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Indoor Farming, Crop Monitoring, Pathogen testing Showcased
Six of the nine companies have been featured in recent editions of Agri-View. This article features the final three companies – Alesca Life, Farm X, and ProteoSense
Lynn Grooms lgrooms@madison.com
September 23, 2019
A container-farming system developed by China's Alesca Life features monitoring, automation and climate control. It was developed for food processors and food retailers.
Nine startup companies were chosen to participate in the 2019 SVG Ventures-Thrive Accelerator Program. Silicon Valley Global Ventures, known as SVG Ventures, is a venture capital, innovation, and investment firm. The Thrive Accelerator program invests in mentors and connects startups with investors and businesses for partnerships.
Six of the nine companies have been featured in recent editions of Agri-View. This article features the final three companies – Alesca Life, Farm X, and ProteoSense.
Alesca Life of Beijing has developed various indoor-farming systems. Its container-farming system features monitoring, automation, and climate control. It was developed for food processors and food retailers.
The company also has developed a small cabinet farm for on-site food production in restaurants and schools. The compact system is suitable for growing micro-greens and other leafy vegetables.
Small cabinet farms for on-site food production in restaurants and schools are offered by Alesca Life.
Contributed
“Our target is that customers will see a return on their initial investment within four years,” said Stuart Oda, co-founder, and CEO of Alesca Life.
Stuart Oda is the co-founder and CEO of Alesca Life, which has developed various indoor-farming systems.
Contributed
Another of the company’s indoor-farming systems is “Alesca Sprout.” Developed for hydroponic farms its sensor-based system automates irrigation and other farm electrical equipment.
The Alesca Cloud is a smartphone-based supply-chain-management system. It aggregates operational tasks, farm capacity and production data, operational inventory, environmental sensor data, and other data points.
“Indoor farming is one of many ways to produce food in a hyper-efficient and localized way,” Oda said. “Just as there are different modes of transportation for different types of travel needs, indoor farming is a mode of food production optimized for certain geographies and crop types. As indoor vertical farms become more productive and efficient they’ll be able to produce larger volumes and varieties of vegetables.”
Alesca Life’s turnkey food-production systems enable even inexperienced growers to produce vegetables. The company wants to ensure its customers have positive experiences with indoor farming so it provides troubleshooting for the mechanical and electrical aspects of its systems, Oda said.
Farm X of Mountain View, California, provides growers monitoring and analysis to improve crop productivity. Bill Jennings, chief technical officer for Farm X, discussed the company’s tiers of service in June at the Forbes AgTech Summit.
Bill Jennings
A basic service that Farm X offers involves weather monitoring. The company collects data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the California Irrigation Management Information System, IBM’s Weather Underground and other third-party sources. The company combines the data with imagery from satellites and unmanned aerial vehicles to help growers monitor crop health and performance.
The next tier of service involves the use of in-ground sensors placed every 5 acres to monitor crop health as well as irrigation performance. Farm X combines that information with its models to help growers ensure uniform distribution of irrigation water and reduce electrical costs associated with irrigation pumps.
The third tier of service is a yield-management program. Farm X forecasts crop conditions about three to four months in advance of harvest. That enables growers to improve harvest planning such as how many workers will be needed for harvest. Growers also can use the forecasts to inform their supply-chain partners about future sales, Jennings said. The company’s focus to date has been in California’s vegetable-production areas.
ProteoSense of Columbus, Ohio, has developed a portable biosensor that detects foodborne pathogens such as Escherichia coli and Listeria monocytogenes. Mark Byrne, president and CEO of ProteoSense, has several years of experience working in the medical-device industry. But he saw the need for rapid detection of pathogens in food production and processing.
A portable biosensor developed by ProteoSense detects foodborne pathogens.
Contributed
ProteoSense’s biosensor has been in testing at Taylor Farms of Salinas, California, a large producer of fresh-cut vegetables. The biosensor was first tested in a food-packing house where Listeria monocytogenes can live on countertops, floor drains, coolers, and other equipment.
Food producers have traditionally taken swabs of suspect areas to send samples for laboratory testing. Food producers often need to wait for three days to a week before receiving test results. The ProteoSense biosensor can be used on-site to provide immediate results, Byrne said. Using the biosensor a food producer would take swabs mixed with a buffer. The buffer is placed into the biosensor. The device then displays results and transmits them for storage in the “cloud.”
Mark Byrne
There could be several uses for the biosensor. In addition to being used to detect pathogens on vegetables the biosensor could be used to test irrigation water and ponds for E. coli, Byrne said.
“We’re working with the Pork Checkoff to learn if the biosensor could help pork producers,” Byrne said. “We want to talk with more farmers about how they could use pathogen testing.”
Visit alescalife.com or farmx.co or proteosense.com or thriveagrifood.com or www.forbes.com/series/forbes-agtech-summit -- and search for "agtech summit" -- for more information.
Lynn Grooms writes about the diversity of agriculture, including the industry’s newest ideas, research and technologies as a staff reporter for Agri-View based in Wisconsin.
Best Media For Your Hydroponics Setup?
Does it puzzle you to select the right media for hydroponics setup growing vegetables using the hydroponic method? different Hydroponic formats and hence require different kinds of media
Does it puzzle you to select the right media for hydroponics setup growing vegetables using the hydroponic method? different Hydroponic formats and hence require different kinds of media.
Hydroton
Hydroton or clay balls is expanded round clay pellets and is one of the more widely used media in India. It can be used on its own in hydroponics, aeroponics or deep water culture (DWC) or combined with other media esp. in drip systems (Grow bags, Trough system or Dutch Buckets). It allows maximum drainage and aeration. Hydroton can also be re-used if cleaned and sanitized properly with hydrogen peroxide.
Perlite
Perlite is a medium that is commonly found in soilless mixes. It is made from amorphous volcanic glass that has relatively high water content, typically formed by the hydration of obsidian. Be careful using this media by itself, as it will float.
Cocopeat
Coconut Coir is the most popular medium in India. It is Ph neutral and can be used for multiple months without sterilizing again. It works best when combined with another medium such as hydroton. Coir has excellent nutrient and water holding capacity. It should be cleaned and sterilized after around 6-8 months.
Oasis Cube
Oasis Cubes are manufactured from water-absorbent foam, Phenolic foam, also known as Floral Foam. They act as good starting plug for seedlings and plant cuttings, and not so much as a full growing medium. They are very cheap but have to be changed after every crop.
Jiffy Bags
fine cloth netting is filled with high-quality cocopeat and then compressed to form a “tikky” like coin pellet. It grows to approximately 7 times in height as soon the water is added. Cocopeat is held together by cloth netting and ensures optimum air/water exchange. Available in 1.25 Inch size. It is slightly costlier than the oasis cube but offers better seedling. Like oasis cube, it should also be changed after every crop
Conclusion:
Media plays a very important role in Hydroponic, hence selecting the right and Best Media for your Hydroponics setup is very critical for the optimum growth of vegetables.
New York City Needs More Vertical Farms: Urban Growth On A Higher Plane
In the last few years a novel form of urban farming — vertical farming — has been slowly but surely emerging in the greater New York area, holding promise as a potent antidote to the city’s notably burgeoning food miles by growing and offering fresh produce locally
By JOEL CUELLO
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
October 1, 2019
While New York City as a whole by no means is a food desert, wherein access to fresh produce by its residents is severely constrained, such access nonetheless appears to require significant enhancement.
The 2019 American Fitness Index for America’s 100 largest cities, for instance, shows that only 17% of New York City’s residents get their recommended daily portion of vegetables, compared with the top-ranked city in the category, Washington, D.C., wherein 30% of its residents do.
Intriguingly, the same survey shows that New York City only has 18 farmers’ markets per one million residents compared with Washington’s 82.
It does not help that the state of New York’s production of vegetables, representing a measly 7% of its total agricultural output, does not come close to meeting the city’s demand.
Not surprisingly, a significant portion of New York City’s fresh vegetables are sourced from California and Arizona, a distance of at least 2,500 miles. This leads to considerably diminished food freshness, food waste through spoilage, significant long-distance transport energy expenditure, and substantial greenhouse gas emissions, among other problems.
In the last few years a novel form of urban farming — vertical farming — has been slowly but surely emerging in the greater New York area, holding promise as a potent antidote to the city’s notably burgeoning food miles by growing and offering fresh produce locally.
Vertical farms are indoor crop production systems — using a warehouse, greenhouse or a modular structure like a shipping container — wherein crops are grown without soil and using liquid nutrient solution that is either flowing (hydroponic) or sprayed (aeroponic). Crop lighting in vertical farms is typically provided using red and blue LEDs, and ambient air temperature and relative humidity are also regulated. The concentration of carbon dioxide in its air is also typically enriched to hasten the crop’s photosynthetic growth.
Consequently, the growth, yield, and quality of crops in vertical farms are consistently much higher than in open-field cultivation, and the reliability of harvest throughout the year independent of the season and external climate conditions is virtually guaranteed.
And in addition to consuming less than 20% freshwater compared with open-field production, produce from vertical farms are patently fresh, pesticide-free and hyper-local — with all of the latter’s attendant benefits including local jobs creation.
The greater New York area is now home to a number of highly innovative and enterprising vertical farms, including Square Roots, Gotham Greens, Farm.One, Aerofarms and Bowery Farming, among others, most of which regularly deliver their produce to the city’s local grocers and even to Whole Foods Market and to numerous high-end restaurants.
To help ensure both the economic and environmental sustainability of New York City’s growing vertical farms, however, the city needs to see and recognize them also as crucial nodes in the design of the city’s emerging circular economy. We need many more vertical farms.
In a circular economy, the methods of production and consumption are looped into a continuous cycle of resource recycle and reuse, thus minimizing or eliminating waste, with a view to achieving optimized resource utilization and value preservation.
Vertical farms serve as crucial nodes in a circular economy because they consume energy and require material inputs in the form of water, nutrients and carbon dioxide, among others — which may be derived or up-cycled from the effluent streams of other existing nodes in the economy.
For instance, while Gotham Greens is already harnessing solar photovoltaic electricity to power their indoor farming operations, the use of renewable natural gas produced from digested organic wastes is also an already available option for others — and for which vertical farms can possibly deliver their own organics in the form of inedible plant biomass waste.
The needed freshwater, nutrients and carbon dioxide for vertical farms may similarly be bio-cycled from other existing nodes in the economy.
In New York City and other big cities around the world, the future of food is decidedly vertical and circular. Let’s seize it.
Cuello is vice-chair of the Association for Vertical Farming and professor of biosystems engineering at The University of Arizona.
