Cultivating Urbanism: Transforming the Existing City Through Agrarian Interventions

The aim of this investigation is to develop a new urban scheme for Cultivating Urbanism. The research will focus on adapting agricultural practices into the existing urban fabric and argue for the reason to do so. The objective is to develop existing cities into pedestrian friendly, mix-use and high-density, which are filled with agriculture. The argument for Cultivating Urbanism is based on both New Urbanism and Agricultural Urbanism. People around the globe are showing remarkable interests in agriculture, food securities, community deficiency, nature-deficit disorder, carbon footprints, heat island effect, stormwater management and peak oil. I believe it is timely to pursue new practices of agriculture in urban areas and condition. The research studies the history of the relationship between the urban system and agriculture practices. Until recently, agriculture and the city were generally regarded as two distinctively separate classes, even antithetical. By analyzing and extracting the advantages of both New Urbanism and Agricultural Urbanism, this study propose new urban typologies. It envisions a new city that transcends and mediates the history and opportunities between the city and agriculture practices. The paradigm of ecology, lifestyle, food products, and physical and psychological benefits are investigated. Shinjuku, Tokyo is chosen to investigate and install the principles of Cultivating Urbanism. The research of the site covers broadly in food habits, food safety, food independence and spacial analysis. (The general demographic, landuse and climate analysis are introduced in Appendix A.) Various urban agriculture methodologies were adapted to certain buildings as prototypes; they include low and high-rise residences, hotels, public parks, schools, restaurants, commercial and public high-rise buildings and underground walkways

Business process blueprint for commercial urban farmers in South Africa

South Africa’s first commercial urban farm was in need of business process engineering and mapping to guide its supply chain and operations. The project also included a feasibility study to decide if processing and packaging must be done on the farm compared to outsourcing this function.Thesis (B Eng. (Industrial and Systems Engineering))--University of Pretoria, 2012.Urban Farms Compan

Growing green guide

The Growing Green Guide  has been developed with advice from industry experts and knowledge from academic research, to explain how to create high quality green roofs, walls and facades. The Growing Green Guide was the result of three years\u27 collaborative work between the Cities of Melbourne, Port Phillip, Yarra and Stonnington, the University of Melbourne, the Victorian Government and industry experts. It is designed to assist existing and new buildings to use their roofs, walls and facades to work together with the environment. Green walls, facades and rooftops not only have a visual attractiveness, but help cool the city and retain stormwater which can help reduce flash flooding. The guide was made possible through AU$250,000 (US$231,500) in funding from the Victorian Government\u27s Victorian Adaptation and Sustainability Partnership programme. The guide contains innovative ideas for cooling buildings and the environment, as well as some case studies. This guide is written for professionals who may be involved in the design, construction and maintenance of green roofs, walls and/or facades. It is also relevant to developers, homeowners, and local and state governments. The guide is targeted at projects based in Melbourne and Victoria, Australia, but is also largely relevant for a wider geographic area. The Growing Green Guide is released under a Creative Commons licence to encourage periodic updates and use of the information in a range of places

Fertile ground: enhancing local food production in Delft, South Africa

This dissertation, situated in Delft, on the eastern edge of Cape Town, aims to improve livelihoods by establishing a productive urban agricultural operation that will create jobs, supply healthy food and reestablish farming as a lucrative business in an impoverished community. It is intended to inspire people to transform the landscape of local food production and sustainable agricultural practice. Most impoverished communities tend to feel the effects of a formal food system that is set up to deliver to more established urban areas. This forces low-income communities to rely on informal retail to supply healthy foods, often at a premium, both for user and supplier. Food supply chains are dispersed resulting in high food costs and over-reliance on an extensive transportation sector. My project aims to decrease this footprint allowing nutritious foods to be grown and sold locally, benefitting both the consumer and the producer. By investigating the leading NGOs promoting urban agriculture and food security in the Western Cape, I have been able to extract valuable spatial lessons from these organizations. I have then applied them to create a model of urban agriculture and local food production that can work in these demanding landscapes. I explored the natural and urban conditions at various scales to determine the number of inputs required for a successful operation. I also investigated selected technologies to enhance land productivity and food production as well as selected systems to establish a sustainable operation in a landscape where resources are valuable and scarce. With high unemployment a regular statistic in impoverished communities, there will always be labor available and when given the opportunity, local residents can take advantage of the many benefits that such a project can deliver. I hope to develop a model that can be implemented around communities all over South Africa and the world, where common challenges of food insecurity faced by millions of people everyday can be addressed through local food production and in the process, establish a new type of agricultural model that can supply both the formal and the informal food sectors. My project is about celebrating a new agricultural model, one that is integrated into the urban landscape with a particular focus on local production within an impoverished community. It consists of a production farm with educational, research and retail components and a large-scale greenhouse that is intended to change the landscape of Delft. The farm will run various agricultural operations in a sustainable manner where are resources and waste is recycled and reused allowing for a closed loop operation. Growing, processing, packaging and distributing of produce will take place from this centralized hub. The greenhouse will be the celebratory moment of my project and I envision it to transform the landscape of Delft and the way in which the farming is perceived from a local perspective. The building will showcase all kinds of food growing technologies and will become a landmark in the area as a place of education and production. Specialized crops and seeds will be cultivated, stored and displayed for visitors from around the world, a one of a kind building that fuses food production, education and public interaction

