DESIGN PROJECT IV
CHINGKHOMBA CHINGTHAM
PERSONA
HUSBAND AGE:
32
PROFESSION:
ARCHITECT
• Grew up in the countryside close to nature. • Not at ease with the city life. • Preferred the quiet pace of the country.
WIFE AGE:
31
PROFESSION:
WRITER
• Grew up in a farm. • Familiar with agriculture. • Writes cook-books.
FOOD IS ONE OF THE MOST BASIC NECESSITIES OF LIFE.
FARMERS Food is produced by full time farmers whose primary/only source of income is agriculture.
.1
.5
COLLECTION
CONSUMERS The consumers purchase the goods and produce from retailers in their local market.
DISTRIBUTOR STORAGE/PROCESSING
.2 FOOD DISTRIBUTION GENERALIZED MODEL
The produce from farmers goes to the local collection and sellling hubs. The produce is usually sold whole sale. Some are sold directly to local distributors and to consumers.
.3
The collected produce is transported to a factory where it is processed or to a warehouse where it is stored. From this point the processed foods or the produce is sent to the local distributors.
.4
The local distributors sell the produce or the processed product to consumers through retailers.
PROBLEMS: FARMING
E FARMING L B PR NA I AC A T S
ES C TI
1
MONOCROPPING
• • • •
increased susceptibility to pests and diseases soil degradation use of mechanized means loss of food diversity
PESTICIDE USAGE
• detrimental effects on health • soil and water pollution • reduction in biodiversity
CHEMICAL FERTILIZERS
• soil and water pollution • reduction in nutritive value of the crop
ARTIFICIAL RIPENING
• reduction in nutritive value of the crop
BONDED LABOUR
• financial responsibility borne by the farmer • farmers dont own property • farmers in debt
U N SU
ROCESSING
STORAGE
PROBLEMS: STORAGE & PROCESSING WASTAGE
• rot • damage while handling/bruising • pests & rodents
INFRASTRUCTURE
• cold storage • warehouses • connectivity
TRANSPORT
• time • pollution/resource wastage • dependency
NUTRITION
• foodstuffs reconstituted reducing the nutritive quality • added synthetic chemicals further degrade the quality of food
UNSUSTAINABLE
• packaging • dependence on multiple resources
PROBLEMS: CONSUMER
COST The cost of the food is increased due to the long journey the food has taken from the farm to the consumer. At each step the cost rises.
NUTRITION By the time the food reaches the customer, the nutritive value of the food has been affected substantially. This food can have undesirable long term effects on human health.
PROBLEMS: SYSTEM LINEAR SYSTEM
COST FLUCTUATION
FOOD DESERTS
A linear system means that any breakdown in the chain of supply will cut off food supply to the consumers and cause famine, malnutrition and illness. Also, a linear system makes reusing and recycling unfeasable because this model is based solely on consumption.
The cost of the food produce is not controlled by the consumers but is affected by various factors that have no relation with the consumer, for example, the state of the economy, weather in the farming areas, social conditions, etc.
The requirements of infrastructure and logistics required to distribute food means that establishing new distribution systems requires a large investment in terms of resources. Not all consumers have equal access to high quality nutritious food sources.
PROBLEMS: GLOBALIZED DIET AGRICULTURAL IMPACT
RECOMMENDED DIET
• Vulnerability of food sources • Severity of crop diseases • Dependency on a few crops • Damage to soil and biodiversity
FATS | OILS | SUGARS MEAT | DAIRY | BEANS FRUITS | VEGETABLES
HEALTH IMPACT • Dietary diseases • Overconsumption of energy dense foods • Lack of micronutrients in diet
*Source: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS) Journal.
GRAINS | CEREALS
GLOBAL DIET
More people are consuming more calories, protein and fat, and they rely increasingly on a short list of major food crops, like wheat, maize and soybean, along with meat and dairy products, for most of their food. These foods are critical for combating world hunger, but relying on a global diet of such limited diversity has numerous adverse effects on the environmental and human health.
WA S
TE
D
STATISTICS: WASTAGE It is estimated that by 2040, the global food requirements will increase by 70%*.
70%
CURRENT
2040 30% of all the food that is produced worldwide is wasted after harvest.*
+70%
50
00
30%
100
Which means, that 30% of all the resources that went into the production, transportation, processing and distribution of food is wasted.
150
* Global Volume: Land Area:
ED WA ST
WA ST
1,600,000,000 tonnes 1,400,000,000 hectares
ED
WATER
FUEL
Carbon Footprint:
$ 750,000,000,000 *All figures based on reports released by the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations.
Equivalent to:
Rs. 45,30,00,00,000
ED
WA ST
Economic Cost:
WA ST
3,300,000,000 tonnes of CO2
LABOUR
ED
LAND
CONSUMER LIFESTYLE
?
