Farming Small Areas Expo coming Label ... - Urban Agriculture · Farm in the ‘enviroponics’ prototype – a combination of aquaculture and chemical free greenhouse plant production.

AGRICULTURE TODAY ■ Thursday, October 25, 2007 15

IMAGINE quarter-acre city gar-dens teeming with fresh fish andvegetables, dotted every fewkilometres throughout urbanareas across the globe, wherenearby residents walk from theirhome to the farm and purchasetheir protein and vegetableneeds for their families.

Imagine minimal or no trans-port costs, no refrigeration orstorage costs, and no extralabour costs on top of what thefarmers are paid to grow andtend the food.

This is the ultimate vision ofthe ‘ecoCity Farm’.

The prototype won a weeklysegment of the ABC TV’s NewInventors program last Novemberand is now entering the nextstage of development, to test thecommercial application of theconcept.

It is the inspiration of AndrewBodlovich from Nimbin andHogan Gleeson, Goolmangar.

“I have not seen, nor have Iread any international litera-ture on anything that has thepotential intervention scale ofthe ecoCity Farm concept andassociated food chain integra-tion,” NSW Department ofPrimary Industries leader inurban agriculture, DavidMason said.

“I became aware of somevery forward thinking urbanagriculture innovation in myChurchill study tour last year.

“The ecoCity Farm culture,known as enviroponics, com-bines aquaculture and chemicalfree greenhouse plant produc-tion that may be capable oforganic certification.

“It would create enough food

from a quarter-acre block to ful-fil a significant part of the dailydiet of 300 families.”

Mr Mason says the plants inthe hi-tech market-garden stylefarms use the nutrients fromwater inhabited by fish.

The nutrient depleted water isthen returned to the fish tanksfor reuse.

People’s protein needs are metby eating the fish.

“The closed system would useonly five per cent of the waterused by traditional aquaculturesystems or traditional farmingto produce the same volume ofproduct,” Mr Mason said.

“The concept would be adapt-ed to different climates and

work in all but the coldest ofconditions.”

The initial R&D has been com-pleted and planning is nowfocused on developing a com-mercial scale system over thenext 12 months leading on todomestic and then internationalmarket entries.

“The concept also fits well withfarm diversification on existingrural ventures, creating new rev-enue streams as well as oftenusing resources otherwise wast-ed by traditional farming.

One revenue stream would befrom producing the necessaryorganic ingredients for fish food.■■ Contact Andrew Bodlovich,Nimbin, 0427 519 975.

Andrew Bodlovich, one of the brains behind the ecoCityFarm in the ‘enviroponics’ prototype – a combination ofaquaculture and chemical free greenhouse plantproduction.

LEFT: ecoCity Farm grown buk choy.

NSW Department of Primary Industriesleader of urban agriculture, David Mason,says Australia has an opportunity to leadthe world with the innovation proposed bythe ecoCity Farm.

“I hope it gets the home support it nowdeserves and requires,” he said.

“The concept addresses the sustainabili-ty principle of equity in the food chain,whereby operators benefit by being able todirect-market produce at a retail price,eliminating many of the middlemen in theconventional wholesale market chain.

“The operators would become price mak-ers rather than price takers, therebyachieving significantly higher profit mar-gins while still offering produce to cus-tomers at reasonable prices.

“The direct to consumer system wouldallow the ecoCity Farm operator to buildstrong customer loyalty and to educatecustomers about their food and relatedhealth and ecological issues.

“This integrated production, service,marketing and education package wouldhave the capacity to reposition agricultureand associated agribusiness in urbanisingparts of the world.”

Chance to leadthe world ...

ecoCity Aims To Target:ecoCity Aims To Target:■ Existing store chains which carry chemical free

food and fresh vegetables■ Institutional organisations (schools, prisons,

remote communities)■ Independent grocery retail outlets■ Property developers seeking to create sustainable

communities■ Existing aquaculture businesses■ Destination attractions in remote areas that have

high volume fresh food requirements.

ecoCITY Farm AdvantagesecoCITY Farm Advantages■ Strategically position food production

and consumption in urban areas in thecontext of pandemics, globalisation,global warming, natural disasters,human health, community health andenvironmental health

■ Addresses environment managementsystems, food safety, food security,integrated pest management andbiosecurity

■ Integration with building and city design, including water reuse and

organic waste recycling■ Consistent with developing

international trends such as directmarketing, local food and a consumerdriven food chain.

■ Contribute to knowledge economy

The urban farm of the future

INFORMATION about a newPrograze for Horses course,highly relevant to Hawkesbury-Nepean district horse owners,will be available at this year’sFarming Small Areas Expo atRichmond.

NSW Department of PrimaryIndustries (DPI) conservationmanagement officer, HelenaWarren, will promote sustain-able grazing in the Hawkesbury-Nepean catchment.

She can advise visitors to theExpo on November 9 and 10about training and on-groundsubsidies to farmers forimproved grazing management.

She will also present a talk onfeeding and pasture manage-ment for horses.

PROfarm courses, particularlyProperty Management Planningand Farmbiz, will also be onshow in the Expo Pavilion, pro-moted by education marketingofficer, Maryke Archbold-Hession.

District agronomist AshleySenn will exhibit information onpastures, weeds and crops andpresent a talk on pasture estab-lishment and how to have goodquality pastures all year round.

Lesley Postle, technical officerfrom DPI’s Emergencies andStrategic Response branch, willexhibit information on biologi-cal control weeds.

Anne Oakenful, Science andResearch technical officer willexhibit information on testingkits available for worm, soil,water and feed quality and pres-ent a talk on internal parasitesin livestock.

A free worm count test will beavailable for producers whobring along fresh samples from sheep, cattle, goats oralpacas.

Diana Penson will head up

DPI’s bookshop exhibit at thePavilion.

The bookshop exhibit will fea-ture a collection of stock forsale at substantially reducedprices. Books of specific inter-est will include Farming in aSmall Way $10 (RRP $27.45),Growing Traditional FlowersSuccessfully $10 (RRP $20),Better Bull Buying $10 (RRP $22),Grassed Up $10 (RRP $33), HomeFruit Growers Guide $10

(RRP$19.95), and Geared Up$10.

Trevor Joseph, manager ofCumberland Nursery, will haveavailable to purchase a widevariety of tube stock anddrought smart native plantssuitable for properties and gar-dens.

Knowledgeable horticulturalstaff will be available to giveadvice on plant selection andsubsequent care.

Farming Small Areas Expo comingLEFT: Meetnew friendsat theFarmingSmall AreasExpo atRichmond,November 9and 10.NSW DPIstaff willoffer expertadvise formanyenterprisesat itslocation inthe ExpoPavilion.

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