Posts from — October 2009

Kenyan project. Larger image here.

Aquaponic Greenhouse Prototype for Kenya

By Faith And Sustainable Technologies

Prototype aquaponic (combination of hydroponics and aquaculture) system using 700 gallon elevated ferro-cement flood tank technology developed by Travis W. Hughey which uses no float switches, electronic timers or microprocessors to control the flood and drain parameters of the system. It is a large version of the flood tank in the “Barrel-Ponics” manual found on this site as a free download. The system uses approximately 400 gallons of water per flood cycle. There are 37 barrel half growbeds also of Travis’s design incorporated. In the shallow pond water hyacinth and water lettuce are grown for fish feed.

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Larger image here.

No information about this garden. Perhaps a children’s hospital. (Mike)

Mr Rotervator by Chris Cyrus.

Chris Cyprus
Born April 1971, Gorton, Manchester.

“I read somewhere recently that digging potatoes is like unearthing buried treasure and the excitement of watching your own vegetables grow brings the child spirit out of us.

“This is similar to the thrill of opening new tubes of paint, and starting a fresh canvas and not really knowing what the finished product will become. After your last crop before winter sets in, there is the exciting process of planning what to do with next years crop, and where you are going to plant it.

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Eco Pod: Pre Cycled Modular Bioreactor For Downtown Crossing

Taking advantage of the stalled Filene’s construction site at Downtown Crossing, Eco Pod is a proposal to immediately stimulate the economy, and the ecology, of downtown Boston. Eco Pod (Gen1) is a temporary vertical algae bio reactor and new public Commons, built with custom prefabricated modules. The pods will serve as bio fuel sources and as micro incubators for flexible research and development programs. As an open and reconfigurable structure, the voids between pods form a network of vertical public parks/botanical gardens housing unique plant species a new Uncommon for the Commons.

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Midmar Drive Allotments by Sandy Gemmill
Larger image here.

By Jake Butcher
This research was conducted as part of an Ecology (conservation and management) dissertation at the University of Edinburgh.
16,000 word dissertation. Complete paper on-line. Link on next page.

Summary

A recent increase in urban food production has been stimulated by both the recognised advantages which it brings in terms of health, recreation and urban sustainability and by the solution which it represents to the many problems associated with the globalisation of the food system, urbanisation and increasingly intensified agriculture.

The City of Edinburgh has experienced not only a growth in the number and diversity of urban food growing projects over recent years but also a rise in waste, carbon emissions and both human and environmental health problems.

This study aimed to address these problems by assessing current food production and subsequently quantifying the room for expansion of food growing in the city. Case studies were conducted detailing information on 16 different food production projects within the City.

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An exterior view of the Tower of London showing Middle Tower with guards and a vegetable garden in the foreground.
Photographer: York and Son
Larger image here.

Cultivate vegetables!

A. Kuznetsova, A. Magitson, ca. 1930
Publisher: AChR, Moscow

Workers are encouraged to cultivate vegetables near factories. On the poster, a realistic still life is combined with a modern constructivist background. It is issued by the publishing company of AChR, the Association of Revolutionary Artists. This organization is the main promotor of Socialist Realism and develops a stranglehold on the visual arts.
From the International Institute of Social History.

Jin Meisheng
1959, February
The vegetables are green, the cucumbers plumb, the yield is abundant
Cailü guafei chanliang duo

Great Leap Forward (1956-1960)

In the three years of crop failures and famine following the Great Leap Forward, this poster with its abundant food is reprinted over and over again. The total number of copies runs to over a million.
From Chinese Posters Net.

Multiple Geographies of Urban Agriculture in the Global North: Integrating Perspectives from Planning and Design, Ecology, Public Health, and Political Economy

Call for Papers
Association of American Geographers (AAG) Annual Meeting Washington, DC,
14 – 18 April 2010

Urban Agriculture (UA) is undergoing a renaissance in North American cities. Over the past few years, communities and individuals have launched innumerable initiatives to farm and garden in empty lots, at schools, in back yards, and on roofs and stoops. This renaissance has led seed companies to report record sales, prompted Michelle Obama to plant a model garden at the White House, and motivated municipal governments to open public parks to UA. Far from being a new phenomenon, however, this renewed interest is building on a historical legacy of UA as a critical part of North American urban culture and landscape.

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Dan Palmer, the permablitz visionary.
Photo: Shaney Balcombe

Permablitz: new word, noun

1. An event in which volunteers use permaculture principles to transform a suburban garden into a place that produces its own food. A combination of the words permaculture – a design system for sustainable living and land use – and Backyard Blitz a television program in which backyards receive a makeover.

The rules of a permablitz are simple: if you want a permablitz crew to turn up to your place, you have to help out on at least two other working weekends before they will do so. In addition, Palmer defines a permablitz as a day in which “two or more people come together to:

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Costa’s Garden Odyssey

Six episodes of Season One are now on-line in brilliant colour. See what’s happening in the city of Melbourne. You must see these shows! (Mike)

Examples of stories from the show:

Collingwood is an inner city suburb of Melbourne and it’s the home of the Collingwood Children’s Farm, a special place where children enjoy the opportunity to have some “hands on” experience with farm animals. It’s also a community garden where Costa meets people like 70-year-old Harry Haralambos who grows wonderful produce for his entire family here as well as Joy McGaffrey who introduces Costa to the taste of “Worm Juice”.

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