Why not work directly for food? Food is one of the most basic needs, surely there is no need to go through such complicated processes.
Y
U TO B TO EARN
TO G O
A typical consumer has a job where he/she might work for a standard nine-to-five time period five times a week. By having a job, the consumer earns money. A major part of this earning goes into buying food.
Also there is little scope for physical activities and exercise having a nine-to-five job. So a part of the money earned from the job sometimes goes into paying for a gym.
TO
+
COMMUNITY
ADOPTING AGRICULTURE AS A LIFESTYLE
A culture based on SHARING & GOODWILL
AGE:
32
PROFESSION:
ARCHITECT
WIFE AGE:
31
PROFESSION:
WRITER
CO
M
NITY COMM YC
MU OM
IT N U
M M U N I
CO
U MM
NITY COMMUNITY
CO M
M
The community grows enough food to support itself and achieve selfsufficiency. The members of the community grow a variety of crops in a planned manner.
Y COMMUNITY CO
The community is made up of likeminded individuals and families just like the example persona, who have a profession and a source of monetary income.
NIT
UN I TY
M
UN IT Y
U MM CO
• Grew up in the countryside close to nature. • Not at ease with the city life. • Preferred the quiet pace of the country.
IT N U
FOOD SECURITY SUSTAINABILITY HUMAN HEALTH ECOLOGICAL WELL BEING RELATIONSHIPS MMUNITY CHUMAN OM O C M Y
TY
HUSBAND
The community engages in agriculture in pursuit of
IMPLEMENTATION
PHASE 1
PHASE 2
PHASE 3
PHASE 4
Self-Initiation
Government Policies
Urban Planning
Full-scale Adoption
• DIY activism
• Research & development
• Planning for expansion of cities
• Adoption of agriculture as a lifestyle and a civic duty
• Small scale practice • Farming to produce at least a part of the consumption
• Regulations • Incentivising • Promotion
• Incorporating sustainable practices in city planning • Adopting new technologies
• Incorporation of agriculture into the fabric of the city
PHASE 4
PHASE 3
PHASE 2
PHASE 1
SELF-INITIATION Present day practices: Community driven activism where the community gets together to pursue farming for food security is a phenomena that is already occuring in some of the Indian Metros. The most common practice is farming on a small scale on commonly available open spaces like terraces and balconies.
Terrace farming
Planting Bed Soil
Farm rows
Brick lining
The most common practice of urban agriculture is farming on a small scale on commonly available open spaces like terraces and balconies. Beds are made on the terraces using bricks and soil. Most crops can be grown in this arrangement with a soil depth of 10 in.
Permaculture Permaculture is a form of agricultural practice where there is a focus on the self-sustainability of an agricultural system. Permaculture farms are ecosystems of their own that are isolated or semi-isolated from its surrounding system. Urban farming on terraces can be considered to be permaculture because the soil substrate it grows on is isolated from the ground, preventing diseases and pollution.
PHASE 1
TECHNIQUES Present day technologies
Hydroponics/Aquaponics
One of the most popular techniques being employed already for farming in cities are hydroponic and aquaponic systems.
PHASE 4
PHASE 3
PHASE 2
Hydroponics and aquaponics are becoming ever more efficient in terms of resource usage while giving better yields at the same time. Hydroponic and aquaponic systems form closed loop ecosystems where there is no interaction with the surrounding ecosystem. This gives many advantages like lesser usage of water, fossil fuels and chemicals while growing. The isolation from the surrounding ecosystem and the lack of a soil substrate also prevents diseases and pests to damage the crops.
Vertical Farming Space comes at a premium in the urban environment. The general trend in cities is to expand upward to compensate for the lack of space. Similarly, farms in cities can also expand vertically. These farms can produce exponentially greater amounts of produce as compared to traditional agriculture based on the area coverage.
PHASE 2
PHASE 1
GOVERNMENT POLICIES
Research
Regulations
Incentivising
Promotion
• Funding
• Laws to regulate Urban Farming
• Subsidize expenditure required to start a farm
• Educating the public
Governments need to invest in the research and development of farming techniques to ensure that the system can scale up to meet the demands of a growing urban population.
PHASE 3
• Improving effeciency All the technologies that are being developed at present are still in their infancy and exist mostly as proof of concept. These systems need to be matured further to be feasable on a large scale.
PHASE 4
• Innovate new techniques
Well planned and well defined laws regarding land use, farming practices, etc. will form the backbone of this movement and help in gaining trust from the public.
• Develop Guidelines Guidelines will act as a path that the people can follow when they want to start a farm. Giving technical help and support when starting a farm will help build confidence in the farmer.
