.19
This Conceptual Design Reimagines The
Parking Lot As Something More Productive
1/12 [Image: Studio NAB]
A typical parking lot at a big-box store, sprawling over several acres, is empty most of the time. With a new design called Car Parks 2.0, the French design firm Studio NAB shows how that space could be reimagined as an urban farm, with a little room left at the side for charging electric cars from onsite solar panels.
“To tackle the problems facing humanity, we must attack the symbols that made us presently in this situation,” says Studio NAB founder and creative director Nicolas Abdelkader. “The parking lot, and especially [supercenter] parking, is one of these symbols, with all that that entails: automotive activity, overconsumption, irrational urbanism.”
[Image: Studio NAB] - To View Video, Please Click Here
The design strips away asphalt to bring life back to the soil trapped underneath it. In one section, greenhouses and fruit trees grow produce that can be supplied directly to the neighboring store—a little like the model used by the urban farming company Gotham Greens, which grows produce in a greenhouse on a Whole Foods rooftop at one of its locations.
Abdelkader also envisions produce being delivered to nearby homes by cargo bike. In another section, former parking spaces are converted into shared garden plots for people living in the area. In the final section, some parking spaces remain—but even here, the asphalt has been replaced by green space that can help sequester CO2 and absorb rainwater. An algae-filled awning over the cars sequesters more carbon and generates electricity for car chargers.
The idea might be appealing to retailers—losing business to Amazon and other online retailers—that want to give customers more reasons to visit. In the U.S., some big-box retailers are realizing that their parking lots are oversized and are starting to carve out room on some of the sprawl for “town hall” developments. People who might otherwise avoid Walmart or Target might be drawn to the gardens.
For cities, it’s clearly a better use of space for multiple reasons, from the mental health benefits of green space and the health benefit of freshly grown food to the potential for gardens like this to help mitigate problems like flooding and the urban “heat island” effect, where vast stretches of concrete make hot days in cities even hotter. While it’s a concept now, Abdelkader hopes to partner with cities and stores that want “to change sterile spaces into ‘living’ and productive spaces,” he says.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Adele Peters is a staff writer at Fast Company who focuses on solutions to some of the world's largest problems, from climate change to homelessness. Previously, she worked with GOOD, BioLite, and the Sustainable Products and Solutions program at UC Berkeley, and contributed to the second edition of the bestselling book "Worldchanging: A User's Guide for the 21st Century." More
Chinese Farmers Pursue Dream of Gobi Farming
Despite the harsh environment, farming in the Gobi desert has its advantages: The extended amount of sunlight provides adequate energy for crops, a significant temperature difference between day and night helps crops accumulate nutrients and the Gobi's hot and dry air means fewer pests and crop disease
Source: Xinhua| 2019-11-02 Editor: huaxia
A Gobi farming program has proved to be both productive and eco-friendly in the face of environmental adversity in northwest China.
LANZHOU, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Fan Lide, 42, used to be a taxi driver. He is now the owner of 36 greenhouses producing organic vegetables in the barren Gobi desert in northwest China's Gansu Province, and his business has been expanding over the past 10 years.
"Being a taxi driver, you have to work long hours every day. In the end, you have to pay a bulk of the revenue for renting the car. Now I'm even busier, but I work for myself and am much better off," Fan said.
Fan is one of the beneficiaries of the Gobi Farming Program of the Gansu Province that is building rows of greenhouses in the desert to help transform local farming and alleviate poverty.
Grain production in Gansu, which has more than 6.7 million hectares of Gobi desert and 12 million hectares of sandy land, is greatly affected by the climate and the output is unstable.
Agricultural production there relies heavily on rivers, oases and groundwater irrigation. If traditional extensive agricultural production continued, it could gradually narrow the living space.
Fan Lide examines the growth status of cucumbers in the greenhouse at Jiuquan city, northwest China's Gansu Province, Oct. 22, 2019.(Xinhua/Ma Ning)
In 1995, Song Younian, an entrepreneur of the city of Zhangye in central Gansu, ventured to use Israeli technologies to build greenhouses for vegetables growing in the desert.
Such individual pilot projects encouraged the Gansu government to launch a provincial-level Gobi farming program in 2017 with a target to build up controlled-environment agriculture of about 20,000 hectares by 2022. Some cities in the province, such as Zhangye and Jiuquan, where Fan's village is located, have already been experimenting with Gobi farming for several years.
