Pangasinan town promotes farming to millenials

By Hilda Austria July 15, 2019, 6:58 pm

BAYAMBANG, Pangasinan -- Some

100 out-of-school youth and students
are undergoing on-the-job training in a
demo-farm at barangay Hermosa here,
as members of the Millennial Farmers
Association of Bayambang (MFAB).

Angelica Andrea Garcia, focal person

on good governance of the local
government unit (LGU), said the project
aims to awaken interest of young
people in agriculture.

“Many of the youth are no longer

FARMING. Some of the members of the Millennial Farmers' Association
of Bayambang pose for the camera as they started their actual farming
experience in the demo-farm at Barangay Hermosa, Bayambang last
June 29, 2019. The local government unit formed the association to
encourage young people to engage in agriculture. (Photo courtesy of
Millennial Farmers' Association of Bayambang's Facebook page)
interested in agriculture as they see it
dirty, messy, and (requires) hard work,
so we wanted to entice them since our
town already uses technologies or
mechanization in farming,” she said in
an interview Monday.

The association started July last year and since then, the members attended different trainings on
agriculture.

“The members are between 16-24 years old, residents of this town, and they are given food and
transportation allowance,” she said.
Garcia added the demo-farm promotes urban gardening and the use of organic fertilizer.

“We use urban gardening to encourage even those living in urbanized areas to still plant,” she said.

Aside from urging the youth to engage in agriculture, the LGU also wants to teach the young people
how to plant and provide them other sources of income or livelihood, especially the out-of-school
youth, she added.

“They are still on the cleaning period of the farm and soon enough, they would plant and yield the
result of their labor,” Garcia said.

The LGU has also requested the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) for fish cages
since the 1,800-square-meter demo-farm is near a river.

“We would also want to teach about aquaculture,” she added. (PNA)
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1074980
Millennial Farmers, Sali na! | Parami nang Parami ang Kaanib sa MFAB
Posted on Friday February 22 2019

Sa kanilang 2nd General Assembly sa Aguinaldo Room ng Events Center noong Pebrero
21, kitang-kita na dumarami ang mga miyembro ng Millennial Farmers Association of
Bayambang (MFAB), ang grupong itinatag ng Bayambang Poverty Reduction Action
Team (BPRAT) upang humikayat ng mas maraming kabataan upang pasukin ang
pagsasaka bilang alternatibong hanapbuhay na kapaki-pakinabang sa lahat.

Ayon sa Focal Person on Agricultural Modernization ng BPRAT na si Angelica Andrea

Garcia, mayroon nang mga 100 registered members ang grupo.

Nagkaroon ng election of officers sa pagpupulong, at ang nahalal na pangulo ay si

Macario Garcia III ng Brgy. Hermoza.

Ayon kay Bb. Garcia ng BPRAT, isa sa kanilang mga plano ay ang pagtatatag ng isang
MFAB demo farm sa Brgy. Hermoza.
Upang lubos na maisakatuparan ang vision ng DA
tungo sa isang Pilipinas na may matibay na
seguridad sa pagkain at mga magsasaka at
mangingisdang may maunlad at masaganang
buhay, inilatag ni Kalihim William "Manong Willie"
Dar ang kanyang 8 Paradigms na siyang bumubuo
sa Bagong Pananaw sa Agrikultura.

Ang 8 Paradigms ay magsisilbing blueprint sa pag-

set up at pagsasaayos ng lahat ng mga proyekto,
programa, at mga patakaran ng DA, kasama ang
battlecry na: "Masaganang Ani at Mataas na Kita."
 What You Should Know About Vertical
Farming
Is It the Future of Agriculture?
BY RICK LEBLANC
Updated June 25, 2019

By 2050, the world’s population is expected to grow by another 2 billion people, and
feeding it will be a huge challenge. Due to industrial development and urbanization, we
are losing arable lands every day. Scientists say that the Earth has lost a third of its arable
lands over the last 40 years.

