agritecture:

EQUINOX - FARMING ON SHIPS INSTEAD OF LAND:

The world has used up 70-80% of land that can be used for traditional farming while our population continues to grow rapidly. What can be done? Well, we can grow food in controlled environments improving efficiency and place them on rooftops or integrate them into buildings. We can also practice more urban agriculture and promote at home food production with smart design. This post introduces a new idea: farming our food on ships that are zero-net energy and designed as self supporting systems. Check out this images of the EQUINOX farming ships. Pretty darn cool!

The design group has conceptualized a self-sufficient, carbon neutral floating offshore farming platform – the Equinox. The Equinox is intended to serve coastal regions with an emphasis on areas with dense population lacking adequate land for food production. The Equinox runs on an electrical propulsion system that is fueled by renewable energy collected by the platform’s onboard solar and wind generators.

The platform also harvests rainwater and desalinates seawater for use within the floating farm. Premium crops are to be grown with the Equinox using hydroponic methods. The greenhouse nurtures crops and protects them from environmental exposure at sea. The platform also has the ability to anchor at the most suitable food growing locations at sea, and after the produce is ready to be harvested, the platform can come back at the shore.

From Future Transportation

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF FARMING OFFSHORE?

(Source: agritecture)

orrchitecture:

agritecture:

Beautiful.

(unknown source)

Internal Vertical Farm

(Source: seeurchin)

agritecture:

NEWS! SUPERMARKET WITH ROOFTOP GREENHOUSE APPROVED IN BROOKLYN: TO BE COMPLETED IN 2013.

Whole foods has received a unanimous yes to building their new supermarket in Brooklyn. The project has been delayed for some time but it is an exciting new development that it has been passed through and construction will begin soon and it will be finished in late 2013. The market will feature electric car plug ins, solar panels, and…(drum roll please) a rooftop hydroponic farm! The farm was designed and will be managed by the people at BrightFarms.

This is great news and a big step forward for bringing Agritecture into the lives of Brooklyn residents. We all look forward to seeing how the project progresses and even more, we look forward to seeing how shoppers respond to buying fresh produce grown on the rooftop of their market once it opens in 2013.

Watch the video report from NY1

(via agritecture)

Notes About Transition Culture Movement

poses the question - should the hillside food growing area be community run rather than cookery school run?

• resiliant food
• resiliant energy
• transition groups

• community agriculture - growing food closer to where people live - 

• brixton pound; supporting local traders; pay by text

• bristol pound

• bath community energy company; £700,000; renewables in and around the city for the benefit of the community

• Harvey’s Ale - Oose Valley energy company - brewery covered in solar panels run by community for the community

• Slaithwaite - wanted to keep their greengrocers; community share holders; garlic came from china; garlic planted locally; simple idea; cooperative - for food to sell; delcaration of independance from the global food system

• energy security is inseperable from a low carbon economy

• businesses emerging to meet community resiliance; rolling up sleeves and getting on with it

• lets people invest in their communities
• £1 goes further when spent locally
• job creation vs job displacement (supermarket opening)
• bottom up drive
• bakeries food hubs, models for people to invest in their local communities