In Defence of Microgreens

I never really understood the point of microgreens. The whole point of this indoor farming movement, I thought, was to help meet our growing demand for food sustainably. And there were microgreens, calling themselves sustainable, whilst really being something that Continue reading In Defence of Microgreens

The Greenhouse Challenge Grand Finale

A few days ago, the Grand Finale of Wageningen University’s Greenhouse Challenge took place. It was a great day of discussing urban agriculture, showcasing new ideas, pitching, and celebration. Here’s my experience of that day. The Stand At 10 AM, Continue reading The Greenhouse Challenge Grand Finale

Deep Nutrition: Why Agriculture Should Not Feed, but Nourish

Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food. – Hippocrates I recently finished reading Deep Nutrition by Dr Catherine Shanahan, a book which has been recommended and raved about on Twitter through the likes of Alexander Juan Antonio Cortes. Continue reading Deep Nutrition: Why Agriculture Should Not Feed, but Nourish

Update on Green Spark and the Greenhouse Challenge

We just pulled an all-nighter. After over half a year of refining our ideas, our team’s final dossier for Wageningen University’s Greenhouse Challenge was finally handed in, a rendering of which you see above. The Greenhouse Challenge is a competition Continue reading Update on Green Spark and the Greenhouse Challenge

AMI’s Farm Lab and the First Vertical Farming Festival

At Aquafarm 2018, Zjef Van Acker had been talking about his latest brainchild, the Virtual Vertical Farming Lab (ViVe Farm Lab), an online platform for sharing data and knowledge. On the way back at the airport, he showed me some Continue reading AMI’s Farm Lab and the First Vertical Farming Festival

Recovering Nutrients: Environmental Technology and Attitudes

Closing the loop is what vertical farms should help us do. More specifically, vertical farms can be organs within their surroundings, turning nutrient-containing waste into high-value produce. One of the ways I am exploring this idea is by participating in Continue reading Recovering Nutrients: Environmental Technology and Attitudes

NVTL Studiedag

Last week, Nederlandse Vereniging Techniek in de Landbouw (Dutch association for technology in agriculture, NVTL) organised their annual Studiedag, a day filled with interesting tours and talks by people at the forefront of agricultural technology. This was an opportunity not Continue reading NVTL Studiedag

Aquafarm, Aquafarm, Aquafarm: My Experience

Just got back from Aquafarm 2018 in Pordenone, Italy. It was wonderful. Here’s a quick recap of my experience of these few days. The Beginning: Wednesday, February 14 Wednesday afternoon the adventure started. I met Zjef Van Acker at Charleroi Continue reading Aquafarm, Aquafarm, Aquafarm: My Experience

Energy in Greenhouses

It’s February, and Wageningen University’s Greenhouse Challenge has officially started. For the next few months, teams all over the world will be designing an urban farming system for the Bijlmerbajes, a former prison complex near Amsterdam (what is it with Continue reading Energy in Greenhouses