"We’re Retrofitting With The Variables We Have In Place"

“The Square Room is a big block of pink lights with eight levels, where all our growing is done. Everything after germination is done in the same room, both harvesting of our baby greens and microgreens. Because we’re almost done with our PARS (Planted Automated Racking System), which is the big automation,” says Megan Burritt, Managing partner at Planted Detroit. 

From a mix-fused downtown neighborhood in Detroit, daily deliveries of ready-to-eat salads and fresh greens are transported to local retailers and restaurants. Planted Detroit makes a large contribution to the city’s share of fresh produce.

New facility
Planted Detroit has been in the middle of the construction of its new 20.000 sq. ft growing facility. The growing space has been a massive update to the company compared to its previous 6-level growing facility which was between 1500-2000 sq. ft. The same room was used for processing, packaging, harvesting, and so on. “It was rather crowded, says Megan, but the main goal was to keep everything tight for the construction to continue in the near surrounding. We’re very serious about biosecurity and we have a daily procedure for everyone who sets foot in our grow room to go through. Making sure our greens don’t come into contact with pathogens is our top priority. 

The new growing room

The Square Room, one of our growing rooms, is highly automated, including an automatic harvester to ensure work-efficiency. Once everything is big enough to be transplanted out of their plug trays, PARS (Planted Automated Racking System) will be transplanted with gutters and then go into harvesting. On the other side of PARS, the gutters are taken down and harvested through Planted’s new automatic harvester.

Delivering directly to consumers
The company wants to reach a higher volume of customers as it’s aiming to obtain a consumer brand status. Next to that, the company is always on the lookout for finding more customers through other venues. “We want to go directly to consumers via our web-store to shorten food miles as much as possible, delivering the freshest and most delicious greens,” Megan says.  In order to do that the company needed to have a bit more scale, trying to maximize the space they already had.

She adds: “Our farm maybe isn’t the square footage which we could have built from scratch, but we’re retrofitting with the variables we have in place. That is why we have done a combination of a microgreen vertical nursery and PARS for baby greens. Our direct customers wanted meal solutions and we’ve been able to deliver them that. We’ve been doing everything from seed to plate basically.” 

Megan Burritt, Managing partner 

New projects coming up
On the same campus, 10 meters away, a new farm will be constructed, under the company's office space. In this farm herbs and edible flowers will be grown in response to different customers' demands. Megan says that Planted Detroit’s wholesale customers got them to this point as they were very interested in herbs and edible flowers. “However we weren’t able to perfect these as well in the systems that our baby greens were in perfectly. That’s why we’ve been leaning into R&D lately because once finishing the construction of Farm 2 it will have excellent  growing conditions that are better than they have been for those crops.” 

Edible flowers are an interesting thing, says Megan, but the company has gotten so much interest in it. According to Megan there aren’t many farms in the US that are growing them. “They’re high priced at this point. It sort of sticks to our original innovation, namely what exists here in the food system and what does not. Where can we fill the ‘does not exist niche’ and satisfy the needs of our customers.”

The company is rolling out a subscription program sometime this year and figuring out where it fits into the fresh food subscription system and how they can partner with other parties in order to get produce closer to society. “It’s great to have this ag job, applied science to be able to do. In all the things we’ve been doing is hiring these Detroiters and showing that we can really create a really great culture of work. It’s really great to see we’re contributing to a better Detroit and a better tomorrow,” Megan states. 

Team expansion
During 2020 most of the team stayed on by moving around working hours, so the farm could come back in full force. By the time all equipment was in place, 10 to 12 people were added to the team to have them fully trained before the system would be functioning. “It has been really wonderful to expand the team to see what our capacity is,” says Megan.      

“Luckily we’ve been able to develop systems that have been resilient. We’ve seen so many different patterns in consumer behavior but they seem to have fallen in our favor. People are eating more at home, shopping for groceries more, and that triggered our pivot focusing on direct consumers. But now, it’s perfectly in line with our strategy on how we go to market. As long as we can supply our customer needs we’ll be on the right path. Nothing but bright hopes for the future right now,” Megan affirms.

For more information:
Planted Detroit
Megan Burritt, Managing partner
megan@planteddetroit.com 
www.planteddetroit.com 

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Author: Rebekka Boekhout
© VerticalFarmDaily.com

Fresh Impact Farms Awarded Arlington's First Agriculture Grant

Mark Hand, Patch Staff

Operating since 2018, Fresh Impact Farms uses hydroponic technology to grow a variety of speciality herbs, leafy greens, and edible flowers indoors. (Mark Hand/Patch)

ARLINGTON, VA — Arlington County received its first-ever agriculture fund grant from the state, money that will go to Fresh Impact Farms, an Arlington-based company that plans to double production at its indoor growing facility.

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced Monday that he had awarded an Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development, or AFID, Fund grant to Arlington totalling $15,000 to be given to Fresh Impact Farms. The company will receive a total of $30,000 from the government, with Arlington County matching the state grant with local funds.

"Agriculture continues to be a key driver of our economic recovery in both rural and urban areas of our commonwealth," Northam said Monday in a statement. "Innovative, dynamic businesses like Fresh Impact Farms are demonstrating how exciting new opportunities can grow out of pandemic-related challenges."

"I congratulate the company on their success and am thrilled to award the first-ever AFID grant to Arlington County to support this expansion," the governor said.

In recent decades, Arlington County has grown into one of the most densely populated counties in the nation. Up until World War II, Arlington still had plenty of farmland. But over the past 60-plus years, the only farming in the county has been of the backyard and patio variety or in the community gardens in the Four Mile Run area.

Operating since 2018, Fresh Impact Farms uses proprietary hydroponic technology to grow a variety of specialty herbs, leafy greens, and edible flowers indoors.

"Governor Northam's award to Fresh Impact Farms, Arlington's only commercial farm, is an innovative way to celebrate unique uses of technology to help a small business pivot during the pandemic," Arlington County Board of Supervisors Chairman Matt de Ferranti said. "I am thrilled that Fresh Impact Farms is growing and looking to the future of a sustainable food supply."
The company will invest a total of $137,500 as part of the expansion, which will include a second grow room, a larger production facility, and an educational hub where customers, after the pandemic, will be able to see how their food is harvested.

Fresh Impact Farms' community-supported agriculture or CSA, program focuses on leafy greens and home kitchen-friendly herbs and has grown them steadily since the program's creation last April. Along with residential customers, the company now has smaller wholesale clients in the Washington, D.C., area.

The future is bright for urban agriculture, said Ryan Pierce, founder of Fresh Impact Farms, located in the back of a Lee Highway strip mall. (Mark Hand/Patch)

After the start of the pandemic, Fresh Impact Farms decided to shift its business model to a CSA delivery service in order to continue generating revenue.

"Seizing the opportunity created by more people cooking at home, the company initiated a Community Supported Agriculture program targeting area residents," the governor's office said.

"Now, with vaccinations underway and the restaurant industry poised to rebound, Fresh Impact Farms is expanding, which will allow the company to resume supplying their restaurant customers, while also meeting new demand through their CSA program," the governor's office said.

Over the next three years, the company expects to grow an additional 10,500 pounds of Virginia-grown leafy greens, herbs, and edible flowers for restaurant and CSA customers.

The future is bright for urban agriculture, said Ryan Pierce, founder of Fresh Impact Farms, located in the back of a Lee Highway strip mall.

"The support and generosity from the Commonwealth and Arlington County will be valuable as we expand our production and move towards a hybrid model of serving both the needs of restaurants and consumers," Pierce said in a statement. "As the owner of a local food business, nothing gets me more excited than seeing the community come together in support of local food."

The funds from the Arlington County Industrial Development Authority, together with the state grant, represent "an important investment in urban agriculture, sustainability, and technology," Arlington County IDA Chair Edwin Fountain said in a statement. "This project will advance the County's innovative and forward-thinking approach to developing new sectors of economic activity in Arlington."

PHOENIX, ARIZONA: GCU’s Farm Fills Neighbors’ Plates, Students’ Souls

March 03, 2021

by Mike Kilen

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GCU Outdoor Recreation Club members plant greens in the Canyon Urban Farms raised beds.

Story by Mike Kilen -Photos by Ralph Freso - GCU News Bureau

Nathan Cooper looked across the farm in the middle of the Grand Canyon University campus, where spinach and tomatoes, melons, and broccoli were growing amid students tending them. It’s always easier for farmers to tell stories standing shoulder to shoulder, looking out.

“There was this old woman in my hometown in Minnesota …” the Manager of GCU’s Canyon Urban Farms began.

A smile appeared. Every year, the woman had grown a bountiful patch of tomatoes and gave them all away. Everyone in town knew it. There was a waiting list to get her tomatoes that came from a seed variety dating back decades in her family.

“She died a couple years ago,” Cooper said. “I want to get one of her seeds and dedicate a spot to her here.”

Students Savannah Miles and Gracie Grettenberger (from left) listen as Canyon Urban Farms Manager Nathan Cooper gives them planting tips.

Canyon Urban Farms has that woman’s sentiment at its heart — growing as an act of giving. Cooper had just delivered a batch of produce to Lutheran Social Services for the neighborhood refugee population.

A year into the project, he has the quarter-acre plot to the north of Agave teeming with life – and not just with plants: Students have found it a place of contemplation, a reminder of grandma and renewed growth during a rough pandemic year.