Despite the harsh environment, farming in the Gobi desert has its advantages: The extended amount of sunlight provides adequate energy for crops, a significant temperature difference between day and night helps crops accumulate nutrients and the Gobi's hot and dry air means fewer pests and crop diseases.
The Gobi greenhouses popping up in Gansu use drip and spray irrigation, which can cut water consumption by almost 50 percent compared to a normal farm, according to Yan Shengjun, an agricultural adviser who serves as a consultant for local farmers such as Fan.
The greenhouses are also eco-friendly, as they use substrates for soilless cultivation recycled from rotten leaves, straw and cow and sheep feces.
A staffer checks the status of vegetables in the greenhouse at Jiuquan city, northwest China's Gansu Province, Oct. 22, 2019.(Xinhua/Ma Ning)
"Each hectare of the greenhouses can recycle around 600 cubic meters of agricultural waste," Yan said, "The waste serves as organic fertilizer, helping improve the quality of the vegetables."
With the greenhouses, Fan earns around 70,000 yuan (9,950 U.S. dollars) annually.
"Vegetables produced in the greenhouses are harvested twice or three times a year. As organic food gets more popular in the market, our income also increases," Fan said.
Data from Suzhou District of Jiuquan showed the greenhouse program has helped bring an average revenue of about 72,300 U.S. dollars per hectare to local farmers.
Large-scale greenhouse farming is an investment-intensive project and cannot be sustained only by government financial support. Therefore, the local government has been encouraging villagers such as Fan to take the lead to rent greenhouses or build their own, supported by financing packages provided by financial institutions.
It is not an easy task, and many villagers still want to wait and see. However, more and more are starting to join in, either to run their own greenhouses or work as hired workers for greenhouse owners.
Starting from managing four greenhouses in 2009, Fan now is also a partner of a greenhouse farming cooperative running 120 greenhouses.
Aerial photo taken on Oct. 22, 2019 shows greenhouses at the foot of Qialian Mountain, Jiuquan city, northwest China's Gansu Province.(Xinhua/Ma Ning)
The relatively low cost of large-scale land use in the Gobi desert, as well as government financial support, have also encouraged large firms to start their Gobi farming pilot projects in Gansu, forming a promising partnership of government, enterprises, cooperatives, and local villagers.
Local officials said if the Gobi farming proves successful, it could provide experiences for countries in Central Asia linked with Gansu both by the Ancient Silk Road as well as its modern version of the Belt and Road Initiative. ■
The Importance of Using Organic Fertilizers For Plant Nutrition In Contemporary Agriculture And Gardening
Currently, many people are using containers such as pots, flower boxes, raised garden beds, window boxes, and others to grow fruit-bearing plants, salad, and root vegetables and herbs, both in agriculture and urban gardening
October 24, 2019
António Rodrigues
CEO at Minigarden, Join the Urban Green Revolution
Currently, many people are using containers such as pots, flower boxes, raised garden beds, window boxes, and others to grow fruit-bearing plants, salad, and root vegetables and herbs, both in agriculture and urban gardening.
Nowadays there are many plant-growing solutions for spaces where there is no soil, such as balconies, terraces, and roofs, indoors in homes and offices, or in areas where soils are contaminated.
It is good to see that the growing of plants in such spaces is increasingly becoming a reality worldwide; this is the “Urban Green Revolution” in motion.
As an alternative to traditional soil, potting soil is now making an appearance as a medium in which to grow plants. It is available on the market in increasingly specialized formats in terms of its physical, chemical and organic qualities. This means that, unlike normal soil, we can choose the most appropriate growing medium for the roots of the plants we want to grow, directly influencing their growth, health and even their taste.
However, both potting soil and normal soil need care to remain productive. One of the most important steps is fertilizing the soil since this ensures plant nutrition. This is where I would like to talk about our latest product, the Minigarden Grow Up Pure Organic 1 L.
It is a high-quality concentrated liquid universal plant fertilizer, certified for use in organic farming. Produced from organic farm manure by vermicomposting using red Californian earthworms, this new fertilizer provides a response to the growing demand for 100% natural products.
It can be used in a wide range of circumstances and is just as suitable as a soil fertilizer for professional organic farmers as it is for home gardeners growing plants in an ordinary pot on a balcony.
