Which vegetable grows from 1 kg to 16,000 kg in 4 weeks?

Two schools are getting a green makeover.
In Vietnam, have a look at this green-roofed kindergarten!

-And in Williamsburg, P.S. 84 is getting a hydroponic rooftop greenhouse.

-Lastly, check out this Israeli firm and their high-tech system which produces Khai-nam. Seems the food tastes pretty good and grows, according to their youtube video, from 1 kg to 16,000 kg in 4 weeks!! Can this be real???

GILA word of the week: Urban Rooftop Vineyard

A new startup in Brooklyn wants to grow hop vines on rooftops for craft beer. Incredible idea but here's the question...what do we call it? Right now articles are calling it a green roof, but whenever vines are involved we usually call it a vineyard, right? I've never heard the term "grape farm" before.
What about calling it a "urban rooftop vineyard"? URV?

-25 hectares of green roofs. Yes, that's right folks. 2.5 million square feet of rooftop greenery slated for a London development! Grand total? 10 years of development at $6.6 billion dollars USD!!!

-Slated to be the biggest in the midwest, a new aquaponics facility hopes to push the industry envelope by raising lobsters in addition to bass, bluegill and tilapia and perch.
I'm amazed on a daily basis how aquaponics is inspiring people around the world to build their own systems. Here's one at a resort (!) in Borneo!

-There are still a few spots left at one of the premier permaculture design courses in the Northeastern USA in Rochester, NY. Classes start March 9.

Each city should have their own FBI

-The year of aquaponics continues. In Indianapolis an entrepreneur is drumming up support for a $20 million facility. It is still far from a done deal, but the mayor is involved, team leader is a serial entrepreneur and board member of the local aquaculture association. Let's track this one to see where it goes. I'm predicting big things.

Let's move on from Indianapolis to Agropolis. (Wow, what a segue!) Back in October I introduced you to a truly innovative project in the Philippines. The Agropolis project provides a slew of urban agriculture programs training out-of-school youth to be savvy entrepreneurs.

I was blown away by what they were doing and got in contact with Jose Rene Gayo, who is heavily involved with both the Farm Business Schools and the MFI Farm Business Institute. He was kind enough to answer a few of my questions about the projects.

Of note, the partnership between the stakeholders has entered its third year and the eco-farm tourism entrepreneurship diploma program is two years long (!).

For more information, like how your town can have their own farm business institute (FBI), you can email Jose Rene Gayo at renegayo (at) gmail (dot) com.

Another must have for every big city is an organization designed to navigate bureaucracy, governance structures, and neighborhood dynamics. 596 Acres does just that in Brooklyn. Of course not every one of those 596 acres will be used for urban agriculture, if they were, that's enough land to feed almost 3,000 people!

-Finally last week brought word of not one, but two one-stop shops for urban homesteaders. Detroit's is up and running, Vancouver's will open soon.

Quantity, then subsidize urban gardens?!?

Summer is officially here (well, not officially, but it sure feels like it). Lots of stuff going on, one day I promise to share it all.
For now, let's see what's new and interesting in the world.

-What if we subsidized gardens the way we subsidize so many other products/services in North America? Interesting question.

-I think we can all applaud the efforts of these citizen scientists to
quantify the benefit of urban gardens. I love the fact that skilled professionals are using their down time to help out their community and tackle an issue not many "professional" scientists have.

-There's a new urban food class in a Vancouver high school. Looks like the efforts of one teacher can really pay off.

Tis all!!!

Click to plant a living wall

Still a few hours left to visit Woolworth's living wall for world food day. That's Woolworth's...in South Africa. I can't quite tell if this is a spinoff from the Woolworth's that once ruled the U.S.A.

-Singapore is coming on strong with living architecture, so it makes sense that they would host the International Skyrise Greenery Conference in just a few weeks.

-After big hail storms (an inch in some neighborhoods!!!) last week, many urban farms in Brooklyn are picking up the pieces.

-Check out the Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and
Community Development (JAFSCD) from way back in August 2010. Great columns include "Rethinking Government Policies for Growing Farmers" and ways to" Let Food Systems Emerge".