farming


“Doomsday” seed vaults- the grail for post apocalyptic treasure hunters?

I’m knocking around ideas for a post-apocalyptic action-adventure story, to be done as one of Garth Owen’s alternate takes on popular film subgenres. The tale will be in the vein of Mad Max and all its imitators, with a band of adventurers, rather than just the one, traveling the post climate change/war devastation trading technology and information. What they want, more than anything else, is to uncover one of the underground seed banks, because the trove in there will set them up for life.

BBC News – Key food crops head to Arctic 'doomsday vault'.


Vertical farms sprouting all over the world – tech – 16 January 2014 – New Scientist

URBAN warehouses, derelict buildings and high-rises are the last places you’d expect to find the seeds of a green revolution. But from Singapore to Scranton, Pennsylvania, “vertical farms” are promising a new, environmentally friendly way to feed the rapidly swelling populations of cities worldwide.

In March, the world’s largest vertical farm is set to open up shop in Scranton. Built by Green Spirit Farms (GSF) of New Buffalo, Michigan, it will only be a single storey covering 3.25 hectares, but with racks stacked six high it will house 17 million plants. And it is just one of a growing number.

The Biospheric project is Salford’s very own vertical farm and the talks there were a fascinating part of last year’s Manchester International Festival.

Vertical farms sprouting all over the world – tech – 16 January 2014 – New Scientist.


A farm in the sky- World’s first commercial vertical farm opens in Singapore

Land-strapped Singapore has opened its first vertical farm — an innovation that will increase the variety of foods it has available and decrease its dependance on foreign imports.

via World’s first commercial vertical farm opens in Singapore.

Vertical farms were one of the ideas I put into Sounds of Soldiers, and there was talk of building one in Manchester, though I don’t know what came of it.


Organic farming cuts greenhouse gases

A 27 year comparative study has concluded that organic farming methods such as no-till sowing and growing winter cover can see soil retain 30% more carbon than ploughing and chemical use. Not only do these methods sequester carbon in a cheap and simple way, they can produce as much, or more, food as “intensive” farming methods.

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