Individuals cultivating edible plants on buildings in England

Food production, particularly local production, is a key component of sustainable urban environments, given the resilience of the supply and disposal of food are major concerns in cities worldwide. Due to the lack of land for food production in dense urban areas, people have explored possibilities for food production on walls, rooftops, balconies, windowsills and inside buildings. The technology for the integration of food production on buildings is continuously being developed, where plant and building technology have been the main focus. But at present there is a lack of understanding about the users of such technology and how they relate to systems for cultivating edible plants on buildings. This work attempts to fill this gap in understanding, examining a primary research question: “What affects individuals to cultivate edible plants on buildings in England?” To this end, this research utilizes a two-phase sequential mixed method. In phase 1, a questionnaire was formed to test hypotheses based on the Behaviour Change Wheel (BCW), behaviour theory. In phase 2, semi-structured interviews were undertaken in order to further explore the findings of phase 1. Primary data were collected from 65 participants who completed Surveys in phase 1 of the research, and in phase 2 from 30 interviewees from England who have varying levels of experience of cultivating edible plants and/or cultivating edible plants on buildings. Findings identified forty-one parameters that affect the behaviour to cultivate edible plants on buildings. These parameters offer a comprehensive framework for understanding what affects users to cultivate edible plants on buildings. They highlight that the following are important for an individual to cultivate edible plants on buildings; cognitive capacity available to implement and maintain the system, knowledge of how and why to cultivate edible plants on buildings, motivation to cultivate edible plants on a building, the outcomes obtained from undertaking the behaviour and the individual’s community. These parameters were further conceptually linked with constructs from two behaviour theories (the Theory of Planned Behaviour and BCW), links that lent further validity and theoretical reach to these data. Parameters were also linked to intervention functions and policy categories from BCW in order to explore how they can be addressed, indicating that education, training and modelling are key interventions that can help promote behaviour. This research offers a framework for understanding the parameters that affect individuals to cultivate edible plants on buildings. This knowledge can be used in the development of technologies for cultivating edible plants on buildings and the implementation of these systems, where the relevant parameters can be established on a case-by-case basis for the target users. This research also contributes new empirical knowledge to the behaviour theories and their application, and offers ideas for practical interventions

Design of a Greywater-Fed Hydroponics System

To combat issues of local water insecurity, a hydroponics system was designed in partnership with LEAP 5 High School in Jane Furse, South Africa. Climate change, increasing human population, and continued environmental degradation all threaten access to clean drinking water. Approximately seventy percent of all freshwater is used for agriculture globally, thus threatening food security especially in developing countries where access to water is potentially volatile. The hydroponics garden system utilizes sustainable materials, a self-monitoring temperature controls system, and greywater input, to act as an educational tool for students and significantly reduce freshwater use compared to traditional, in-ground agriculture. An education plan accompanies the implementation of the system to provide an avenue for community engagement and encourage the adoption of alternative, water-saving farming methods. The hydroponics system was developed by observing the strengths of existing hydroponics applications in commercial and educational institutions. The successes of established systems guided rapid prototyping of grow beds, shading structure, and greywater filter. The fully built system reflected all major subsystems and was used to test the effectiveness of a hydroponics garden compared to a traditional soil garden, and the growth of lettuce plants confirmed the benefits of hydroponics. The hydroponics method of farming was found to produce triple the lettuce per the same volume of water when compared with soil faring. Additionally, 30% less energy was required to operate the hydroponics system and the cost of materials was decreased 50% compared to past student projects and existing systems commercially available systems. The greywater-fed hydroponics system proves that an inexpensive, durable design displays significant advantages over standard, soil farming. Educational assembly manuals and tailored education modules designed for the LEAP 5 High School will aid in the adoption of a potentially disruptive farming method to an agriculturally dependent region

Roots of a Movement: Community Action and the Impact of Urban Agriculture in Chicago

