The trends are pretty clear. The world’s population is going to grow, perhaps reaching 10 billion by 2050. About two-thirds of those people will live in cities. As much as 80 percent of food consumption will take place in cities, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation — which champions the circular economy — estimates. So, we’re going to need more food, and we’re going to need it in cities. Enter urban farming.
INDOORS
Cities, you may have noticed, are crowded. There’s not exactly tons of room for the traditional acres of crops we’re used to viewing as traditional farming. To work around this, urban farming utilizes what cities tend to have in spades: warehouses. They make perfect homes for vertical farms that don’t require soil or sunlight. Plant roots are immersed in a nutrient-rich solution or sprayed with one, and lighting provides the ultraviolet rays the sun normally would.
Unsurprisingly, the New York City area is at the forefront of the urban farming industry, which Allied Market Research predicts to be worth $12.77 billion by 2026. Oishii strawberry farm in Kearny, N.J., recreated the conditions under which Japan’s most delicious berries thrive, and its omakase berries have found their way to some of New York’s best restaurants.
“The sweetness is completely different — I knew with my first bite I had found a berry on a different level,” Kazushige Suzuki of Sushi Ginza Onodera told Eater. “The texture, then the burst of sweetness are such a pleasure that I decided to serve the strawberry whole as a dessert, not even cut.”
Vertical farming’s key selling points are the ability to grow year-round, and the ability to deliver fresh produce quickly to concrete jungles.
This story is from the January 2020 edition of The BOSS Magazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the January 2020 edition of The BOSS Magazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Life in pink
La Vie en Rose, Canada's beloved specialty retailer, is on the verge of completing a seven-year digital transformation. Here's how they did it.
TRAIN YOUR BRAIN FOR LONG TERM HEALTH
WHEN IT COMES TO BRAIN FITNESS, SIMPLE CHANGES CAN YIELD SUPERIOR RESULTS
FREEDOM OF CHOICE
MENU CUSTOMIZATION IS EMPOWERING DINERS AND DRIVING BIG REVENUES
GETTING TO GIVE
VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF DENTISTRY MERGES EXCELLENCE AND UNIMPEACHABLE IN BUSINESS CARE WITH BLOCKBUSTER RESULTS
LITTLE BY LITTLE
NANOTECHNOLOGY IS IMPROVING MANUFACTURING IN WAYS BIG AND SMALL
The Heart of Hospitality
For procurement and supply chain leader Provista, creating a true community of c customers is the secret to their success
'AS BIG AS THE INTERNET, IF NOT BIGGER'
THE HOSTS OF AI FOR HUMANS ON AI'S POTENTIAL FOR GOOD, BAD, AND DOWNRIGHT SILLY
They Have It Covered
Yong Lee (Lee) and PHP Agency use tech innovations to inject life back into life insurance
SEE FARTHER, MOVE FASTER
BUILDING TRULY AGILE SUPPLY CHAINS
Flavor Fascination
AS A UNIQUE GLOBAL FLAVOR DEVELOPER, CITROMAX BUILDS ITS HERITAGE AND SUCCESS ON TASTE AND A QUEST TO BRING NEW SENSATIONS TO THE TABLE