“This was rocky soil,” Cooper told group a half-dozen students from the GCU Outdoor Recreation Club, which arrives weekly to tend the garden and learn from it. “It is turning into the best soil you will ever find.”

The 35 raised beds are filled with it, and now several in-ground raised beds are teeming with organic matter, supplied by compost bins of rotting vegetables and other waste.

He urged the students to contribute to the garden by taking a small container, toss in it waste from their rooms – banana peels, coffee grounds, egg shells – and bring it to the compost bins, where it will be heated by bacteria’s hard work, turned and broken down into the magic of beautiful natural fertilizer.

“As you work, just pick up a handful of the dirt,” he told them. “You will see how much more living it is. You can feel it.”

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Students found there is nothing like the taste of a carrot fresh from the ground.

It reminded senior Payton Oxner of his grandmother’s garden in South Dakota.

“During the pandemic, that’s where they got a lot of their food,” he said.

During the pandemic, this is where the Outdoor Rec Club got a lot of its nature. With off-campus outings restricted, it was a welcome addition to step outside into new possibilities.

“COVID took so much from us, so we wanted to create community right here on campus,” said senior trip guide Gracie Grettenberger. “When you say, ‘We have a garden on campus.’ What? They want to be a part of developing it.

“Living in a dorm, we don’t have the opportunity to garden on our own. They miss this, and being able to do this on a campus is a mindful experience.”

It’s part of what brought freshman Savannah Miles to the garden, where she held a package of three different varieties of peppers to plant in an in-ground bed that Cooper called the “salsa garden,” where in weeks peppers and tomatoes can make a delicious addition to any meal.

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Gracie Grettenberger of the Outdoor Recreation Club plants seeds in the in-ground beds.

“It’s a meditative activity that wipes away the stress,” she said. “It’s beautiful to make your own produce. Plus, I like dirt. I like playing in dirt.”

Twenty-six vegetables of numerous varieties grow here in the shadow of the six-story Agave Apartments, and Cooper has had to learn which areas get just the right amount of sun for each type of produce.

Some of the broccoli has bolted, but he tells a student that even the leaves can be used to juice.

Kaleb Morrow said that’s also why he and other students are interested in a garden – to go back to the ways of healthy eating, fresh from the dirt outside your room.

“It takes some time to know the intricacies, but you can grow anything,” he said.

While a student’s mobile phone sat in the dirt, leaned against a Bluetooth speaker playing singer/songwriter tunes you’d hear in a coffee shop, Cooper talked of the appeal of this garden — not only as a place to reap the fruit of your labor but as a tool of education. He urged each student to take a package of herb seeds to put in a pot in their rooms.

“You throw a seed in the ground and it comes back a living thing,” he said.

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Savannah Miles prepares the ground for planting.

His goal is also to be a good steward of the earth with a self-sustaining garden, using the seeds to plant next year’s crop and using food waste to regenerate the soil.

Plans are growing as fast as the vegetables beyond its primary goal of helping feed the neighborhood.

New wheeled planters for maximizing growing location are planned for the University’s 27th Avenue office complex. A farmers’ market for community members is on his wish list, as are more gatherings on the east end of the acreage, saved as a place for teaching locations or for students to quietly gather among new life.

This virus, he said, created a lot of longing for a place like this.

“There is a lot of good that can be done from this garden.”

Grand Canyon University senior writer Mike Kilen can be reached at mike.kilen@gcu.edu or at 602-639-6764.

****

Related content:

GCU Today: GCU’s urban farms plant seeds to nourish neighbors

GCU Today: GCU students Serve the City by building a garden

Urban Farming In New Zealand

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craigfer

February 26, 2021

While New Zealand is renowned the world over for its farming systems, with world-class food and fibre being exported daily, it’s a little-known fact that Urban farming is starting to take off as well.

Urban farming is pretty much what it says on the can. Growing or producing food in a heavily populated area. One doesn’t have to be a business owner growing a product to sell to be an urban farmer. Anyone with a bit of area and a Kiwi can-do attitude can be an urban farmer.

Now more than ever, consumers are wanting to know where their food comes from, the story behind its provenance, and the story of the people producing it. Food security (especially in the future) and climate change are other big factors in our communities today. This poses significant opportunities (and equal challenges) for traditional farmers and growers who farm on large scales; but it also poses some opportunities for urbanites.

While the term urban farming and community garden tend to be used interchangeably in NZ, the essence is still the same; producing food in your own backyard. NZ is home to a number of urban farming groups like the Urban Farmers Alliance ( a national group), Farm Next Door (Taranaki region) to name a few.

While each have their own set of values and purpose, they all have the same key messages. Building local and national food security, using regenerative farming practices and the bringing together of communities. Climate change resilience is a key motivator for all, which is why many urban farms work on regenerative and organic principles.

In partnership with Massey University, Farm Next Door was awarded a $100,000 grant to fund research into the benefits and barriers to ‘hyperlocal community agriculture’. Many involved in urban farming in NZ say that urban farming could provide part of the solution for the vulnerabilities that exist within NZ’s current food system, including the reduction of productive land to residential areas. The idea of urban farms being dotted throughout the country complete with roadside honesty boxes is the goal for many, making food available to entire communities for affordable prices.

Regenerative approach

For many urban farmers, the regenerative approach is key to the whole system. Working with regenerative agriculture principles within an urban context. While there is still a lot of debate on a national level about the details of regenerative farming, with a lot of people calling for more research to be done on the claimed efficiencies of the system, in a general sense, the principles are simple, and mimic natural ecosystems. Working with the environment. Sun, water, soil, biodiversity and social make up the five key principles of regenerative agriculture. Soil in particular plays a large role in carbon holding and nutrient cycling, a growing topic of importance in traditional agriculture in NZ.

So it makes sense that those interested in urban farming would follow the regenerative route. After all the values align almost perfectly.

Community and people-centered model

This model increases food resilience by introducing more diversity into the system. Many stress that urban farms aren’t a replacement for larger scale producers, quite the opposite. By expanding and strengthening the local ‘food ecosystem’ will only support the nation’s export markets and add to their marketing story.

Telling their story aside, urban farms are also a unique way of educating locals about food production and passing on growing knowledge to the next generation. Increasingly people are becoming aware of the big separation we have between paddock and plate. This issue is why there are numerous initiatives in the traditional agriculture industry to get people out on farms. Open Farms NZ is one such initiative which invites farms from across the country, be them dairy, horticulture, beef or so on, to open up their farm gates for a day for locals to visit, learn and get back to their grass roots. Urban farming, in a way, is doing that, but on a smaller scale.

NZ is working on putting its own data together around the influence of urban farms on employment rates, but it’s thought that the data from the US (which suggests that urban farms focusing on local and regional markets employ four times as many FTE staff than farms not engaged in local markets), could hold somewhat true, if not to quite the same extent.

Kiwi’s are renowned for supporting independent and local brands which further supports the urban farming model.

Education

A key component of many of the urban farming groups is collaborative learning and education. Unlike many industries, each urban farm isn’t necessarily viewed as a competitor, rather an ally to work with. The more the merrier – so they say.

With a variety of educational resources on carbon, soil, regenerative practices, organic practices, composting, data collection, and more, wanna-be urban farmers have a plethora of tools available.

Organic Market Garden – Auckland

OMG is a collaboration between a number of local businesses which was first set up to show the huge potential of underutilized inner-city spaces to the benefit of the local community.

Locals can purchase a three-month subscription for fresh produce or volunteer in the garden. While being a productive garden that feeds the community, OMG is also about educating people and ‘creating a regenerative food system for Auckland’. Working off a community supported agriculture (CSA) model, they thrive off being part of the community and are working at getting market gardens all across Auckland city.

Freeman Farms – Taranaki

Situated in urban Taranaki, the Freeman family grows over 25 types of fruit and vegetables plus honey and eggs. The farm is part of Farm Next Door and Urban Farmers Alliance and makes a decent living off of the farm.

Kaicycle – Wellington

First established in 2015 Kaicycle is an urban farming and community composting project. It was first started to provide produce to a local smoothie business but has grown to selling to local restaurants. They are also trialing a CSA model.

It runs an ‘ebike-powered food waste collection and composting service’ which services 125 households and businesses. That compost then goes onto the farm to help build soil quality creating a nutrient cycle.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CLJUWMPsS7p/

Cultivate- Christchurch

This urban farm functions in conjunction with a local youth programme. Over 25 young people so far have been supported into more positive outcomes (with education, employment and housing) through Cultivate with the aim of helping 12 young people every year. The farm supplies local hospitality businesses.

The above are just a sampling of the urban farms dotted around the country, with interest growing all the time. With NZ’s recent Climate Change Commission report out, it’s likely that more and more urbanites will follow the path of veteran urban farmers in a bid to do their part. Plus, growing food is good for the mind, body and soul.

Vertical farming in NZ – growing up, not out.

Vertical farming, along with urban farming, has become a popular reply to the question of land loss to urban development and population growth.

Vertical farms have popped up in a number of major urban centers. In high rises, derelict buildings and abandoned warehouses, this form of growing crops is reportedly helping to reduce carbon emissions and maximising unused spaces in cities. While similar to urban farms, vertical farms take it one step further. It’s a win win for many cities around the world, like China, that have a high monopoly on space and land use.

