Small-Scale Food Production

• Food production systems are explored at various scales, from small domestic setups to larger commercial alternatives.

Small-Scale Food Production

• Domestic food production can be achieved through allotments, community gardens, and individual units

Grow It Yourself (GIY) / Grow Your Own (GYO)

• Enable organic food cultivation, reduce food miles, and provide outdoor exercise
• Provide opportunities to learn new skills, grow a vast range of foods from seed, including indigenous or rare varieties
• Facilitate meeting like-minded people

Allotments

• The Society of St Vincent de Paul (SVP) operated plots in Co. Tipperary starting in 1913
• City Allotment Schemes were established in Ireland in 1916, during WW1
• Dublin Corporation allocated plots, but the amount of available land in the city was limited
• The standard allotment size in Ireland is 100 metres square.
• One acre of land can accommodate forty 100m sq plots, including pathways (1.4m for wheelbarrows) and roads (3m for tractors/trailers) for manure delivery
• Private allotments are also available

Community Gardens

• Community gardens can exist on public land on a temporary basis, or on private land permanently
• An example of a temporary community garden is the Burrard and Davie Community Garden in Vancouver, Canada
• The City Council approved the construction of a 47-story tower to replace Burrard and Davie community garden in December 2021
• A permanent example is a Community garden in New York City, USA
• School gardens are also a way to link children to food production

Shipping Container Farms

• Shipping container farms are individual units for indoor farming
• Mobile Indoor Micro Farms use hydroponics

Shipping Container Setup

• Features include natural and LED lighting, a green roof, and solar panels
• A nutrient tank flush on the Green Roof facilitates chemical breakdown
• Shared and individual nutrient tanks recirculate water
• Include an air conditioning unit with an AC compressor, along with AC water condensation harvesting

Container Production

• A container can produce 200 lettuces per month and 18-30 tomatoes per crop over 3 months, plus peppers, radishes, herbs, and microgreens
• The average household consumes 1 lettuce head (300-450 grams per week)
• One container can supply 40-50 families per month

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)

• CSA involves farms supported by shareholders within a community, who share in the benefits and risks of food production
• Farmers own/lease the land and work the farm, while consumers become members by paying in advance for an agreed period
• Subscribers receive regular in-season farm goods like fruits, vegetables, eggs, milk, and meat, where the farm supports animals
• Farmers foster a relationship with subscribers through regular communication about the farm, harvest invitations, and open-farm events
• Some CSAs allow labor contributions in place of subscription costs
• Derrybeg Farm is an example of a CSA in Ireland
• CSA arrangements led to the Vegetable Box scheme

Herenboeren (Dutch CSA initiative)

• Herenboeren are residents linked to a sustainable lifestyle
• They initiate nature-inclusive farms to manage food production and environmental responsibility
• Access to land is the most common barrier for new farming entrants
• People organize into local cooperatives and become shared owners of the farm who invest €2k-€3k and contribute about €10 weekly per household member
• In return, families receive weekly portions of vegetables, fruit, meat, and eggs, with vegetarians paying less
• Farms are organically run, using circularity and agroforestry and plant ~150 trees per hectare
• Residents own the land, decide on crops, and hire a farmer to produce their food
• This initiative is expanding across Europe, with the first farm planned for Waterford, Ireland
• A Herenboerderij leases 20 hectares of agricultural land in the Wilhelminapark located between Boxtel, Vught and Sint-Michielsgestel
• Herenboerderij Wilhelminapark grows fruit and vegetables and has 12 cattle to meet the demand of 175 households
• During meetings, members collectively determine the cultivation plan for Herenboerderij Groote Modderkolk collaboratively