the city that feeds itself
TRANSCRIPT
The City that Feeds ItselfSustainable Agriculture for a Growing Urban Population
presented by FRESH Farm Aquaponics
The world is changing...
...and our farms are changingwith it.
40 Million The amount of farmland acreage displaced by urban sprawl in the past 15 years
- USDA Census 2012
The number of people who will live in cities by 2050
- -World Health Organization Special Report
7 Billion
The percent of Global Population living in cities by 2050
- -United Nations Special Report
70%
The percent of food imported by Hong Kong, urban population >7 Million
-Study by Hong Kong Government
modernfarmer.com
Urban Farming Will Stabilize Global Food Security
90%
Our Food System SupportsOur Entire Economy
How Will it Adapt to Meet the Needs of a GrowingUrban Population?
Unlocking New Farmers The Smart Farm
Three Vital Components to Creating Food Secure Cities
Cultivating the City that Feeds Itself
Urban Farming
● Vertical Aquaponic Farming● Climate-Control● Community Homesteading
High-EfficiencyUrban Farming
● Urban farming is a MASSIVE emerging market
● New techniques make urban farming more than a dream
● Cultivating a more natural city● What’s the Bottom Line?
○ Feeding billions of city dwellers represents a multi-billion dollar industry
○ Technology can lower overhead and increase production exponentially
Vertical Aquaponics: Increase growth by 600% [Storey 2012]
● Aquaponics: Hydroponics + Aquaculture in Sync○ The Aquaponics Trifecta○ Excels at Leafy Greens and Herbs, Anywhere○ The Missing Protein Problem○ Examples
■ University of the Virgin Islands (UVI)■ Ouroboros in Half Moon Bay, CA■ Ryan Chatterson, Chatterson Farms
● Vertical Farming○ Types
■ Horizontal - Vertical■ Vertical - Vertical■ Rooftop Farming
○ Examples■ Metrocrops - Bridgeport, CT■ Bright Agrotech - Laramie Wyoming■ Gotham Greens - NYC, NY
The Aquaponics Trifecta
● Greenhouse and Hoop Houses○ First Step Towards CCE○ Season Extension for Rooftop &
Community Space Farming● Indoor Agriculture: Truly Urban Solution
○ Grow Lighting○ Temperature Control○ Protection From Contamination
● Sustainablue Energy Sources○ Bring the Sun Inside! - Solar Power○ Geothermal Heating and Cooling○ Solar Water Heater
Climate Controlled Environment (CCE)
Urban Permaculture: Community Farm Shared Spaces
● Connecting Local Food Producers & Consumers○ Community Events○ Local Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)○ Know Your Farmer
● Local Ordinances for Urban Farming○ Incentives○ Subsidies○ Examples
■ Hartford Zoning Laws including small animals■ Urban Oaks Organic Farm in New Britain, CT■ Will Allen and Growing Power
● New Jobs Created by Urban Farm Industry
● Additional Benefits from Growing Food
● Hidden Populations of Potential Farmers
Unlocking New Farmers
The average age of farmers has risen from 50.5 - 58.3 years over the last 30 years.
A new generation of farmers are necessary to cultivate food security for rising urban populations.
Luckily, there are hidden populations of potential farmers.
With the right technology and training, these groups are ready and able to feed the future.
Urban Farm Industry Creates New Jobs
● Food is the Foundation of our Economy● Millions of New Jobs will be Created by the Urban
Farming Revolution○ Urban farmer○ Home gardener○ System installation & maintenance○ Urban farming consultant○ Local food delivery logistics○ Food aggregators○ many, many more
● Residences create passive income with at-home farms, much like solar panels
Meet Brenda!
Additional Benefits of Farming:Incentivizing New Farmers
● Job Training and Entrepreneurship○ “Choose Yourself” Generation○ New Jobs Create Food Security○ Examples
■ Knox - Hartford, CT.■ Bright Agrotech Upstart Farmer Academy
● Multi-purpose Experiential Education○ NGSS STEM Learning Tool○ Benefits of Experiential Learning○ Examples
■ SchoolGrown in California■ CREC and FRESH Farm Aquaponics
● Therapy and Rehabilitation○ Proven Therapeutic Benefits of Gardening○ Example
■ The Arc (Meriden/Wallingford, New London)
Potential Farming Populations
● Homeowners● Schools● Veterans Returning Home● Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities● Old Folks Homes● Homeless/Unemployed● Parolees and Prisoners● and Many More!
For thousands of years farming knowledge has been passed on from generation to generation.
Farms of the future will share information with one another directly.
Highly sensitive sensors and controllers relay constant data to the cloud.
A network of connected farms creates actionable data for every farmer in the network.
The Smart Farm
of Tomorrow● Farm Management Systems● A Farm in Every Home● The Distributed Farm
● Business Planning Toolset○ Financial Planning/Tracking○ Reporting and Analytics○ Customer Support System
● Cloud Connected Farming○ Sensors○ Controllers○ Optimization○ Automation
● Production Tracking & Support○ Visual Recognition Software○ Data Driven Decisions
● Online Food Brokerage○ Connect local food buyers
and sellers directly
Farm Management Systems (FMS)
A Farm in Every Home
● Solar Panels : Home Farms○ Create food for yourself○ Spillover goes to the grid
● Replacing the second household full-time job○ Second household incomes only keep ~70% salary○ Increased Quality of Life
● Distributing Farm Production Creates Resilience○ Many home farms connected together
Distributed Agriculture:The Mesh Farm
● Independant Operators Acting Together○ Integrated Network of Smart Systems○ Communal Learning○ Economies of Scale
● Matching Local Demand to Local Production○ Local food brokerage
■ Food bank system○ Leveraging big data
● Uber of Food - Distributed Food Services○ Harvesters○ Aggregators○ Distribution
Unlocking New Farmers The Smart Farm
Three Vital Components to Creating Food Secure Cities
Cultivating the City that Feeds Itself
Urban Farming
Now is the Time to Make a Difference
Are You A Ready to Get Involved?
Let’s Talk!
Email me directly at [email protected] call(860)785-0616
Not ready to jump in yourself?No problem.
Share this with someone you know who would appreciate it
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Email [email protected] call - (860)785-0616