Surly Dan’s mission into urban farming is inspired by a number of challenges.
Food security
Climate impact of transportation
Food waste
Land costs
There are nearly 8 billion of us on this planet. Closer to home, there are 1 million people on Vancouver Island. We grow about 5% of our own food here.
95% of the produce we eat on Vancouver Island comes from California. California is fucked.
Every day, in Canada, we waste more food than we eat (!), mostly in the transportation and distribution channels, but also because of portion sizes and buying habits
Farmland in our area is very expensive, and, despite our climate, marginal at best.
As the price of fresh vegetables goes up, they will become less accessible to average and lower income citizens, contributing to a future public health crisis.
In light of all this, I believe that vertical indoor hydroponic and aquaponic farming is one part of the solution for our growing world, and that it can and should exist in large and smaller cities, year round.
Hyper-local, nano farms can provide both employment and nutrition on a small scale, direct from the urban farm, just a few miles down the road, straight to your plate.
Fresh. Local. Innovation.