Under the system, layer after layer of crops are grown in trays, with mostly everything used being recycled for the next round of growing. The practice often incorporates controlled-environment agriculture to maximise crop yields. The aim of vertical farming in general is to conserve land area, control climatic conditions and maximise unused space. Some overseas believe its a great way of navigating the adverse effects of weather.

But in NZ, with their large focus on outdoor, pastoral farming, is there a need for it? Some say yes, others say no. NZ has some unique features to it, including high levels of sunshine hours and generally good growing conditions.

While it could be a great way for inner-city dwellers to get their green thumb, industry bodies like Horticulture NZ say it wouldn’t work. The problem is more that of current land-use vs land-use suitability. Not to mention the investment needed for start-up costs and urban development issues. Of the few vertical farms around, it’s suggested that all have been started up with investors or government funding, with it taking many years for the business to stand on its own legs.

Over the last 20 years, the amount of land available to grow fruit and vegetables in NZ has decreased, while the demand has gone up, and this gap is forecast to get larger. This change in supply and demand prompted many to suggest that vertical farming could offer a solution.

Vertical farming requires the replacement of natural, solar energy to be replaced with artificial lighting, most commonly LED lights, which are cool to the touch and are easier to control or hydroponic lamps. This alone led to the conclusion that the cost of lighting and temperature control would be too expensive, making it an unviable economic option. The limited number of crops able to be grown vertically (mainly leafy greens and herbs) wouldn’t fill the gap that’s required by the industry – that is, things like potatoes, rice and corn that are staples for millions.

While it perhaps wouldn’t fit the bill for supporting export demands, there is still the possibility, if economically viable, it could help fill local demand.

There aren’t many vertical farms around in NZ, but the ones that are around are trying to provide proof of concept.

Shoots microgreens

NZ’s very first vertical farm had humble beginnings housed in a former nightclub. The company started its journey in 2018 growing tiny crops mainly for restaurants with some sold through large supermarket chains. Microgreens are intense flavoured first shoots and leaves and are a popular garnish for meals and cocktails.

It’s thought that microgreens can contain up to 100 times more nutrients than fully-grown plants.

The company got investment to install special LED grow lights which conserve around 45% in electricity over hydroponic lamps. The lights are customistables and can be adjusted to optimise the growth of specific varieties of microgreens. They don’t produce heat so vertical layers can be done with no fear of heat damaging plants.

In 2020 the business kicked off a first-of-its-kind system by launching an in-store growing stand complete with automated LED lighting and watering technology in a supermarket. The system allows customers to see the growing of the produce in real time and purchase.

The idea behind the system was to ensure people were taking home produce that was fresh as possible. The business hopes more supermarkets will get on board with the system.

The supporters of vertical farming say that, like urban farms, the idea is not to replace existing horticultural systems, but create new opportunities in the form of retails and tourist experiences, add value, enhance education and provide hyperlocal plant production for affordable prices.

In major cities like Auckland, it can take hours to get out to farms to pick your own produce from the paddock. As the nation’s housing crisis seems to keep increasing, much of the country’s most productive horticultural and agricultural land is being snapped up and subdivided for residential and lifestyle block builds.

Aside from bringing food production closer to home, the social aspect of vertical farming, and urban farming for that matter, is that it offers opportunities to develop new careers in agriculture. Vertical farming in particular requires a complex knit of disciplines like computers, agronomy, economics, biosecurity, design, marketing – the works.

So, is there a future for vertical farming in NZ? Depends who you talk to. With the success of businesses like Microgreens, there’s a very strong argument for yes. However the economics of it, as they currently stand, might delay others in getting onboard the vertical train.

Categories: Urban Farming

Tagged: new zealand, urban farming

Would You Like To Host A Strategic HQ In Decentralized Agriculture And Food Supply Systems

We would appreciate a city location in Central Europe in order to facilitate our EU-labelled strategy.

Our vision is to strengthen community resiliency and reduce food insecurity on a global scale over time.

For questions and tentative interest please contact:

thomas.tapio@gmail.com

Strasbourg 27th February, 2021 🇫🇷🇪🇺

Urban Edible Spaces Public Forum / Sustainability / Community Wellbeing

Dear friends,

You are cordially invited to join this public forum on the potential of Urban Edible Spaces.  We hope to raise awareness on the values that urban edible spaces can bring about, both on sustainable development and community wellbeing.  Please help share with your friends who may be interested too.

Best regards,

Celeste Shai

Senior Programme Officer

Centre of Development and Resources for Students

The University of Hong Kong

HKU Edible Spaces

https://www.ediblespaces.hku.hk/

Exploring the potential of urban farming initiatives in 
raising sustainability awareness and community building
探討都市種植如何提升可持續發展的關注及建構社區 

22 Feb 2021 (Mon) | 18:30 - 20:30 | Conducted online 網上進行
Language 語言: English with simultaneous interretation in Cantonese 英語，設廣東話即時傳譯

Details 詳情：https://t.ly/t96e

Registration 報名連結
HKU Students & Staff 港大學生及職員：https://t.ly/9t8b
Alumni & Public 校友及公眾人士：https://t.ly/UrmY

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Exploring the potential of urban edible spaces in 
enhancing wellbeing in the community
探討都市可食空間對社區身心靈健康帶來的幫助

3 Mar 2021 (Wed) | 18:30 - 20:30 | Conducted online 網上進行
Language 語言: Cantonese and Mandarin with simultaneous interretation in English 廣東話及國語，設英語即時傳譯

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Details 詳情：https://t.ly/Q2gV

Registration 報名連結
HKU Students & Staff 港大學生及職員：https://t.ly/JZj7
Alumni & Public 校友及公眾人士：https://t.ly/FcuC

This programme is part of the Impact Project "Urban Edible Spaces Initiative: Growing Food and Happiness in a Sustainable Community" under the Knowledge Exchange (KE) Funding Scheme 2020/21.
此活動為香港大學知識交流項目2020/21：「都市可食空間倡議：可持續發展社區中的食物種植與快樂提升」的一部分。

www.ediblespaces.hku.hk | Social Media: IG / FB | Enquiry:gened@hku.hk

USA: Wichita, Kansas - Fidelity Bank’s New ‘Car Park’ Adding Ground-Floor Restaurant, Rooftop Urban Farm

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Dining With Denise Neil

BY DENISE NEIL

FEBRUARY 11, 2021

Fidelity Bank is embarking on a $51 million project to build a 10-story tower next to its existing five-story headquarters at Main and English. It also plans a new 505-stall parking garage. BY JAIME GREEN

The ground level of Fidelity Bank’s new five-story “car park” on Market between Waterman and English will soon have a new 4,000-square-foot restaurant on its main level.

And that’s not even the biggest news to come out of the project this week.

In addition to the restaurant — which Fidelity isn’t ready to share details about quite yet — the new parking garage will also be home to a rooftop urban farm that bank officials say will be the largest in the Midwest.

Called Rise Farms, it will include 5,000 square feet of space where fresh vegetables and herbs will be grown in raised beds, large planters, and a 24x70-foot long hoop house. The food the farm produces will be used not only by the new ground-level restaurant tenant but also by other restaurants around Wichita. Fidelity Bank employees also will be beneficiaries of the produce, and the first crops should be ready by fall.

The rooftop project will include a private event center with retractable garage doors where Fidelity can house small events and gatherings during warm weather seasons as well as a 5,622 square-foot solar farm featuring 204 solar panels, which produce 380 watts each. The panels, which weigh about 35,000 pounds, are already up and running and producing enough energy to provide the power for the car park and its first-floor tenants.

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A rendering of what Fidelity Bank’s rooftop Rise Farms will look like Courtesy FIDELITY BANK

The car park, which has 405 stalls, 24 electric car charging stations employees can use, and daytime public parking on the ground level, just opened and is the first part of a $51 million Fidelity Bank expansion project that also will include a new 10-story, 135,000 square-foot office tower at 100 E. English, where the bank’s parking deck is. Construction on that hasn’t started yet.

The idea for the rooftop farm came about after Fidelity polled its employees about what types of tenants they would like to see move into the 17,000 square feet of retail space on the car park’s ground level, said Aaron Bastian, Fidelity’s president, and CEO. Overwhelmingly, they said they’d want a restaurant.

In the course of meeting with potential restaurant tenants, Bastian said, one suggested the idea of raising fresh produce on the roof.

Bastian, who said that local food culture is a topic he’s passionate about, liked the idea, but bank leadership decided they’d need to consult with an expert to pull it off.

“When we started talking about this idea, we wanted to go out and find people we could partner with to help create what we think could really be a cool downtown amenity,” Bastian said.

Fidelity has since partnered with Leah Dannar-Garcia, the owner of Firefly Farm at West 21st Street North and North 159th Street East, who already raises produce that she sells to about 38 Wichita restaurants. She’ll be in charge of the farm and will offer its produce for sale to restaurants on her route. The ground-floor restaurant, though, will get first dibs.