Lead photo by: Growing up. (ANGELA WEISS/AFP/Getty Images)
Harvard Political Review: Green Thumb
Urban farms currently feed more than 800 million urban dwellers every year, but that number will certainly grow as the world’s population keeps increasing and urbanizing. Indeed, the UN estimated that 68 percent of the world’s population will live in cities by 2050, a larger proportion of a much larger number as the Earth’s population continues to grow more broadly
By Kendrick Foster | September 29, 2019
When I think of a farm, I usually imagine an Iowa cornfield stretching for miles on end. A combine harvester spews out straw in collecting this crop; perhaps it’s destined for our plates, but more likely it will become biofuel. Indeed, forty percent of the nation’s corn supply goes to ethanol. The vast majority of the remainder, meanwhile, goes to feed livestock or to manufacture high fructose corn syrup. Only a small portion of the corn grown on these rural farms is served as corn on the cob at America’s restaurants, barbecues, and supermarkets.
Urban farms differ in every way from the corporate behemoth that Midwestern corn agriculture has become. They are small, locally owned, and grow a wide range of crops, from garlic to tomatillos, callaloo to coriander. In turn, those crops often go directly onto plates, bypassing the dizzying amount of processing that most of our food goes through.
I must admit that I had a different conception of urban farming when I started this project. I imagined a monolithic venture, an industrial enterprise merely ported to the confines of the city. Of course, I was wrong: Even within Boston, urban farms range from small community farms to rooftop gardens on top of Fenway Park to hydroponic operations growing underneath the LED lights of a shipping container.
Urban farms currently feed more than 800 million urban dwellers every year, but that number will certainly grow as the world’s population keeps increasing and urbanizing. Indeed, the UN estimated that 68 percent of the world’s population will live in cities by 2050, a larger proportion of a much larger number as the Earth’s population continues to grow more broadly. Feeding these urban dwellers will require reimagining our agricultural systems, creating a puzzle for policymakers across the globe.
Urban farms can serve as a piece of the answer to that puzzle; increased urban farming will improve food security, aid in environmental justice, and help beautify neighborhoods, all while increasing community happiness. Urban farms certainly need increased governmental support, but policymakers must remember one key thing: Urban farming is a highly localized endeavor, and each city must consider its own local conditions before making generalized policies.
Garlic in the Ground
Jet engines from planes departing Logan Airport roared overhead as I ambled towards the Eastie Farm, just a short walk from Maverick Square in East Boston. The farm looked out of place, sandwiched between two multi-family rowhouses along Sumner Street, but I felt strangely relaxed at the farm, standing in the springtime breeze, smelling the dirt, and observing just a small slice of these plants’ gradual growth process.
Volunteers worked to clear the space in preparation for more fruitful times. Lanika Sanders, an Americorps volunteer assigned to the site, directed the work party while telling me a little more about the farm. This land used to house an apartment building, but community members started using it as a trash dump once the apartments were torn down. A group of concerned residents petitioned the city to clean it up, and they planted some garlic once they had finished. “When the city said time to take it back, they argued that they still had garlic in the ground, so they had to give it to them for another season,” Sanders explained. Eastie Farm eventually took over the space.
One hour and several subway transfers later, the Fowler-Clark-Epstein Farm looked less out of place in Mattapan, home to more yards than skyscrapers. Sprinklers whirred about watering seedlings, and garlic plants tentatively put their leaves in the air. Still, its history echoes Eastie Farms. Along with Historic Boston and the Trust for Public Land, the Urban Farming Institute renovated a 19th-century barn and farmhouse to serve as its offices and restarted farming on a property that had hosted farm operations as far back as the 1700s. The site lay vacant from 2013 until 2017, when the renovation project started. Currently, the UFI uses the site as a working farm, as well as the site of their well-reputed farmer training program, which has launched graduates into urban farms across the city.
Beantown Farming
Recently, the Boston urban farming scene has started to attract press attention — and a lot of it. An article in The Guardian described the city as “a haven for organic food and urban farming initiatives,” while Inhabitat declared Boston the second-best city in the United States for urban farming — just behind Austin.
Urban farms in Boston generally fall into three main categories: nonprofits like the UFI or Eastie Farm; community gardens in which individual farmer can grow whatever they want on an individual plot of land; or businesses out to make a profit. Some farms operate seasonally in traditional or rooftop gardens, while others operate all-year in greenhouses. Notable farms include Green City Growers’ rooftop farm at Fenway Park and a 2,400 square foot rooftop garden at the Boston Medical Center; smaller clusters of nonprofits, community farms, and greenhouses dot the Mattapan and Dudley Square areas. The city also hosts more than 200 community gardens and 100 school gardens.
An art installation outside the Dudley Greenhouse reads “Our Liberated Land” in English, Spanish and Cape Verdean Creole.
Boston has also spawned several agrotech startups that work in the urban farming business. Freight Farms has developed a turnkey farm entirely within a shipping container, ready to grow food as soon as it arrives at its destination. Their Greenery machine uses highly efficient LED panels, a hydroponic nursery, and artificial intelligence to create an extremely efficient automated farm system. Meanwhile, Grove Labs developed a bookshelf-sized hydroponic nursery that homeowners and business owners can control with an app.
Two major components have contributed to the general success of urban farms in Boston. On the technological side of things, a strong entrepreneurial culture means that Bostonians are willing to take risks, and the number of colleges and universities in the area gives entrepreneurs a large pool of talent to draw on to make their ideas come to fruition.
On the farming side, the 2013 passage of Article 89 changed the city’s zoning regulations to permit farming and beekeeping within the city’s jurisdiction. UFI played a major role in working out the kinks in this legislation, Patricia Spence, its Executive Director, described the process when I visited the Fowler-Clark-Epstein Farm. “We were the guinea pigs, in essence … We’ve got the water people, the inspection people, all these different entities that now have to work together in concert.” Even though some of the kinks still create problems, Boston farmers do not have to worry about the legality of their farms or greenhouses, unlike urban farmers in other cities who have to acquire permits on a case-by-case basis.
Out of the (Food) Desert?
The people I spoke with had differing motivations for entering the urban farming field. Spence remembered the importance of family in getting her start in urban farming. As we walked around the Fowler-Clark-Epstein farm in Mattapan, she recounted her story. “My grandfather farmed every piece of the property he owned in Roxbury, and we certainly ate from the yard. My mom and dad bought a vacant lot in Dorchester, and my dad grew food there all summer long. The passion comes from that vantage point.”
Karen Washington, meanwhile, remembers being galvanized by then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s proposal to auction off community garden sites. “Growing in empty lots wasn’t really about food. It was about beautification, taking back our neighborhood,” Washington, a food justice activist and founder of the suburban Rise and Root Farm outside of New York City, told the HPR. “In the middle of the night, we got backstabbed when Giuliani tried to auction off 100 community gardens. Looking back, it was the best thing that happened, but during that time, it was the worst thing that happened. People were telling us we couldn’t fight city hall, but then we said collectively we could fight city hall. A group of community gardens along with your allies, you’re much stronger. You can’t work in a silo, but when you get a community behind you, you can be a lot more successful.”
However, many people at the helm of Boston urban farms got their start in urban farming after they recognized the deficiencies in both local and national food systems. Jessie Banhazl, founder of Green City Growers, read the book Omnivore’s Dilemma, which inspired her to grow food more organically and sustainably. After moving back from New York City, she also realized something about the broader food system. “Upon returning back to the Boston area, I realized that I had been living in a food desert and that I was really feeling the effects of not having access to fresh produce,” she told me. Apolo Cátala, farm manager of the OASIS at Ballou farm in the Codman Square area, realized something similar after going on sabbatical in Puerto Rico.
Many the problems in these food systems center around nutrition and public health. “Many times, people have to go outside of their own neighborhood to find something that’s fresh, that’s edible, instead of the the junk food that’s inundating our community,” Washington said. When people eat junk food instead of fresh fruits and vegetables, their health declines — researchers have linked food deserts, areas without affordable access to fresh fruits and vegetables, to increased rates of obesity and diabetes. Obesity and diabetes disproportionately impact low-income Americans and people of color precisely because low-income Americans and people of color disproportionately live in food deserts.
Boston’s food system in particular presents numerous challenges for low-income residents. Overall, Boston has 30 percent fewer grocery stores per capita than the nationwide average, and predominantly minority neighborhoods in Dorchester, Roxbury, and Mattapan have even fewer, Barbara Knecht, the farmsite development coordinator at UFI, told the HPR. A Boston Globe investigation, meanwhile, found that 40 percent of Massachusetts residents live in a food desert. Even Harvard Square, home to affluent Harvard students, is widely considered to be a food desert.
Broader questions, though, revolve around the sustainability of our food supply and its relation to population growth. America’s farmers are notoriously inefficient. They consume large amounts of water, drawing on aquifers much faster than they can be replenished, and spray an inordinate amount of pesticides and fertilizers, creating a host of environmental issues, from resistant pests to algal deal zones. Meanwhile, the problem of overpopulation is always looming. Jon Friedman, the co-founder and COO of Freight Farms, told the HPR. “Our population is set to exceed our capabilities for food production, and that’s a big, hairy program that we have to solve,” he said.
Meanwhile, Dickson Despommier, a professor at the Columbia School of Public Health, connected urban farming and climate change in conversation with the HPR. “Climate change issues require a different approach because farmers can’t move when the climate changes. They grow corn where they live now, but in twenty or thirty years they won’t be able to because the climate won’t permit it,” he noted.
By bringing fresh produce into cities, urban farming can help address the racial inequalities that characterize food access in America.
It’s easy to imagine these problems converging in coming decades. Climate change causes refugees from low-lying areas to flock to cities, where they go hungry because rising seas have destroyed much of the world’s arable farmland. If they can eat at all, they rely on junk food because the remaining fecund land grows high-profit or subsidized crops. In its own way, urban farming can make a contribution to stop this spiral. It makes use of previously unutilized areas — especially rooftops and vacant lots — to grow more fresh, nutritious food, selling it to the communities that need it most at affordable prices.
Although urban farms do not necessarily operate under organic principles — a set of rules including prohibitions on pesticides and artificial fertilizers — many in the Boston area, including UFI and the OASIS farm, do. Those that do not are typically small, meaning that they cannot indiscriminately spray pesticides or fertilizer. The high price of water in many cities, meanwhile, has forced urban farmers to control their water usage or find new ways to get water.
