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24 January 2012
01 January 2012
New Business for 2012 : Urban Farming
Urban farming ventures continue to sprout from www.entrepreneur.com
The push for local local local on our dinner plates shows no sign of letting up, a trend that might eventually reverse findings tracked by the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University, which reports that from 1980 to 2001, the distance food traveled from farm to table increased 25 percent, to 1,500 to 3,000 miles. Companies focused on narrowing that distance are seeing a boon. Eating locally now means sourced from the backyard.
"There's a push back against larger companies that make too much money and don't support their community," says Suzi McCoy, founder and president of Garden Media Group, a PR firm representing outdoor-living businesses. "People living in cities are transforming small backyards and public alleys into lush green gardens that are kid-friendly and social meeting places."
There's no doubt that urban farming is on the upswing. Fifteen to 20 percent of the world's food supply is harvested in cities, according to researchers at the Worldwatch Institute. As people move from rural to urban settings in search of economic opportunities, urban agriculture is becoming an important provider of food and employment, the researchers say.
The number of farmers markets in the U.S. increased 17 percent last year to 7,175. Further, independent retailers in communities with "Buy Local" campaigns reported an increase in holiday sales last year that were three times stronger (up 3 percent) than those in cities without such campaigns (up 1 percent), according to a survey by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance.
And the craze for urban clucking continues. Companies like ChickenCribs--their modern chicken coops were featured in Sunset magazine--are cashing in on the growing popularity of metropolitan backyard chicken farming. There are now more than 44,000 subscribers to Backyard Poultry Magazine and more than 15,000 members of online forum BackyardChickens.com. The spread of backyard chickens has promoted spinoff businesses that cater to the local market. Some communities are even relying on mobile slaughterhouses to manage and distribute poultry meat, says Jac Smit, president of The Urban Agriculture Network.
Where will it go next? Up. The wave of the future might just be indoor vertical farming, where 1 acre is equivalent to 4 to 6 outdoor acres, according to Dickson Despommier, creator of The Vertical Farm Project.
A growing sector if ever there was one. --Kara Ohngren
Leading the Way
Food Sprout
This Oakland, Calif.-based website helps users find out where their food comes from, its impact on the environment and its health qualities. The company has raised $100,000 in seed funding so far.
Greenaid
The Los Angeles-based guerilla gardening company designs vending machines that dispense clay, compost and seed balls that can be thrown into any derelict urban site to temporarily reclaim and transform it into a green space. The company raised $10,000 on Kickstarter. Machines are scattered around the L.A. area and can be purchased for about $400.
Urbio
This San Francisco-based company's magnetic planter system transforms any wall into a vertical urban garden. Each eco-plastic pot is equipped with large neodymium magnets that are strong enough to hold almost anything to the wall. Urbio has raised $77,434 through Kickstarter with more than 800 backers.
Explore...
The Urban Farm - Growing gardeners into farmers the easy way
The Vertical Farm Project - Agriculture for the 21st Century. Vertical farms, many stories high, will be situated in the heart of the world's urban centers.
The Urban Farming Guys - Feeding Nations, Aquaponics, Tilapia farming, Urban Farming, Micro business, Empowering Urban Youth, Growing your own Protein, Chickens, Black Soldier
Urban Farmer Steakouse - Urban Farmer redefines the modern steakhouse in Portland. The ambiance is at once a tribute to the quaintness of a restored farmhouse.
The push for local local local on our dinner plates shows no sign of letting up, a trend that might eventually reverse findings tracked by the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University, which reports that from 1980 to 2001, the distance food traveled from farm to table increased 25 percent, to 1,500 to 3,000 miles. Companies focused on narrowing that distance are seeing a boon. Eating locally now means sourced from the backyard."There's a push back against larger companies that make too much money and don't support their community," says Suzi McCoy, founder and president of Garden Media Group, a PR firm representing outdoor-living businesses. "People living in cities are transforming small backyards and public alleys into lush green gardens that are kid-friendly and social meeting places."
There's no doubt that urban farming is on the upswing. Fifteen to 20 percent of the world's food supply is harvested in cities, according to researchers at the Worldwatch Institute. As people move from rural to urban settings in search of economic opportunities, urban agriculture is becoming an important provider of food and employment, the researchers say.
The number of farmers markets in the U.S. increased 17 percent last year to 7,175. Further, independent retailers in communities with "Buy Local" campaigns reported an increase in holiday sales last year that were three times stronger (up 3 percent) than those in cities without such campaigns (up 1 percent), according to a survey by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance.
