Yule Heibel's Library tagged food_security → View Popular, Search in Google

Oct

2011

Is This the Future of Farming? - Sarah Rich - Technology - The Atlantic

Amazing. This should be a useful tool in urban food self-sufficiency.
QUOTE
When the new site gets up and running, Backhaus estimates that Podponics will turn out 40-50 tons of green per year, though with the newly available real estate, they expect to experiment with other crops, which may vary the total weight output. While they could continue to expand many times over within the bounds of their current location, they have designs on a different kind of expansion model.

"Our ultimate vision is to get 80-100 pods next to the Publix distribution center in Florida or the Walmart distribution center," says Backhaus, "so that we can harvest right there in the morning and plug it directly into their supply chain. We're mainlining fresh produce into the regional distribution network."

They are also talking with potential partners in the UAE and Germany, who are dealing with various resource limitations that make this model look appealing. For now, this is a Georgia business serving other Georgia businesses. And while you probably won't spot these shipping containers while visiting Atlanta, you're likely to spot Podponics lettuce on any number of local menus.
UNQUOTE

www.theatlantic.com/...247391

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agriculture urban_agriculture food_security atlantic_monthly farming container_housing

Dec

2008

Urban farming school takes root

Richmond, BC starts an urban farming school...

www.vancouversun.com/...story.html

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urban_food urban_farming food_security vancouver richmond

Kwantlen and the Richmond food security task force have joined forces to launch the ground-breaking program in 2009 as a way to allow young farmers to get into the industry and to meet the growing demand for locally produced food.
"The potential for this kind of agriculture to develop into a substantial component of the local and regional economy cannot be understated," Mullinix said.
he program would require about two hectares of land to start, and could partner with the Richmond Fruit Tree Sharing Project, which already has a presence at the proposed city sites and is growing food for local food banks.
The school's topics would include soil management, plant science, animal husbandry and farm infrastructure, but would cover all steps in the food chain, including value-added processing, marketing, and sales.
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- Mullinix said the program would be flexible for students who want part-time and short-term instruction as well as those seeking a full-time four-year baccalaureate program, with an emphasis on teaching in the field rather than the traditional classroom setting.
  The goal is to start the program in early 2009 with perhaps a dozen students and build from there.
- In later years, students might be allocated a portion of city lands where, short of outright ownership, they could operate their own farm operation under supervision.