In any case, whether you are using Minigarden Grow Up Pure Organic 1 L in normal soil or potting soil, the recommended dilution ratio is 5 ml of concentrate for each litre of water for watering.
This ensures that the nutrients consumed by the plant in the meantime are replenished in the form of a natural blend of nitrogen (N), phosphorus pentoxide (P2O5) and potassium oxide (K2O). However, nutrients are of little use if there is no replenishment of organic matter and this is precisely where this fertiliser makes all the difference. The Minigarden Grow Up Pure Organic 1 L contains organic matter in the form of humic substances (10g / litre). By replenishing organic matter, whether in normal soil or potting soil, we are directly or indirectly promoting the absorption of nutrients by the plant, thereby fostering its growth and development.
Humic substances in both normal soil and potting soil bring many other benefits too, such as increasing water retention capacity and reducing the tendency for compaction, to name just two examples.
Remember, as well as watering, quality nourishment is also essential for plants to grow strong and healthy. Try Minigarden Grow Up Pure Organic 1L now! Available from Minigarden’s official online shop or from Amazon.
Published by
António Rodrigues CEO at Minigarden,
Organic Fertiliser hashtag#organic hashtag#fertiliser hashtag#organicgrowth hashtag#organicfarming hashtag#soil hashtag#minigarden hashtag#urbangreenning
Nature Fresh Farms Celebrates 20th Anniversary
On November 8th, 2019, Nature Fresh Farms celebrated its 20 years of growing with an anniversary event that marked a major milestone for the company along with the announcement of an exciting addition of a Group Retirement Plan to their existing benefits plan
On November 8th, 2019, Nature Fresh Farms celebrated its 20 years of growing with an anniversary event that marked a major milestone for the company along with the announcement of an exciting addition of a Group Retirement Plan to their existing benefits plan.
The special event was organized at their Phase 3 facility where 270 employees were present to commemorate the company’s 20 years of success. With everyone in high spirits and enjoying the afternoon event, General Manager, John Ketler, and CEO Peter Quiring, took the opportunity to extend their gratitude to all Nature Fresh Farm employees for their hard work and dedication over the last 20 years followed by the announcement that Nature Fresh Farms will be offering their employees a Group Retirement Plan.
The Group Retirement Plan allows employees to conveniently contribute to the plan through payroll deductions before tax is calculated. The amount is then matched by Nature Fresh Farms allowing employees to save more for their retirement and receive immediate tax relief from those savings. Nature Fresh Farms hopes this new benefit will help existing employees plan for their future but also act as an incentive attracting new hires since this benefit is uncommon within the industry.
“The 20th anniversary celebration gave us the perfect opportunity to express our appreciation to our employees by announcing the extension of their current benefits plan which now includes the Group Retirement Plan,” shared John Ketler, “Nature Fresh Farms most valuable asset is its employees and we want to help provide for our amazing team.”
Beginning as a buy and sell project in 1999, Nature Fresh Farms has transitioned into a large independent greenhouse produce growers in Canada. Within their 20 years of innovation and growth, Nature Fresh Farms has had many accomplishments including their recent 32-acre expansion bringing their total family-owned facilities to 200 acres advancing their operations to year-round growing in Leamington. They have taken significant steps to further integrate sustainability within their operations exemplified this year by the successful introduction of their new compostable cucumber trays.
Gotham Greens Opens Urban Ag Center In Chicago
Gotham Greens today opened its largest greenhouse in Chicago. The expansion enables Gotham Greens to deliver consumers a year-round supply of fresh produce to keep up with increasing demand from retail, restaurant and foodservice customers across the Midwest
100,000 sq.ft. greenhouse
Gotham Greens today opened its largest greenhouse in Chicago. The expansion enables Gotham Greens to deliver consumers a year-round supply of fresh produce to keep up with increasing demand from retail, restaurant and foodservice customers across the Midwest.
Reimagining a portion of the former Ryerson Steel Mill being repurposed by Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives, the new 100,000 square foot, state-of-the-art greenhouse is Gotham Greens’ second greenhouse in the Historic Pullman Neighborhood of Chicago and sixth greenhouse nationwide. The greenhouse more than doubles the company’s Midwest production to 11 million heads of lettuce annually.