And the craze for urban clucking continues. Companies like ChickenCribs--their modern chicken coops were featured in Sunset magazine--are cashing in on the growing popularity of metropolitan backyard chicken farming. There are now more than 44,000 subscribers to Backyard Poultry Magazine and more than 15,000 members of online forum BackyardChickens.com. The spread of backyard chickens has promoted spinoff businesses that cater to the local market. Some communities are even relying on mobile slaughterhouses to manage and distribute poultry meat, says Jac Smit, president of The Urban Agriculture Network.
Where will it go next? Up. The wave of the future might just be indoor vertical farming, where 1 acre is equivalent to 4 to 6 outdoor acres, according to Dickson Despommier, creator of The Vertical Farm Project.
A growing sector if ever there was one. --Kara Ohngren
Leading the Way
Food Sprout
This Oakland, Calif.-based website helps users find out where their food comes from, its impact on the environment and its health qualities. The company has raised $100,000 in seed funding so far.
Greenaid
The Los Angeles-based guerilla gardening company designs vending machines that dispense clay, compost and seed balls that can be thrown into any derelict urban site to temporarily reclaim and transform it into a green space. The company raised $10,000 on Kickstarter. Machines are scattered around the L.A. area and can be purchased for about $400.
Urbio
This San Francisco-based company's magnetic planter system transforms any wall into a vertical urban garden. Each eco-plastic pot is equipped with large neodymium magnets that are strong enough to hold almost anything to the wall. Urbio has raised $77,434 through Kickstarter with more than 800 backers.
Explore...
The Urban Farm - Growing gardeners into farmers the easy way
The Vertical Farm Project - Agriculture for the 21st Century. Vertical farms, many stories high, will be situated in the heart of the world's urban centers.
The Urban Farming Guys - Feeding Nations, Aquaponics, Tilapia farming, Urban Farming, Micro business, Empowering Urban Youth, Growing your own Protein, Chickens, Black Soldier
Urban Farmer Steakouse - Urban Farmer redefines the modern steakhouse in Portland. The ambiance is at once a tribute to the quaintness of a restored farmhouse.
21 December 2011
The Banggai Cardinalfish: Natural History, Conservation, and Culture of Pterapogon Kauderni
The Banggai cardinalfish, Pterapogon kauderni, is a fascinating species that possesses a series of remarkable biological characteristics making it unique among coral reef fishes. It has been the focus of studies in reproduction, ecology, population genetics and evolution. In addition, since its rediscovery in the late 1990s, it has become tremendously popular in the international ornamental fish trade, and indiscriminate collecting has led to its inclusion in the 2007 IUCN Red List as an endangered species.
This book is divided into three main parts: a general introduction to the fish, including a historical synopsis with an overview of the Banggai Archipelago; a comprehensive treatment of the species' natural history (distribution, morphology, reproduction, embryology, ecology, genetics, systematics and evolution); an account of the conservation of the species, including descriptions of its fishery, attempts to protect it under CITES, and introduction programmes. The book also includes an appendix offering information on captive breeding, juvenile mortality reduction, and common diseases.
This book is a unique resource for ichthyology students and researchers working on fish biology, ecology and conservation, and for marine ornamental fish hobbyists and aquarium professionals.
Key Topics Covered:
Part I Introduction
- Introduction
- Historic Review
- The Banggai Archipelago
- Field Research in the Banggai Islands
- Geographic Distribution
- General Survey of Morphology
- Reproductive Biology
- Ecology
- Genetics
- 10 Systematics and Evolution
- The Fishery of Pterapogon kauderni
- Conservation of Pterapogon kauderni, a Challenge Still Ahead
- Captive Breeding and Rearing of Pterapogon kauderni
This book has a companion website with Figures and Tables from the book for downloading
Author:
Dr Alejandro A. Vagelli is the Director of Science and Conservation at the New Jersey Academy for Aquatic Sciences, and as adjunct professor teaches Marine Biology, Ichthyology, and Marine Conservation at Rutgers University. He is the world's leading authority on the Banggai cardinalfish, Pterapogon kauderni , and was one of the first people to breed the species successfully in captivity. He has published numerous scientific articles on its biology, ecology, and conservation, and his fieldwork in Indonesia led to the inclusion of the species in the IUCN Red List.
For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/c87ec5/the_banggai_cardin
Contacts
Research and Markets
Laura Wood, Senior Manager,
press@researchandmarkets.com
U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907
Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716
More info on Banggai Cardinal Fish:
28 September 2011
WM8650 Tablet, WonderMedia, Via, and ARM
WM8650 is powering various made in China table, incluing epad, apad, wondermedia, etc.
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