It’s a familiar line in the context of city planning and development. ‘Build up, not out’ – transitioning the development of our cities toward a high-rise model will cut commuters’ journey times, reduce emissions, and protect the biodiversity that would otherwise be paved over through the building of sprawling suburban estates. The concept of ‘Vertical Farming’ (VF) may not, however, be quite so well-known. Also termed Vertical Agriculture, the process involves growing crops indoors, in vertically stacked layers, like shelving in a store. The plants are grown in facilities where temperature, light, water, and other elements are controlled, allowing for optimum growth conditions all year round. Generally, produce grown in these indoor farms can be produced at a point in the supply chain, physically much closer to the end destination (supermarkets etc.). This, in turn, can lead to big reductions in the miles travelled, potentially reducing food waste.
Continue reading “Up, not out – Is the future of climate-resilient farming vertical?”Wheat Rust – How innovative technologies can mitigate the threat it poses in Ethiopia
The following blog post focuses on innovative and impactful uses of mobile technology to help mitigate the devastating impacts of wheat rust on crop yields in Ethiopia. This post owes to the work of Dr. Dave Hodson, and Dr. Diane Saunders and their various global partners, and relies on the references posted at the end of the page for its content. Any replication of their material is complimentary in its intention, and should only serve to highlight my own interest in the work carried out.
Part One: Wheat Rust – An Early Warning System
The world’s cereal and horticultural crops have always been threatened by the fungal disease rust (wheat yellow rust, stem rust, and leaf rust), a pathogen that can wreak havoc on croplands. Estimated global annual wheat losses due to rust are roughly 5.47 million tonnes (1). One country particularly vulnerable to wheat rust is Ethiopia, where the pathogen is considered the ‘key biological constraint to wheat production’ (Meyer et al. 2021). Wheat rusts have move quickly over land, carried vast distances by the wind, meaning epidemics take root quickly with devastating effects. These reduced yields pressurize the agricultural economy of Ethiopia, leading to annual wheat import costs of around $600 million, this in spite of them being the Sub-Saharan Africa region’s largest wheat producer.
Continue reading “Wheat Rust – How innovative technologies can mitigate the threat it poses in Ethiopia”Tropical Coasts – How Blue Ventures use remote sensing to fortify food security
Introduction Last year, we entered a so-called ‘decade of action’ on climate change, with the targeted achievement of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) critical. As part of this, the secretary-general of the United Nations, António Guterres, will convene a Food Systems Summit later this year. The body of work hoped to be achieved by this summit will be supported by a spine consisting five key action tracks: 1. Ensure access to safe and nutritious food for all; 2. Shift to sustainable consumption patterns; 3. Boost nature-positive production; 4. Advance equitable livelihoods; 5. Build resilience to vulnerabilities, shocks, and stress. This blog post will look at Action Track 1 and delve into a possible solution in detail.
“When they function well, food systems have the power to bring us together as families, communities and nations. – UN Action Tracks”
Continue reading “Tropical Coasts – How Blue Ventures use remote sensing to fortify food security”