If I had my way every man, woman and child would watch this video from Growing Power. All the detractors of organic farming methods, all the people who say organic food is too expensive, and all those who say there isn’t enough space to grow the amount of food we need should watch this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VljOUGM9wyA

“Everybody deserves access to healthy affordable food, but how do you grow enough food in less space” asks Will Allen, CEO of Growing Power. “The only way to do that is to go up.”

From this perspective Will developed an urban farm that now produces vegetables, fish, meat and fruit all year round. Will uses space in a way that traditional farming never has. He tiers his growing areas. Fish are reared in tanks that go five feet uderground. Above the fish tanks are shelves of fruit and vegetable beds, maybe two or three tiers high. You can immediately see the logic and beauty of this approach – protein and fresh produce are effectively grown in the same area.

Organic horticulture methods are used throughout Will’s urban farms including composting onsite using green and brown waste, and solar panels to heat the greenhouses as well as water for the fish tanks. No fossil fuels required.

As well as the innovative approach to growing organic produce, the desire to involve and grow a community is something I find particularly appealing. Anyone who wants to get involved, is involved. There is much to see and much to learn here.

Will’s urban farms exemplify what organic living is really about.

Filed under: Organic Farming

Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!