Innovations in farming practices allow urban farmers to grow their produce without pesticides and fertilizers. In setting up a controlled environment for plants in a shipping container, Freight Farms has created a technology that allows plants to grow more efficiently, with inputs exactly tailored to the plants’ needs. “We’ve uncovered a world of ways that we can help the plant do what it wants to do best or do something it’s never been able to do without the use of chemicals, fertilizers, pesticides, and the like,” Friedman explained.
Beyond its environmental benefits, the green space created by urban farms also lifts property values and community spirits. Urban farming “turns urban spaces back into places where plants are being grown, where there’s oxygen being created, where there’s beautification happening,” Washington explained. “When you go from a vacant lot to an urban farm, it makes people happier.”
Banhazl added that urban farming helps to reduce emissions by decreasing the distance between the source and the consumer — a concept known as reducing ‘food miles’. “By localizing food, you cut down on all sorts of carbon emissions and use of resources [associated with] moving and trucking and distributing food from one point to another.”
Both Banhazl and Friedman emphasized the nutritional benefits of their business models. “The sooner you pick the food and then put it in your mouth, [the more] nutritional value you will get out of that plant,” Friedman explained, and the hyperlocal nature of Freight Farms’ containers (often located right next to the main consumers of the produce, such as restaurants as grocery stores) puts healthy produce into communities that need it. Furthermore, when local residents replace junk food or processed food with fresh vegetables, their health improves. “The whole idea is we’re tapping into local knowledge about healthy food and expanding it,” Knecht of the UFI explained.
Boston high school students visit the Freight Farms shipping containers, learning about innovations in agrotech.
Farming for Fairness
Every single person I spoke to emphasized food security in relation to urban farming. Many of the community gardens and nonprofits across Boston sell their produce at farm stands and farmers’ markets in their local communities, improving food access. Green City Growers donates a portion of their produce to local food banks and soup kitchens, while school gardens help provide at-risk teenagers with fresh produce in school lunches. Volunteering programs at many urban farms also provide residents with the opportunity to work with nature, which in turn encourages them to pick healthier foods when they go to the supermarket. In addition to teaching local residents how to grow their own food, the UFI’s farmer training program also helps them to develop useful skills for the workplace.
Above all, urban farms help to inspire the local community to grow their own food, which does the most to improve food access and nutrition. “The most successful thing is to inspire people to make a stronger connection to where their food comes from,” Cátala told me. “We have the ability to engage entire communities. It’s a small scale, but it’s still a scale that has a big impact, and it’s important to measure that.” Patricia Spence reiterated the importance of this point: “We say, whether you’ve got a little bit of dirt in the backyard, if you’ve got a porch, if you’ve got a windowsill, we want you growing food.”
Spence noted the impact urban farming can have beyond nutrition, citing two stories that have stuck with her. “Chris was a part of our class of 2014, and the success of our program is Chris’s story. He was reentering the workforce, he had been incarcerated. It took him a year or two to get into the program, but he went through the program in the 2014 year, lost 100 pounds, and learned what a real tomato tastes like. He became our tomato expert,” Spence began.
“He went on to work with at the Commonwealth Kitchen, this wonderful incubator of food businesses. A lot of the food trucks you see around the city actually do their food there. Chris started with working them, but after two years, he actually was like, ‘I miss the dirt!’ So he came back, and he was with us seasonally for the past two years, and he became our production manager. As of this year, I’m sorry to say, he’s not coming back because he has a full-time job at the Commonwealth Kitchen, and he’s a manager. I am sad, but it’s exactly what we want.”
“If you look at Ronald, it’s a similar story. When Ronald came to us, he was extremely quiet, a very, very quiet man, didn’t say a word. But he was a prolific journaler. He just wrote and wrote. We had to keep giving him journal books. By the end of the class, everyone was saying, ‘You talk all the time now!’ He went to work for the Commonwealth Kitchen as well, and he’s been there for four years. We had a big fundraiser last year, and he was asked to speak. This guy who didn’t speak spoke for seven minutes, I timed him, no script. He said this was the best year of his life.”
Up, Up, and Away
Dickson Despommier thinks he has another way to transform lives through food: vertical farming. Vertical farming is not a new idea, but its widespread implementation in the United States could radically change the way we think about urban farming. The HPR interviewed Despommier, who originally came up with the idea in 1999; he defined vertical farming as a “multiple-story greenhouse.” In the first few years, Despommier and the students who worked with him labored in obscurity. “We just carried out as if we were living on an iceberg somewhere floating in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, and nobody would ever read anything we did or care about what we did, so we did whatever we want. That’s the best way to approach any problem: There’s no limits on the kinds of solutions you can suggest for something as long as the solutions make sense ecologically.”
In recent years, though, larger-scale farms making true use of the vertical farm concept have sprouted up in cities across the world. AeroFarms has four farms in the city of Newark. Using what it calls a “smart aeroponic” technology, it claims to use 95 percent less water than traditional agriculture to produce yields of 370 times that of the standard model. In Japan, Spread Company recently built a vertical farm in ‘Japan’s Silicon Valley’ with automated temperature, humidity, and maintenance controls. Singapore’s Sky Greens also operates a commercially successful vertical farm, consisting of several 4-story translucent structures. Many other businesses have developed smaller-scale vertical farm operations that can take advantage of unused garage space in private residences.
At this point, three major technologies form the basis of the majority of indoor farming projects globally: hydroponics, aeroponics, and aquaponics. Despommier described each system for the HPR. In the main hydroponic technology, plant roots take in an oxygen-infused nutrient mixture through holes in PVC pipes. However, this technology suffers from competing temperature priorities: High temperatures allow more nutrients to be dissolved but also less oxygen. Despite this, the technology remains common: Freight Farms and Grove Labs both rely upon hydroponics for their systems.
Freight Farms uses innovative technologies and methods like hydroponics to grow produce within shipping containers.
Aeroponics solves the temperature problem in hydroponics by suspending roots in a chamber, where a nutrient-rich mist is sprayed. However, aeroponics has a valve problem: The valves involved in spraying the mist “routinely clog up, and that became a big problem with troubleshooting. It’s a mess,” Despommier said. Fortunately, a Chinese company, AEssence Grows, has developed a much more reliable valve, one that makes aeroponic systems a lot more viable, he told the HPR.
A third option has also emerged: aquaponics, a combination of aquaculture — fish farming — and hydroponics. In aquaponics, the farm owner feeds tilapia or other kinds of herbivorous fish plant material. The fish then, for lack of a better expression, excrete waste into the water. After the farmer removes the ammonia from the system, the plants take up the nutrients from the fish waste. “This sets up an internal circular economy among the fish and the plants, and you get both for the price of one,” Despommier explained. “However, the big difficulty of this is that you get two completely different growth systems to worry about at the same time. Lots of things can go wrong, and they usually do.” As a result, aquaponics technology will require a lot more innovation before it can enter the world of large-scale vertical farming.
Any vertical farming project would need to be underpinned by one of these technologies, but Despommier has his favorite. “I think aeroponics is going to take over … You can squeeze in many more plants in aeroponics than hydroponics, and aeroponics uses far less resources, including water.”
Vertical farming makes a certain amount of sense agriculturally: you can grow food up instead of just out, and you can grow year-round indoors. Whether it makes sense economically, however, is another question: A recent study found that controlled environment agriculture (a more general term for indoor growing using technologies like hydroponics) in New York City contributed minimally to food security while expending significant resources on the controlled environment itself.
The answer to the vertical farming question may not be skyscrapers filled with stories and stories of aeroponics, but small hydroponic or aeroponic systems in people’s garages. Vertical farming technology seems more suited to for-profit businesses and restaurants hawking hyperlocal produce rather than community organizations focusing on city-wide food security.
Farms from Sea to Shining Sea
Boston has become a hub for urban farming, but many of the largest American cities have their own thriving urban farming ecosystems which include and go beyond vertical farming. It would be mind-numbingly boring to list the urban farms successfully operating in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and a range of other American cities. Cities with an especially sustainable and progressive bent, such as Austin, Seattle, and Portland, are particularly well-known for their urban farms.
Urban farms in these cities generally follow the same model as Boston: a mixture of nonprofits and businesses, greenhouses, rooftop farms, and more traditional farms. Chicago’s urban farms deserve some special note: The city boasts the world’s largest rooftop farm and the country’s largest aquaponic formation. New York schools, meanwhile, have introduced programs that allow students to grow food for their own cafeterias.
Although urban farms have their place in thriving cities, they can also play a role in revitalizing Rust Belt cities suffering because of the steel industry’s decline. Nonprofits have proposed turning vacant Cleveland lots into urban farms that could serve as the centerpieces of new communities, looking to Detroit — a real-life case study for urban farming, its relationship with food and racial justice, and its role in urban renewal. The housing crisis left lots vacant across the city, and many farmers have come to view these lots as an advantage. For example, a for-profit company recently bought 1,500 vacant lots to develop into the world’s largest urban farm. Community gardens have also bought vacant lots, where African-American and Hmong communities, among others, have used the idea of urban farming to reclaim their cultural heritage, educate their youth about food issues, and regain agency in food production.
Mary Carol Hunter, a professor at the School for Environment and Sustainability at the University of Michigan, agreed to talk to the HPR about the urban farming scene in Detroit, which she noted was, of course, too expansive to cover entirely in a single interview. Initially, Detroit urban farms faced strict regulations on the sale of food, Hunter explained, but then an entrepreneur named Dan Carmody stepped in. Carmody, who took over the local food wholesaler Detroit Eastern Market, “decided it was important to have it be a community building, even though it was a for-profit business,” she said. Over the better part of a decade, the market set up a nonprofit “to help people get a business started where they could sell their food and [gave them] all the support services that went along with it … They really wanted to get a value-added product from the food.” This nonprofit has been instrumental in enabling urban farms in Detroit to create jobs and make money selling local, nutritious food, Hunter argued.
Another key figure in the thriving Detroit urban farming scene is Malik Yakini. A former teacher and principal, Yakini realized the “incredible benefit [that] came to the kids who were actually participating” in hands-on farming. Today, Yakini runs the Detroit Black Community Food Security Network, which has emerged as an important voice in Detroit’s black community on a number of issues besides food security.
A second nonprofit, Keep Growing Detroit, has also served as a key actor in growing the Detroit urban farming industry. Several years ago, the organization realized that “they would be a much more powerful group if they focused on teaching leaders in all the communities and having them bring the information back to their own neighborhood,” Hunter said. That approach, she argued, “almost single-handedly removed the neoliberalism problem of nonprofits going into underserved areas and trying to ‘help.’”
