1. How urban farmers are learning to grow food without soil or natural light
Source: https://theconversation.com/
Many new urban farming projects still struggle to find suitable green spaces. But people are finding inventive solutions; growing food in skips or on rooftops, on sites that are only temporarily free, or on raised beds in abandoned industrial yards. Growers are even using technologies such as hydroponics, aquaculture, and aquaponics to make the most of unoccupied spaces.
2. Hydroponics as a technology to grow food without soil and natural light
Source: https://theconversation.com/
Hydroponics enables people to grow food without soil and natural light, using blocks of porous material where the plants’ roots grow, and artificial lighting such as low-energy LED. A study on lettuce production found that although hydroponic crops require significantly more energy than conventionally grown food, they also use less water and have considerably higher yields.
3. Aquaponics as a technology to grow food without soil and natural light
Source: https://foodprint.org/
Aquaponics farms are a combination of aquaculture and hydroponics where fish are raised in tanks and the water from the fish tanks is recirculated into the plant beds, so the plants can absorb nutrients from fish waste in the water. When the water is returned from the plant beds to the fish tanks, it is cleaned of waste. One inventive venture that is using such methods is Growing Underground, which produces crops in tunnels that were originally built as air-raid shelters during World War II in London. Using these methods has advantages in an urban environment but they also mean there is less time spent outdoors and sometimes chemical nutrients need to be used to ensure growth.
4. Aquaculture as a technology to grow food without soil and natural light
Source: https://www.fao.org/
The farming of aquatic organisms: fish, molluscs, crustaceans, aquatic plants, crocodiles, alligators, turtles, and amphibians is aquaculture. Farming implies some form of intervention in the rearing process to enhance production, such as regular stocking, feeding, protection from predators, etc. Farming also implies individual or corporate ownership of the stock being cultivated. For statistical purposes, aquatic organisms which are harvested by an individual or corporate body which has owned them throughout their rearing period contribute to aquaculture.
5. Use of rectangular to grow vegetables in the city
Source: https://www.foodandwine.com/
Container gardens on a balcony can provide a person with salad greens for at least eight months out of the year,” Preston explains. “It’s the most local food that you can imagine.” All you need is a rectangular , you can find one easily at Home Depot or Target that fits on your fire escape or balcony, and soil. If you don’t have time to keep track of a strict watering schedule, find a that is self-watering.
6. Recycling food waste
Source: https://www.construction21.org/
Food consumption needs to become circular. This means that organic waste such as food scraps does not go to landfill, but is instead transformed into compost (which will be needed in a transition to organic agriculture) and biogas . At present, organic waste is only recycled to a small extent, with some countries such as Germany and the Netherlands leading, while others including Italy and Belgium lag behind. But there are new technologies emerging to make this process easier.
7. Farm House
Source: https://www.precht.at/
In the next 50 years, more food will be consumed than in the last 10.000 years combined and 80% will be eaten in cities. It is clear that we need to find an ecological alternative to our current food system. What and where we grow and eat. Topics like organic agriculture, clean meat, social sourcing and ‘farm to table’ will be key elements of this change. That means that our urban areas need to become part of an organic loop with the countryside to feed our population and provide food security for cities.
8. Blockchain Domes
Source: https://www.construction21.org/
Blockchain Domes is a patented system that uses excess heat from computer servers to provide optimal thermal conditions for greenhouses in colder climates. This is good business as it allows all participants in the Heat Campus to share the cost of power and as well as providing businesses with an opportunity to “green” their operations by significantly reducing the amount of electricity the combined operations require from the grid.
9. Square Foot Gardening
Source: https://seedtopantryschool.com/
A method of gardening that uses raised beds – elevated areas that promote easy access is square foot gardening. The raised bed often has a wooden grid on top sectioning off the bed into one square foot area. The idea is that if you grow your plants closer together you can maximize the space in your garden. Depending on the type, you can grow anywhere between one (for the bigger plants like watermelon) and up to sixteen (for the smaller herbs) plants inside one square foot.
10. Permaculture
Source: https://seedtopantryschool.com/
You don’t use chemical pesticides or fertilizers. Permaculture doesn’t necessarily have step-by-step instructions because everyone has a different idea of the way it should be done. It means doing things like using natural fertilizers (compost), landscaping to prevent erosion, and letting nature grow at its own pace.