Showing posts with label sustainable farming. Show all posts

Monday, 30 December 2013

AGRI-FOOD SUSTAINABILITY: Innovation for Sustainability: Sahara Forest Project Uses Sand, Sunlight to Produce Food and Water

Published 24 DECEMBER 2013 in foodtank.org

Innovation for Sustainability: Sahara Forest Project Uses Sand, Sunlight to Produce Food and Water

Using a number of innovative technologies, the Sahara Forest Project is turning deserts into productive agricultural land. (Carolina Arantes)

Launched in 2009 by a group of entrepreneurs in Qatar, the Sahara Forest Project is an agriculture initiative that uses abundant desert resources—sunlight, sand and carbon dioxide (CO2)—to produce what deserts desperately need: a self-sufficient food production system, water, and energy. The Sahara Forest Project aims to create opportunities for small-scale, family farmers to grow food and produce energy and drinking water in otherwise arid and inhospitable conditions.

The project’s pilot facility is in Qatar, which was chosen for its location and access to funding. The source of water for the project is a seawater pipeline pumped from the Persian Gulf. Three key components—saltwater-cooled greenhouses, Concentrated Solar Power (CSP), and other technologies such as evaporative hedges—all aid in establishing vegetation in arid conditions.

The saltwater-cooled greenhouses work similarly to a typical greenhouse, except the seawater that is pumped in is evaporated by wind instead of by fan. The seawater cools and humidifies the greenhouses. CSP harvests the abundance of sunlight in the desert to produce electricity and heat. Solar panels contain tiny mirrors that produce heat to indirectly produce electricity via steam turbine-controlled generators. The evaporative hedges enable revegetation by sheltering plants that would normally not be able to grow in open, arid environments and enabling a cooler, more humid environment. Efficiency is key, as the project aims to solve the problem of farming in the desert without creating more problems down the road.

The goal for each project is to become integrated with the local economy, but each project starts as a Test and Demonstration Center (T&DC), where the location and technologies go through a series of field tests. The T&DC is the site of innovation for the entire project, but also employs and educates the local community and provides research on arid revegetation.

The full-scale commercialization of the project, named “The Oasis,” involves the output of vegetation and CSP. This is where location impacts the project, because the focus can be on the output of food, water, or energy, depending on what is most needed by the local community. While one main operator owns the Oasis, the ultimate goal of the Sahara Forest Project is to transition each project into a farming community. The goal is to have local farmers rent the land, most likely through microfinance, and establish small-scale enterprises.

The Sahara Forest Project is ambitious, but promising results have emerged from the project’s pilot facility in Qatar. The facility in Qatar became operational in December 2012, with the first cucumber harvest in late November of 2012 and the first barley harvest in late April of 2013. Another facility is set for development in Jordan. While development is slower in Jordan, agriculture is growing in Qatar.

To learn more about the Sahara Forest Project, visit http://saharaforestproject.com.

There are exciting innovations being developed in kitchens, fields, laboratories, boardrooms, schools, and back yards that are making the food system more environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable. Food Tank will feature these valuable contributions for food system sustainability each week.

by Emily Salshutz

Thanks for taking the time

Friday, 28 June 2013

SUSTAINABILITY DEPENDS ON FOOD INDUSTRY COLLABORATIONS

June 24, 20130 Comments

Posted in News, Sustainability, Science & Research, Market Research, Market Trends, Business,Economics, International, Agriculture, Organic, Natural, Healthy, Healthy Foods, Frozen / Refrigerated Foods, Demographic, Regulatory, Seafood, Gums / Starches, Ice Cream, Milk, Dairy

LONDON—More collaborative partnerships must form to address sustainability challenges faced by the food industry, according to executives at the European Sustainable Foods Summit held on June 6 to 7, 2013.

Speakers at the summit highlighted the challenges ahead, such as the predicted population growth of 2 billion people over four decades, while resources become scarce and erratic weather causes food supply swings.

During the Sustainability Best-Practices session, FoodCycle showed how it works with retailers, celebrity chefs and unemployed youth to redirect food waste from landfills in order to create nutritious meals for the needy. Another paper on Sustainable Food Cities demonstrated how local government can work with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the private sector to spur social change in urban cities.

Belgian retailer Delhaize stated its partnership with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) was fundamental to its sustainable seafood policy. This year, the supermarket will have converted all of its fresh and frozen seafood to sustainable sources.

In addition, the French ingredient firm Nexira has partnered with SOS Sahel for the sustainable sourcing of acacia gum. By protecting acacia trees, its sourcing projects are preventing desertification in Sub-Saharan Africa, while also creating a positive social impact on local communities. It stated working with a local NGO was vital for it to enter long-term relationships with African growers.

Another paper by EcoInvest highlighted the importance of keeping sustainable farming communities. According to Karla Canavan, the urban portion of the global population has increased from below 40% in 1990 to over 50% at present; it is projected to rise above 70% by 2050. She stated we need "happy farmers" to maintain agricultural production and to support rural economies. Bob Quinn, president of Kamut International said, "monoculture is leading to the intensification of the food industry," which has a detrimental impact on rural communities. His company is encouraging the production of the ancient wheat khorasan in the Montana.