“Gotham Greens’ expansion in Chicago demonstrates its continued commitment to the city, state, and region by creating new jobs and using its high-tech greenhouses to grow high-quality produce, even during the coldest winter months,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Agriculture is a vital component of our state’s economy, and I’m pleased to see opportunities for urban agriculture – like this greenhouse expansion. Investing in innovative solutions will keep Illinois at the forefront for decades to come and help create good jobs that can support a family.”
The company’s local cultivation and regional distribution network enable delivery of products quickly after being harvested at their peak to ensure they are fresh tasting, nutritionally dense and long-lasting. This includes Gotham Greens regional favorites such as Pullman Green Leaf and Windy City Crunch.
“Since 2009, we’ve worked to transform how and where fresh produce is grown to provide more people with access to local, sustainably-grown produce that is as delicious as it is nutritious,” said Viraj Puri, Co-Founder & CEO of Gotham Greens. “After opening our first greenhouse in Chicago in 2015, we have received tremendous support from retailers, restaurants and shoppers alike who love that we can provide a reliable, year-round supply of fresh produce that’s grown locally. We’re thrilled to open our second greenhouse in Chicago to expand our production and distribution in the Midwest and bring our delicious leafy greens, herbs and fresh food products to even more people.”
“Thanks to the efforts of Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives, the community and the city over the past years, we’ve been able to garner investments of more than $400 million for new businesses like Gotham Greens’ two greenhouses, new homes, recreational facilities, schools and national monuments that signal Pullman’s renaissance. New jobs and opportunities are improving the quality of life of its residents and building a better city for everyone,” said 9th Ward Alderman Anthony Beale.
Gotham Greens will double its workforce to approximately 100 full-time employees in Chicago and 300 nationwide.
“Gotham Greens’ expansion and doubling-down on Pullman demonstrates that our community has become a destination where people are choosing to go to live, to visit and to do business,” said David Doig, President of CNI, which developed the land sold to Gotham Greens. “The community’s assets, including its proximity to transportation, major markets and the availability of open land – in addition to its architecture, history and amenities – will continue attracting more people, more amenities and more businesses that will create a vibrant, sustainable community.”
Gotham Greens leafy greens, herbs, salad dressings and pesto dips are available at a variety of national and local grocery retailers across the Midwest, including Whole Foods Market, Jewel-Osco, Target, Heinen’s Grocery Store, Sunset Foods, Pete’s Fresh Market and Peapod. In addition, the company partners with various Chicago institutions, including the Greater Chicago Food Depository, Greater Roseland West Pullman Food Network, Pilot Light and the Chicago Botanical Garden’s Windy City Harvest.
For more information:
Gotham Greens
US (CO): Ultra Local Denver Farm Grows Using Aeroponics
Fifty-six-year-old Sally Herbert, co-founder, and CEO of Altius, walks through her fields, pausing often to pluck baby kale leaves or fronds of pink-tipped lollo rosso lettuce for sampling
At the intersection of 25th and Lawrence streets in Curtis Park, on the second story of a building—high above the millennials zipping around on electric scooters and the yoga warriors exiting a nearby studio—sits Altius Farms, an 8,000-square-foot aeroponic greenhouse. Inside, small fans whoosh gently overhead and the temperature is always somewhere between 65 and 80 degrees. There’s a slight, almost pleasant humidity to the air and the fresh, clean mineral smell of lettuce. The clear polycarbonate roof diffuses and softens the Colorado sunlight, and glass walls make you feel like you’re surrounded by open sky.
Completing the urban Garden of Eden picture is Altius’ version of fields: 340 columns, each eight feet tall, from which sprout floppy green rosettes of butter lettuce, neon mustard frills, ruffles of baby red Russian kale, and lily-pad-like nasturtium leaves. The plants blanket the white, food-grade-plastic columns so thickly they look like edible topiaries.
Fifty-six-year-old Sally Herbert, co-founder, and CEO of Altius, walks through her fields, pausing often to pluck baby kale leaves or fronds of pink-tipped lollo rosso lettuce for sampling. The kale is mild and tender, the lettuce juicy and crisp. Nearby, a smiling intern snips baby arugula leaves into bins while farm manager Ethan Page and other staffers wash, dry, and package the day’s harvest. Assistant grower and account manager Brian Adams will soon deliver bags of the greens to Altius’ growing list of clients, which include Uchi (the farm’s downstairs neighbor), Il Posto, Butcher’s Bistro, and Marczyk Fine Foods.