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Fidelity Bank’s new car park in downtown Wichita just opened to employees. By fall, it will have a ground-floor restaurant and a rooftop farm. Courtesy FIDELITY BANK

Dannar-Garcia has been working with the bank for about a year, she said and has mapped out her growing plans in detail. Once it gets going, she’ll have plants growing in beds and containers along both the north and west sides of the building as well as in the climate-controlled hoop house. The bank envisions a program in which Fidelity employees will be able to volunteer to work the farm, and they’ll also set up some type of program where employees can get boxes of fresh produce to take home.

Once it’s fully functioning, the farm will produce vegetables like beets, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, sweet potatoes, and Brussels sprouts as well as greens like arugula, Swiss chard, and spinach. It’ll also grow herbs, including parsley, cilantro, and Greek oregano.

“We’re going to grow in all four seasons on this farm, so we’ll have spring, summer, fall, and winter crops,” Dannar-Garcia said.

The project is a “natural extension” of the bank’s health, wellness, and green initiatives, it says. One goal of the farm is that it produces zero wasted food.

“Whether that means it gets donated, we haven’t defined that yet,” said Melissa Knoeber, executive vice president at Fidelity who is also the bank’s director of culture and talent. “But that’s really important to us.”

Construction on Rise Farms should start in the spring, and the first crops should be ready by fall.

COURTESY FIDELITY BANK

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DENISE NEIL

316-268-6327

Denise Neil has covered restaurants and entertainment since 1997. Her Dining with Denise Facebook page is the go-to place for diners to get information about local restaurants. She’s a regular judge at local food competitions and speaks to groups all over Wichita about dining.

VIDEO: This Company Is Solving America's Food Issues One Backyard At A Time

Love & Carrots lowers our carbon footprint by making sustainable food sources very, very local

By Richie Hertzberg | January 6, 2021

The average American has an annual carbon footprint of 16 tons, which ranks among the highest in the world. In fact, it's about quadruple the global average. One of the most significant contributing factors to our elevated carbon emissions is where we get out food, which is often shipped from far away, especially for those of us who live in cities. 

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A plucky business called Love & Carrots, which began a decade ago with one woman and a truck, is addressing this national issue by installing produce gardens across the Washington D.C. area. They’ve installed more than 1000 gardens in almost a decade of business.

Natalie Carver, director of horticulture said, “Our founder Meredith Sheperd saw so many sunny yards not being used for food. And saw the opportunity to start a business and start building gardens in all these sunny pockets across the city."

Unlike most businesses, as Love & Carrots scales, it reduces the overall carbon footprint by bringing city residents as close as possible to their food sources…their own backyards.

Nearly 30% of our food-related carbon emissions comes from transportation. Whether we’re importing bananas from Guatemala, or trucking carrots across the country from the main producer in Bakersfield, California, there is a tremendous amount of energy wasted by shipping perishable food long distances in short amounts of time.

The cost of convenience is not just environmental—you can taste it in the quality and freshness of the fruits and vegetables you eat. “When I first started harvesting in my garden, I realized that the food that I buy in local stores is not really what it tastes like,” says Yong Lee, a Love & Carrots garden owner. “So my palate had to get used to the fact that 'carrot' actually tastes like a stronger version of the carrot you get at a store. 

Love & Carrots offers a full-service, turn-key operation. People interested in a garden receive a consultation on the optimal place for their garden as well as a top to bottom installation. If they want it, they can receive garden coaching to help them manage their produce and even have Love and Carrots staff manage the garden in its entirety.

The company's goal, however, stretches from Washington DC all the way back to America's biggest carrot patch in Bakersfield, California. It aims to be a national model, creating a ripple effect across the country. "Our goal is to expose as many people as possible to sustainable practices and smart growing," the company says, "so they can use that knowledge themselves and continue to share it with others."

$1.8 Million Dollar Alaska Micro-Grant Opportunity

State of Alaska, Division of Agriculture

Micro-Grants For Food Security 2021

Important: February 15th Scoping Pre-Application Deadline

There is a two-step process to apply:

1) Submit a simple, two-page application by the February 15th deadline.

2) Applications meeting the criteria, will be notified to submit a full proposal.

More Details and Dates

The Department of Natural Resources Division of Agriculture has complete Micro-Grants for Food Security information.

February 15: The simple two-page Scoping Pre-Application is due.

Grant Award Scoping Applications and Full Applications are to be submitted to dnr.ag.grants@alaska.gov or by mail at Division of Agriculture, Attn: Grants Coordinator, 1801 S. Margaret Drive, Palmer, Alaska 99645.

March 1, 2021: Notification of selection for full proposal submissions. Qualified, unfunded applications will be given priority in 2022.

April (TBD), 2021 - Announcement of final awards

Overview

Alaskans have a huge opportunity to increase their food security and resilience through a $1.8 million dollar mini-grant offered through the State of Alaska Division of Agriculture in 2021.

VH Hydroponics is offering guidance and estimates for interested clients who would like to apply. Email iinfo@vhhydroponics.com or (907) 782-4420.

Who Can Apply?

Both individuals and organizations can apply; the definition is very broad: all individuals, Indian Tribes or tribal organizations, non-profit organizations, and federally funded educational facilities in the State of Alaska. Therefore, everyone in the State of Alaska who has a project which will meet the requirements of the program are eligible to participate.

How much?

$1.8 million dollars for 2021. There will be additional funding in 2022 and 2023.

Individuals

Individuals may apply for up to $5,000 per year for up to 3 years. The maximum of $15,000 over 3 years.

Organizations

Organizations may apply for up to $10,000 per year for up to 3 years. Maximum of $30,000 over 3 years.

Multiple Awards For The Same

Project Are Allowed | 10% Matching

Awards may be granted for two or more eligible entities to carry out the same project. 10% match is required; but for individual grants, a waiver may be requested which will be considered for approval.

Purpose And Use of Grant Funds

To engage in activities that will increase the quantity and quality of locally grown food for food insecure individuals, families, neighborhoods, and communities, including by:

Purchasing tools, equipment, soil, soil amendments, seeds, plants, animals, canning equipment, refrigeration, or other items necessary to grow and store food;

Expanding areas under cultivation to grow food or to qualify for an EQUIP high tunnel to extend the growing season;

Hydroponic and aeroponic farming;

Building, buying, erecting, or repairing fencing for livestock, poultry, or reindeer;

Purchasing and equipping a slaughter and processing facility;

Traveling to participate in agricultural education

Paying for shipping of items related to growing or raising food;

Creating or expanding avenues for the sale of local food, increasing the availability of local nutritious food, and engaging in other activities related to increasing food security (including subsistence)

Scoping Pre-Application Project Scoring

An independent Review Committee will evaluate the scoping pre-applications with the following criteria:

Eligibility of the proposal per the farm bill legislation

The ability of the proposed activity to increase the production and/or storage capacity in the local community

The level of food insecurity in the applicant’s region

Other relevant information as to the capacity and purpose of the applicants

VH Hydroponics is Here to Help

Contact VH Hydroponics to learn more about pricing and possibilities

Email: VH Hydroponics for More Information

VH Hydroponics | (907) 782-4420 | https://vhhydroponics.com

Sino Group Presents City-Wide Integrated Green Community Project Farm Together

January 28, 2021

ACROFAN=PRNewswire | mediainquiries@prnewswire.com | SNS

Dedicated to Creating Better Lifescapes for the community

HONG KONG, Jan. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The year 2021 marks the 50th Anniversary of Sino Group (the 'Group'), commemorating its effort in community-building and dedication to building a more sustainable society. Sino Group today presents Farm Together – an integrated green community project that promotes urban farming and brings the community closer to nature, in keeping with the Group's Sustainability Vision 2030 commitment of Creating Better Lifescapes. With six farms currently operating across its properties in Hong Kong that span over 23,000 square feet, the Group has one of the largest urban farming footprints in the city.

Ms. Nikki Ng, Group General Manager of Sino Group, says, 'With a vision of Creating Better Lifescapes, the Group focuses its efforts on three interconnected pillars, namely Green Living, Community Spirit, and Innovative Design. In collaboration with our green partners and NGO partners, Farm Together aims to encourage our community to re-establish a connection with nature. We promote sustainable living and wellness while celebrating local biodiversity in alignment with the mission of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Through Farm Together, we seek to plant the seeds of sustainability and grow a greener future with our colleagues, residents, tenants, and the wider community.'

Sino Group sees sustainability as the core of its business and has introduced many green initiatives over the past 50 years, including the 'Mission Green Top' that has brought green inspiration to commercial buildings since 2008 and Hong Kong Gold Coast Hotel's outdoor organic farm, launched in 2018, which pioneered the industry. Over 5,000 tenants, hotel guests, students, and colleagues have participated in a variety of green tours, workshops, and educational programmes over the years, and more than 1,000 kg of vegetables have been harvested from rooftop farm that has generated over HK$2 million of sales proceeds for the not-for-profit Hong Chi Association. These meaningful experiences and networks laid a solid foundation for the city-wide Farm Together project.

Urban farming footprint across the city

Farm Together currently operates six farms city-wide, across the Group's commercial and residential properties as well as hotel. The largest farm in the portfolio, spanning 11,840 square feet, is Sky Farm at the Skyline Tower, located in Kowloon Bay. Featuring a wide range of seasonal plants from Romaine lettuce to sweet potatoes as well as being Hong Kong's first rooftop farm at a commercial building to grow indigo plant for tie-dyeing, the farm is managed in collaboration with sustainable social enterprise Smiley Planet and local NGO Hong Chi Association.

