Paris-based Agricool raises $28 million to expand its urban farming tech

Agricool today announced it has raised $28 million for its system that uses specially designed trailers to grow strawberries in big cities.

The Paris-based company has now raised a total of $41 million as it works to meet the growing demand for locally grown produce through technological innovation.

“We are very excited about the idea of supporting urban farming toward massive development, and it will soon no longer be a luxury to eat exceptional fruits and vegetables in the city,” said Agricool cofounder and CEO Guillaume Fourdinier in a statement.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT: “VentureBeat.com”

How Atlanta Is Turning Ex-Cons Into Urban Farmers

“ATLANTA—On a 4-acre farm a few miles south of the Fulton County Jail, Abiodun Henderson swung a pickax into the soil at her feet. She kept at it until she was winded and sweating on this brisk October morning. Around her, 10 young men and women tentatively swung their own tools at the ground, loosening the soil for a set of raised beds where turmeric and ginger plants would grow inside a hoop house through the mild Georgia winter.

“This is how deep we’re going!” Henderson shouted over to Derriontae Trent, one of her trainees, as she pointed to a rusted spike hammered nearly a foot down in the soil. “Teamwork makes the dream work!”

Trent, a smart and wiry father in his early 20s, had recently completed a 2-year prison sentence for multiple weapons and drug charges. He figured that with a rap sheet longer than his résumé his only choice might be a return to the streets. Over the summer, a friend suggested he call Henderson, who had just started a program that would train previously incarcerated youth how to harvest crops. Best of all, it promised to pay $15 an hour. Even though Trent had never worked on a farm before, by early August he was enrolled as the newest member of Gangstas to Growers. Two months after that, he was gripping a hoe, shoulder to shoulder with Henderson while trying to keep the mud off his fresh white sneakers.”

READ THE FULL ARTICLE: “Politico.com“

Why You Might Want To Consider Starting Your Own Urban Garden

The growing information about possible negative health effects caused by over-processed foods and artificial additives like artificial sweeteners has fueled interest in eating clean. Now more people are opting to eliminate artificial additives, such as flavors and preservatives, and replace them with simpler whole ingredients like fresh produce and whole grains.

If you’re looking to add more clean ingredients to your diet, one answer might be to start incorporating more whole, fresh or frozen fruits and veggies into your daily menu. You can grow your own produce, too, even if it’s something small like an herb plant in your kitchen windowsill. People across the country are doing this more and more, even in cities like Los Angeles and New York. To find out more about clean eating and the urban gardening movement, actor Rainn Wilson met with Daniel McCollister, the founder of the app Cropswap, which allows you to purchase or trade produce being grown in your community.

Watch the video above, created in partnership with Panera, alongside Wilson, to see how urban gardeners like McCollister are lifting up their communities by changing the food system and creating access to clean, organic ingredients.

READ THE FULL STORY: “HuffPost.com“

Urban farm sprouting at old Native Hospital site

The plot of land where the old Alaska Native Medical Center used to be near Ship Creek is getting a makeover.

The 10-acre tract of land at Third Avenue and Ingra Street has been vacant since the hospital came down in 1992. While the overall plan for the entire space is still being discussed, the University of Alaska Anchorage and the Alaska Food Policy Council hope to bring new life to a piece of the property with an urban farm.

Following a crowdfunding campaign that has already raised more than $2,300, volunteers installed nine raised beds for plant crops next spring. Beds will be filled with soil at a work party Saturday at noon. Even though the ground is a little hard and there’s a layer of snow on top, UAA professor Micah Hahn says they’re ready to plant at least one crop.

READ THE FULL STORY AT: “KTVA.com“

How to create an urban farm in your Austin backyard

Growing health, fitness and fresh food movements are fueling the rise of urban backyard gardens across the country. As studies identify food as a primary component of disease prevention, people are turning away from commercial, processed and packaged foods, instead working fresh food into their diets. Gardening itself has physical and mental health benefits.

The biggest gardening trend of 2018 was the emphasis on food. Large sections of lawn are being cleared to make room for tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and squash. Gardeners embrace creativity by growing fruits and vegetables in increasingly smaller spaces like balconies, walls and patios. Back in fashion: companion planting and canning, key to the gardens of our grandmothers. (My husband’s canning jar collection keeps growing every year.)

Kids are also learning where their food comes from. School gardens expand science lessons by engaging students outdoors. Learning about photosynthesis back in my day would have been infinitely more fun in the sunshine getting dirt under my fingernails.

READ THE FULL STORY AT: “Austin360.com“

An arts-focused urban farm initiative is coming to Baltimore

A new state initiative will bring an urban farm to a vacant lot in West Baltimore, but instead of growing fruits and vegetables to eat, the focus will be on plants that can be turned into natural dyes for artists, Gov. Larry Hogan’s office announced Wednesday.

The inspiration comes from the governor’s trade mission to Asia in 2015, and a 2017 visit by first lady Yumi Hogan to her native South Korea, where she toured the Natural Dyeing Cultural Center in Naju. A delegation from the center came to the area earlier this year to demonstrate natural dyeing for potential partners in the farm.

Indigo, marigolds and the state flower, the Black-eyed Susan, are among the crops that will be grown on the plot of land at 731 Ashburton St., which is currently owned by Coppin State University.

“Our trade mission to Asia yielded many positive results, and we are proud to work with our partners in Korea to bring this innovative initiative to Maryland,” Gov. Hogan said in a statement. “This urban garden will have a tremendous impact towards the community revitalization of West Baltimore and our economy – from the natural dyes produced by the crops to the unique apparel which will be manufactured for the marketplace.”

READ THE FULL STORY AT:”BaltimoreFishBowl.com“

Ikea wants to help you farm in your house

Ikea doesn’t just want to sell you furniture–it also wants to sell you on sustainable living. And how best to live sustainably than to grow your own food?

That’s the idea behind a new line of products the Swedish company is developing with British industrial designer Tom Dixon. Due to be announced in May 2019 and released in Ikea stores in 2021, the products will be focused on making it easier for people to farm in an urban environment.

“For Ikea, this collaboration is about challenging the way society looks at growing in general and addressing that it’s both possible and rewarding to have a place to grow your own plants in the city,” James Futcher, creative leader at Ikea Range and Supply, said in a statement. “Food is key to humanity and design can support with better solutions.”

READ THE FULL ARTICLE: “FastCompany.com“