We don’t know how much more we are going to lose in the next 40 years. Increasing food
demand due to a growing population along with ever decreasing arable lands poses one
of the greatest challenges facing us. Many believe that vertical farming can be the answer
to this challenge. Is vertical farming the future of agriculture? Let’s find out!

What Is Vertical Farming?

Vertical farming is the practice of producing food on vertically inclined surfaces. Instead
of farming vegetables and other foods on a single level, such as in a field or a greenhouse,
this method produces foods in vertically stacked layers commonly integrated into other
structures like a skyscraper, shipping container or repurposed warehouse.

Using Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) technology, this modern idea uses
indoor farming techniques. The artificial control of temperature, light, humidity, and gases
makes producing foods and medicine indoor possible. In many ways, vertical farming is
similar to greenhouses where metal reflectors and artificial lighting augment natural
sunlight. The primary goal of vertical farming is maximizing crops output in a limited
space.
How Vertical Farming Works

There are four critical areas in understanding how vertical farming works: 1. Physical
layout, 2. Lighting, 3. Growing medium, and 4. Sustainability features.

Firstly, the primary goal of vertical farming is producing more foods per square meter. To
accomplish this goal, crops are cultivated in stacked layers in a tower life structure.
Secondly, a perfect combination of natural and artificial lights is used to maintain the
perfect light level in the room. Technologies such as rotating beds are used to improve
lighting efficiency.

Thirdly, instead of soil, aeroponic, aquaponic or hydroponic growing mediums are used.
Peat moss or coconut husks and similar non-soil mediums are very common in vertical
farming. Finally, the vertical farming method uses various sustainability features to offset
the energy cost of farming. In fact, vertical farming uses 95 percent less water.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Vertical Farming

Vertical farming has a lot of promise and sounds like the farm of the future. However,
there are a few stumbling blocks to consider before rushing full-speed ahead into vertical
farming.

Advantages

 It offers a plan to handle future food demands

 It allows crops to grow year-round
 It uses significantly less water
 Weather doesn't affect the crops
 More organic crops can be grown
 There is less exposure to chemicals and disease

Disadvantages

 It could be very costly to build and economic feasibility studies haven't yet been
completed
 Pollination would be very difficult and costly
 It would involve higher labor costs
 It relies too much on technology and one day of power loss would be devastating
Advantages of Vertical Farming

Having greater output from a small cultivation area is not the only advantage of vertical
farming. Following are some of the major benefits of vertical farming:

 Preparation for Future: By 2050, around 80 percent of the world population is expected
to live in urban areas, and the growing population will lead to an increased demand for
food. The efficient use of vertical farming may perhaps play a significant role in preparing
for such a challenge.
 Increased And Year-Round Crop Production: Vertical farming allows us to produce
more crops from the same square footage of growing area. In fact, 1 acre of an indoor
area offers equivalent production to at least 4-6 acres of outdoor capacity. According to
an independent estimate, a 30-story building with a basal area of 5 acres can potentially
produce an equivalent of 2,400 acres of conventional horizontal farming. Additionally,
year-round crop production is possible in a controlled indoor environment which is
completely controlled by vertical farming technologies.

 Less Use Of Water In Cultivation: Vertical farming allows us to produce crops with 70-
95 percent less water than required for normal cultivation.
 Not Affected By Unfavorable Weather Conditions: Crops in a field can be adversely
affected by natural calamities such as torrential rains, cyclones, flooding or severe
droughts—events which are becoming increasingly common as a result of global warming.
Indoor vertical farms are less likely to feel the brunt of the unfavorable weather, providing
greater certainty of harvest output throughout the year.