Other farms include 148 Farm (1,300 square feet) on 148 Electric Road that is a lush urban garden with mesmerising views of the Victoria Harbour. The Group's Hong Kong Gold Coast is home to four farms: Gold Coast Eco Farm (2,500 square feet), bringing the joy of urban farming to residents at Hong Kong Gold Coast Residences; Gold Coast Fun Farm (1,600 square feet), a green oasis where families and neighbours meet and share wonderful moments together; Gold Coast Farm (3,680 square feet), the first farm within a hotel in Hong Kong using organic farming practice to grow a variety of crops; and Butterflies and Herbs Farm (3,700 square feet) at the Hong Kong Gold Coast Hotel, which features more than 20 types of butterflies and 40 types of flower and plant species.

These farms together grow over 150 plant and crop species including the seasonal plants snow jade cabbage and taro winter melon. Farm Together aims at promoting a more sustainable urban lifestyle through vertical farming practices and farm-to-table experiences. It is expected to generate a total of around 1,000 kg of produce annually to be shared with residents, tenants, and charitable organizations to support the local community.

Following this success, Farm Together has been extended outside of Hong Kong. The Fullerton Farm (2,152 square feet) at The Fullerton Hotel Singapore has been launched to promote the concept of sustainability and biodiversity to the Singapore community.

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148 Farm on 148 Electric Road is a lush urban garden with mesmerizing views of the Victoria Harbour.

Wide range of activities to bring the community closer to nature

Committed to creating a better community that thrives in harmony by embracing green living and wellness, the Group's Farm Together project offers a range of community workshops, programmes, and tours – that teach participants everything from the farm-to-table concept to expert farming tips – in collaboration with urban farming experts including Smiley Planet, Rooftop Republic, Fung Yuen Butterfly Reserve and NGO partners including Hong Chi Association, New Life Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association, Warehouse Teenage Club and The Providence Garden for Rehab.

The first round of community activities will open to public this April. Popular workshops that utilize the plants and herbs grown at the farms include the Tie-Dying Workshop where participants can create their own tie-dyed fabrics and accessories with indigo, and the Herb Soap Making Workshop in which participants can create their own sustainable soap using a traditional cold processing method with herbs and flowers. Those who wish to learn more about farming techniques and harvesting can enjoy the Mixed Farm Tour and Urban Farm Tour. Please visit the Farm Together website  https://www.farmtogether.com.hk/ for details and fee of the workshops, with online registration starting mid -February on a first-come-first-serve basis. Proceeds from the workshops (deducting administrative cost) will be donated to New Life Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association.

About Sino Group

Sino Group is one of the leading property developers in Hong Kong. It comprises three listed companies – Sino Land Company Limited (HKSE: 083), Tsim Sha Tsui Properties Limited (HKSE: 0247), and Sino Hotels (Holdings) Limited (HKSE: 1221) as well as private companies held by the Ng Family.

The Group's core business is developing residential, office, industrial, and retail properties for sale and investment. In addition to an extensive portfolio in Hong Kong, the Group has footprints in mainland China, Singapore, and Australia. The Group has developed more than 250 projects, spanning a total plot ratio area of over 84.6 million sq ft. Our core business is complemented by the gamut of property services encompassing management, security, and environmental services to ensure a seamless Sino Experience. We are also a key player in hotel and club management.

The Group employs more than 10,000 committed staff members, who share the vision of creating better lifescapes. Lifescape is our vision – to build a better life together, where the community thrives in harmony by embracing green living and wellness, by engaging with all and pursuing meaningful designs, and by seeking innovation while respecting heritage and culture. Committed and together, we create a better community where people live, work, and play. In the year 2021, the Group celebrates its 50th anniversary, commemorating our five decades of community-building and dedication to Creating Better Lifescapes.

The Group focuses its sustainability efforts on three areas, namely Green Living, Innovative Design, and Community Spirit. Sino Land Company Limited (083) has been a constituent member of the Hang Seng Corporate Sustainability Index Series since September 2012 for its continual efforts in promoting sustainability.

www.sino.com

About Farm Together

Farm Together is Sino Group's integrated green community project for planting the seeds of sustainability and bringing the community closer to nature. 

Farm Together currently comprises 6 farms in Hong Kong and 1 farm in Singapore, spanning over 26,000 sq. ft. and including the Sky Farm at Skyline Tower, the 148 Farm at 148 Electric Road, Gold Coast Fun Farm, Gold Coast Eco Farm, Gold Coast Farm and the Butterflies and Herbs Farm at the Hong Kong Gold Coast Hotel, the Fullerton Farm at the Fullerton Hotel Singapore. 

Creating a sustainable future is at the heart of what we do, and Farm Together is one of the ways we are bringing this vision to life. Let's Farm Together! 

Related Links :

https://www.sino.com

Lead photo: The Farm Together project currently operates six farms city-wide, across Sino Group’s commercial and residential properties as well as hotels.

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International Webinar On Urban Farming - Soilless Cultivation

organised by the

Department of Botany, Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, INDIA

in collaboration with

Universitas Bengkulu, Indonesia

Universiti Malaysia Kelantan, Malaysia

Industrial Technology Institute (CISIR), Sri Lanka

With the support of

CropG1 ,dFarms USA, Hydrilla, SAM Agro Biotech, SRC Malaysia, Sujay Biotech, Veggitech UAE and Urban Kisaan

on 27th January 2021, between 9 am to 1 pm IST.

Speakers are

1. A perspective of Hydroponics by Mr Vijay Bhaskar Noti, dFarm Inc., USA

2. Sustainable Farming with Multiloop Aquaponics by Mrs Mamatha, Hydrilla

3. Aeroponics: A versatile research tool in modern Agriculture by Dr Jagadeesh, SAM Agro Biotech

4. Diversity in Hydroponics by Prof. G. Sudarsanam, Sri Venkateswara University

5. Application of ARBUSCULAR MYCORRHIZAL FUNGI In Hydroponics and Aeroponics by Dr M. Lakshmi Prasad, Sujay Biotech

6. Hydroponics Scope and Opportunities by Bhaskar Rao, VeggiTech, UAE

7. Plant Health in Soilless Cultivation: Management of Deficiencies, Diseases and Pests By Dr Purushottam Dewang, CropG1

8. Hydroponic Urban Farming in Malaysia under MITRA by Chandrasekar, Sai Ram Capital, Malaysia

9. Entrepreneurship in Urban Farming by Dr P. Sairam, Urban Kisaan

Please fill Free Registration form and submit using the following link

https://forms.gle/52WaVECrqpEFQh4w8

*eCertificates & webinar link will be provided to the registered participants only

*Organisers are not responsible for network failures

For more information please contact

Prof.G.Sudarsanam

Convener of the Webinar

Head, Department of Botany

Sri Venkateswara University

Tirupati -517503

E-mail: sudarsanamg@gmail.com

WhatsApp: +91-9989053632

CEO Insights From Vertical Harvest: January 2021

Vertical Farming & Affordable Housing

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As many of you may know, Vertical Harvest is a business dedicated to impact. As we develop plans for our expansion, we seek out strategic partnerships to cultivate and enhance the impact our model of farming can have on communities.

I’m thrilled to say that last year, we completed a feasibility study to co-locate vertical farms with affordable housing. The results are nothing short of potential paradigm shift in the way we grow food for urban food deserts. Our model outlines a new way forward for enhancing community through innovation. We studied in detail how two such projects would work in two Chicago sites prime for new ways to increase health and wellness.

Funded by a contract award from Fannie Mae, and in collaboration with National Affordable Housing Trust Mercy Lakefront Housing, and GYDE Architects the study explores the development of a robust, holistic model to address healthy housing and food system inequities. It also explores ways to create a source for consistent, meaningful employment for underserved populations — something we know a lot about. 

The study results present a business case to co-locate Vertical Farms and Affordable Housing. It successfully 1). quantifies the positive impacts on the low and moderate-income residents and broader community 2). confirms financial and operational feasibility 3). explores a variety of funding mechanisms to support co-location 4). further develops an employment model that serves under-served populations and 5). explores securing commitment from developers and investors. 

Addressing housing, good food, and job creation at a commercial scale, the study essentially writes a holistic prescription for empowered, healthy, sustainable, and connected communities across the nation.

You can read the full study by clicking the button below 

So what’s next? 

In order to have substantial impact, our plan requires policy change, private and public financial support, and guidelines to create an integrated future that includes both healthy housing and food. We are partnering with local stakeholders to make this a reality. 

We are working on it. Stay tuned.

Read Full Report

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Commercial Urban Farming Course

Our online Commercial Urban Farming Course includes more than 2.5 hours of video learning - broken down into 6 comprehensive lessons - each lesson made up of digestible 5-10 minute modules.

Additional resources will help you translate insights into actions.

And finally, after completing 4 lessons, you’ll unlock a free webinar with one of our expert consultants.

This Belgian Start-Up Allows Anyone To Become An Urban Farmer

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14 Dec 2020

Douglas Broom

Senior Writer, Formative Content

• A new approach pioneered in Belgium allows anyone to become an urban farmer.

• Start-up Peas&Love rents out allotments on rooftops and in unused urban spaces.

• The company does all the gardening but members get to harvest the fresh produce.

• An app alerts them when crops are ready to pick.