The European summit also addressed marketing issues related to sustainable foods. Stephan Ardesch of Ben & Jerry's encouraged green brands to use "fun marketing" to attract consumers. In the Netherlands, the company has set up a sustainable dairy program to give a fair price to Dutch milk producers. Its research showed that 65% of consumers were willing to pay extra for Ben & Jerry's ice cream when they learn about its environmental and social responsibility.

Coop Switzerland has put private labels at the heart of its sustainability plan. Sales of its private label products, the Naturaplan organic brand, have exceeded €$1.6 billion and comprise almost 10% of total food and drinks in its stores. In the Netherlands, the Bio Plus brand has also shown rapid growth to become the 39th top consumer brand. According to Henk Gerbers, its positioning as a lifestyle brand in mainstream retailers has been the cornerstone of its success. Another paper by Ogilvy Earth stated green brands should target "middle-greens" who comprise two-thirds of consumers, rather than dark greens who are already "the converted."

In a session on consumer behavior, Simran Sethi said, "People needed to resonate with the message of sustainability." She encouraged brands to "re-frame the story and make it personal" to engage consumers in green behavior.

The Belgian company has been instrumental in giving European consumers healthy alternatives to meat and dairy products. Although its plant foods are marketed on their sustainability credentials, the company states product quality and taste have been the key success factors. Similar views were expressed by Slow Food Netherland. Its president, Hans van der Molen, said sustainable food brands should never forget taste, as this is a fundamental reason people buy foods.

In the closing remarks, the chair summarized the marketing challenge faced by green brands: How do you compete with conventional products on taste and quality, while maintaining a premium because of ecological and ethical credentials?

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Monday, 20 May 2013

Aquaponics is bringing sustainable farming and fisheries into the hearts of cities

Megan Cole, Canadian Press | 13/05/16 | Last Updated: 13/05/16 3:41 PM ET
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Aquaponics combines aquaculture (farming underwater fish and plants) with hydroponics techniques, to create a powerful new symbiotic tool for growing veggies and fish in small, resource-restricted areas.

Mira Oberman/AFP/Getty ImagesAquaponics combines aquaculture (farming underwater fish and plants) with hydroponics techniques, to create a powerful new symbiotic tool for growing veggies and fish in small, resource-restricted areas.

VICTORIA — A small plot of land on the edge of Victoria’s downtown may seem like an unusual spot for a farm, but for Angela Moran, the city was the best place to launch aquaponics.

Moran has been the farm manager for Mason Street Farm for eight years. She sells the produce to local restaurants and at Victoria farmers markets. But last November, when she brought on fellow farmer Jesse Brown, the two decided to embark on introducing aquaponics to the B.C. capital.

“I’m a city girl. I grew up in the city, and I love it and the culture, so I never wanted to farm rurally,” said Moran.

“I really felt aquaponics in the city worked well together. I’m trying to find a way to raise my protein and my vegetables. Vegetables are just one part of the plate, and that’s what attracted me to aquaponics is having a food source with a higher yield and less labour.”

Aquaponics combines aquaculture (farming aquatic organisms like fish and plants) and hydroponics (the process of growing plants in water). By combining the two systems the fish and plants create a self-maintained system.

‘This whole thing is a living system. You have fish that produce the nutrients and nutrient water is pumped up into grow beds’

“This whole thing is a living system,” said Brown. “You have fish that produce the nutrients and that nutrient water is pumped up into the grow beds. The grow beds are filled with a gravel medium that has tens of thousands of different species of microorganisms and worms. It’s this whole living system that ends up being very resilient because it is self-managing.”

Brown and Moran launched a crowd funding campaign last fall to help them build their aquaponics greenhouse, and by December they had exceeded their goal of $12,500, raising $13,360.

A lot of work has gone into the construction and Brown said in the next month they are hoping to put koi in the tank to grow vegetables immediately.

Unlike other aquaponics systems, Brown and Moran have decided to use koi to build an operational system right away, eventually integrating food fish like tilapia.

“We decided to do that for several reasons,” said Brown. “One of them is we don’t have a heating system in place right away and we just want to get this up and running, and producing food. We can produce a lot of food without heating our water besides what the greenhouse provides.”

Once the Mason Street Farm system is operating, Brown is hoping to try various heating systems so they can pursue using food fish.

But in Edmonton, the goal is to produce vegetables and tilapia right away.

‘With a 100-square-foot footprint you can pull a fish out every day and have all the veggies you need year round’

The Edmonton Aquaponic Society has been working on creating what president David Reid calls a family-sized system at the city’s Rundle Park.

“With a 10-metre or a 100-square-foot footprint you can pull a fish out of there every day and pretty much all the veggies you need year round,” said Reid.

Reid — who has a background in commercial and residential construction — began researching aquaponics while doing his bachelor of science degree. He hopes once the family-sized system is up and running school groups from grade school to university will learn from the project.

“It’s something I’ve been the key force for, but we’ve had some volunteers step forward with some handy skills and help out,” said Reid.

“Now that we’re close to going public we’ll partner with the city and look at how we can do programing and utilizing other groups that come into the facility. We have a lot of opportunity for exposure because it’s a busy place.”

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