Despite this range of benefits, urban farms have not received an exclusively positive response. The Atlantic’s Conor Friedersdorf argued that vacant lots in San Francisco should be transformed into affordable housing units instead of urban farms, while the Detroit Metro Times criticized what it called “colonialism” in one urban farm giving away its produce. By giving away food for free, the farm competed with other locally-owned farms that sold their produce at farmers’ markets, ultimately harming the community, the paper charged. Environmentally, meanwhile, a recent study from Sydney, Australia found that urban farms there used as much fertilizer as conventional farms.
Some of these concerns have merit, particularly ones regarding affordable housing, but each of these three critiques of urban farming examined one city in particular, and urban farming projects all have different local constraints. What may work in one city may not work in another, and vice versa. Putting community members at the helm of these urban farming projects can mitigate some of these concerns by allowing people with local knowledge to make crucial decisions around priority-setting and program design.
“By Definition Challenging”
Of course, the main challenge urban farmers face is the environment. “If any farmer or gardener says they’re an expert, they’re lying, because the only expert is Mother Nature. She will bring you to your knees if you think you know it all, she’ll test you,” Karen Washington said. For example, the OASIS on Ballou farm struggles to contend with its hillside location, Apolo Cátala told me. Meanwhile, Phoenix urban farmers must heavily irrigate their farms or use native plants since their city is located in the middle of a desert. Unsurprisingly, Phoenix’s heavily alkaline, salty, and rocky soil is quite poor.
Detroit urban farmers, meanwhile, contend with industrial pollutants such as lead and mercury in the soil leftover from the city’s industrial heyday. Leaded gasoline and “manufacturing concerns were the worst pollutants, and the stuff is airborne. But [lead] is everywhere,” Hunter said. “I know that in the area of the Ambassador Bridge, there have been some [manufacturing] plants … that still release a lot of airborne toxins. People who live in those areas are reminded and encouraged not to grow leafy vegetables like lettuce because those plants actually absorb [the pollutants] directly from the air right into the food that you eat.”
Interestingly enough, artificially high water prices in Detroit also contribute to the city’s urban farming challenges. “Despite the fact that Detroit has a huge amount of quite delicious and healthy water, it costs a lot more than water should cost,” Hunter noted. Additionally, the city of Detroit has charged high fees to maintain its aging and crumbling infrastructure. “So people have had to do as much as they possibly can to set up gardens that are water-wise and set up things like rain barrels. It’s an economic issue, not a conservation issue.”
The question of money came up time and time again. “Ask Harvard for a million dollars, some of that endowment money would be much appreciated,” joked Patricia Spence of the UFI. “We could be growing more food on more lots, but the financing has slowed up the process considerably,” she continued more seriously. Washington also turned to the question of resources. “In marginalized communities, resources are next to none. Nonexistent,” she said, skewering local politicians for not providing enough money to urban farming.
Banhazl also emphasized the difficulty associated with getting funding in the beginning stages of her business. “We didn’t have the opportunity to raise a ton of capital all at once because people were like, ‘Why would I invest in local farming? That doesn’t seem like a viable commercial business,’ which clearly it is,” she noted. The process of getting money in fits and spurts, she explained, took up a lot of her time in the formative years of Green City Growers, reducing her ability to focus on innovating and developing.
Indeed, despite the local nuance associated with urban farming, this lack of money seems to be a consistent problem across the country — even in cities with favorable regulatory frameworks. California recently passed tax incentives to convert vacant lots into urban farms, while Houston has no zoning regulations whatsoever. Yet urban farmers in Los Angeles have not taken the state up on its offer, with some landholders reportedly holding off for future development or because urban farms simply do not make enough money. Similarly, land in the Houston urban center is surprisingly expensive, and one of the few urban farms in the city worries that the city will terminate its lease in favor of future development.
Creating the Green Thumb
Obviously, a one-size-fits-all policy solution will not work for every urban farm in every city across the country, but a couple of solutions stick out. First, cities with unfriendly regulatory frameworks need to change those rules to remove the red tape that prevents urban farms from expanding or even starting.
Second, cities and states need to give more resources to urban farms, especially nonprofit farms or community gardens. The businesses selling microgreens or farms in freight containers to trendy restaurants seem to be doing pretty well for themselves, but the urban farms that directly impact local communities largely depend on grant money and donations. Tax incentives for urban farms or direct investment in these farms could do the trick.
As I plodded around the urban farms I visited, as I kneeled down to smell the first inklings of pungent garlic, as I envisioned the small seedlings growing into full-fledged plants, I realized somebody has to grow the food I eat — and that somebody is unlikely to ever be me. But if I did grow my own food, I would care so much more about what I ate and how I ate it, and if I went to a farmer’s market every weekend to hold produce in my hands, I would probably eat a lot more vegetables.
Urban farming has this effect on people. It certainly affects communities quantitatively, improving their access to healthy, nutritious food, but its impact is also more qualitative — it’s hard to calculate the value of bringing communities closer to their food sources and closer to Mother Nature.
Chris and Ronald, the two men who benefited so much from the Urban Farming Institute’s training program, exemplify this point perfectly. Going through the UFI training was “a life-altering scenario for them that got them on a transformative path,” Patricia Spence told the HPR. “I thought this job was all about food, but it’s really all about people, and food is a vehicle. We’ve been able to transform all these lives through this thing called growing food.”
Let’s grow more food.
The cover art for this article was created by Kelsey Chen, a student at Harvard College, for the exclusive use of the HPR’s Red Line.
Image Credits: Kendrick Foster / Matthew Rossi / Freight Farms / Freight Farms
Raising The Roof: Cultivating Singapore’s Urban Farming Scene
Whether you’re wandering through a residential area or exploring the recently re-opened Funan mall, you may have noticed new urban farms sprouting up – flourishing with fruit, herbs and vegetables, occasionally tilapia inconspicuously swimming in an aquaponics system
September 23, 2019
by STACEY RODRIGUES
NOKA by Open Farm Community at Funan Mall is one of the latest urban farms to take root in Singapore. (Photo: NOKA)
Call it a social movement or Singapore’s solution to sustainable self-sufficiency, but urban farming in our garden city is growing to new heights.
Whether you’re wandering through a residential area or exploring the recently re-opened Funan mall, you may have noticed new urban farms sprouting up – flourishing with fruit, herbs, and vegetables, occasionally tilapia inconspicuously swimming in an aquaponics system.
Urban farming has become quite a bit more than a fad or innovation showcase for our garden city. “The practice of urban farming has picked up in scale and sophistication globally in recent years,” said an Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) spokesperson.
“In Singapore, we encourage innovative urban farming approaches such as rooftop farming, which optimizes land, introduces more greenery into the built environment, and potentially enhances our food supply resilience.”
Several companies have taken on the gargantuan task of cultivating the urban farming scene here. Rooftop farming pioneer, Comcrop (short for Community Crop), has been hard at work with its latest commercial farm, an 11-month-old greenhouse in Woodlands Loop. Edible Garden City (EGC) has more than 200 farms across the island and works closely with restaurants to ensure sustainable supply and demand.
READ> WHY THIS MICHELIN STAR CHEF SPENDS SO MUCH TIME ON SINGAPORE FARMS
Indoor micro-greens being grown at NOKA. (Photo: NOKA)
Citiponics has made a name for itself building water-efficient aqua organic “growing towers” that can be used to build anything from butterhead lettuce to sweet basil. In April this year, they opened the first commercial farm on the rooftop of a multi-story car park. The farm produces vegetables sold at the Ang Mo Kio Hub outlet of NTUC FairPrice under the brand, LeafWell.
Sky Greens is arguably the most impressive urban farming venture. It is the world’s first low carbon, hydraulic driven vertical farm, and has been recognized globally for its sustainability innovation.
There are several benefits to having our farms so close to home. Through community gardens or access to commercial-scale farm produce, the public have an opportunity to understand how food is grown.
As urban farmers take great care to ensure produce is pesticide-free, while incorporating sustainable zero-waste and energy-saving practices, there is also comfort in knowing where the food comes from and its impact on the environment.
READ> THE ARCHITECTS OUT TO SAVE THE WORLD THROUGH SUSTAINABLE DESIGN
Mushrooms fruiting in a chamber at NOKA. (Photo: NOKA)
“Having food production within the city or heartland [also] brings food closer to the consumers as it cuts transport costs and carbon emissions, and may improve environmental sustainability,” said a spokesperson from the Singapore Food Agency (SFA), the new statutory board created in April this year to develop the food supply and industry.
However, there are also broader concerns of the impact of climate change and food security in Singapore. It is why much is being done by the likes of the SFA to achieve “30 by 30” – “which is to develop the capability and capacity of our agri-food industry to produce 30 per cent of Singapore’s nutritional needs by 2030,” said the SFA. “Local production will help mitigate our reliance on imports and serve as a buffer during supply disruptions to import sources.”
Singapore still has a long way to go as the urban farming scene is still a very young one. But there are opportunities for growth given the continued development here. In the URA’s latest phase of the Landscaping for Urban Spaces and High-Rises (LUSH) 3.0 scheme, “developers of commercial and hotel buildings located in high footfall areas can propose rooftop farms to meet landscape replacement requirements.”
Naturally, developers are taking advantage of this. One of the newest kids on the block is the urban rooftop farm run by EGC for new Japanese restaurant, Noka by Open Farm Community at Funan. Noka is putting its money on offering Japanese cuisine that infuses local ingredients, from the butterfly blue pea to the ulam raja flower – ingredients grown and tended to by the farmers at EGC’s 5,000 sq. ft. urban garden just outside Noka’s windows.
(Photo: WOHA)
“The urban farming space is still in the emerging stages of development,” said Bjorn Low, co-founder of EGC. “We are literally scratching the surface of what’s possible. The areas of growth are in the application of urban food production in urban design and city planning, the use of urban farms for deeper community engagement and the role urban farms plays in creating social and environmental impact in the city.”
While many farmers have found ways to convert existing rooftop spaces into farms or gardens, Jonathan Choe, associate at WOHA Architects, says that one of the greatest opportunities to advance urban farming in Singapore is to build an entirely integrated system that not only incorporates growing spaces, but also how these farms can interact with the entire building infrastructure – from building cooling measures to water recycling and energy management. The firm, which has their own testbed rooftop garden, is currently working on the upcoming Punggol Digital District development.
Dwarf bok choy. (Photo: WOHA)
READ> THE ARCHITECTS DESIGNING THE PUNGGOL DIGITAL DISTRICT ON CREATING A GREENER SINGAPORE
But the greatest challenge for urban farmers is truly economies of scale. “Agriculture on its own is already a challenging industry due to industrialization of farming and our food system,” said Low. “Scale is a limiting factor in the city, and urban farming business models need to be able to adapt to both the challenges of a globalized food system and the availability of cheap food, whilst operating in areas of high cost and overheads.”
