Vertical farming's biggest story of the year!

A company has leased several 100 foot silos to try their hand at true vertical farming. The company is being very cautious and rightfully so. Most of the time when you read about vertical farming, the operation is a few feet tall, at most 2 stories. If cities are ever going to be able to sustain themselves, as vertical farming pioneers, architects and urbanists have dreamed, we'll need to cover whole buildings...fill a skyscraper or two would be helpful. And this is the biggest experiment to date on the planet, by a long shot. Keep your eye on this one in the coming months and years!!!

Five important things to know:

-Five year lease starting March 1, $42,000/year, which can be extended up to 35 years.
-24,650 square feet in total available; they are starting "small" with 1 silo.
-Hydroponically and aquaponically grown vegetables could be available as early as September.
-The silos have been leased "as is" and the company is responsible for cleanup (primarily asbestos, lead paint, spent rotting grain).
-The company will invest at least $500,000.

2 steps forward, 1 step back?

We all know that urban agriculture is super hot right now.

-In Boston last week a Request for Proposals (RFP) for a pilot urban agriculture project was released. In Dorchester the city hopes to use three vacant properties to produce fresh, healthy food. The governor of Missouri signed a bill to help modernize agriculture law in that state. The big news for me is how urban agriculture is spun to be an important part of the bill, when it is merely window dressing. But, that shows the power of this new movement. And the other big news is he DID NOT sign the ag bill in the BIG Mexico, but Mexico, Missouri. They had me going for a while!
In Toronto, sadly, the city is looking for ways to save money and this could include eliminating urban agriculture programs.

-The Guardian takes a look at what future sustainable cities might look like. To me (and others I’ve talked with) it’s really interesting how so many examples in the article use China as a harbinger of what is possible or what is to come. When a central authority dictates all of public policy and how money and resources are allocated naturally things get done. However it doesn’t make sense to compare that country to countries like the USA where the business community is in control. Will new cities in the US and Canada be built on a massive scale featuring harmonization with nature or a lower reliance on fossil fuels in the near future? Only if developers see a way to make money doing it.

Lastly, if you’d like your say on why you buy local food, Marketplace
is giving you a megaphone!

Algae growers unite!

A great project started in Ireland, I believe, to map every permaculture project around the world. If you know of any projects, known or under the radar, please drop this guy a line. While we're at it, a couple of new permaculture websites in Porteguese and Spanish.

-The next frontier for home-growers? Can you get more local than your backyard? How about algae in the kitchen? Aaron Baum seems like a fantastic person, willing to help with installations for free!

-There's an urban agriculture farming bill that was unanimously passed in the Missouri House of Representatives to study urban agriculture and vertical farming in Missouri's metropolitan areas. Score a big one for State Rep. Jason Holsman, D-Kansas City.

-Reason number 1034 why urban planning is a great career choice for the future. This blogger's stance makes sense, want to affect food systems on a large scale? Be a planner.

-Accomplishments of pre-industrial Edo Japan include having a tree canopy covering 80% of Tokyo and free shellfish for it's residents. Check out the great synopsis first, then read all of Azby Brown's new book, Just Enough: Lessons in Living Green from Traditional Japan. It's on hold at the library already!