“Using Polydome, even New York City could provide the majority of its own food supply using available roof space.”
“Envisioning one option for truly sustainable agriculture.”
“Polydome is a revolutionary approach to commercial agriculture that offers the possibility of net-zero-impact greenhouse food production. It produces high yields of over 50 different crops, while also sustainably incorporating chicken, bees, and fish. The increased variety and productivity of the system means that even a small Polydome greenhouse can provide a diverse food supply for a large population. Using Polydome, even New York City could provide the majority of its own food supply using available roof space.
Complementing advanced technologies with an innovative design, Polydome maximizes food production and variety by operating more like a self-maintaining ecosystem than an industrial farm. Plants, mushrooms, livestock, and insects interweave to connect waste, water, and energy flows between species and capture the benefits of varied space and light conditions. Shade-loving plants are sheltered by taller crops that soak up sun, chicken and fish provide ready-made fertilizer, while beneficial insects act as natural substitutes for pesticides. Animals within the system range freely and live naturally, while the design of the crop layout limits the need for repetitive human labor.
Polydome systems are a step towards truly sustainable agriculture: they produce high quality food efficiently and locally while creating environmental benefits and caring for human and animal welfare.”
6 comments
That’s awesome! Obama should be working on these types of sustainable projects and get off the crazy military crap. I’m tired of my husband and friends risking their lives and then coming home to this crummy economy he’s gotten us into. Grats to you all, I’m going to pass this around.
This is a preposterous claim: “Using Polydome, even New York City could provide the majority of its own food supply using available roof space.” As Christian Peters et al. * showed in their study of how much of NY’s food needs could be supplied by the state, “NYC has an enormous population, and even if it received all the available NYS production potential, it would meet just 55% of its total food needs.” Moreover, given the costs of this system, I suspect the price of the vegetables that are grown would be prohibitive to a large portion of New Yorkers.
*Peters, C. J., Bills, N. L., Lembo, A. J., Wilkins, J. L., & Fick, G. W. (2009). Mapping potential foodsheds in New York State: A spatial model for evaluating the capacity to localize food production. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems, 24(01), 72.
Nevin, Is there an online link for that reference?I could only find the abstract. I would like to see if Peters et al. allow for the yield per acre attainable with aquaculture systems. Does your espousal regarding economic viability factor in the enormous cost of food transport and the reduction of waste capable with this kind of project?
I believe once the technology and philosopy behind this kind of project becomes widespread the cost of the infrastructure will inevitably fall due to lower costs when mass produced and the effects of competition. I am creating a similar system with mostly recycled materials and plan to feed my family on a small suburban footprint.
Thanks for the feedback, guys. Nevin, thanks for your concern regarding the stated claims. If you like we can provide you with a detailed response to your concerns. Our head industrial ecologist and director of the Polydome system, Eva Gladek, will be happy to address these and any other concerns you may have.
Perhaps some of your concerns may be addressed by John Thackara’s interview in Design Observer here: http://changeobserver.designobserver.com/feature/the-high-tech-permaculture-metabolic-engine-greenhouse/28238/
In response to D. Farrell, the five boroughs of NYC = 195,000 acres, compared to the 4.3 million acres of existing (not potential) cropland in NYS, so even with much higher yields per acre we don’t have the land area to feed ourselves even if we covered every square inch of rooftops with farms. And at construction costs of far more than $500/square foot we won’t compete with farms selling for $10,000/acre, even with the costs of transporting the produce from upstate to NYC.
This is such a load of crap. Sounds just like the algae baloney. I think people forget about the cost of starting projects like these. Ya sure the potential yields are there but who is gonna pay the start up costs? If I can grow corn on my farm for a third of the cost that somebody else can I guarantee they wont be growing it for very long. It all comes down to cost/unit………and currently conventional agriculture would blow this out of the water. I dont see how the cost of constructing anything agriculture related in the city will ever drop much. Its all just fantasy. It just basic economics. Do people ever think about the logistic of raising animals in urban centres? Where is all the shit gonna go? Im pretty sure the sewers are overfull as it is.
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