• Members share produce and garden space with the community.

A Belgian start-up is helping people in major cities turn their hand to urban farming.

Peas&Love is the brainchild of Jean-Patrick Scheepers, co-founder of Belgium’s biggest cooking school. After the failure of a sustainable farming project near Brussels, he moved into the city itself and started farming on rooftops and in gardens.

“For 20 years, I tried to grow fruit and vegetables in my garden or on my terrace and each year I failed,” he told the audience at the Change Now summit in 2017, the year Peas&Love was launched. “I didn’t have the time and I didn’t have the knowledge.

“My idea was that, if I could have my own personal source of vegetables and fruits that are local, that are seasonal, that are good, that are full of quality, that would exactly fit the description of a potager in French, or a kitchen garden in English, and that would be great.”

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Garden of plenty: Crops ready to pick at a Peas&Love urban farm near Paris. Image: Peas&Love

Scheepers started Peas&Love after using vertical growing techniques to overcome his earlier gardening setbacks. It now has three urban farms in Brussels and five in Paris where anyone can rent an allotment for about $40 a month.

All of the farming work is taken care of by the company, and members are alerted by an app when it’s time to harvest the produce. Each 4m square vegetable garden is divided into two halves: one for the sole use of the subscriber and the other to grow crops that will be shared by all members.

Made for sharing: half the allotment is private, the other half is shared.

Community based on sharing

“The motivation of the people who are part of the concept is mainly to renew contact with nature but they don't have the time or the knowledge,” Scheepers says. “You come every week to harvest your own allotment but you don't have to do the work to get it.”

It’s all about creating a community of people who help each other and share values as well as food, he says. It’s a “new approach in urban farming” which has 200 active urban farmers at its first location in Woluwe-Saint-Lambert, in Brussels.

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Rooftop agriculture: Peas&Love’s first Brussels urban farm. Image: Peas&Love

The company’s “Peas for all” programme makes 5% of the space on its farms available to educational projects and local associations to help more people reconnect to nature.

Scheepers recently set up the European Urban and Vertical Agriculture Federation to promote the concept and provide a forum to represent urban farmers at a European level, and he has launched an Urban Farm Lab in Istanbul.

Lead photo: Urban farms are becoming common all cross the world. REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer

PODCAST: Learn About Urban Farming And The Technologies Fueling This Industry

Joe Swartz & Nick Greens | 11/27/2020

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Learn about Urban Farming and the technologies fueling this industry. We also talk about the brief history of hydroponics.

Our new podcast called Polygreens Podcast with Joe Swartz from AmHydro and Nick Greens from Nick Greens Grow Team brings agriculture and technology together in educational episodes. This podcast is about hydroponics, greenhouse, urban farming, vertical indoor farming, and much more.

Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/nickgreens)

MONACO: Growing Vegetables On The Rooftops of World’s Most Densely Populated Country

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Lola Senoble

13 November 2020

With over 19,000 people per square kilometer, Monaco has one of the highest population densities in the world, making a less than ideal place for farming.  Yet Terre de Monaco has defied the odds. The urban agriculture company currently exploits 1,600 m² of arable land in a country with an area just over two square kilometers.    

As Jessica Sbaraglia knows well, to grow fruits and vegetables in Monaco, you need to start from the top. And that is exactly what Terre de Monaco does. Specialized in urban agriculture, the company installs vegetable farms on the roofs of Monaco’s buildings.

Terre de Monaco was founded in 2016. “Six years ago, I shut down my first company and underwent a bit of an existential crisis. What is my purpose in life, what sort of values should I embody?” says Jessica Sbaraglia, who was born in Switzerland.

That taste, I’ve never been able to find anywhere else

Bringing permaculture to Monaco

It was then that she remembered her parents’ vegetable garden, its fruit and vegetables, and their exceptional taste. “That taste, I’ve never been able to find anywhere else,” she says. So, she starts a vegetable garden on her balcony, to “therapeutic, relaxing and rewarding” effects

But soon enough, Jessica Sbaraglia runs out of space. It’s when she starts to “colonize” her neighbors’ balconies that she comes up with the idea for Terres de Monaco. Her new company will farm Monaco’s roofs. “They didn’t know what to do with me. They thought my ambitions a bit ridiculous. They thought it wouldn’t work, that there was no room,” she says.

Zero carbon, zero waste

Today, Terre de Monaco grows fruits and vegetables on five different buildings. There’s a  400 m² vegetable garden on The Monte-Carlo Bay, whose produce goes straight into the kitchens of starred chef Marcel Ravin. A second vegetable garden is on the Tour Odéon, which is now home to 450m² of farmland, as well as 60 hens*, ten beehives, and about thirty fruit trees. Terres de Monaco has also set up vegetable gardens on the 14th floor of the Ruscino residence and on the roof of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, as well as a therapeutic garden at the Princess Grace Hospital.

Seasonal fruits and vegetables, as well as the eggs and honey, are sold to people who either live in the building or who work on the farm. “The products we harvest at the Odeon Tower, for example, are sold to the people who live there,” explains Jessica Sbaraglia. Terre de Monaco has now expanded its services to offer individual consultations on how to create and maintain a vegetable garden. They also run numerous educational workshops in schools.

I am convinced that urban agriculture has a great future ahead

Bringing the concept abroad

Terre de Monaco has also been busy exporting their concept abroad: Terre de Monaco is now joined by Terre de Nice.

“We’re working on a fully-fledged farm, that will be built near the Nice stadium. The farm will be spread over seven roofs, which will be connected to each other by footbridges. We’re also introducing a bar and restaurant, which will serve our products”, explains Jessica Sbaraglia. A similar project is planned in Belgium – Terre de Monaco now becomes Terre de Tubize – where 8,000 m² worth of roofs will be turned into vegetable gardens. Other projects in the towns around Monaco, such as Cap d’Ail, as well as in Switzerland are also in the books. 

The pandemic has put environmental issues at the forefront, as Jessica Sbaraglia is well aware: “I am convinced that urban agriculture has a great future ahead. More and more businesses are getting involved because the demand is there”.

There’s something almost poetic about Jessica Sbaraglia’s work: In order to go back to earthly roots, Terre de Monaco looked up towards the sky.  

* The hens also help recycle a yearly six tonnes of vegetable waste from the Terre de Monaco vegetable gardens and other Monaco establishments, such as the Café de Paris.

© Terre de Monaco

New Partnership Transports Walmart Into The Future

November 10, 2020

This year, retailers had their feet on the accelerator expanding pickup and delivery services so customers can get items they need quickly and safely. In April, Walmart launched Express Delivery and have since scaled it to more than 2,800 stores, reaching more than 65 percent of U.S. households.

"We may be growing delivery options today, but we’re still experimenting with new ways we can use technology to serve customers in the future," said Tom Ward, senior vice president of customer product, Walmart U.S. "This time, we’re cruising over to Scottsdale, AZ, to rev up a new pilot with self-driving car company, Cruise. What’s unique about Cruise is they’re the only self-driving car company to operate an entire fleet of all-electric vehicles powered with 100 percent renewable energy, which supports our road to zero emissions by 2040."

As part of the pilot, which begins early next year, customers can place an order from their local store and have it delivered, contact-free, via one of Cruise’s all-electric self-driving cars. Technology that has the potential to not only save customers time and money but also is helpful to the planet is technology the company said it wants to learn more about.

"You’ve seen us test drive with self-driving cars in the past, and we’re continuing to learn a lot about how they can shape the future of retail," said Ward. "We’re excited to add Cruise to our lineup of autonomous vehicle pilots as we continue to chart a whole new roadmap for retail."

Infarm Raises $200 Million To Add “Farm” to Cities

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November 10, 2020, by Karin Kloosterman in Food

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Infarm’s Israeli founders take on Berlin and the farm to table movement with high-tech farms.

Infarm, a company that grows fresh produce inside supermarkets, has recently announced a $170 million USD funding round to help the company expand across Europe. Their environment-controlled and automated growing chambers grow food such as leafy greens inside the supermarket, so it’s fresh, without your food accumulating food miles.  

The company was founded by three Israelis in Berlin in 2013, and they announced this astounding investment achievement despite the Covid plague destroying global markets. Food, we understood, is something that must stay constant. The need for food which is grown locally, and available fresh now resonates at a time of uncertainty and the basic need for survival.

The company has raised $200 million USD total in their Series C round funding which was by LGT Lightstone, Hanaco, Bonnier, Haniel, and Latitude, Atomico, TriplePoint Capital, Mons Capital, and Astanor Ventures.

With a mix of equity and debt financing, the fresh capital brings Infarm’s total funding to date to more than $300 million, underscoring consumer and retailer appetite for Infarm’s approach to fresh, sustainable, and local food production in the wake of this year’s pandemic.

By 2025, Infarm’s farming fridge network is expected to reach more than 5,000,000 square feet to become the largest distributed hydroponic network in the world as it builds towards helping cities become self-sufficient in their food production. Competition includes Freight Farms in the US, and BrightFarms, also American. 

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“The coronavirus pandemic has put a global spotlight on the urgent agricultural and ecological challenges of our time,” says Erez Galonska, Co-founder and CEO of Infarm. His brother Guy Galonska is also a founder: “At Infarm, we believe there’s a better, healthier way to feed our cities: increasing access to fresh, pure, sustainable produce, grown as close as possible to people,” adds Erez.

