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Information System for Agriculture and Food Research

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Development and testing of vegetable pillars for city farming, as well as for education, public relations and marketing for the organic and sustainable food and farming sector

Project


Project code: 2812NA048
Contract period: 08.05.2012 - 31.12.2012
Budget: 38,080 Euro
Purpose of research: Applied research

The aim of the project is the development and testing of crop and vegetable pillars for city farming as well as for education, public relations, and marketing of the organic and sustainable food and farming sector. It includes the development of a manual about construction, costs, planting concepts, cultivation and themes. The development and testing both focus on an inexpensive, stable, transportable, and easy-to-build construction with efficient water management and, if possible, the integration of water storage. It also works on adapted substrate with a high amount of compost, suitable planting, and the consideration of an appropriate effort for cultivation and maintenance. The results will be disseminated in a manual, by publications for practioneers and by the integration of the testing process in dOCUMENTA (13). Vegetable pillars enable a deeper understanding of themes like the benefit of biodiversity and plant varieties and the danger of their irreversible loss, but also land grabbing and the exploitation and scarcity of our limited resource – soil. The substrate, based on a high amount of compost demonstrates the value of compost to enhance soil fertility and a useful recycling of plant nutrients and organic substance. As symbol, education tool as well as organic, creative and participative cultivation system there are plenty of opportunities for use and possible themes. Future locations of vegetable pillars could be urban gardens, festivities on farms, ’harvest-your-own’-projects, public events, markets, fairs, grocery stores, restaurants, schools, kindergartens, administrative buildings, non-profit organizations and NGOs. The Project works in cooperation with Prof. Dr. Oliver Hensel, Agricultural Engineering Group, Organic Agricultural Sciences, University of Kassel/Witzenhausen and Prof. Claire Pentecost, Department of Photography, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and is inspired by the Can YA Love Foundation of Ben Friton.

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Subjects

  • Crop Production
  • Agricultural Engineering Plant Production
  • Organic Farming
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