It begins with cultivating an awareness of and demand for local produce amongst both consumers and businesses alike. For Cynthia Chua, co-founder of Spa Esprit Group – the people behind Noka – taking an interest in agriculture is more than necessary, as it will have long-term benefits in preparing for the future generation of Singaporeans.
White radishes. (Photo: WOHA)
READ> HOW SINGAPORE’S RESTAURATEURS ARE RISING TO THE CHALLENGES OF SUSTAINABILITY
Restaurants like Noka, which choose to highlight local produce are an easy way in for consumers to learn about the benefits of supporting local farming businesses. As a business owner, Chua has also noticed that “traveling chefs from different countries are gaining interest in playing with our tropical produce.” In Chua’s opinion, it is the “right timing” to push innovation and continue to turn this “scene” into a fully sustainable industry.
“As a city-state, the general population is disconnected from farming and the way food is being farmed,” said Low. “Urban farms should become touchpoints for us to learn about sustainable agriculture techniques, and encourage consumers in Singapore to eat more responsibly, locally and ethically.”
Commercial Aquaponics Workshop At Auburn University
Are you trying to break into the aquaculture industry or already working in the field and looking to gain additional expertise for career development?
Auburn University’s Aquaculture And Fisheries Business Institute
Will Hold A Commercial Aquaponics Workshop
In Auburn, Alabama From 11-13 November.
24 September 2019
The workshop will include two days of lectures, hands-on activities and a tour at the Aquaponics Greenhouse at the Auburn Fisheries Station. On the third day, there will be a field trip to a commercial aquaponics facility in Birmingham, Alabama. Attendees will have the opportunity to see and hear about commercial aquaponic systems and their operations.
Aquaponic Workshops are offered as a response to the community’s overwhelming interest in aquaponics. Participants will receive detailed instruction on the basics of aquaponics, a tour of the school’s fish and plant greenhouses and guidance on designing and constructing aquaponics systems. No prior skills or training are required.
A combination of aquaculture and hydroponics, aquaponics combines the practice of raising aquatic animals in tanks with the cultivation of plants in water. An aquaponics system utilizes the animals’ waste to nourish the plants, while the plants, in turn, help clean the water.
Presenters include Mr. Huy Tran, Dr. Jesse Chappell, Dr. Terry Hanson, Dr. Fred Petit, and more. Seating is limited to 30 people so please register early.
Please contact David Cline, clinedj@auburn.edu or Amy Stone at Amy@aquaticed.com for more information or visit Auburn University's aquaponics page
Click Here To Register For The Auburn's Workshop
On 11/11-11/13/2019
Nurturing The Seeds of Vertical Farming
Vertical farming involves building indoor farms with LED lights to replace the sun and control every single variable in that farm to optimize plant growth
09.10.2019
By Dan Malovany
Vertical farming today is moving from a conceptual phase to the mainstream as a greater abundance of food is profitably grown in urban areas and new crops come under development, said Henry Gordon-Smith, founder, Agritecture Consulting Services during his Fresh Take Talk at the International Baking Industry Exposition on this cutting-edge movement on Sept. 8.
Vertical farming involves building indoor farms with LED lights to replace the sun and control every single variable in that farm to optimize plant growth. Despite the fact the first U.S. vertical farms are less than a decade old, the sustainable industry has blossomed with the flourishing demand for local, safe produce and farm-fresh ingredients as well as the need of city dwellers concerned about climate change to reconnect with food systems in their local communities.
Such farms allow craft bakers, high-end retailers and fine restaurants to fill a void and offer fresh-grown food harvested year-round.
“Retailers should think about value-added products through vertical farming through enhancing the retail experience or through growing something that could be used in their bakery products,” Mr. Gordon-Smith said.
He added they create the opportunity to cultivate customer loyalty through marketing value-added baked foods with herbs, vegetables and other free-from-pesticides ingredients harvested in their store or at a nearly indoor farm. These herbs and vegetables also can be sown in larger vertical farms that offer fresh seasonal food or in a smaller unit inside a store that also promotes a theater of community that grounds city dwellers with the food they consume.
The multi-level farms range from 250 square feet for a small retail shop to 3,000 to 10,000 square feet for a medium-sized operation that supplies the nearby neighborhood. The world’s largest one is about 60,000 square feet. Mr. Gordon-Smith said vertical farming is prospering globally, especially in colder climates and congested urban areas where farm-fresh food isn’t readily available.
Typically, wheat isn’t the best crop for vertical farms, mainly because it takes so much space to grow the volume needed to produce baked foods. Mr. Gordon-Smith added that wheat requires a soil structure that hydroponic soil cannot provide, although there may be opportunities to foster the growth of heirloom and specialty wheat as the trend expands. However, rosemary and other key minor fresh components in baked goods are more practical today.
“You’re essentially driving the value of a fresh product, and fresh wheat isn’t a huge value proposition because it’s stored and transports very well,” Mr. Gordon-Smith said. “Fresh lettuce doesn’t, so you can see why fresh lettuce and other products would be grown in a vertical farm and not wheat.”
Mr. Gordon-Smith expected vertical farming research of wheat, cocoa and other value-added commodities could become more widely available in five years. In recent years, he added, the quality of wheat has deteriorated due to myriad variables. The urban farms provide the possibility of naturally raising the quality of wheat by controlling all of the variables involved in growing the crop.
“We’re going to see more and more research on how to grow wheat indoors and how to develop indoor systems to grow wheat,” he said.
Lead photo: Source: Adobe Stock
The Land Over The Fence: How One New Yorker Moved To The Midwest And Built Her Urban Farm
There’s a stereotype about New Yorkers that we can’t see west past the Hudson River. When I moved here, my family repeatedly asked if I was warm enough and offered to send extra blankets despite the fact that I was just two states away
Reader Contribution By Jodi Kushins, Over the Fence Urban Farm
9/16/2019
I spent the bulk of my childhood and young adult years in metro New York. The daughter of two hard-working physicians, I wasn’t born to be a farmer. And still, I’m sitting here today with dirt under my fingernails and a to-do list that includes water the seedbed, harvest tomatoes, and clean the coop.
In 2003, I moved to Columbus, Ohio, to attend graduate school at Ohio State University (OSU). OSU is so big it has its own zip code. So, while I never lived on campus, it was the center of my world. I didn’t consider myself a resident of the city as much as the university. All that changed when I graduated and decided to make Ohio my home.
There’s a stereotype about New Yorkers that we can’t see west past the Hudson River. When I moved here, my family repeatedly asked if I was warm enough and offered to send extra blankets despite the fact that I was just two states away. I had driven across the country once or twice by then, but I never really got out beside the National Parks and big cities. I had no sense of life in the Midwest before I got here beyond the faint notion that people worked hard and they grew things.
What I learned was that Columbus is a city where people make things and make things happen. Ideas take root here and people support and celebrate the pursuits of their friends and neighbors. Perhaps there are lots of places like Columbus. I hope so.
Finding Land and Taking Advice
The land Over the Fence, November 2013. Photo by Jodi Kushins
When I met him in 2005, my husband was living in a house he bought from his grandmother; the house his mother grew up in. His grandfather had kept a large kitchen garden out back and his grandmother had a canning station in the basement. Dan was also an avid gardener, but he had two kids, a dog, and a job and was trying to keep it all together. Together we slowly resurrected his grandfather’s corner of the yard.
I took advice from a wide range of sources. One friend encouraged me to keep on top of weeds before they became a problem. One extolled the importance of watering, deeply and regularly. Another taught me how to lift sod and soon our backyard was transformed from a patch of crabgrass to an ever-evolving menagerie of flowering and fruiting trees and shrubs. I subscribed to MOTHER EARTH NEWS magazine and I read about backyard sharing. And by 2013, we devised a plan to increase our space.
Over the fence from our garden sat a patch of land that was rarely walked on other than the person who mowed it. Our kids played back there from time to time, but our neighbor on that side was elderly and it was more than she needed. I devised a plan to lease the land from her but just as I was preparing to approach her, she had a bad fall and was moved to an assisted living facility.
When her children were ready to sell the house, Dan and I bought it with the intention of turning the yard into an urban farm and the house into a rental property. In a twist of fate, his parents wound up moving in and we have all enjoyed the inter-generational proximity, to one another and to the land.
Starting an Urban CSA
In full bloom, August 2017. Photo by Jodi Kushins
I will never forget how we took possession of the house one day and rented a sod lifter the next. After initial amending and tilling, we planted our first crop of garlic (about 100 feet) that week, and it was the best decision we could have made. A few months later, the farm was bursting with new growth. Those initial beds served as our beacon. We had already done something right.
Over that winter, I reached out to our family and friends with invitations to join our CSA. We got a small group of supporters, enough to help us pay for start-up supplies. Our first season was more successful than I could have imagined. We had tons of help from our members establishing beds and tending plants throughout the season.
We’ve had high points and low since then. The weather is a never-ending source of aggravation and sometimes wrangling folks to work feels a lot like herding cats. But I get out there every day and find something to marvel at, something to nibble, something to question.
When we started the project I hesitated to call it a farm or myself a farmer. Six seasons later, it feels like home.
Photos by Jodi Kushins
Jodi Kushins owns and operates Over the Fence Urban Farm, a cooperatively maintained, community-supported agricultural project located in Columbus, Ohio. The farm, founded in 2013, is an experiment in creative placemaking, an outgrowth of Jodi’s training as an artist, teacher, and researcher. Connect with Jodi on Facebook and Instagram, and read all of her MOTHER EARTH NEWS posts here.
Tags: urban homesteading, urban agriculture, community supported agriculture, placemaking, Ohio, Jodi Kushins,
Sustainable Packaging With Biocomposites
The food industry in particular, but also other industries, are looking for more sustainable packaging solutions that do not compromise the quality of the packaging. Here, biocomposites can offer completely new solutions that can also be convincing in terms of feel and appearance.
8th Biocomposites Conference Cologne
14–15 November 2019, Maternushaus, Cologne, Germany
The food industry in particular, but also other industries, are looking for more sustainable packaging solutions that do not compromise the quality of the packaging. Here, biocomposites can offer completely new solutions that can also be convincing in terms of feel and appearance. Leading companies from Finland, Norway, and Germany will present their latest developments. The packaging session will be followed by the sustainability session. The sustainability of biocomposites and their role in the circular economy will be demonstrated using several examples from the automotive, construction and toys sectors.
