We all know the Shipping Container is so versatile, that is can be used in almost any environment and to build anything you like, from shipping to building a house, a storage space, mining crypto, now some smart innovators in the produce industry are breaking the boundaries of food production by growing crops in recycled shipping containers! How awesome is that? Even Elon Musk’s younger brother, Kimbal Musk was able to fit 5 acres of Farmland into a Shipping Container when he was trying to become more sustainable with the food supply and looking towards the future by creating his urban farming company, Square Roots.
Our food system is largely centralized, the U.S. farm number has dropped in the past 100 years, by roughly $70% and the average meal in the U.S. travels about 1500 miles from the farm to the plate. You would think the growing demand for local products would change this, but farms still continue to disappear and most of the young people, are unwilling to make an investment in an industry that require them to dedicate long hours and physical effort for almost 1/3 of what he would make in the big city, working for just 8 hours a day in an office or from home, without smelling or sweating too much on the field or around animals at the farm.
If we think about, the food centralized system has a few major risks, like : widespread foodborne illness outbreaks, shipping crisis and interruptions, depletion of land and natural resources. Why not, as cryptocurrency and blockchain created a decentralized system, we can create and be part of this new movement and decentralize conventional farming as we know it and start doing Shipping Container Farming.
What are the benefits of Container Farming? Well if we think about a few here they are:
- Ready from the get go – Container farms are completely growing systems in a box, meaning that the farmers can start growing the plants as soon as they are delivered and perform every farm related task from seeding to harvesting and even packaging, right inside the container
- Modular – Using a shipping container, you know what size you need and what you can do with it, container farms are easy to ship worldwide and fi just about anywhere: next to the house, in the backyard, on your rooftop, parking lot, and you can even stack them to save space, they are so versatile and can work toward decentralization. Everyone can have it and grow their own food
- Water Efficient – hydroponic farms use up to 99% less water that traditional farming, some between 5 to 8 gallons of water per day, and they are an excellent solution for those areas that are impacted by dry climate or various weather conditions
- Climate Controlled – the container farms are independent and don’t depend on outside weather. The conditions inside are always made to be ideal for growing food, using the farm’s climate control. They can be used for growing food all year-round and in the same time the crops are protected from severe weather or harsh growing conditions
- Automated – farm automation is very important and is a huge asset. It makes container farming less labor-intensive than traditional agriculture, it controls the environment and plants nutrition together with the hydration levels, it enables farmers to remotely monitor the conditions in the farm, and can also be the easiest point of entry for inexperienced young farmers and prove to be fun and easy in the same time
- Cost effective – if we compare it to other indoor farming methods, like large greenhouses or warehouses, a container farm is much more cost effective, smaller, and low cost, but the produce can be packed inside of a vertical farm , making each square inch valuable.
Overall, a hydroponic container farm can make everyone’s lifestyle easier and more sustainable, so anyone can start growing their own veggies and plants near home, farmers can focus on learning and improving their knowledge, and if you want to make a business out of it, making it easier to grow the business and pursue other interests in the same time, even go on vacation if you have time. The following post we would talk about how to make a container farm or how to get one, how the industry sees it and may other interesting about the business. Stay tuned and subscribe!
