tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60984616142230554022024-03-05T10:14:08.656+01:00FlowFarming - Urban AgricultureInformation, news and developments regarding urban farming, aquaponics, hydroponics and other agricultural or urban agricultural updates!Jonashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15299525382099532868noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6098461614223055402.post-59041344582236789022013-12-18T21:28:00.001+01:002013-12-18T22:31:25.286+01:00International agricultural policy changes needed but not happening<div style="text-align: justify;">
There are currently 7 billion people on this planet and it's estimated to reach 9 billion by 2050. This population growth is accompanied by a rising demand for food, water and land. Today, almost 1 billion people are undernourished, particularly in developing countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. Even if the agricultural production in those countries doubles by 2050, it will not be enough to cope with the rising demand.</div>
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To cope with the rising demand for food in developing countries, the agricultural production would need to rise faster than the population growth. However, due to the rising scarcity of land and water, this would have to happen on the existing agricultural land. The production increase will thus have to come from modern and sustainable agricultural techniques, such as aquaponics.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAzME0sUN5iZQH2VsV4fQPJgbUfTwGl0YgoPYe0BwgMukJUF_W12Fq7Cuoum_LdeyxwiQvqjOVNHjFtc90vbWLSF1Ke6ujVLj37g0rs9wO1OR9_3xBloBwR4VUH7bu-l0IFjQmKjVZGbA/s1600/FAO_hunger_map_2013.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAzME0sUN5iZQH2VsV4fQPJgbUfTwGl0YgoPYe0BwgMukJUF_W12Fq7Cuoum_LdeyxwiQvqjOVNHjFtc90vbWLSF1Ke6ujVLj37g0rs9wO1OR9_3xBloBwR4VUH7bu-l0IFjQmKjVZGbA/s400/FAO_hunger_map_2013.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Meanwhile, the current agricultural production appears to be slowing, and are showing only half of the 3% growth rate typical for developing countries. The food crisis of 2007-2008 increased the prices of food products, thus decreasing the accessibility of certain products. Combined the growing competition for land and water, it's becoming harder and harder for farmers to survive in the agricultural sector.</div>
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The competition threatening these farmers is not only local: large international companies and investors are buying agricultural land in developing countries to produce feedstock for biofuels or mine for natural resources.</div>
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Traditional agricultural techniques are responsible for a massive release of greenhouse gasses, accounting worldwide for 13,5% of all emissions, inducing global warming. At the same time climate changes increases the risks for farmers through changes in weather patterns and the increased risk of threatening weather phenomena.</div>
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Urgent action is needed to protect and stimulate the agricultural sector, not only in developing countries but also in developed countries. The agricultural production needs to increase drastically to eradicate world hunger in the present and in the future. New sustainable farming technologies need to be implemented into international and national policies.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_en9dpxvrx890Ye1BPKBS5z-bpUo-1EmUGQ9rVFKlhkCaZbauKWuzrhnjJNFyeFQOX3Oo1jR60mPkwIFWwlrBFXtqNc8IPnjmt_82uANGHGstACIoy0nl0wqp-7xSOoz2MxoGDBdYvSM/s1600/warsaw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_en9dpxvrx890Ye1BPKBS5z-bpUo-1EmUGQ9rVFKlhkCaZbauKWuzrhnjJNFyeFQOX3Oo1jR60mPkwIFWwlrBFXtqNc8IPnjmt_82uANGHGstACIoy0nl0wqp-7xSOoz2MxoGDBdYvSM/s320/warsaw.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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These policy changes are however not happening, as debates about technologies and financing still rage and international negotiations keep failing. The present agricultural sector is a booming business that is not waiting for new and costly rules to be implemented into the market. Through lobbying they have been able to keep these policy changes at a hold. The climate deal of Warsaw is an example of their influence, as no important changes have been made.</div>
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The developing countries which are the first victims of this policy are not being heard in these debates and the future tends to look dark for them.<br />
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Source: FAO - <a href="http://www.fao.org/docrep/017/i1688e/i1688e00.htm">Brochure</a></div>
Jonashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15299525382099532868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6098461614223055402.post-21357239577091258422013-12-16T20:03:00.000+01:002013-12-19T18:49:19.552+01:00United Nations: Urban agriculture strengthens the urban poor against hunger and poverty<div style="text-align: justify;">
With towns and cities growing ever faster, it's estimated that in 2050 over 80% of the world population will live in urban areas. This process is accompanied by a higher demand for food in an area that has less and less space to produce it. Many poor families in urban areas are already finding it harder to purchase sufficient food to satisfy their needs and are implementing several methods of urban farming to cope.</div>