Publication date: Thu 7 Nov 2019
The Rise of Urban Farming
Urban farming, or urban agriculture, can be described as the growing of plants and raising of animals in and around towns, cities and urban environments
Urban farming is big news. You may not have heard too much about it but according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (UNFAO), urban agriculture is something that is practised by 800 million people worldwide, over one-tenth of the global population. So what exactly is it and how is it changing how we produce and distribute food?
What is urban farming?
Urban farming, or urban agriculture, can be described as the growing of plants and raising of animals in and around towns, cities and urban environments. Until recently, farming has been a largely rural activity. But the development of technology, together with a pressing need to find more sustainable ways of production and consumption, has led to the adaptation of farming techniques in more built up environments.
There are several different types of urban farms of varying scales that exist in different parts of the world, including commercial city farms, community gardens, community orchards, indoor vertical farms, hydroponic greenhouses, rooftop gardens, urban aquaponic farms (or fish farms), urban beehives and small-scale homestead farms. They produce a range of goods for local consumption or retail, such as grains, vegetables, fruit, meat, poultry, fish, herbs, honey and dairy products.
Urban farms can be small, medium or large-scale commercial enterprises, cooperatives run by community groups or residents, or even individual set ups. The farms have proliferated in both developed and developing countries in recent years, serving slightly different purposes in general in each. Farms in wealthier industrialized nations have largely been in response to the challenge to find more sustainable methods of agricultural production, along with moves towards more localized economies. In poorer countries, they have come about through multi-stakeholder efforts to combat food insecurity and hunger levels.
Why has urban farming become popular?
Urban farming has grown in popularity over the last 10–15 years. In the developing world, it has largely been driven by the rapid urbanization of developing regions. The urban population across the developing world has grown by around 500 million in the last decade and it is predicted that, by 2025, more than half of the developing world will live in urban areas. The main drivers of urban growth in these countries are high birth rates and an influx of rural people trying to escape poverty. Unlike countries where urbanization has been driven by industrialization, in low-income areas it is often accompanied by high levels of poverty, unemployment, and food insecurity. Urban farming has been seen as a way to combat all three of these problems.
In richer nations, the growth of urban agriculture has been in tandem with a return to localism, the growth of localized businesses, social entrepreneurialism and ethically-minded startups. Social good and environmental sustainability are high on the agenda with new businesses, with one study finding that 90% of today’s CEOs and 88% of business students believe that sustainability is an important part of commercial success. Finding new and improved agricultural methods is an important area of sustainability. Studies have found that agriculture uses 38% of the world’s land area and is responsible for over 70% of global freshwater consumption. With more people concentrated in urban areas, farms can be more productive without using up the same level of resources. Warmer urban conditions are also conducive to the growing of crops.
Not all urban farming practices, however, are for a commercial profit. There are many such as community gardens and community orchards that are run by charities, community groups or resident cooperatives and exist for more social purposes such as sharing food, providing for poorer sections of the community, or bringing parts of the community together.
What are the impacts of urban farming?
Impact on businesses and the economy
Urban farming can have many positive effects on the local economy. As well as presenting green-fingered entrepreneurs with opportunities to start new local businesses, it also creates job opportunities for local people. Furthermore, farms can often provide local shops, supermarkets and restaurants with cheaper and fresher produce which has knock-on positive effects. One study has estimated that urban farms have the potential to provide around 10% of global vegetable crops, which could translate into big savings for local economies worldwide. Start up costs, however, are still high. Those involved in urban farming typically work longer than average hours, lose more food than rural farmers due to urban pests, and struggle to find skilled and experienced staff.
Impact on the environment
Urban farming has been championed as a way of improving agricultural environmental sustainability, but in truth it can have both positive and negative effects and it comes down to the way that farms operate and are regulated. Farms can provide a more efficient way of meeting local demand. If operated sustainably, they can reduce both the agricultural energy footprint (through eliminating the need to store and transport imported products) and the water footprint (through sustainable irrigation and water recycling). They can also transform wasteland into productive green space and stop it from becoming polluted. Vertical farms, which are set up inside multi-storey buildings and warehouses, also have the benefit of saving on space.
But studies have shown that urban farms can also increase energy and water use. Indoor farms, such as vertical farms, use energy-intensive artificial lighting and climate control systems. Many farms use the municipal water supply rather than a recycled water system for irrigation. There are also distinct health and safety risks with urban farming. Urban land can be contaminated with pollutants, while wastewater if not treated properly can contain human pathogens. This can compromise food safety if strict regulations are not in place.