Sebastian Meyer, Golden Compound (DE): Sunflower Seed Shells: A Unique Raw material for Biocomposites - Abstract here
Maija Pohjakallio, Sulapac (FI): Material Innovations that Leave no Microplastics Behind - Abstract here
Anselm Wohlfahrt, Institut für Holztechnologie Dresden (DE): Mushroom-based Material as a Plastic Alternative - Abstract here
Thomas Kristiansen, Borregaard (NO): Sprucing up Bio-composites
Michael Carus, nova-Institut (DE): Sustainability of Natural Fibres and Biocomposites
Hans Korte, DR. HANS KORTE Innovationsberatung Holz & Fasern (DE): How the Environment Benefits from a Wood-based Composite Nail Compared to a Steel Nail - Abstract here
Hanaa Dahy, BioMat at ITKE / University of Stuttgart (DE): Re-thinking Sustainability in the Building Industry: BIO-Materialisation & Digitalisation - Abstract here
Ana Ibánez Garcia, AIJU-Technological Institute for Children`s product and leisure (ES): Let`s Play to be more Sustainable - Abstract here
Lisa Wikström, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland (FI): Biocomposites in Circular Economy - Abstract here
Have you considered to book a booth? You find information on the exhibition here. Experience shows that the exhibition is booked out very quickly.
If you will come with some colleagues and book a booth, sponsoring can be a very attractive option! You are welcome to benefit from the highly innovative business environment as a sponsor of the Biocomposites Conference.
Marijuana Study Finds CBD Can Cause Liver Damage
Researchers at the University of Arkansas for Medical Science recently rolled up their sleeves to investigate CBD hepatotoxicity in mice.
June 18, 2019
Mike Adams Contributor
Vices I cover various facets of the cannabis culture.
Image Credit | Urine Drug Test
There is no denying that cannabidiol, more commonly referred to as CBD, is rapidly becoming more popular in the United States than sliced bread. It is a hot trend that got started several years ago after Dr. Sanja Gupta showed the nation in his documentary 'Weed 2' just how this non-intoxicating component of the cannabis plant was preventing epileptic children from having seizures.
Since then, CBD, a substance often touted as being safer than popping pills, has become highly revered as an alternative treatment for a variety of common ailments from anxiety to chronic pain. But a new study suggests that CBD may spawn its fair share of health issues. Specifically, scientists have learned that this substance could be damaging our livers in the same way as alcohol and other drugs.
Researchers at the University of Arkansas for Medical Science recently rolled up their sleeves to investigate CBD hepatotoxicity in mice. What they found was while this cannabis derivative is gaining significant recognition as of late in the world of wellness, people that use CBD are at an elevated risk for liver toxicity.
The findings, which were published earlier this year in the journal Molecules, suggest that while people may be using CBD as a safer alternative to conventional pain relievers, like acetaminophen, the compound may actually be just as harmful to their livers.
It is the methods used in this study that makes it most interesting.
First, researchers utilized all of the dosage and safety recommendations from a CBD-based drug known as Epidiolex. If this name sounds familiar, it should. Last year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved it as a treatment for certain kinds of childhood epilepsy. It was a development that marked the first time in history that a cannabis-based medicine was approved for nationwide distribution in the United States.
Lead photo: Hemp oil, Hand holding bottle of Cannabis oil against Marijuana plant, CBD oil pipette. alternative remedy or medication,medicine concept | GETTY
BREAKING NEWS: Gordon Food Service-Square Roots Partnership’s First Indoor Farm Campus, Next-Gen Farmers
Gordon Food Service and Square Roots, the technology leader in urban indoor farming, today celebrated the opening of their strategic partnership ’s first co-located farm at a ribbon-cutting event on the campus of Gordon Food Service’s headquarters in Wyoming, MI
SEPTEMBER 30, 2019
Gordon Food Service and Square Roots, the technology leader in urban indoor farming, today celebrated the opening of their strategic partnership ’s first co-located farm at a ribbon-cutting event on the campus of Gordon Food Service’s headquarters in Wyoming, MI. In addition to executives and staff from both companies, guests included customers and local, state, and federal government officials. Attendees learned more about the facility, the first of its kind hosted by a broad-line foodservice distributor, including a tour of the indoor farm’s operations.
An artist's rendering of the new Square Roots' indoor farm at Gordon Food Service, Wyoming, Mich. ( Courtesy Square Roots )
In his remarks, Rich Wolowski, president and chief executive officer of Gordon Food Service, said, “We’re building exciting relationships with change agents that are helping to reshape how food is produced, prepared, and served — and Square Roots is a great example of leading-edge thinking and technology driving new solutions. We know it’s imperative that we participate in the future, today, to ensure we are relevant tomorrow, and this is a model that could help revolutionize our food systems. And it’s great that we can prove the concept in our own backyard.”
The modular indoor farm, sited on less than two acres of the Gordon Food Service headquarters property, was almost immediately in production following construction completion earlier this month. The ten cloud-connected growing units, employing sophisticated, digitally-controlled hydroponics and LED lighting systems, are projected to produce more than 50,000 pounds of premium herbs and greens annually, or roughly the equivalent production of a traditional 50-acre farm. However, unlike more typical agriculture, the Square Roots produce will be non-GMO, pesticide-free, and harvested all year long. Initial crops will include basil, chives and mint. The herbs will be sold to local foodservice customers in Grand Rapids as well as throughout Michigan, northern Indiana, and Ohio.
The companies noted that this first farm installation serves as a template, with ambitions to see additional indoor farms on or near Gordon Food Service’s more than two dozen distribution centers across Canada and the eastern U.S.
Tobias Peggs, Square Roots co-founder, and CEO, noted, “This partnership reflects our shared commitment to local, real food and at a scale that will serve people and communities across North America. But it’s also Square Roots’ mission to empower the next generation of leaders in urban farming.
Through our Next-Gen Farmer Training Program, we train future farmers in all aspects of local food systems — from seed to shelf. And with each new Square Roots farm, the Next-Gen Farmer Training Program opens doors for more young people to start exciting careers in the agriculture industry.”
The new farm is tended by a cohort of Next-Gen Farmers selected by Square Roots as part of their unique Next-Gen Farmer Training Program. The paid, full-time and year-long commitment has attracted thousands of diverse applicants eager to be change-makers at the forefront of urban agriculture and contributing to the local, real food movement. Half of the Michigan team hails from in-state while others come from as far away as Texas and New York.
Wolowski said, “We are excited to be the first broad-line foodservice distributor to host an urban farm, with the ability to bring fresh, hyper-local produce to our customers year-round. It’s an important example of our pursuit of innovation to better serve our foodservice customers, and our customers’ customers while answering the growing demand for fresh, nutritious and local food.”
Social Entrepreneur: Roots Up Wants To Expand Access To Urban Farming
Roots Up will manufacture and operate systems that enable efficient growing of food literally in the hallway of a home, the dining room of a restaurant and, at larger scale, in a garage, parking lot or empty urban lot
By Allen Proctor
September 26, 2019
John Schrock is an engineer who has an idea for how to transform the farm to table movement. Having worked on the concept for several years, this summer he plugged into Sea Change, an accelerator program in Central Ohio focused on jumpstarting social enterprises.
Roots Up will manufacture and operate systems that enable efficient growing of food literally in the hallway of a home, the dining room of a restaurant and, at larger scale, in a garage, parking lot or empty urban lot.
We talked with John to see how an accelerator helped and what he hopes Roots Up to become.
What is the problem you are solving?
Our food system is already strained and not sustainable as we expect 25% population growth. Water is scarce, traditional farmland is shrinking, shipping food long distances increases waste and cost. We need to make it more practical and affordable to produce food nearer our homes, workplaces, and restaurants.
Sounds like urban farming, which has had limited success. What are you doing differently?
The team and I have been able to learn from the initial wave of urban farming the last five years and understand how and why some groups failed, or succeeded, for very different reasons. We are creating a new approach to urban farming, which is why we use the phrase “urban farming re-invented.”
The first differentiator is that we are moving away from “urban gardening,” which is an outdoor and seasonal effort in Ohio, often in low-quality urban soil, usually volunteer-dependent, and with limited access to water. Our approach we call “urban farming,” which is year-round production in an efficient design that saves space, is not dependent on the seasonality of rain and sunlight, and is easy to maintain.
The second differentiator is to provide a range of sizes from food racks of eight square feet up to 40,000-square-foot systems of multiple 8-foot by 20-foot food containers. We will build to meet the demand of our partners, as compared to some other (vertical or indoor) urban farms that tried to build first and sell later. A chef or restaurant or apartment manager or school or nonprofit knows they want to grow a certain amount of specific vegetables year-round, and we build a custom solution to meet their needs.
The third differentiator is that we are not just growing herbs and greens to focus on high margin growth, but diversifying the portfolio with mushrooms and hearty vegetables.
How did you use the Sea Change accelerator program to develop your concept?
Sea Change was very helpful in refining our mission and the social impact that is feasible. This led to better messaging and more productive conversations. We have done macro and micro market research and understand better how to strategize the business growth. We believe we can donate 5% of all produce to local charities. It helped us to refine our pitch and, with some financial support from the final pitch, we have some runway to solidify the remaining pieces to get us to an established business.
Who are your ideal customers, what they would be buying from you, and how often?
Our ideal customers are successful, professional, consistent businesses with community-focused reputations, such as restaurants, hotels, corporate in-house food services, schools. They have a need for year-round food sourcing and prioritize quality, ethical, local food. For example, one local restaurant group with 10 locations is very interested in sourcing more locally and is currently spending an average of $40,000 per week on produce. We are able to supply them consistent food growth year-round that meets their existing demand and we can grow with them as they expand.
The food containers would be sized according to the amount of space they have available and the scale of their food needs. Our research has told us that customers would prefer us to locate the units near their locations but for us to operate them. So rather than buy or lease the units, they are essentially subscribing for specific volumes and types of food.
Where are you now in your development and what should we expect to see in the coming months?
We have a half-scale, fully operational unit in my garage that customers can tour by contacting info@rootsup.com. We have partnered with COSI to set up a 20-foot food container. It will be on display outside of COSI and grow herbs, greens, microgreens, and mushrooms to provide weekly produce bags. These bags will be sold with a portion donated directly to a community partner.
We will further refine the business model numbers and continue to work with our architects and industrial designers to refine the systems. We look to being on the ground in 2020.
Allen J. Proctor is CEO of SocialVentures. Learn about local social enterprises at socialventurescbus.com/marketplace.
