Farmonomics
Market Watch: In Mar Vista, an aquaponics farm just down the street
By David Karp Special to the Los Angeles Times April 27, 2012, 12:55 p.m. This post originally appeared here: Many growers proudly advertise their local origins, but when David Rosenstein of Evo Farm sells his produce on Sunday for the first time at the Mar Vista farmers market, he says he will be talking “not about food miles, but food feet.” Rosenstein has built an innovative prototype aquaponics farm, combining aquaculture and hydroponic (soilless) vegetable cultivation, in a neighbor’s backyard. Each of these systems by itself generates copious waste, but when they are synergized, the fish provide the fertilizer for the plants and the plants filter the water for the fish. Ancient Mesoamericans practiced a primitive form of aquaponics, cultivating plants on rafts on lakes. Modern aquaponics systems were developed in recent decades by several researchers, including James Rakocy at the University of the Virgin Islands. There are now many aquaponics enthusiasts on a small scale (“barrellponics”), Read more
Aquaponics – The Promise of Food
By David Rosenstein / April 26, 2012 11:39 pm From seedstock.com The following is the first post in a series by David Rosenstein that will explore the benefits of aquaponics. Rosenstein is the founder of Mar Vista, CA-based EVO Farm, which operates the only commercial aquaponics farm in Los Angeles. He is also the chair of the Aquaponics Association – Western Region. If you count the number of people who are actually actively engaged in aquaponics on a global scale, that number is statistically about as close to zero as you can get. Yet, this relatively unknown method of food production is not only the most promising next step in agriculture, but also on the veryshort list of things that just might save ourselves from ourselves. Many more traditionally minded naysayers doubt the potential of aquaponics. Frankly, I don’t blame them. It doesn’t have the years of refinement that other techniques do. Furthermore, with such easy access to “how-to” info online, Read more
SoCal Sustainable Agriculture Entrepreneurs Discuss Business Models, Challenges & Opportunities
By Jessica Vernabe / March 9, 2012 5:56 am Originally posted on Seedstock.com The world’s population is growing rapidly, and that calls for new ways of thinking about how to produce enough food while also conserving the earth’s natural resources. As a result, agricultural entrepreneurs today are striving to combine the best of traditional farming methods with new technologies in order to create food that is healthy, flavorful and locally grown. And if that doesn’t sound like enough of a feat, there’s also the challenge of doing it all using a business model that won’t leave the farmer broke. Southern California has become a region of growing activity for these types of ventures, and Seedstock has attempted to provide a glimpse of what that experience looks like. A panel of agricultural entrepreneurs from the region—including those using soil, hydroponic and aquaponic growing methods—gathered at UCLA on Wednesday to share their experiences. The entrepreneurs answered questions by the audience Read more
Seeing Green: Urban Agriculture as Green Infrastructure
VANGUARD Seeing Green: Urban Agriculture as Green Infrastructure by Urban Omnibus ecology, environment,infrastructure, interview, LEED,science, sustainability, urban agriculture, water, waterways February 1st, 2012 Originally posted here It’s easy to list the reasons why we are supposed to love urban agriculture: the food it yields is fresh and local; the farming it requires is fun and social; the effect on neighborhoods is revitalizing and healthy. Critics point to its inability to replace existing production and distribution channels for produce, but what if its impact extended beyond the small farm or immediate community? What if it could solve other problems? One of New York’s greatest environmental challenges is its combined sewage overflow (CSO) problem. Our outdated sewer system is designed to collect stormwater runoff, domestic sewage, and industrial wastewater in the same pipe on its way to a sewage treatment plant. When the rain is heavy, though, volume exceeds capacity and untreated wastewater flows right into our waterways. Green infrastructure is a term that refers to Read more
Local Urban Aquaponic Farming Model to Reduce Food Mile, Create Jobs, Enhance Food Security
By Matt Wilhalme / January 11, 2012 6:13 pm Originally posted on seedstock.com On the Westside of Los Angeles, in the Mar Vista district, urban farming organization, EVO Farm, is utilizing aquaponics to create a replicable and sustainable farming model that will facilitate the creation of a network of local urban farms that grow and distribute produce that exceeds organic standards. “Who would want a big giant farm in one place when you could have 100 farms in 100 places?” asks EVO Farm’s founder David Rosenstein. According to Rosenstein, an urban aquaponic farm doesn’t necessarily require a lot of space. Rosenstein built what he calls a “suitcase-model,” which requires only as much space as a desktop computer. He uses it for demonstration purposes at the local farmers market. Rosenstein believes that with numerous small farms distributed across cities, food miles would be reduced, jobs would be created, and communities would be able to grow heirloom varieties and other foods that do Read more
Thinning the Fat
Clearly, the battle of 2012 will be fought on three distinct fronts: jobs, jobs and of course jobs.With such slick and diametrically opposed proposals being flung far and wide on how to render the economic crises, it is no wonder that none seem to stick. From an outsiders perspective, it is almost as if the leadership in Washington wants us to fail in finding a resolution for our financial woes. I am sure though that it is not the case. But what is real, is the fact that neither of the two (and one- quarter) parties are discussing anything that will actually SOLVE our predicament, at best they are only delaying the inevitable. We worry about the increasing costs of health care, the boomers who are surely going to break that piggy, and the climate of unfavorable conditions for wealth management. Well, why not turn this perfect storm into a perfect opportunity to not just Read more
Sex, Politics and Religion
Oh how times have changed. Or have they? In just the blink of an eye, urban farming has swept across the nation. In a reverse of trend- setting methodology, it emerged most visibly in the mid-west and percolated coastward. From the curious nano- sized windowsill farm, to classic raised- beds galore, to the cultured, commercial-scale roof- top enterprises, clearly homegrown food is on our mind and plate. It does not discriminate nor isolate and clearly is transcending all socio-economic conditions (dare I say class). While it is a relatively small percentage of Americans who are engaging in this practice, it is still numbering in the millions. These people, myself included, have a vast array of motivations to grow food. No matter the impetus, the positive impact of the effort is shared commonly, even if the actual food is not. If I grow food exclusively for my family, how can you be a beneficiary? That is Read more
