Using the sun and the sea, renewable sources of energy and water, a desert farming operation in Australia shows how organic food can be grown in a fresh new and sustainable way.

The soil-free hydroponic systems of Sundrop Farms use solar energy to filter brackish water for use on crops, growing 17,000 metric tons of food annually. The sun’s energy also powers, heats and cools the greenhouses as needed, reflected via a series of 23,000 mirrors. In contrast, a “conventional greenhouse uses groundwater for irrigation, gas for heating, and electricity for cooling.”

The “plants are grown hydroponically, which is the technical way of saying we don’t use soil. Our plants flourish on nutrient-rich coconut husks instead.” Additional climate and irrigation controls allow the farm to maximize outputs with minimized inputs.

The desert location as well as natural control strategies allow Sundrop to accomplish their goals without harmful, expensive or polluting inputs as well. “Unlike traditional agriculture we use no fertilizers and no weed killers. We control plant eating bugs with carnivorous ones, just the way nature intended.”

Sundrop’s success illustrates the possibilities of working in a world where water, land and energy are all scarce and valuable. Moreover, the farm shows that fruits and vegetables can be produced year-round in any conditions thanks to hydroponics and green energy, from rural wastelands to urban food deserts.

“Because we do everything in a controlled environment, we know what our input costs are, and we’re doing everything on a renewable basis, we can provide real consistency of supply and a higher quality product at a better price year ’round,” said Philipp Saumweber, chairman and CEO of Sundrop Farms.

“Existing farming practices are unsustainable,” explains Sundrop. They generally use fossil fuels, excessive groundwater and require appropriate soil and weather conditions. “Yet by 2050 rising populations will see a 50% increase in food demand. Climate change is increasing the number and the severity of catastrophic weather events. And water scarcity is becoming more acute in arid regions. We need to look at alternative ways to create energy and to produce food. That’s no longer a preferred option but a necessity. Fortunately however, things are starting to change.”

IKEA recently launched a hydroponic gardening system to allow people to grow fresh produce at home (without soil or sunlight) and has just unveiled a similar system under development that is aimed at helping restaurants raise ingredients in-house.

The KRYDDA/VÄXER hydroponic garden lets sprout seeds without soil using absorbent foam plugs that keep plants moist (without over-watering, thanks to a built-in sensor). Germinated seeds can then be transferred to pots fitted into a growing tray featuring a solar lamp. The system is designed to be easy to use for even inexpert gardeners.

Meanwhile, in another bit to expand their sustainability model beyond furniture, furnishings and fixtures, IKEA has teamed up with Space10 to create The Farm, an aquaponic garden system for restaurants. A prototype is live and working the basement of Space10’s office in Copenhagen, and the two companies are planning to develop the system further for mass production and commercial deployment.

Few customers realize that IKEA is actually already one of the largest restaurant chains in the world, selling over a billion Euros of food annually. It is well-positioned to push for changes in the food supply chain (photos by Kristine Lofgren for Inhabitat).

The Farm prototype can even create a complete burger (of sorts) on site, specifically: a “bugburger” made of mealworm, beetroot and gluten and top with freshly-grown herbs and lettuce. Aside from this particular (and peculiar) delicacy, however, the design is aimed at bringing as much of the food production process in-house, similar to a recent system developed in Germany allowing grocers to raise and sell their own fresh produce.

On multiple fronts, IKEA is changing the face of the farm-to-table movement, operating in parallel to larger urban vertical farming systems to generate products that are cheap and accessible, making gardening something that any city dweller or restaurant owner can dig into.

Once vital threads in the fabric of Americana, these abandoned fruit & produce stands no longer entice hungry travelers into making roadside pit stops.

An urban farm in a state whose rivers have been known to catch on fire? It’s more likely than you think: the six-acre Ohio City Farm in Cleveland operates between June and November though the Farm Stand only opens on weekends.

Etsy member GregMurrayPhoto and Flickr users MMW Horticulture Group and LAND studio, respectively, snapped the photos above. Gotta love that eggplant-purple, zombie-proof corrugated facade – all that’s missing is a herd of vegetarian walkers milling about in front. BROOOCCCOLIIII…

An Apple Less

North of the border, a similar unsavory situation is unfolding as Canada builds more major highways and country farms lose access to vehicular travelers – and vice-versa. The abandoned apple stand above was snapped along Highway 11 near Coulson’s Hill in northern Ontario

Michaux Lonely

Speaking of TWD, the abandoned Michaux Produce stand (and matching flatbed truck) in Goochland County, VA might have served as an alternate filming location had Georgia’s governor not vetoed a certain bill. They could call it “Michonne’s Produce”, harvested with a samurai sword while-u-wait! Kudos to Flickr user Aes D for getting up close and personal with the pleasant yet eerie scene in September of 2015.

Sign of the Times

No sign remains of this Florida roadside produce stand – er, the stand seems to be gone but the sign remains, though not for much longer by the looks of it. Flickr user Dan Optimus Prime (dvn225) captured the sorry signboard standing – barely – just outside Daytona Beach in March of 2013.

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Fruitless 10 Abandoned Roadside Fruit Produce Stands

Taking farm-to-table approaches to new heights, a company in Berlin is putting small vertical farms directly inside of grocery stores to provide fresh produce and eliminate transportation costs. Its makers are boast that these are the first indoor farming installations of their kind, placed as they are directly in markets.

INFARM is currently testing live herb gardens in METRO Cash & Carry stores, integrating them into the layout of the shops and making their display part of the shopping experience.

Cutting down on transport costs and associated emissions is good both for the bottom line as well as the environment. These aquaponics systems use less water, energy and space than conventional farms and horizontal greenhouses. And, of course, there is nothing customers like more than the freshest possible ingredients, and these come right off the proverbial (or actual) vine.

The present year-long pilot program involves herbs and salad greens for now, but the same technology can also be deployed to grow other plants including tomatoes, peppers and other fruits and veggies. Next steps may include additional stores and chains but also inserting similar modules into places like restaurants and hotels looking to offer something unique to their clients and guests.

This is not the first green grocery innovation to take root in Berlin, Germany, which is also home to the world’s first packaging-free grocery store. Original Unverpackt is the first in a series of stores using a sustainable model similar to co-ops but at a larger scale and aimed at mass market consumers, adapting the package-free bulk approach to sell all of its unpacked goods directly to consumers.

Powered by solar-paneled roofs overhead, these barge farms feature hydroponic space for produce above and support fish farming below, using extant technologies to offshore vast quantities of food to be grown on the water.

Based in Barcelona, Forward Thinking Architecture is pushing its Smart Floating Farms concept to interested cities and investors, boasting the modularity of this system that can start with a single barge or morph into a fleet of connected vessels. Each barge is designed to yield over 8 tons of fruits and vegetables and nearly 2 tons of fish per year.

The barges would be 656 by 1,150 feet and contain its own desalination plant, able to turn saltwater to fresh for farming purposes. Solar, wind and wave power render each platform self-sufficient in terms of energy as well as relatively independent, needing little human interaction or intervention to function.

While there is no set date for launching the first of these floating farms, the feasibility of the system is promising. It does not presuppose any technology that does not already exist, and represents a natural expansion of development beyond land to adjacent open spaces on the water.

From the architects: “The world population is predicted to grow from 6.9 billion in 2010 to 8.3 billion in 2030 and to 9.1 billion in 2050. By 2030, food demand is predicted to increase by 50% (70% by 2050). The main challenge facing the agricultural sector is not so much growing 70% more food in 40 years, but making 70% more food available on the plate.”