Allen Proctor, Proctor Consulting
NatureFresh Farms & NatureFresh Farms Sales Announce Internal Leadership Developments
NatureFresh Farms doesn’t only grow delicious produce – they also grow their people into confident, forward-thinking leaders
Leamington, ON (September 23rd, 2019)
NatureFresh Farms doesn’t only grow delicious produce – they also grow their people into confident, forward-thinking leaders. Cornelius Neufeld and Frank Neufeld have each been working in the greenhouse farming industry for over 20 years, gaining invaluable experience and knowledge that has accelerated their professional growth and development. In recent months, both Cornelius and Frank have taken on more prominent management roles within the NatureFresh Farms and NatureFresh Farms Sales organizations – helping each company achieve their ambitious goals for expansion and business growth.
Cornelius began his journey with NatureFresh Farms in 2011 as a Labor Manager. In 2015, Cornelius was presented with an opportunity to start working in Delta, Ohio as the Operations Manager at a brand-new 45-acre greenhouse facility. After 4 years in this role, Cornelius has now transitioned into a more expansive role – as Operations Manager for all NatureFresh Farms facilities located in both Canada and the United States.
For Cornelius, a new role means new opportunities to learn and work with farm-level team members in both Canada and the U.S.: “I’m excited to work alongside the great people we have at both our Canadian and American farms. I wouldn’t want to do what I do with any other company – the team at NatureFresh Farms is truly unique and the opportunities for professional development here are endless. This new role will have its challenging moments, but challenges are what make our successes that much more rewarding.”
It was also in 2011 that Frank started working at NatureFresh Farms as a Warehouse Manager. In 2016, Frank assumed the Operations Manager role for all the company’s greenhouse facilities based in Leamington, ON, which at the time totaled 130 acres. In recent months, Frank has fully transitioned into a new role as the Sales Manager with NatureFresh Farms Sales – introducing him to a new side of the greenhouse vegetable business.
An eager team and opportunities for exponential growth has Frank excited for his new role with NatureFresh Farms Sales: “I plan to bring even greater structure to this young company that is quickly growing and full of potential. Like my previous role allowed, I’m also looking forward to growing our Sales staff so that they can find greater professional success. This team is enthusiastic and eager to make NatureFresh Farms Sales one of the best produce marketers in the world – there is a lot to be excited about here.”
Both Cornelius and Frank identified the same key challenge within their new roles – to ensure that, in the coming years, they find the most capable individuals to join the NatureFresh Farms and NatureFresh Farms Sales teams. As each business continues to expand and more job opportunities are created, both Cornelius and Frank agree that it is essential to find key individuals who will help bring NatureFresh Farms and NatureFresh Farms Sales to even greater heights.
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About NatureFresh Farms -
NatureFresh Farms has grown to become one of the largest independent, vertically integrated greenhouse vegetable farmers in North America. Growing in Leamington, ON and Delta, OH, NatureFresh Farms prides itself on exceptional flavor & quality. Family owned NatureFresh Farms ships fresh greenhouse grown produce year- round to key retailers throughout North America.
SOURCE: NatureFresh Farms | info@naturefresh.ca T: 519 326 1111 | www.naturefresh.ca
Video: CO2 GRO Inc. Announces A New Website Devoted To Customers And Business Partners
Indoor CO2 gassing levels of 800-1500 ppm are also not ideal for worker health and safety. CO2 GRO's patented CO2 Delivery Solutions enables growers both indoor and outdoor to consistently deliver optimal amounts of CO2 to their plants via an aqueous CO2 solution, resulting in higher yields, shorter grow cycle times, safely and profitably as shown in numerous case studies
Indoor use of CO2 gassing has enhanced plant yields for over 60 years. However, over half of the CO2 gas is typically lost through leaks in indoor operations, and the vast majority of greenhouses cannot use CO2 since they require ventilation through which nearly all the CO2 in the air escapes. Of course outdoor growers cannot gas CO2 at all.
Indoor CO2 gassing levels of 800-1500 ppm are also not ideal for worker health and safety. CO2 GRO's patented CO2 Delivery Solutions enables growers both indoor and outdoor to consistently deliver optimal amounts of CO2 to their plants via an aqueous CO2 solution, resulting in higher yields, shorter grow cycle times, safely and profitably as shown in numerous case studies.
To visit our new website and view a CO2 Delivery Solutions introductory video please click on the image below or visit www.co2delivery.ca
For investor information please contact Sam Kanes, VP Communications at 1-416-315-7477 or sam.kanes@co2gro.ca
For grower or business partner information please call 1-888-496-1283 or email sales@co2gro.ca
Vertical Farms Offer Solution For Unused Urban Space
InvertiGro founder and CEO Ben Lee will showcase vertical farming, which makes use of urban space to grow food, at the City of Sydney’s Emergent 2050 expo next month
26 September 2019
Indoor vertical farming is a more efficient way of growing crops because it is a controlled environment, proponents say.
Vertical farms can boost community engagement while making good use of vacant urban spaces, the founder of a vertical farming startup says.
Ben Lee
InvertiGro founder and CEO Ben Lee will showcase vertical farming, which makes use of urban space to grow food, at the City of Sydney’s Emergent 2050 expo next month.
Mr. Lee says the functional nature of vertical farms distinguishes them from vertical gardens, which are more ornamental.
He says vertical farming is good for community engagement and sustainable food production and has particular benefits for children in urban areas.
“Lots of children around the world don’t have access to outdoor natural spaces,” he told Government News. “So these indoor farms or vertical farms have been quite beneficial in being able to help with their development.”
Vertical farms can fill up spaces such as disused warehouses and car parks, which Mr Lee predicts will become increasingly available.
“The thought process behind that is, as autonomous cars become more prevalent in the future, car parks will become more and more disused because… you can’t really convert underground spaces into living quarters, and there’s a saturation of retail that you can have,” he says.
A recent InvertiGro pop-up in the basement of Westpac’s Sydney headquarters. Source: InvertiGro.com
Benefits of farming in a controlled environment
Indoor vertical farming is currently seen as futuristic technology where food is grown in a “lab environment”, and this can often be a barrier to communities embracing it, Mr Lee says.
But he says these fears are unfounded.
“It’s not any different from being grown in the field,” he says. “In fact, it’s much better, it’s much more efficient, it’s cleaner.”
The conditions of indoor farms often prove more favorable than crops grown in the field.
“The reality is that with the shifting weather patterns, being able to grow efficiently in a controlled environment is actually better because you can control the amount of output thereby reducing waste,” he says.
“And in a controlled environment, you’re growing product that is cleaner and safer to eat without the risk of microbial contamination, which has happened in some instances in field-grown products.”
Mr. Lee says vertical farming is being widely adopted overseas.
“It’s already starting to be seen as more commonplace, especially in the US and Europe, where larger corporations or businesses are adopting these as part of their strategy for food production, and also to reduce their carbon footprint through the distribution chain,” he says.
“And with more and more of these business coming to the fore and more focus on it, it’s already becoming part of the landscape rather than being totally futuristic.”
When clients approach InvertiGro about starting a vertical farm, Mr. Lee and his team engage with them to find the right sites to use, plan what the farm will look like, consider capacity and costs required, and then mobilize the resources to implement the project.
Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore
He says InvertiGro is currently exploring opportunities to work with the City of Sydney to determine potential spaces for vertical farming.
Lord Mayor Clover Moore told Government News Council is continuing to explore existing and emerging technologies to utilize buildings and open spaces to support sustainable communities.
She said increasing urbanization, which 80 percent of the world’s population expected to live in urban areas by 2050, would lead to an increased demand for food, pressure on water supplies and stresses on transport systems.
“Vertical farming potentially offers a significant opportunity to address these issues,” she said.
Going beyond leafy greens and herbs
The potential of vertical farming goes beyond regular fruits and vegetables, Mr. Lee says.
“Outside of the leafy greens and herbs, we are able to use the same infrastructure to grow things like fibre for the material industry,” he says.
“And there’s a whole range of other applications, from medicinal plants to viticulture, which we’re very excited about.”
The 2050 Emergent expo on October 19 is a headline event of the Spark Festival and will showcase emerging technologies, initiatives and ideas shaping the future of Sydney.
It will feature more than 30 startups and 50 displays as well as presentations on green cities, alternative housing models and the sharing economy.
“This event is a unique opportunity to learn more about emerging ideas and technologies, connect with their creators and give everyone a say in the Sydney they’d like to see in 2050,” Lord Mayor Clover Moore said in a statement.
Sugarmade Introduces New State-of-the-art iPower Cultivation Equipment on Amazon.com
Sugarmade, Inc. (OTCQB: SGMD) ("Sugarmade", "SGMD", or the "Company"), a leading supplier of hydroponics and cultivation equipment and resources, is excited to introduce its new line of "iPower" branded inline duct ventilation fans
PR Newswire September 10, 2019
LOS ANGELES, Sept. 10, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Sugarmade, Inc. (SGMD) ("Sugarmade", "SGMD", or the "Company"), a leading supplier of hydroponics and cultivation equipment and resources, is excited to introduce its new line of "iPower" branded inline duct ventilation fans. Designed for durability, high-performance, and affordability, this advanced equipment for indoor and hydroponic cultivators is now available for immediate purchase on the Company's website at zenhydro.com and on Amazon.com.
"Indoor and greenhouse cultivation is becoming increasingly sophisticated, helping both hobbyists and commercial cultivators maximize output regardless of seasonality or weather conditions," commented Jimmy Chan, CEO of Sugarmade. "This sophistication, along with expanding mainstream interest in products derived from hemp and hemp-related crops in North America, has driven increasing interest in both indoor and hydroponics cultivation, which has helped to foster booming demand for related equipment. We have positioned Sugarmade as a leading supplier of superior quality equipment catering to that boom. And our new line of iPower inline fans represents the latest example of our commitment to that standard and strategy."
Management notes that the global indoor farming market is valued at more than $106 billion, with steady growth anticipated over coming years due to projected declines in arable land and increasing demand to cultivate newly legalized cash crops in North America, suggesting upward demand pressure on the indoor and hydroponics cultivation equipment and supplies market. The Company also believes the 2018 US Farm Bill, with its positive implications for hemp-related cultivation, will drive further growth in expected demand forecasts for indoor and hydroponic cultivation equipment suppliers.
To meet that expanded demand, the Company sees ventilation as a core product category in the indoor and hydroponic cultivation market, on par with advanced lighting and nutrient resources. In addition to its new state-of-the-art iPower inline ventilation fans, the Company also offers an extensive grow light product portfolio.