Impact on communities
There are a number of positive social impacts associated with urban farming, such as:
improving food security and reducing poverty among the poorest by providing cheaper and more easily available food;
health benefits of providing affordable nutritious fruit, vegetables and organically produced meat;
greater social inclusion by providing local job opportunities and, in the case of community projects, bringing communities together;
educational opportunities for children, e.g. school trips to city farms and community gardens where pupils can learn more about where food comes from
However, urban farming has attracted some criticism in places such as Europe for becoming monopolized by the middle-classes and excluding lower income groups.
Who are the main players in urban farming?
Europe
Urban farming in Europe is not a new phenomenon. In fact, several countries encouraged the production of food in urban environments during both the First and Second World Wars in the 20th century. Today, start up urban agriculture enterprises are cropping up across the continent. At governmental level, individual governments have had limited involvement but the EU-funded Urban Agriculture Europe, a network of over 120 researchers, have been looking into ways in which urban farming can play a key role in future EU agricultural policy. Berlin-based start up InFarm has become the European urban farming leader with over 100 indoor and outdoor city farms in Germany, France and Switzerland. Among the largest urban farms in Europe are Space&Matter in the Netherlands, the Jones Food Company vertical farm in the UK, and the BIGH rooftop farm in Belgium.
America
There has been a growth in urban farming across the American continent in recent decades. In the US, policies and initiatives vary between states but projects ranging from vertical hydroponic enterprises to community gardens flourish across the country. A 2012 study by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) identified over 300 urban farms in the US. This includes one of the world’s largest urban farms located across nearly two acres in Chicago. In Canada, there has been more state-level involvement. Toronto in particular has been proactive, setting up a Food Policy Council which has drawn up a GrowTO Urban Agriculture Action Plan. In south and central America, where poverty and food insecurity are big issues in several countries, the UNFAO has been involved in kick-starting urban micro-gardens projects in countries including Bolivia, Colombia, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Venezuela.
Asia
Several Asian countries have invested significant amounts in urban farming technologies as a way of dealing with population growth and combating food insecurity. China, which has industrialized at a rapid pace in recent decades, has become a world leader in indoor vertical farming thanks to state investment. Similarly, Thailand has a community-supported agriculture initiative, led by the Thailand Environment Institute, that has helped create rooftop farms and indoor vertical farms across Bangkok. In India, another country that has urbanized at a pace, urban farming is now being seen as a sustainable food production method. Methods such as rooftop farming have taken off in cities such as Kerala.
Africa
The African continent has also seen wide-scale urbanization in recent years. Urban farming methods in the poorest countries have largely centred around setting up micro-gardening and community gardening projects, overseen by UNFAO, equipping urban locals with skills and resources to produce sustainable and feed the local community. Methods such as vertical farming are starting to take hold in some African countries. Johannesburg has hosted two Urban Agri Africa Summits to date, looking into possibilities of developing urban farming technologies across the continent.
Urban farming is unlikely to replace traditional agriculture any time soon but it will have a vital role to play in addressing challenges such as environmental sustainability and food insecurity in the coming years. As the world continues to urbanize and new technologies emerge, we can expect to see increasing governmental and inter-governmental involvement as urban farming becomes more mainstream. The key stakeholders will need to make sure that business models stay alert to environmental, social and economic challenges so that the farming of the future is a sustainable benefit for all.
Miigle+ is redefining consumerism by using technology to impact consumer behaviors for the benefit of all mankind and the future of our planet. To learn more, visit www.miigle.com
How Urban Farmers Are Learning To Grow Food Without Soil or Natural Light
Growing food in cities became popular in Europe and North America during and immediately after World War II. Urban farming provided citizens with food, at a time when resources were desperately scarce
Mandy Zammit/Grow Up, Author provided
Silvio Caputo, University of Portsmouth
February 13, 2018
Growing food in cities became popular in Europe and North America during and immediately after World War II. Urban farming provided citizens with food, at a time when resources were desperately scarce. In the decades that followed, parcels of land which had been given over to allotments and city farms were gradually taken up for urban development. But recently, there has been a renewed interest in urban farming – albeit for very different reasons than before.