Efforts to maintain a relationship to food pathways have been consistent throughout U.S. history despite the general evolution towards an increasingly industrialized food system. Urban agriculture serves as a means of reclaiming and furthering knowledge of where food comes from while also addressing larger social, economic, and environmental goals. This has been demonstrated in Chicago where urban farmers have worked to improve food access, increase employment, and revitalize communities all across the city. For many years, federal policies have promoted maximum production of commodity crops and kept supermarket prices low, allowing the government to ignore the impacts these policies are having on local economies, the environment, and public health. State and municipal policies have been similarly unsympathetic to any efforts to subvert the industrial food system. However, the individuals and organizations working to promote urban agriculture in Chicago demonstrate how community activism can break through these obstacles, and create fertile ground for the movement to grow. Chicago is recognized as a national leader in the urban agriculture movement, and the city is becoming an increasingly accommodating place for urban agriculture to thrive. In this thesis I describe the progress some of these urban farmers have made in Chicago, and emphasize how community engagement and support has played a crucial role in achieving this progress; I also discuss obstacles that have prevented the movement from attaining certain goals; and explore the implications of what it would mean for agriculture to change the landscape of a city

Vertical farm façade: first approach to the energetic savings applied to the Seagram Building in New York

Today, the use of natural resources, the increasing need for energy, and the rise in pollution are becoming matters of concern for developed nations. Although today’s buildings are more efficient than those from the last century, they continue to waste tremendous amounts of energy and water. Furthermore, 80% of the land available for agriculture on the Planet is already farmed. The agricultural footprint can be catastrophic if we take into consideration that the world´s human population could reach 10.6 billion people in less than 40 years; an increase of almost 40%. Aside from an improved aesthetic, the presence of urban plant life positively affects an area’s ecological, economic and social functions. A goal for Vertical Farms is the eventual ability to grow produce in city centers in order to avoid transportation issues and to preserve existing natural life by slowing deforestation. The purpose of this Thesis is to develop and quantify an improvement for an existing building. The chosen building is the 1954-58 Seagram Building in New York, designed by the German Architect Mies Van der Rohe. The goal for this improvement is to replace the totality of the original façade window to a new Vertical Farm Façade. By approximating the benefits of improving the main façade of the famous Mies Van der Rohe Seagram Building, considering the benefits of the use of new irrigation technologies, and understanding the benefits of vegetation in Double-Skin façades, this Thesis explores an initial approximation of the energetic benefits that would result from implementation of a Vertical Farm Façade

Proceedings of the European Conference on Agricultural Engineering AgEng2021

This proceedings book results from the AgEng2021 Agricultural Engineering Conference under auspices of the European Society of Agricultural Engineers, held in an online format based on the University of Évora, Portugal, from 4 to 8 July 2021. This book contains the full papers of a selection of abstracts that were the base for the oral presentations and posters presented at the conference. Presentations were distributed in eleven thematic areas: Artificial Intelligence, data processing and management; Automation, robotics and sensor technology; Circular Economy; Education and Rural development; Energy and bioenergy; Integrated and sustainable Farming systems; New application technologies and mechanisation; Post-harvest technologies; Smart farming / Precision agriculture; Soil, land and water engineering; Sustainable production in Farm buildings

The value chain for seed and ware potatoes in Kenya: Opportunities for development

In Kenya potato is an important food crop, second after maize. Potatoes are grown on 128,000 ha per year with average yields of about 8 tonnes per ha. The yield is far below its po-tential and should be improved to enhance food security. Of all potato growers in Kenya, 98% are characterised as small-scale farmers, producing less than 0.4 ha of potatoes per year per farm (total of two planting seasons). They produce 83% of the national production. Lack of good quality seed is a main reason for low yields. The fast-track seed project aims to improve availability of certified seed. Imported seed needs to be multiplied locally once or twice to reduce the cost price and make it affordable for small-scale growers. It is estimated that there is potential for at most 1,000 ha of professional seed production in Kenya to meet the market demand for certified seed. In Kenya about 98% of ware potatoes are sold for 'fresh' consumption. For industrial processing the most favourable opportunities are the production of crisps and fresh - not frozen - French fries. To change the low-input low-output strategy of many small-scale farmers linkages between producers and markets need to be improved. In the short term, improvement of potato growing and crop management should receive higher priority than storage and mechanisation. Storage and mechanisation should be adapted to local conditions and needs. Two cases have been indicated in which investments in professional cooled storage facilities are necessary; - storage of seed potatoes of varieties with a long dormancy period; - storage of ware potatoes for processing industry and some high-end retailers. Long-term seed storage in modern stores required for varieties with long dormancy increases the cost price of seed by 50% compared with short-term storage in diffused light stores. This makes short dor-mancy an important trait for potato varieties in Kenya, where potatoes are planted during two growing seasons. Machinery supplied for potato growing in Kenya should be geared to local needs. Higher yields and more multiplications of imported seed reduce the cost price of seed potatoes produced in Kenya. The cost price of imported seed after two multiplications is competitive with locally produced seed from minitubers after three multiplications. This report describes the current situation of the potato sector in Kenya and opportunities for further de-velopment. The study focuses on possibilities of the Dutch agribusiness to facilitate these developments. Existing information has been collected, although information on potato production was not easily availa-ble. In addition, during a mission to Kenya stakeholders were visited and interviewed. This resulted in cost- price calculations for seed potato production (short and long-term storage, imported seed and minitubers) and market information