The iPower inline fan has been designed to produce superior air flow while optimizing energy efficiency and minimizing noise production through its advanced composite fan blade and center hub design, which reduces noise and vibration. iPower inline fans are available in 4-inch, 6-inch, or 8-inch models, can be used with or without iPower carbon filters and duct ventilation, and come packaged in a unique lightweight yet durable housing.
Mr. Chan continued, "We are confident that the iPower line represents the superior choice in the marketplace. iPower inline fans provide strong flexibility in configurations and include intelligent programing capabilities. They make an excellent addition to our growing product portfolio as we continue to build a leadership role in catering to a very wide market footprint, from hobbyist cultivators all the way through the largest commercial cultivators."
About Sugarmade and iPower Brands
iPower is a leading manufacturer of grow light systems; supplying gardeners, worldwide, for over a decade. The product lines use the transformative power of light to make gardening more efficient and productive. In addition to HPS/MH and Ceramic MH technology, iPower product offer digital ballasts, fluorescent, and LED lighting systems. Sugarmade Inc. is a product and brand marketing company investing in products and brands with disruptive potential.
For more information, visit the company's website at www.Sugarmade.com.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS: This release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements also may be included in other publicly available documents issued by the Company and in oral statements made by our officers and representatives from time to time. These forward-looking statements are intended to provide management's current expectations or plans for our future operating and financial performance, based on assumptions currently believed to be valid. They can be identified by the use of words such as "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "goal," "seek," "believe," "project," "estimate," "expect," "strategy," "future," "likely," "may," "should," "would," "could," "will" and other words of similar meaning in connection with a discussion of future operating or financial performance. Examples of forward looking statements include, among others, statements relating to future sales, earnings, cash flows, results of operations, uses of cash and other measures of financial performance.
Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the Company's actual results and financial condition to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. Such risks, uncertainties and other factors include, among others. such as, but not limited to economic conditions, changes in the laws or regulations, demand for products and services of the company, the effects of competition and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or represented in the forward looking statements.
Any forward-looking information provided in this release should be considered with these factors in mind. We assume no obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this report.
Contact:
Jimmy Chan
+1-(888)-982-1628
info@Sugarmade.com
VIDEO: Bibb Schools Install Hydroponic Gardens For Students To Grow Produce Indoors
Many Bibb County Schools have agriculture programs that use outdoor gardens, but at SOAR Academy, there isn't really enough space for one, so school leaders decided to install the district's first hydroponic gardens for students to farm inside
SOAR Academy students can grow vegetables and herbs year-round with a new indoor garden system.
Author: Pepper Baker
PSeptember 23, 2019
MACON, Ga. — Many Bibb County Schools have agriculture programs that use outdoor gardens, but at SOAR Academy, there isn't really enough space for one, so school leaders decided to install the district's first hydroponic gardens for students to farm inside
9th grader Z'nyiah Henderson and 10th grader Imani Ross haven't had a lot of experience gardening before.
"I know my grandma, she likes plants, so I always help her water her plants and stuff, but it's really a journey for me to start at school on something I ain't really ever did before," Henderson said.
Dalia Kinsey, a registered dietitian, says Bibb Schools' new hydroponic indoor garden units make it easy for students to learn how to grow their own produce.
"They're being watered all the time, and there is artificial sunlight being administered really consistently, so it's basically like you're growing plants in ideal conditions," Kinsey said.
Students can grow vegetables like lettuce and bok choy, or herbs like sage and cilantro, and they monitor its progress right from their phone.
"It's a smart unit, so on the app, it shows us when it's time to harvest when it's time to fertilize, when it's time to add water," Kinsey said.
The two units cost about $300 each.
School Nutrition Director Timikel Sharpe says students are seeing the farm to table process firsthand.
"We're teaching students where food comes from and how it's harvested and how it's used and we'll go as far as to use it in the cafeteria when it's done," Sharpe said.
Kinsey says they received the indoor garden units from a joint-partnership grant between a company, called Miracle Gro and the No Kid Hungry charity organization.
Greenhouse Vegetables Available On Remote Islands
The greenhouse kit from Teshuva Agricultural Projects (T.A.P.). is the first one across the Indian Ocean. According to Eric Le Vieux of Esprit Vert Ltd, the local representative of TAPKIT in this region, it should be the first of many
Visitors to the LUX Hotel can from now on enjoy their greens super-fresh. That might not seem very strange - but please keep in mind that the company is located in Belle Mare Plage. Indeed, one of the most beautiful beaches on the world, but also located very remotely: on Mauritius.
That the guests can eat their fresh greens is because the hotel has recently purchased a TAPKIT. The greenhouse kit from Teshuva Agricultural Projects (T.A.P.). is the first one across the Indian Ocean. According to Eric Le Vieux of Esprit Vert Ltd, the local representative of TAPKIT in this region, it should be the first of many.
Open field cultivation
“In Mauritius, as with Seychelles and Maldives, a big percentage of the island’s fruits and vegetables are still imported. Although the greenhouse sector is long-established and continues to develop, the majority of the vegetables we grow are from open field cultivation. The amount of chemical crop protection being used has been creating serious problems not only for the human food chain but also in the ecosystem. There is now a strong movement towards cleaner, more safe production, and the TAPKIT is a perfect opportunity to reduce and even eliminate pesticide use altogether.”
In the beginning of August, the TAPKIT was ready. “We installed an in-line water chiller to lower the irrigation water down to the optimum temperature for the roots to take up the nutrients. Now the unit is getting up to full production. The produce will be enough to meet the requirements of the hotel and may be available to the staff and employees.
Chefs of the hotel visiting the site
Hotel and resorts
“The TAPKIT is an attractive option for large hotels and resorts”, says Eric, "because it provides uniform production all year round, for a wide variety of greens and culinary herbs - all of which are essential daily ingredients for resorts accommodating many guests. Also, many of the world’s leading hotels can be found in remote areas, like small islands or even sandbanks (atolls), where imported produce is hard to acquire still fresh, and likewise, local agriculture is hard to achieve. The TAPKIT raises the quality and the freshness in a big way and it's very exciting to tell customers (hotel guests) that their salads and herbs have travelled zero miles - farm to fork!"
"In addition to being a great financial investment, hotel groups are very committed to improving their sustainability programs, and the TAPKIT is an important enabler for this to happen. We hope to build our next one for a hotel located in Maldives. My team and I are excited about the roll-out of TAPKITs across the Indian Ocean. And most of all, we appreciate the support of our partners in Israel, at Teshuva, who provide vital agronomic support for our growers to make sure they get the most of the greenhouse.”
For more information:
Teshuva Agricultural Projects
60 Nof Harim St., Olesh, 42855 Israel
+972-9-8940507
+972-50-7922579
+1-201-5803003
office@taprojects.com
www.taprojects.com
Publication date: Thu, 26 Sep 2019
Author: Arlette Sijmonsma
© HortiDaily.com
Bringing The Infarm Urban Farming (R)evolution To The UK With Marks & Spencer
Starting today, at Marks & Spencer’s Clapham Junction store in South West London, South London, you’ll be able to find fresh infarm herbs including Italian, Greek and Bordeaux Basil, fresh Mint, Curly Parsley and Mountain Coriander (just a few of the many varieties in our catalog)
infarm
By Erez Galonska, Guy Galonska and Osnat Michaeli — founders, infarm — Indoor Urban Farming, GmbH
Just under a decade ago, my co-founders and I started to experiment with growing our own fresh produce. We had just moved to Berlin, bought a 1955 Airstream trailer, outfitted it with DIY growing shelves and started experimenting with indoor farming.
Our 1955 Airstream in the early days of infarm
We grew all sorts of greens, lettuces, herbs and microgreens. The experience of having fresh basil, mint, lettuce and arugula and many other vegetables in the dead of winter, full of flavour and beauty was amazing. We never looked back.
Since launching the experiment that would mature into our company, infarm, we’ve installed our farms in hundreds of stores and distribution centers across Germany, France, Switzerland, Luxembourg and now, for the first time, we’re expanding our business to the UK with Marks & Spencer.
Starting today, at Marks & Spencer’s Clapham Junction store in South West London, South London, you’ll be able to find fresh infarm herbs including Italian, Greek and Bordeaux Basil, fresh Mint, Curly Parsley and Mountain Coriander (just a few of the many varieties in our catalog). We’ll be in additional Marks & Spencer locations in London through the end of the year.
infarm at M&S Clapham Junction
London — like Berlin — has been experiencing a revival of restaurants, Michelin-rated chefs and international cuisine which began around the time we started infarm in 2013.
We believe that whether you’re a top chef or just running by the grocer’s to put together a meal for your family after work, your food should not have traveled more than you have. It should be fresh and alive (with the roots still on), and bursting with nutrients when it reaches your plate.
Those of you who have already seen our modular farms, perhaps at an Intermarché in Paris, Edeka in Germany, Migros in Switzerland or Auchan in Luxembourg, may be curious about what to expect when you arrive at M&S.
What you can be sure of, is that the infarm herbs you find will be full of flavour and grown sustainably and with love, right in your neighbourhood.
This is the core of the infarm (r)evolution in food. Stop by M&S Clapham Junction store and taste our herbs for yourself. And feel free to experiment with them as you cook to upgrade your favourite dishes! Find out more about us at infarm.com.
WRITTEN by infarm
Google Just Made The Largest Ever Corporate Purchase of Renewable Energy
Two years ago, Google became the first company of its size to buy as much renewable electricity as the electricity it used. But as the company grows, so does its demand for power
09.19.19
Two years ago, Google became the first company of its size to buy as much renewable electricity as the electricity it used. But as the company grows, so does its demand for power. To stay ahead of that demand, Google just made the largest corporate renewable energy purchase in history, with 18 new energy deals around the world that will help build infrastructure worth more than $2 billion.
[Photo: courtesy Google]
The projects include massive new solar farms in places like Texas and North Carolina where the company has data centers. “Bringing incremental renewable energy to the grids where we consume energy is a critical component of pursuing 24×7 carbon-free energy for all of our operations,” Google CEO Sundar Pichai wrote in a blog post today. While most of the renewable energy the company has purchased in the past has come from wind farms, the dropping cost of solar power means that several of the new deals are solar plants. In Chile, a new project combines both wind and solar power, making it possible to generate clean energy for longer each day.
The package of new projects will supply a total of 1,600 megawatts of electricity, bringing Google’s total renewable portfolio to 5,500 megawatts—the equivalent of a million roofs covered in solar panels. Pichai writes that the company’s clean energy projects will be able to produce more electricity than is used by the city of Washington, D.C., or the entire country of Lithuania.