Eri Hayashi, Director of International Relations & Consulting for the Japan Plant Factory Association, reflects on key differences between the urban agriculture industries of the US and Japan, and their respective advantages and disadvantages for each industry’s growth.
New York City is a global leader for indoor agriculture, with farms such as Farm.One, Smallhold and Gotham Greens punctuating the concrete jungle with their innovative farming systems. But as the industry continues to grow, one central point remains unclear: Are New York’s indoor farms destined to only cater to elite clients, or can they help realize a new local food future?
The intensive plant nursery, located in North Lincolnshire, England, will be the largest indoor farm in Europe, producing up to 420 tonnes of leafy greens per year on growing racks that reach just over 3 storeys in height.
A conversation with Henry Gordon-Smith, Founder and Managing Director of Agritecture Consulting, about the future of urban agriculture and our cities. Henry will be teaching the Specialization Track ‘Smart Cities and Smart Agriculture’ together with Maeva Dang, on July 23 at the Thought for Food Academy Summit in Brazil.
Saudi farmer Omar Al-Jundi has built the region’s first vertical farm in Dubai with plans for Jeddah in 2020. The team of Badia Farms, which he founded in Al Quoz in December last year, consists of 12 people, all of whom have experience in farming.
Glenn Behrman has spent years developing a hydroponic “Growtainer” concept to bring customizable controlled-environment agriculture anywhere in the world. Now, he sees a tremendous opportunity for Qatar to increase fresh vegetable production using the technology.
The month-long startup program is focused on combating food loss across the food chain and will provide startups with exclusive access to Maersk leaders across departments as well as the company’s network of suppliers and partners to help validate their technologies.
From rooftop gardens and indoor vertical farms to community plots and edible landscapes, urban agriculture is on the rise. As more of the world’s population resides in cities, city farming is touted as a sustainable solution. But does the equation really work?
Triton Foodworks is working to change the face of farming in India through hydroponic urban-based systems. After a few years of consulting for others, the company is launching their own five-acre hydroponic farm to supply consumers, restaurants and hotels with fresh local produce.
In the Dominican Republic, Colmados are neighborhood and cultural fixtures that are under threat from the rise of large supermarket chains. By redesigning the Colmado network and placing new emphasis on urban agriculture, D.R. native and architect Carlos Guzman thinks the system can be transformed to keep Colmados alive and thriving.
Phillips Programs for Children and Families teamed up with Agritecture Consulting to set up a program that would lead students to job opportunities in the rapidly emerging Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) sector. The result was a unique in-school hydroponic system along with a 300-page curriculum to teach sustainability and basic CEA practices.
Urban farming’s “de facto godmother”, Karen Washington, has been a leader in the battle for food justice for three decades. In this interview, Karen discusses the deeply rooted issues that currently plague urban food systems, and she explains why reframing ‘food deserts’ as ‘food apartheid’ is so important to the end goal of creating equitable and lasting solutions.
Volunteers work inside China's Lunar Palace 1 on Jan. 26, 2018. They were participating in a yearlong experiment designed to see how the bioregenerative life support system, in which animals, plants and microorganisms co-exist, works in a lunar environment, as well as the physical and mental conditions of humans in such an environment.
Every two years, over 10,000 horticulture professionals gather in Amsterdam for GreenTech. This is without a doubt the most exciting event for all things horticulture + technology. It's all happening June 11-14 and you do not want to miss it! We are particularly excited this year about attending Valoya's FREE special LED conference on June 13th. It's going to feature heavy hitters like Stefanie Linzer, Biologist at Valoya and Richard Ballard, Co-Founder at Growing Underground (the amazing vertical farm in a bomb shelter in London).
At Hexagro, we tend to see the food production system of tomorrow with a very different lens than just productivity rates and the maximization of yield. Hexagro is about looking at the opportunities for vertical farming to maximize human wellness.
Mars is a far more difficult challenge to survive. The red planet is an average of 158 million miles away from Earth, with a small window — just once every 26 months— to launch a relatively quick multi-month mission. Any hiccup in an infrequent supply chain of fresh air, food, and water, such as a launchpad explosion, might doom unprepared explorers. That's precisely why Sadler has for years worked with life support researchers at the University of Arizona and NASA on a crew survival system called the Mars Lunar Greenhouse.
Los Angeles freeways promised speed and connectivity but delivered congestion and separation. They are at their tipping point- dysfunctional and on the verge of obsolescence. Like many great cities that have reclaimed the ruins of their infrastructure it is time for Los Angeles to reclaim it’s inevitable and future ruins. We must turn these concrete rivers of frustration and pollution into something good for everyone in the city.
In just two days, an interdisciplinary team of urban agriculture enthusiasts took a site in Vancouver and turned it into an “agritectural” oasis.
OSRAM, a global high-tech lighting company based in Munich, is acquiring U.S. horticulture lighting company Fluence Bioengineering, based in Austin, TX. In our exclusive interview with OSRAM Innovation Manager Timo Bongartz, Timo explains this recent move and how it will help both companies better serve their customers.