The investment will be used to deepen the regional and local penetration of Infarm’s global farming network and complete development of Infarm’s new generation of vertical cloud-connected farms, capable of generating the crop-equivalent of acres of farmland and amplifying the diversity of produce currently available through vertical farming. Vertical farming is also known as hydroponic farming or controlled environment agriculture.

The technology has become developed and well-known over the years thanks to cannabis growers who used this energy-intensive and “stealth” mode of farming to grow cannabis with high concentrations of the active ingredient THC. When it was illegal to grow in Canada, young entrepreneurs were inspired by early blueprints from NASA and farming in space and found ways to set up a soil-less system in basements and closets. To their surprise, they could grow better quality cannabis, faster as inputs such as lighting, humidity, and nutrients could be tightly controlled. 

And growing food became the next natural step for people who wanted to grow fresh food year-round even though it’s usually not cost-effective to grow tomatoes or lettuce this way unless you do it at scale. 

Hydroponics and variations of it, using just water, a semi-solid coir medium or Styrofoam and/or with fish added, has become the promise for growing food in far-flung locations like Antarctica and food deserts where chocolate bars are available at bodegas, but fresh greens are not. This is according to mothers I have met in Harlem, New York. The hydroponic method is not that complicated at all in theory but in practice, it is hard to achieve good results without know-how in chemistry, engineering, and biology. 

An integration of advanced engineering, software, and farming technology, the Infarm farms will save labour, land, water, energy, and food-miles, while contributing to a more sustainable food system, the company proposes.

Partnering with Aldi, Marks & Spencer, Sobeys

While companies like Farmigo founded in New York (also by an Israeli) wanted to put supermarkets out of business, in the past year Infarm has been working to keep them relevant and formed new partnerships with the world’s largest retailers, including Albert Heijn (Netherlands), Aldi Süd (Germany), COOP/Irma (Denmark), Empire Company Ltd (Sobeys, Safeway, Thrifty Foods – Canada), Kinokuniya (Japan), Kroger (United States), Marks & Spencer (United Kingdom) and Selfridges (United Kingdom).

With operations across 10 countries and 30 cities worldwide, Infarm harvests 500,000+ plants monthly, while using 99.5% less space than soil-based agriculture, some 95% less water, 90% less transport, and zero chemical pesticides. Today, 90% of the electricity use throughout the Infarm network is from renewable energy and the company has set a target to reach zero emissions from their production next year.

With the cost of lighting typically very high in hydroponics systems, I’d be curious to know how they will do that without buying carbon credits. Consider this Stanford research paper that mentioned the cost of hydroponic lettuce to be about 8KG of carbon compared to 150g if grown conventionally. The research is a few years old and certainly, there can be ways to improve energy efficiencies. 

What organic farmers think?

Proponents of organic farming, regenerative agriculture, and permaculture don’t love hydroponics farming because it relies on petroleum-based fertilizers and nutrients as additives, and while there may be no or few bugs in the grow chambers, there is a risk of fungus and bacteria; in nature, there is always free natural sun (unless you are in Finland in the winter) and natural interactions between plant, soil; and even among small biota like mycorrhizal fungi which play a role in the uptake of micronutrients to the roots and the overall essence of what we call a plant. There is one school of thought that says the “organic” label can only be applied to soil-based farming. Lawyers are debating the issue now. 

The answer will be somewhere in the middle. Like most things in life the middle way will help us. The dream is many one-acre regenerative farms to feed us healthily and to feed the planet too but meanwhile there is a gap. How do we feed everyone else who can’t afford to buy at Whole Foods?

We need to improve our local supply chain for food. When you live in a country like Israel, Egypt or Jordan with ample sun, growing food inside a supermarket fridge makes no sense, although hydroponics does. See this project in Jordan, funded by the USAID. Or the one that has changed lives in Harlem. 

I had a hydroponics robotics venture (see this article on Bloomberg) and I took it to New York a few years ago and found myself running in circles trying to explain why eating local is good for the planet, it’s good for a circular economy that might one day be about survival. Venture Capitalists laughed at me. They said my technology and vision was a vitamin and not a bandaid –– “a nice to have” but not “a necessary to have”, especially in cities like New York. Then Covid thinking happened.

Here is what investors in Infarm say now (and kudos to the team who worked hard building physical farms and maintaining the pilots):

“We are excited to partner with the Infarm team to accelerate their urban vertical farm vision, ultimately creating a more sustainable food system for a growing population,” says Dharmash Mistry, Partner of LGT Lightstone: “With over $1bn of customer demand, partnerships with 17 of the top 50 global grocers, Infarm is set to revolutionise the market behind a unique ‘demand led’ modular business model.”

Let’s hope. Another Israeli called Benzi Ronen came from Silicon Valley and started a farm-to-table venture in New York and was on top of the world. He had just raised $26 million to grow Farmigo into the Amazon for fresh food and I spoke with him at one point when he warned me to stay in Israel and work there locally for a couple of years before moving stateside. That’s me in the biodome below, growing bok choy for future Martians on my roof in Tel Aviv. I didn’t listen.

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I had a venture in robotics to help cannabis farmers (even Mars farmers grow cannabis in space – see this article in Fast Company) and city hydroponic farmers. Farmigo was trying to eliminate supermarkets, by connecting farmers to consumers at drop off points throughout the city. The model was valorous –– who doesn’t want the freshest farm picked veggies every morning? The modern CSA? And it supported local farming, just like what Michael Pollan wants us to do. And to compete with Amazon? Yes. Yes. Yes.

Farmigo raised millions and then the company’s vision to be the Amazon of fresh food could not compete with Amazon. Farmigo changed its business model and now sells software. 

I saw the challenges of the business in supplying fresh food. The mechanics of the machines, the lack of willing labor, software needed, the logistics, the importance of food safety. The fungus, the bacteria. The good bacteria. The bad. The responsibility. The chemicals needed to feed the plants, to keep the systems “clean” and safe. So much is hard to control when you are talking about living things. 

I always said that if hydroponics or farmers that come from Microsoft want to make city farming work the model will look like the cellphone industry: different players supplying various parts like Qualcomm, Verizon, 3M, Broadcom, and Texas Instruments does. Even to make iPhones work. 

Can and will Infarm do it all? 

“We see a massive demand in the market for sustainable, environment-friendly, and healthy food – and Infarm has just the right team in place to make this happen,” says Pasha Romanovski, Co-founding Partner of Hanaco Ventures.

More about Infarm

Founded in Berlin in 2013 by Osnat Michaeli and the brothers Erez and Guy Galonska, Infarm is dedicated to creating a future where local super fresh produce is available for everyone. The farms are placed in various locations in the city, like supermarkets, restaurants, and distribution centers, so that vegetables grow and are harvested close to the moment of purchase or consumption. People like Elon Musk’s brother Kimbal Musk has been doing this in New York with a project called Square Roots. They train young entrepreneurs to dream up all sorts of business models inside the shipping container farms built by Freight Farms. 

Some in the VC world I have talked with question the viability of the business model of these containers. While it’s a nice idea it’s hard to get the return on the upfront investment. 

But when it comes to specialty products and “farms” you can find the Infarm service model in all sorts of permutations in the United States. I got to spend some ample time in meetups with a pile of entrepreneurs building an urban farming project in New York. There I met Andrew Carter, now growing mushrooms in a warehouse in Williamsburg. There is also Farm.One which grows papalo, minutina and all the boutique and hipster greens any chef could dream up in the center of New York City. They deliver. 

Lastly and most easily is to try out growing fresh greens at home without the supermarket, or less of the supermarket. I met the founder of Hamama when she was in Israel via MIT helping kids in Israel grow their own food using hydroponics at The Greenhouse. (After I wrote this story in 2008 <— kids from the US were writing me about how to donate their Bar Mitzva money to Noam Geva).

Over at The Greenhouse Camille had her head inside an aeroponics system she’d rigged up last time I saw her. She brought a few of her MIT geek friends over to my house in Jaffa and we talked about hydroponics changing the world. And now she helps people in the easiest way to grow microgreens at home. That’s a hyper simplified way to do hydroponics. She was one of the most inspiring people I met in hydroponics and urban farming. 

In fact many in the business are. They are people who want to change the world. Have you met Henry?

Go out and meet someone, start a farm. Grow something. That’s how we change the world.

Now over to Infarm: good luck! 

An Urban's Rural View - Vertical Farming Is Looking Up

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11/2/2020

By Urban C Lehner , Editor Emeritus

Connect with Urban: @urbanize

It looks like some of the big boys in agriculture are finally taking vertical farming seriously.

Last month one of the biggest, the berry behemoth Driscoll's, became an investor in and joint venture partner of Plenty Unlimited, an indoor vertical-farming startup. (https://www.businesswire.com/…) (https://agfundernews.com/…) From Driscoll's and Japanese tech investor SoftBank, Plenty is getting $140 million, bringing its total funding to $500 million. More importantly, it's getting to work with Driscoll's on growing strawberries indoors.

Entrepreneurs have been trying to make a go of indoor vertical farming since 1999 when Columbia University professor Dickson Despommier and his students developed the concept. It seemed like a no-brainer to grow food close to where it would be consumed, with high yields on minimal acreage, with less water and fewer if any chemicals, without soil in some iterations, and without fear of droughts, fires, floods, frost or high winds.