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<a name='more'></a>Recent studies by Zezza and Tasciotti (2010) have shown that the urban poor are spending a higher percentage of money on food than they used to. The main victim of the recent financial crisis also turned out to be the urban poor. They are finding it harder and harder to resist external economic shocks and improve their access to fresh and healthy foods.<br />
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Poor families living in rural areas appear to have easier access to fresh and healthy food, due to the fact that they have an easier access to multiple forms of agriculture.</div>
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Bringing agriculture into urban areas through the means of aquaponics, hydroponics, vertical farming, etc. would allow the urban poor to increase their resilience against external economic shocks and would provide them with a cheap source of healthy and fresh products.</div>
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This method would be especially effective in areas in which infrastructure and heavy losses add to the cost of importing goods. Excluding these losses would provide the inhabitants of the urban community with a cheaper source of food.</div>
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While urban agriculture is only finding its roots in Western countries, its more conventionalized in several low-income countries such as Malawi, Nepal and Pakistan. Even in some countries which are more developed such as Panama, the urban poor are using urban farming to supplement their income and protect themselves from economic shocks.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggUPrzr8h2NH9m-jS2fZoDUWNXSLPF0EfjoxlKFmFyB_ko0Q4YujhsffrNZbC0YP8kqz3rCkZie2KNiOB8iri4sYlJiwsBWgMvVnhuF1BtM3bZIz50_yffRzbq_xawL-pfTaYqmaJpuwY/s1600/UrbanHouseholdsUrbanFarming.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggUPrzr8h2NH9m-jS2fZoDUWNXSLPF0EfjoxlKFmFyB_ko0Q4YujhsffrNZbC0YP8kqz3rCkZie2KNiOB8iri4sYlJiwsBWgMvVnhuF1BtM3bZIz50_yffRzbq_xawL-pfTaYqmaJpuwY/s400/UrbanHouseholdsUrbanFarming.png" width="360" /></a></div>
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Although the impact of urban farming might be small on a macro economic scale, it shows great benefits for some groups within society. </div>
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In a brochure by the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organisation, they recommend policy makers to be aware of the benefits of urban farming on the economic situation of the urban poor and for its positive effects on pollution by removing the transportation of food from distant areas. They advice that policy makers carefully weigh their options in this respect and create a legal window for urban farming.</div>
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Source: (<a href="http://www.fao.org/docrep/012/al377e/al377e00.pdf">link</a>)</div>
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Jonashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15299525382099532868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6098461614223055402.post-11153031146759713192013-12-16T15:18:00.001+01:002013-12-16T20:14:15.700+01:00Belgium and the United Nations support urban agriculture in the Gaza Strip<br />
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Since July 2010, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has implemented an emergency food production support project, funded by the Goverment of the Kingdom of Belgium. </div>
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This emergency food production project mainly consists out of vertical farms and aquaponics systems, making the Gaza Strip one of the leading areas in the world in terms of urban farming.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikLoNEJc2nfUgvmMIfrx1TQvLTOBmILcrohSjMNWgSYrOCHCTBkjIh-celWf8RvxWs6mWYgg-Tf6Lk2pVG7g6uRYBJLnt5ihFq01Y6KhuG5JOMCRnRTE-Z-P8n8DFSIL1CcMGkRAfS-GM/s1600/FAO-logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="73" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikLoNEJc2nfUgvmMIfrx1TQvLTOBmILcrohSjMNWgSYrOCHCTBkjIh-celWf8RvxWs6mWYgg-Tf6Lk2pVG7g6uRYBJLnt5ihFq01Y6KhuG5JOMCRnRTE-Z-P8n8DFSIL1CcMGkRAfS-GM/s400/FAO-logo.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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The FAO chose the Gaza Strip because of the scarcity of sufficient quantities of food and good quality food. After several years of blockades by Israel the private sector activity in the Gaza Strip collapsed and the unemployment soared. The blockades, combined with the destruction of infrastructure by Israel, caused high financial losses for the agricultural sector in the Gaza Strip. This resulted in the collapse of the agricultural sector in Gaza, affecting the livelihood of the majority of the population.</div>
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In onder to provide sufficient food to the citizens of Gaza, the FAO and the Belgian government launched an agricultural support project that focussed on new methods of urban farming, such as vertical farming and aquaponics.<br />
The choice for these methods was evident: land available for agriculture is limited in Gaza and due to the blockades many kinds of fresh vegetables were hard to come by in the area. Furthermore, 97% of the Gaza Strip population are urban or camp dwellers, and do not have access to land. Urban farming gives a direct sollution by limiting the amount of land needed to grow vast quantities of food.</div>
