CLIENT – UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY
THE URBAN FARMING HUB
In this project we helped researchers from the University of Sydney to develop a strategy to progress their urban farming research towards commercialisation. The strategy involved the development of a the Urban Farming Hub concept. The hub uses modular integrated urban food waste recycling/indoor crop production hubs linked to on-site restaurants to drive precinct activation and community involvement in nutrient reuse and food production.
In this project we help develp a concept for modular integrated urban food waste recycling/indoor crop production hubs linked to on-site restaurants to drive precinct activation and community involvement in nutrient reuse and food production.
The concept was a challenge winner in the World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) global innovation platform (Impactio) which is designed to solve some of the world’s wicked problems.
The Challenge
Urban communities around the world have become almost completely reliant on food produced elsewhere. At the same time, traditional local markets and retail strips are failing, with many run-down high streets struggling to survive.
There is a growing recognition that local food production and the development of local community retail villages can support sustainable models of living and working and can catalyse new ideas, ways of living, businesses and experiences. With a mix of goods and services within walking distance, they can also be the heart and soul of sustainability.
But how do we bring struggling urban spaces back to life, to become places to socialise, access services, shop, work and live? We believe that embedding circular economy principles and practices with fresh local food production and supply directly in the places where people live and work can be the ideal modern catalyst for urban re-activation.
Our Solution
Using our Vision and Discovery process with the University of Sydney we developed a concept for urban farming hubs.
The Hubs use a modular precision indoor farming system that can be rapidly deployed to act as a catalyst for the development, growth, and scale-up of urban agriculture, support local food businesses in the communities around NSW, and stimulate new economic activity.
Advanced Circular Technology
The hub includes a precision indoor urban farm and production facility, primarily based on integrated artificial soil (recycled green/food waste) and nutrient film technique (NFT) processes for the production of vegetables, mushrooms and fermented products.
Nutrients are captured from local food waste to grow in situ in fresh, local produce using nutrient recycling and production technologies including
energy and water recapture.
Community Engagement
The Hubs will support local restaurants and new food business creation, community waste-free living and healthy eating education and cooking workshops, “Farm to fork” experiences by bringing the farm into the city, educating visitors about the history of farming on this continent, from our first peoples to current practices, and events associated with production, food technology, the anthropology of food and circular economy principles and practices.
It is so easy for us to sit on a good idea and not do anything about it. But Sustainability Advantage and Blue Tribe didn’t allow that to happen. They kept driving us forward.