Dynamic integrated demonstration farms (non-digital education)

This solution was shared by PRE-LAUNCH RESEARCH TEAM , 14 May 2021

Print date: 13 April 2024 14:11

Description of the innovative solution

Circular economy Collaboration Community building Education - adult Education - youth Food biodiversity Urban farming Regenerative agriculture Sharing economy Women empowerment Urban planning Agricultural development Closing nutrient loop Healthy diet

As urbanisation increases, youth are less interested in farming as an aspirational business. Some other barriers to entry for farming include knowledge and skill. There is a need for training by example and sparking of the community's interest in agriculture as a viable and attractive business with a strong purpose. This innovation is to create dynamic integrated demonstration farms, which aims to be both educational (for farmers and the community) and productive, providing food to the community in a farm to fork manner. This center can be scalable to other communities, providing employment opportunities and skills to the communities adopting such centers.

Primary users

Urban farmers
Women
Children & youth
Urban consumers
Urban communities

Dietary impact

With lessons focused on agroecological techniques such as intercropping, demonstration farms can help teach future urban farmers methods that will allow them to increase their yields on their own plots, providing greater food abundance for their local communities. Techniques such as intercropping can also be useful by allowing smaller urban farms to produce greater varieties of crops that can address a wider range of dietary needs (including both macro and micronutrients). As well, the demonstration farms themselves also produce additional food that can be distributed to nearby households or sold in CSA (community-supported agriculture) bundles with a sliding-scale cost structure.

Planetary impact

Given the nature of demonstration farms, it can be increasingly easy to spread innovative, sustainable agricultural practices with a new generation of urban farmers who will be able to implement them. For instance, principles of agroecology including integrated pest management or intercropping can be examples of the types of techniques that are taught on these farms. Through these methods, this can have long-term effects in increasing soil biodiversity, water quality, and carbon sequestration while also mitigating pollution by urban farms.

Equity impact

By connecting future farmers with experts and the skills needed for (urban) farming, these demonstration farms can better set up new (urban) farmers to be more efficient and competitive within their local economies, making farming a viable career path with a livable wage for young people entering this career path. Demonstration farms can also help increase local employment and youth employment in areas traditionally underserved with high unemployment rates. With this, these farms can also help focus on women empowerment by offering employment tracks for young women entering the agriculture field, as well as hiring more women to work at demonstration farms. Furthermore, lessons taught on demonstration farms can also encompass practices such as farm or family budgeting, helping to improve the livelihoods of farmers, as well as marketing, which can also help grow new farmers' businesses.

Main concerns

- Difficulties navigating policies and costs in volatile markets
- Additional difficulties with changing farm structures, technological advances, and fragmented agricultural knowledge systems may make demonstration farms hard to implement/maintain
- Upfront costs can hinder the development of urban farms, including rent costs

Supply chain segment

Educational, outreach and empowerment aspects

Maturity level

Moving to scale

Criteria

Food affordability Climate mitigation Water use Soil health Reducing biodiversity loss Increasing agrobiodiversity Reducing pollution

SDG target

SDG 1: No Poverty SDG 2: Zero Hunger SDG 5: Gender Equality SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth SDG 10: Reduced Inequality SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

Context

Urban

Examples and additional resources

Real-world examples

See this solution in action in different contexts and settings around the world

National study of commercial farming in urban areas

Project information

Observations are drawn primarily from the experience of 14 commercial-scale urban farms located in 13 cities across the United States

United States

smallfarms.cornell.edu/wp...pdf

Shared by PRE-LAUNCH RESEARCH TEAM

Demonstration farm in Thailand

Project information

Demonstrate and provide hands-on training with new, organic ways of farming, new farming techniques and new crops

Thailand

warmheartworldwide.org/de...rm/

Shared by PRE-LAUNCH RESEARCH TEAM

Langley urban agriculture demonstration project

Project information

The site features small scale food production, and significant areas dedicated to ecological restoration, including native plantings, habitat areas, and a pollinator corridor

Canada

kpu.ca/sites/defa...0Report.pdf

Shared by PRE-LAUNCH RESEARCH TEAM

Additional resources

Learn more about this solution through studies, articles, business cases, and other information

Demonstration Farm Best Practices

Impact asssessment or evaluation

Summary of key characteristics to include/look out for when starting new demonstration farms.

agridemo-h2020.eu/docs/...al.pdf

Shared by PRE-LAUNCH RESEARCH TEAM

Demonstration Farms for Transfer of Knowledge Case Study from Poland

Impact asssessment or evaluation

The capability of extension and advisory services to bridge research and knowledge needs of farmers

430a.uni-hohenheim.de/fil....pdf

Shared by PRE-LAUNCH RESEARCH TEAM

Contacts

Connect to others working on and with this solution around the world

No contacts yet.

Breadcrumb

Dynamic integrated demonstration farms (non-digital education)

Description of the innovative solution

Supply chain segment

Maturity level

Criteria

SDG target

Context

Examples and additional resources

Real-world examples

National study of commercial farming in urban areas

Demonstration farm in Thailand

Langley urban agriculture demonstration project

Additional resources

Demonstration Farm Best Practices

Demonstration Farms for Transfer of Knowledge Case Study from Poland

Contacts