As part of a recent research project investigating how urban farming is evolving across Europe, I found that in countries where growing food was embedded in the national culture, many people have started new food production projects. There was less uptake in countries such as Greece and Slovenia, where there was no tradition of urban farming. Yet a few community projects had recently been started in those places too.
Today’s urban farmers don’t just grow food to eat; they also see urban agriculture as a way of increasing the diversity of plants and animals in the city, bringing people from different backgrounds and age groups together, improving mental and physical health and regenerating derelict neighborhoods.
Many new urban farming projects still struggle to find suitable green spaces. But people are finding inventive solutions; growing food in skips or on rooftops, on sites that are only temporarily free, or on raised beds in abandoned industrial yards. Growers are even using technologies such as hydroponics, aquaculture, and aquaponics to make the most of unoccupied spaces.
Something fishy
Hydroponic systems were engineered as a highly space and resource-efficient form of farming. Today, they represent a considerable source of industrially grown produce; one estimate suggests that, in 2016, the hydroponic vegetable market was worth about US$6.9 billion worldwide.
Hydroponics enable people to grow food without soil and natural light, using blocks of porous material where the plants’ roots grow, and artificial lighting such as low-energy LED. A study on lettuce production found that although hydroponic crops require significantly more energy than conventionally grown food, they also use less water and have considerably higher yields.
Growing hydroponic crops usually requires sophisticated technology, specialist skills and expensive equipment. But simplified versions can be affordable and easy to use.
They grow up so fast. Mandy Zammit/Grow Up
Hemmaodlat is an organization based in Malmö, in a neighborhood primarily occupied by low-income groups and immigrants. The area is densely built, and there’s no green space available to grow food locally. Plus, the Swedish summer is short and not always ideal for growing crops. Instead, the organization aims to promote hydroponic systems among local communities, as a way to grow fresh food using low-cost equipment.
The Bristol Fish Project is a community-supported aquaponics farm, which breeds fish and uses the organic waste they produce to fertilize plants grown hydroponically. GrowUp is another aquaponics venture located in an East London warehouse – they grow food and farm fish using only artificial light. Similarly, Growing Underground is an enterprise that produces crops in tunnels, which were originally built as air-raid shelters during World War II in London.
The next big thing?
The potential to grow food in small spaces, under any environmental conditions, are certainly big advantages in an urban context. But these technologies also mean that the time spent outdoors, weathering the natural cycles of the seasons, is lost. Also, hydroponic systems require nutrients that are often synthesized chemically – although organic nutrients are now becoming available. Many urban farmers grow their food following organic principles, partly because the excessive use of chemical fertilizers is damaging soil fertility and polluting groundwater.
To see whether these drawbacks would put urban growers off using hydroponic systems, my colleagues and I conducted a pilot study in Portsmouth. We installed small hydroponic units in two local community gardens and interviewed volunteers and visitors to the gardens. Many of the people we spoke to were well informed about hydroponic technology and knew that some of the vegetables sold in supermarkets today are produced with this system.
A simplified hydroponic frame in Portsmouth. Silvio Caputo/University of Portsmouth
Many were fascinated by the idea of growing food without soil within their community projects, but at the same time reluctant to consume the produce because of the chemical nutrients used. A few interviewees were also uncomfortable with the idea that the food was not grown naturally. We intend to repeat this experiment in the near future, to see how public opinion changes over time.
And while we don’t think hydroponic systems can replace the enjoyment that growing food in soil can offer, they can save water and produce safe food, either indoors or outdoors, in a world with increasingly scarce resources. Learning to use these new technologies, and integrating them into existing projects, can only help to grow even more sustainable food.
As with many technological advancements, it could be that a period of slow acceptance will be followed by rapid, widespread uptake. Perhaps the fact that IKEA is selling portable hydroponic units, while hydroponic cabinets are on the market as components of kitchen systems, is a sign that this technology is primed to enter mainstream use.
Silvio Caputo
Senior Lecturer, University of Portsmouth
Silvio Caputo does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
University of Portsmouth provides funding as a member of The Conversation UK.
Urban Agriculture
The urbanization of the planet is drawing agriculture and small farms into city centers in both low-income and industrialized economies. Catering to this trend requires more effective use of space, urban-waste recycling and in some cases sophisticated technology, such as that used in vertical farming
The urbanization of the planet is drawing agriculture and small farms into city centers in both low-income and industrialized economies. Catering to this trend requires more effective use of space, urban-waste recycling and in some cases sophisticated technology, such as that used in vertical farming.