Providing subsidies for starting a farm will have a long term benifit: a one time investment on an urban farm can support and help bring many families out of poverty. Also, subsidies will help rope in more urban farmers.
• Improve adoption rates Apart from subsidies, other incentives can be given to attract a wider spectrum of the population. One example could be changing labour laws to reduce the amount of time spent at work in the office while maintaining the salary.
Awareness about the reasons and the benefits behind this movement needs to be made clear in a transparent manner to the public to garner trust and acceptance.
• Generating desire to adopt this lifestyle For this movement to really succeed, this lifestyle needs to be marketed to the public to generate a desire for a more natural and ecofriendly lifestyle.
PHASE 2
PHASE 1
URBAN PLANNING
Expansion
Sustainable Practices
Adopting New Technologies
• Plan new suburban developments for sustainability
• Easy means of getting ecofriendly transport
• Using computers for precision agriculture
New suburban developments around already crowded cities hold the key to bringing about sustainable development. The trend of high rise blocks of concrete needs to be done away with to make way for real habitats that will provide more wholesome living.
PHASE 4
PHASE 3
• Cities based on community Suburban areas can consist of clusters of communities that are self-sufficient, containing all necessary amenities like hospitals, fire stations, restaurants, entertainment hubs etc. all within a certain radius to make commuting easy and quick. All the services that any resident might need are available within reasonable distance without the need to travel all across the city.
Use of healthier and more ecofriendly means of transport should be encouraged by providing the right infrastructure such as well organized bicycle routes within the smaller clusters and high speed public transpoer between the clusters.
• Encouraging a shared economy A shared economy is on where there is a shared creation, production, distribution, trade and consumption of goods and services by different people. This ideology would enable the population to collectively reduce environmental damage. Rather than full ownership, the goods and services can be shared, reducing the overall consumption of resources.
Environmental conditions like humidity, wind speed, temperature, water nutrient content (for hydroponic systems), etc. inside a farm can be monitored and controlled autonomously by computers to optimize the conditions and boosting production. Cost effective artificial lighting using LEDs tuned to give out a specific wavelegth of light for an even greater production.
• Using new construction methods to incorporate urban farming as an integral part of urban development Advances in material technology is allowing ever greater possibilities of how habitats are built. Being biological beings, we require contact with the biosphere to survive naturally without many of the now common ailments like Asthma and other allergies. Incorporating natural spaces and natural farms throughout these habitats will improve the quality of life.
PHASE 4
PHASE 3
PHASE 2
PHASE 1
FULL-SCALE ADOPTION
Adopting agriculture as a lifestyle and a civic duty
Incorporation of agriculture into the fabric of the city
Food is one of the necessities for survival. We cannot rely on a convoluted system with a long supply chains that fails to deliver to the masses and turns food into a luxury. Everyone needs food: the rich and the poor alike. The struggle for survival caused by the lack of high quality, nutricious food is at the beginning of a lot of problems in society. We can become truly productive if we are well fed and capable of doing productive work.
Agriculture has always been a part of human society, and it will always be. It is time to embrace it fully, recognizing the value it has to human well being.
Adopting agriculture and the production of food, at least in part, will go a long way in solving the serious threats we and the earth are facing, by ensuring food security while cutting down on environmental damage.
Parks, public spaces and anywhere that plants can grow can potentially become a spot to practice a little agriculture while doing service to the public. Cities can have greenery abound, not just any greenery, but greenery that produce fruit you can consume. Through a combined endeavour we can ensure that cities of the future will never go hungry.
COMMUNITY
DIGITAL PLATFORM
In order to facilitate the functioning of such a system, a digital platform is necessary to aid in the following functions:
INVENTORY User generated data about crop yields, consumption rate, plant species, soil quality, etc. can be used to maintain a digital online inventory that is accessible to all the stakeholders in a transparent manner.
KNOWLEDGE SHARING User generated media related with farming techniques, technlogies and best practices can be shared through the digital platform to help the communiy at large.
ANALYTICS The masses of user generated data can be analysed to produce usable knowledge that may guide the choice of crops and the quantity of crops, and make predictions customized to the requirements an individual unit and its surrounding community.
MARKETPLACE The digital platform may also serve as a marketplace for the exchange of goods, guided by the knowledge from the user generated data.
FORUM
INVENTORY
MARKET
MAP
INVENTORY
A kitchen scale and a garden scale takes measurements of weights at the time of planting, harvesting and also during consumption.
The collected data can be relayed to a smartphone wirelessly, and segregated with user input.
Soil quality probes can be used to relay data periodically about the pH value, moisture content and temperature of the soil.
All the data is then uploaded to the digital platform to be made accessible to the community and for analysis.
WORK IN PROGRESS UPDATE COMING SOON