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Meanwhile, 119 rooftop aquaponic units connected to fish tanks have been installed in insecure female-headed households in urban areas. In addition, 24 units were placed in educational and community establishments. </div>
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Next to the installation of units, the FAO has also provided 100 rooftop packages to female-headed households in urban areas. </div>
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By doing so the FAO intends to improve the availability of high-quality fresh vegetables for rural and urban poor and encourage the sustainable use of scarce resources through the recycling of nutrient-richt water from fish tanks to irirrigate plants. The abundance of food can also be sold on the local market to generate income for the household's basic needs.</div>
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More information on this project can be found on the website of the FAO (<a href="http://www.fao.org/home/en/">link</a>) and in this brochure (<a href="http://www.fao.org/fileadmin/templates/FCIT/PDF/Fact_sheet_on_aquaponics_Final.pdf">link</a>).</div>
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Sustainable Harvesters is a a team of individuals that commited themselves to building a local, sustainable and educational farm in the North West of Houston, Texas. The goal of their farm is to provide their local community with fresh and healty produce and fish, free of pesticides, synthethic fertilizers, GMO's or growth hormones. Other than produce and fish, they aim to educate their local communities about aquaponics. To accomplish this, they have built strong relationships with local schools and universities.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoVUgshKNG0_oWalbFkcdGEwRZTLLOJ-mTHlH8_UjD1lhtwDVpwIIuZnlHiMLf05ml6WuwvxlQilHvETWcs2jjlqjm-T0f73exbQSi_iMhMKchqSvcoyutIiSFYvQ3wW5p0DqGm_ouR7g/s1600/sustainableharvesterslogo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="89" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoVUgshKNG0_oWalbFkcdGEwRZTLLOJ-mTHlH8_UjD1lhtwDVpwIIuZnlHiMLf05ml6WuwvxlQilHvETWcs2jjlqjm-T0f73exbQSi_iMhMKchqSvcoyutIiSFYvQ3wW5p0DqGm_ouR7g/s320/sustainableharvesterslogo.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Starting January of 2014, Sustainable Harvesters and Wunderlich intermediate (local school) will work together to bring the first edcuational aquaponics system in the greater Houston area. Other than that they have entered a partnership with Prairie View A&M University, allowing them to provide research internships to students looking into following a career path in agritculture.</div>
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Sustainable Harvesters currently has a facility up and running, but are looking forward to expanding it. They have started a kickstarter campaign to acquire the funds they need to realise this vast project. They need about $75.000 to fund their entire project, including electricity, insect screens, propane, water, sinks, preparation tables, coolers, concrete, generators, etc. The kickstarter project can be found here (<a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1522483018/stay-local-stay-sustainable-stay-educated-aquaponi?ref=live">link</a>).<br />
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Other than their educational program, they also provide a store through which they sell a wide variety of products related to aquaponics and offer a consulting service. More information can be found on their website (<a href="http://www.sustainableharvesters.com/index.html">link</a>).<br />
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Several Vietnemese fishermen in the Eastern New Orleans area, Louisiana, have been rendered unemployed due the oil spill in 2010. However, instead of letting themselves be defeated, they used their knowledge about fishing and combined it with aquaponics farming, giving birth toe the VEGGI Farmer's Cooperative<a href="http://www.veggifarmcoop.com/"> (link)</a>.</div>
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VEGGI is a community member owned and operated farmer's cooperative dedicated to increase local food access, to create quality and sustainable jobs through the cooperative business model and to promote sustainable growing methods through the use of aquaponics.</div>
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VEGGI sells all of the produce in the New Orleans area and provides their farmers with an 80% share of the revenue. By doing this, they are empowering local farmers to sustain their growth and produce and providing their local restaurants with fresh and healthy produce.<br />
Other than paying the farmers a fair percentage, they also provide several forms of education and knowledge transfer through their urban farm. By doing so, they hope to increase the amount of urban farmers in the area and hope to promote the aquaponics method.</div>
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Through the use of aquaponics by the means of koi fish, they are producing a wide variety of vegetables and herbs including garlic, lettuce, eggplants, basil, lemongras, shiso and more.</div>
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More information about the VEGGI cooperative can be found on there website, which can be found at <a href="http://www.veggifarmcoop.com/">http://www.veggifarmcoop.com/</a>.</div>
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