Global, sustainable food production on and with water in order to give the previously unused space of the water surface a purpose. Reduce emissions of food production. Create new spaces and experiences. Also floating food farms create local employment. People build the farms themselves and can work on it as employee. In Europe these workers are often disabled or unemployed.
Long Description
The need:
Due to the urbanization and the growth of the world’s population there will be a lack of farmland and therefore fresh and healthy food. Transportation distances are increasing. Farmland has to be fertilised with chemicals that eventually get into the food or the environment.
The vision:
Make healthy food accessible to all. Create local employment.
The idea:
Growing food on modular, social-produced floating objects, consisting of durable materials. These are interconnected for endless possibilities. The often unused water surface is now used in a meaningful way.
Possibilities for worldwide usage and climate adaptation:
Urban spaces: On channels, lakes or rivers to produce food in short distance to the customers. Also creating green spots in cities to increase viability without the need to changing the city architecture.
Developing countries: The knowledge from this concept can be used to improve floating food production where it is already been done. In flooding areas: A Floating Food Farm can be a solution for countries where the harvest flood away frequently, like Bangladesh. In dry areas: It also can be a solution in dry countries with water connection. Seawater can be transformed into fresh water. This water is then used to flow around the roots of the crops. Floating Food Farm is in this case a closed hydro culture on land. In any case: Local people can run the farms.
At sea: Fresh food supply from Floating Food Farms in front of big cities at sea. “Consider a city like Singapore with little farmland where prices for agricultural products are high “,Marcel Vijn (researcher City-Land-Relations at Wageningen UR). It can be produced on the salt water surface. Salt water can be transformed into fresh water with windpower. Rainwater can be collected and used. Even bigger farms with connections to off shore windparcs are possible.
The design:
The design-basis consists of natural resources so that food can be produced as sustainable as possible. The water-surface is the carrier of the Floating Food Farm. Crops are growing in water, with no soil to be used. There is less need for pesticides as many vermin can not swim. There are new, lean possibilities of harvesting because of the modules’ mobility.
Aquaponics and other animals: The possibilities of fertilization with Aquaponics, a fish cultivation under the farm, has being researched bij WUR. Aquaponics can only work well in a closed system. Nutrition balance is crucial. We don´t want fish or any other animal to be locked in a system that floats on water. Our aim is to keep things as natural and modular as possible.
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