Photo courtesy of Horizons
Saima Moshin visits PlantLab in The Netherlands .
Adam Shaw and Saima Moshin , disseminate diary keeper with theHorizonsprogram onBBC World News , produced a documentary that examines forward-looking solutions for give an ever - expanding urban population .
Shaw , an award - gain diary keeper and recipient of the British Broadcaster of the Year award , traveled to New York , where he tour Brooklyn Grange and Aqua Vita Farms , while Moshin , a broadcast journalist who works as a exceptional pressman for PBS Newshour , shoot the breeze PlantLab , a enquiry brooder in the Netherlands research choice for growing plants indoors without rude light .
The yoke take the time to answer questions about the upcoming program .
As part of theHorizonsseries on BBC , you interviewed urban husbandman who are taking unique access to feed in urban population . Why is this important ?
SM : Did you know that 80 percentage of the ground ’s population will be endure in urban centers by 2050 ? Until I started shoot forHorizons , I had no idea . As more of us move into metropolis , populations uprise and useable space to grow crops minify . We need to determine new ways to grow solid food . We ’re already using 80 percent of available landed estate for crops [ to course our current ] universe . But space and need are n’t the only issues — land practices are also coming under the microscope for the hurt they make the environment .
AS : One of the large job in the farming industry in relation to ecological progeny is the distribution from farm to fork . Being able to move farming output closer to the conclusion market is a must more effective way of doing things economically and is potentially much more environmentally favorable , as well .
It ’s particularly interesting that we filmed in New York , where you would n’t expect there to be a vast amount of distance for husbandry , and yet that ’s what is so revolutionary . In fact , if you look over the rooftops , if you take an eagle - heart prospect of some of the biggest cities in the globe — New York , London , Paris — what do you see ? You see acres and Accho of empty cap infinite . That is wasted blank . So what we ’re capable to do here is capitalize on a resourcefulness [ that ] is at once exceedingly worthful and yet being devastate .
How is our current approach path to rise and distributing food failing ?
samarium : There simply is n’t enough outer space to grow enough food to feed the macrocosm ’s growing universe . It ’s estimated that poor management practices has left around 15 percent of the land in piteous condition and to neutralise . One expert told me the average tomato travels around 1,300 kilometers [ more or less 808 miles ] to the consumer . After all that travelling , experts say the nutrient may not be as tasty or nutritious , as it may have been pick too soon to make up for the traveling time . All in all , it ’s an ineffective , environmentally unfriendly practice and defying the object or providing delicious , nutritious food .
What was the most important thing you learned about urban farmers and urban farming ?
AS : Although this is a very small industriousness at the minute , this is n’t a by-line . This can be done on a commercial base and , with scale , it will become increasingly practicable to vie with the large , traditional rural securities industry .
SM : It really is n’t some kind of sometime - fashioned or fancy idea to grow plant , fruits or vegetables onsite , whether in your habitation or for your line [ such as ] a eating place . In fact , it ’s easy and of the essence we start now .
In your opinion , what are some of the most viable solutions for feeding growing urban populations around the world ?
AS : you’re able to seek to make farming more efficient — and that ’s what people are doing — but if you ’re looking at a rotation , this is clearly the revolution people are looking toward . It ’s only just beginning , and it ’s at a micro level , so really , this is a new story .
SM : From what I [ get a line ] filming forHorizons … it ’s of the essence we start bringing our farms into our urban center . Reducing the amount our food has to journey from the dirt to our tables will have a huge and positive impact on our surround . Vertical agriculture is clearly a very clever concept to save on our space issues but also to reduce the distance between farm and the consumer . sum modern engineering to upright land , as I investigate in the Netherlands , takes us to another horizontal surface and could help us undertake the challenges mood variety will continue to throw our path in the time to come .
Why did you focus on urban farming pioneers in New York and The Netherlands ?
AS : We wanted , in some good sense I suppose , to give a broad geographic spread to show how different citizenry in different parts of the human race are come up with exchangeable answer .
What do you trust viewers translate after watching the program ?
SM : I hope we realise how we all need to think cautiously about where the nutrient we consume is coming from and how we are running out of time to see to it we have enough of it in the time to come . Those of us living in urban center take it for granted there ’ll always be food on our supermarket shelf … I also hope it encourages multitude to start thinking about have their own urban mini farms on their roofs , in their own garden and mayhap in their cellar one sidereal day ( if PlantLab has its way ) .
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