Urban agriculture is nothing new. Travelers arriving in Babylon at the beginning of the second millennium B.C.E. described the orchards, vegetable gardens and cultivated fields in the suburbs of the immense Mesopotamian city. Overhead there were the “hanging gardens”, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, producing fruit for the court of Nebuchadnezzar and offerings for the gods.
In more recent times, the industrial revolution brought about the creation of “allotments”, first in England, then in continental Europe. These often carried with them a certain moral aspect, encouraging the working class to maintain rural and family values in the heart of the city with its many temptations.
Today, innovation and research on agriculture in urban environments are being spurred by the global population growth and rapid urbanization expected over the next decades. Ideas range from micro-gardening targeting the most disadvantaged populations in Africa and South America to highly futuristic vertical farming operations in Japan and North America1.
A Reality in Developing Economies
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (F.A.O.) defines urban and peri‑urban agriculture (UPA) as the growing of plants and the raising of animals within and around cities2. UPA already provides for the needs of a quarter of the world’s city-dwellers. Further development of UPA is essential given the growing urban population, which has increased at a rate almost twice that of the overall population in only ten years. According to the F.A.O., more than half of all inhabitants of developing economies, or 3.5 billion people, will be concentrated in cities by 2025.
To feed these new residents, it will be necessary to maintain agricultural zones in peri-urban areas to slow down deforestation and reduce energy costs incurred by the cold chain and transportation from producer to consumer regions. The F.A.O. funds programs that encourage disadvantaged urban populations to grow micro-gardens for their own consumption and also as a source of extra income. With the right care, a one-square-meter micro-garden in a tropical climate can produce either 30 kilograms of tomatoes per year, 36 heads of lettuce every 60 days, 10 cabbages every 90 days or 100 onions every 120 days. This same square meter requires three liters of water per day, which, in certain climates, can be supplied by collecting and storing rainwater off a ten-square-meter roof. According to the F.A.O., kitchen gardens can be up to 15 times more productive than rural farms.
Of course, urban agriculture has obstacles to overcome, such as poor soil quality, air pollution, inappropriate use of pesticides and fertilizers that contaminate water, and biodiversity management.
25: The number of lettuce harvests per year in a high-tech vertical farm.
New Vertical Farms
In high-income economies, two methods have emerged for bringing agricultural production closer to cities. The simpler of the two is to use building rooftops and streamline collection and recycling of household waste. The second and more sophisticated method, deployed in countries such as Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the United States, and Canada, is soil-free vertical farming, which requires much less space.
There are two main forms of soil-free farming:
Hydroponics, the older of the two techniques, in which plants take root in an inert substrate, such as pumice, and are watered with a liquid nutrient solution containing mineral salts rich in nitrogen, phosphates, and potassium.
Aeroponics, in which plants are grown in plastic structures with their roots hanging in the air and exposed to vaporized nutrient solutions.
A variety of systems ensure closed-circuit water use, constant ventilation and exposure to natural or artificial light. The ability to control humidity and temperature ensures that plants grow four- to six times faster than they would using conventional farming techniques.
In the U.S. state of New Jersey, AeroFarms has developed farms where a head of lettuce can be grown in two weeks. Water recycling means the company consumes 95% less of the resource than field farms. Vegetables are grown without the use of any pesticides or herbicides, watched over by employees in cleanroom suits.
In Singapore, where limited space means that almost all food products must be imported, hundreds of nine-meter-high aluminum frames have been installed, around which plants rotate up toward the light, then down into troughs of rainwater.
Urban and peri-urban agriculture already provides for the needs of a quarter of the world’s urban population.
In Japan, which has six-times less farmland than France but double the population, large industrial companies are investing in vertical farming. For example, Toshiba has started a farm near Tokyo that produces 3 million bags of lettuce and spinach a year. The success of this type of agriculture is partly due to the Fukushima nuclear disaster, which led to concerns about vegetables being exposed to radiation. Some restaurants even offer greens grown before the customer’s eyes in miniature greenhouses.
Vertical farming has two drawbacks. First, because plants are grown on vertical shelves, there is an emphasis on smaller species, with grain farming excluded at this stage. Second, energy costs are high due to investment, equipment operations, and lighting.