Abovefarm , Partnering with WUR ,
Published a Comparison Research Report on Conventional, Organic and Veritical Farming
in China
2020.7.29
AGRICULTURAL SUSTAINABILITY IN THE YANGTZE RIVER DELTA, CHINA
A COMPARISON OF CONVENTIONAL, ORGANIC, AND VERTICAL FARMING
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You can read the report :
AMBIVALENT ECONOMIC RESILIENCY AND ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE
WEAK ENVIRONMENTAL, HIGH ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE
vertical farm
conventional farm
HIGH ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL PERFORMANCE
organic farm
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A research project by Abovefarm in partnership with Wageningen University and Research reached its conclusionthis month with a final report entitled: Agricultural Sustainability in the Yangtze River Delta, China: A Comparison of Conventional, Organic, and Vertical Farming. . This may be the first comparison study of its kind. Results have shown where potentialwindows of opportunity for food system transformation are arising.
The project representedan exploration into the current and future trajectories of agricultural development. We, at Abovefarm,havenoticed a shift in conventional agriculture towards more sustainable practices: in recent yearsseveral new and innovative production methods have appeared showing great promises. Based on her observations, Ada Qin, founder of Abovefarm, focused her interest in two agricultural innovations currently on the rise: organic and vertical agriculture.
"Organic and vertical farming could shape the future of agriculture. Organic agriculture pursues ecological harmony between humans and nature; while vertical agriculture is an intensive industrial method aimed at improving food production efficiency, with much less land and labor investment."
Ada Qin- Abovefarm
These two methods are based on very different values, and could represent two distinct major directions in the future development of sustainable agriculture, which is why in 2019 Abovefarm conceptualised a research programme entitled: Sustainability Comparison of Organic, Conventional and Vertical Farming. We posted a call of interest on our Facebook page and we were lucky to become partners with Wageningen University and receive their support.
Abovefarm is proud to present this report.We would like to express our gratitude to our partners: Wageningen University and Research, IFOAM Asia, OFDC, AgriGarden, and NIGLAS. This is only a small step in exploring this research area which offers such agreat potential for the future of sustainable agriculture. We hope more people will join us in the future, to conduct more in-depth, larger scale studies in this area, and help us in our endeavours to build a sustainable future for agriculture and for our society at large.