 Increased Production of Organic Crops: As crops are produced in a well-controlled

indoor environment without the use of chemical pesticides, vertical farming allows us to
grow pesticide-free and organic crops.
 Human and Environmentally Friendly: Indoor vertical farming can significantly lessen
the occupational hazards associated with traditional farming. Farmers are not exposed to
hazards related to heavy farming equipment, diseases like malaria, poisonous chemicals
and so on. As it does not disturb animals and trees inland areas, it is good for biodiversity
as well.
Limitations of Vertical Farming

Vertical farming has both pros and cons. Sometimes the pros of vertical farming are
highlighted and not the cons. Following are the major limitations of vertical farming:

 No Established Economics: The financial feasibility of this new farming method remains
uncertain. The cost of building skyscrapers for farming, combined with other costs such
as lighting, heating, and labor, can easily outweigh the benefits we can get from the output
of vertical farming. For a 60 hectare vertical farm, the building cost can be well over $100
million. And while vertical farms will be attractive to locate close to cities, the high price of
real estate will impede the financial viability of urban locations. The financial situation is
changing, however, as the industry matures and technologies improve. For example, New
Jersey-based indoor-farming startup Bowery announced in December 2018 that it had
raised $90 million in fresh funding. In 2017, Plenty, a West Coast vertical grower,
announced a $200 million investment from Softbank.

 Difficulties with Pollination: Vertical farming takes place in a controlled environment

without the presence of insects. As such, the pollination process needs to be done
manually, which will be labor intensive and costly.
 Labor Costs: As high as energy costs are in vertical farming, labor costs can be even
higher due to their concentration in urban centers where wages are higher, as well as
the need for more skilled labor. Automation in vertical farms, however, may lead to the
need for fewer workers. Manual pollination may become one of the more labor-intensive
functions in vertical farms. Over the next 10 years, vertical farming may
generate 100,000 U.S. jobs.

 Too Much Dependency on Technology: The development of better technologies can

always increase efficiency and lessen costs. But the entire vertical farming is extremely
dependent on various technologies for lighting, maintaining temperature, and humidity.
Losing power for just a single day can prove very costly for a vertical farm. Many believe
the technologies in use today are not ready for mass adoption.
Vertical Farming in the United States

The vertical farming sector is growing rapidly in the U.S., at a CAGR of more than 24%
between 2018-2024, when it is expected to reach $3 billion annually. By comparison, the
total U.S. fresh fruit and vegetable industry is currently worth over $104 billion. According
to one account, "Shoppers can now find produce grown indoors by more than 23 large
vertical farms in more than 20 supermarket chains in nearly every major metropolitan area
in the country."

The industry remains highly leveraged, however, sparking concerns for its viability, when
survival depends on expansion, and expansion is so capital intensive. According to the
same source, "While industry leaders say scaling offers the best hope for profitability in
this business, many vertical farms have encountered problems when they began planning
to add additional production facilities."

Conclusion

While the vertical farming market continues to make inroads in the U.S., Japan perhaps
has seen the most success of any country. Japan already boasts 200 large-scale “farming
as manufacturing” plant factories, and China has another 80.

Even in Japan, however, an estimated 60% of vertical operations are unprofitable. And
while vertical farming is a very small segment of the market, it is growing rapidly and is
anticipated to hit $5.8 billion by 2022, with the greatest gains happening in the Asia-
Pacific region.

Vertical farming technologies are still relatively new. Companies are yet to successfully
produce crops at scale and make it economically feasible to meet the growing food
demand. The performance of farms like AeroFarms will determine how important a role
vertical farming will play in the future to face the challenge of growing food demand.

It is worth noting, however, that technologies developed for vertical farms are also being
adopted by other segments of the $300 billion indoor farming sector, such as
greenhouses, which can utilize natural sunlight, albeit requiring much more real estate
and longer routes to market.

Resources

To "dig deeper" into indoor and vertical farming, there are several online resources
available. These include Upstart University, AgTech Innovation Center, the Vertical
Farming Summit, and several others. Also, check out this article by Chris Powers: 10
Online Platforms Helping Future Indoor Farmers.

https://www.thebalancesmb.com/what-you-should-know-about-vertical-farming-4144786