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Berlin Gets First Taste of In-Store Vertical Micro-Farms (rt.com)
An anonymous reader shares an article on RT: German shoppers now have the chance to buy fresh greens and herbs in supermarkets with tiny vertical farms which both grow and display the produce. The new delivery method for the freshest possible produce is being pioneered by INFARM which is currently testing its live herb gardens at METRO stores in Berlin. The people behind the project say these are the first indoor farming installations of their kind, placed directly in supermarkets. "Imagine a future where cities become self-sufficient in their food production, where autonomous farms grow fresh premium produce at affordable prices, eliminating waste and environmental impact," The farms look like a tiny greenhouse inside the store where shoppers can pick their own freshly harvested salad greens and herbs right from the growing plants. The advantages of the indoor micro-farms are lower transport costs and associated emissions. They use less water, energy and space than conventional farms and horizontal greenhouses.
I heard they have a new electric tractor sitting out in the parking lot because German law requires a new green tractor for all farms.
(-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
I'm interested, but if we've got to the point where it's more efficient to grow something in a tiny urban space rather than reap the efficiencies of scale out in the vast acres of agriculture, hasn't something gone badly wrong? Where are the costs we're saving: in transport? refrigeration? waste?
(No of course I haven't RTFA! I was too busy posting my ill-informed musings.)
As a german I apologize (we are very good at this, doing this all the time for the last 70 years). Only because Berlin does crazy things doesn't mean we all germans are this crazy.
Lighting a farm with electric light is total energy waste. As a majority of the german energy is from coal, it is even bad for the environment. Its pointless and just shows how stupid some of the berlin hipsters are. But startup something something.
This is propaganda from RT to spit on the german movement for greener energies.
Dear /. and corporate overlords:
Please stop linking to the troll site Putin Today.
Cities will never be self-sufficient for anything without increasing their dependence on something else. There are too many people per area in cities to live off local natural resources. In this case, even if you could grow enough food in a city, you would neither want to, nor could you without "importing" enormous amounts of energy, which could not be sourced in the city. Cities can not get by on the energy produced by wind and solar within city limits even for the puny power needs of today, without indoor farming and electric vehicles. IOW, it is hipster bullshit, and probably priced as such.
There's that word again.
It's popping up in all sorts of places.
Autonomous Cars
Autonomous Medicine
Autonomous Weapons
Autonomous Factories
etc
It really is going to be interesting to see how in the not too distant future, one of our primary roles will be to try to maintain control over a growing list of autonomous technologies that allow our civilization to function.
We play the game with the bravery of being out of range
cows are going to have a hard time
But I do wonder where our obsession with "freshness" comes from. Is it because we're so divorced from the places where our food comes from?
To be honest, I'm happy not seeing the entire process of growth through harvest. I have other things I'd rather do with my time than tend to crops and livestock. And when it comes to processing, I have a preference that livestock be treated well in their life since it's fueling mine...but I have absolutely no desire to be part of the slaughtering process. None. Again, I'd rather pay someone else to do that for me.
So what. Home Depot has those occasionally during the year. You have to buy the whole pot though.
Interesting, but please don't link to propaganda news sites like Russia Today, there are plenty of non-corrupt news sites to choose from.
How are they fed? Probably non-organic liquid mineral fertilizer...
All nice and sterile, no earth worms, other critters visiting - anyone wants to be a plant THERE?
Unfortunate to see an RT article on Slashdot.
ALWAYS good to grow at least a bit of your food. Even if it's only a few golden beets in a pot or some arugula. But you can always disagree with that.
I wouldn't be surprised to see many variations of vertical hydroponic farms on south-facing windows of buildings in the future, whether on a per-unit basis or in some cases in a vertical atrium-style space. On a small scale leafy greens, carrots and related crops would be the only ones that make sense due to pollination concerns, but I could also see larger setups being feasible with south-facing atriums full of hydroponic crops with some level of access for bees.
In some ways this complements the trend of rooftop gardens/lawns in urban areas.
fencepost
just a little off
...since verticulture is actually a thing. I grow herbs in a home built vertical planter. I grow potatoes in a denim sculpture comprising a pair of jeans filled with compost (it actually stands up on its own).
Political debates have me rolling my eyes so much I think I got optical whiplash. I should sue. - Foamy The Squirrel
In Flint, MI this idea would go over like a lead balloon.
Because I totally want my Romaine and arugula to be grown under fluorescent store lights.
This approach does solve need of delicate storage, if greens were harvested for sale instead. As they are still connected to the infrastructure of their growth, it makes them not only freshest possible when buying, but also incomparably better enduring, than any other storage option.
Servant of karma
First, this is kind of old news, here is an official press release from the METRO corporation from February on it.
But why does the ./ article amongst all possible sources reference a Russion government financed propaganda channel on this? That's like referencing the US-propaganda channel "RIAS Berlin" when talking about supermarkets in Moscow...
It is about a high-end taste/smell/quality food product. Germany is not a third-world country full of starving poor people. Actually, the whole EU has opted to not maximize efficiency when growing food, but mandates some efficiency-lowering rules (like on the population density of animal farms or limits on HFCS production) that favor moderation of health risks or promote quality.
I know it's a concept hard to comprehend for many who've been raised in an extremely capitalist environment, but a significant part of EU citizens actually strive for goals in their lifes other than passing away with a maximum amount of money in their bank account... so efficiency is not everything.