The disadvantages were less obvious -- but debilitating. For conventional farms, the sun provides free photosynthesis. For farms inside buildings, the cost of artificial lighting is horrific, and the cost of climate control makes matters worse. An Irish researcher contends that in the United Kingdom, indoor farms require more than ten times the energy of heated greenhouses. He recommends rooftops for those who want to grow food in cities. (https://theconversation.com/…)

Other disadvantages include high costs for labor, rent, and capital-equipment depreciation. "Despite the advances that have been made in controlled environment agriculture, it isn't quite ready for prime time and many opportunities for innovation remain," a Cambridge Consultants paper concluded. (https://www.cambridgeconsultants.com/…)

Vertical farmers, venture capitalists, consultants, academics, and others are doing cartwheels trying to solve these problems. Plenty Unlimited uses wind power and solar cells to generate its electricity and has developed special forms of plastic LED lights. A University of Florida researcher is working on pulsing light -- five seconds on, 10 or 20 seconds off -- and seeing signs that it cuts lighting costs substantially without hindering plant growth. (https://theconversation.com/…)

While depreciation costs are high, capital is available; fearless investors are hurling money at the sector. Rent costs could start coming down, too. With the pandemic encouraging more work from home, there will be surplus space in office buildings. (On the other hand, some vertical farms sell directly to restaurants, which the pandemic has been hard on.)

Though making progress, vertical farming remains a tiny corner of the multi-trillion-dollar agriculture and food business. A market research firm estimated it at $212 million in 2019 and predicted it would hit $1.4 billion by 2027. (https://www.prnewswire.com/…) When I last covered this subject in 2015, many vertical farms were still losing money. It's likely many lose money today. (https://www.dtnpf.com/…)

All that said, vertical farming has come a long way in the last few years. Hundreds of operations have germinated and sprouted in countries around the world. There have been innovations in lighting and climate control.

After years of growing mostly leafy greens and herbs, vertical farms are preparing to add crops like potatoes, tomatoes, and blueberries. As vertical-farm pioneer Despommier wrote in the Wall Street Journal recently, "Vertical farms are no longer some futuristic fantasy." (https://www.wsj.com/…)

As an example, Despommier cited Infarm, a company that was started in Israel, is now headquartered in Berlin and employs 400 people in 40 countries, mostly European. According to Despommier, who serves as an unpaid adviser to Infarm, the company provides grocery stores with automated, hydroponic systems that allow them to grow food in their produce aisles.

"Each store selects its own mix of greens and herbs, and consumers are encouraged to choose, taste and harvest from a menu growing right in front of them," he wrote. You can't cut transportation costs much more or provide much greater freshness.

And now, to move the sector further forward, comes Driscoll's and Plenty.

You can see the benefits to Plenty in this deal. They go beyond the $140 million and the expansion into a new and promising product, strawberries. They're hitching their wagon to a company that controls about a third of the $6 billion U.S. berry market. It has proprietary genetics and a team of geneticists developing new products. It has a recognized brand name and marketing muscle; the "clamshell" berry package was its idea. (https://www.newyorker.com/…)

What does Driscoll's get out of the arrangement? Plenty, too, has plenty to offer a partner. It says its Laramie, Wyoming, farm -- where Driscoll's berries will be grown -- is "the largest privately-owned vertical farm research and development center in the world." Plenty says it's "currently building the world's highest-output, vertical, indoor farm in Compton, California." https://www.businesswire.com/…)

But why vertical farming in the first place? Bloomberg emphasized Driscoll's desire to learn robotics from Plenty, whose farms are highly automated. Labor is a big part of Driscoll's cost structure and immigrant labor is becoming scarcer in the U.S. (https://www.bloomberg.com/…)

The Financial Times pointed to the fires in Driscoll's home state of California. A Driscoll's executive told the FT that instead of moving a whole farm farther up the mountain to get away from them, it can move to vertical farms. (https://www.ft.com/…)

The FT also mentioned "deglobalization," by which it apparently meant that in the future there may be less cross-border trade in food. That would encourage big players like Driscoll's to produce locally. The FT noted that two of Driscoll's biggest markets are in Hong Kong and the Arab world. It won't grow berries outside in either place but could grow them vertically indoors.

Whatever the reasons, what Driscoll's has done is big. Of all the progress vertical farming has made over the last several years, getting the big boys in ag to take it seriously is arguably the most important.

Urban Lehner can be reached at urbanize@gmail.com

Small Urban Farms, An Oasis For Underserved U.S. Neighbourhoods

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October 30, 2020

Adrian Higgins

THE WASHINGTON POST – I ate the last of the season’s potatoes the other day, and it’s not a bad harvest achievement when you consider I dug the lot in July from a bed no more than 15 feet long. I’ve eaten many meals over the summer where the bulk of my plate has come straight from my small community garden plot in the city.

It is amazing how much you can grow in a small space if the soil is good and you stay on top of tasks such as watering and weeding. But even in a pandemic-driven planting year full of homegrown potatoes, beans and carrots, you have to face reality. If you relied on most urban veggie plots alone to feed yourself, never mind a large family, you’d be forever tightening your belt.

This is why I’ve had my doubts about whether urban agriculture can meet the challenge where it is most needed – in poorer, food-insecure neighbourhoods. Rosie Williams is in charge of such a garden, in an expansive side lot of the National Children’s Center, an early-learning and educational development provider in Southeast Washington, in the United States (US).

The garden packs a lot in. There are almost 70 raised planter beds, each four by eight feet and filled with deep, rich soil. That’s a lot of growing area; the beds generate bushels of edible plants for most of the year.

A shed houses tools, a single beehive is active, a few fruit trees ring the area, and one side is devoted to little benches for little people. The centre, which normally houses classes for 188 children up to age five, has been closed because of the pandemic, though a limited re-opening is in the works.

Teacher and garden coordinator Williams showed me cool-season veggies growing in the fall, young plants of kale, collards, cauliflower, broccoli and red cabbage. In other planters, mature plants are seeing out the season in robust vigour. The most obvious is a single pepper plant – now taller than Williams – whose leaves hide unripe green chillies that hang like ornaments. This is a mighty hot pepper from Trinidad named Scorpion, she said, and I have no doubt that it has a sting in its tail.

Nearby, a Japanese eggplant is full of purple streaked fruit. Along another path, Williams stopped to lift a wayward cherry tomato vine and places it back in its bed. “I don’t like to step on my babies,” she said.

Elsewhere, wizened sunflowers have had their day. “We bring the kids out, we show them how to plant seeds, what the plants need,” she said. “It’s getting folks exposed to the garden.” Food from the garden is used in the centre’s kitchen.

Thus the children and their families get a sense that food comes from the soil. This is not so obvious a connection in Ward 8. In this corner of the capital of the US, there is one full-service grocery store for 80,000 people, and access to something as basic as fresh vegetables is limited.

“We have a lack of grocery stores,” said Jahni Threatt, the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programme Market Manager for the non-profit Building Bridges Across the River. “In Wards 7 and 8, we have three grocery stores.” Residents eat from fast-food chains or out of convenience stores. “The food that’s available isn’t necessarily healthy,” she said. Under the CSAs, growers provide direct weekly harvests to subscribers.

The Baby Bloomers Urban Farm that Williams coordinates at the National Children’s Center is one of seven in a network of city farms east of the Anacostia River, including a one-acre farm run by Threatt’s organisation at THEARC, the arts, education and social services campus at 1901 Mississippi Ave.

This one farm produced as much as 1,600 pounds of food this year, but to provision its CSA programme, the Building Bridges group turns to an additional 10 farms within 50 miles of the city, most of them Black-owned, said Scott Kratz, vice president.

The CSA runs three seasons of subscriptions, and bags are picked up on Saturdays at THEARC. The spring season was cancelled because of the pandemic, but the summer and fall ones have been heavily subscribed and will provide food for over 400 families this year. The season has also been extended, from the end of this month to the end of next. Lower-income subscribers get a reduced rate, and families on assistance get the food free, Kratz said.

This is heartening, because the pandemic has hit the city’s poorest wards the hardest. Many residents have underlying health issues related in part to their diet, and many are front-line workers or rely on the gig economy, putting them at greater risk of contracting the novel coronavirus, Kratz said.

Ward 8, which is 92 per cent Black, so far has the highest number of virus deaths in the district, with 127, according to city data. Ward 3, 81 per cent White, had 34 for the same period.

“We need to make sure that the programming we have is coming through the lens of equity and making sure the access people need is available to everybody in the community,” said Building Bridges Farm Director Dominic Hosack. I am rethinking my sense that mini-farms in the city are of limited value. They are, rather, a key portal into a larger infrastructure of food-security efforts. Beyond their utility, they are places of deep reconnection, to the soil, to food and to communities. In the food deserts of big-city America, they are the oases.

GARDENING TIP

Whiteflies are tenacious pests of certain houseplants and should be tackled, preferably before bringing plants indoors for the season. A vacuum cleaner is an effective way of dealing with them without using pesticides. Repeat as needed.

Lead photo: Garden coordinator Rosie Williams checks a pepper plant at the National Children’s Center urban farm in Washington. PHOTO: THE WASHINGTON POST