As the global population, and in particular the populations of the world cities, continues to grow, the challenges and the barriers obstructing the development of an effective food system grow as well. The future of food is unlikely to be dominated by one solution, rather a healthy and effective system is likely to built upon the exploitation of multiple opportunities. In that context, the potential for urban farming is being explored and that’s where Hexagro might play a role. The innovation, created by a team from Politecnico di Milano as part of the Biomimicry Global Design Challenge, presents a possible home-based agricultural system, inspired by space and energy saving structures in nature.
Hexagro utilises aeroponics as part of a modular system that can be assembled into a tree-like structure. It can even be connected to a smartphone via an app and is designed to be as simple as possible for the user.
Besides shortening the food supply chain and bringing farming into the home in a manageable way, Hexagro brings several other benefits. The Politecnico di Milano team estimates that the modular tree can produce 324 lettuces/2m2, conventional farming techniques produce 80 lettuces/2m2. The system reportedly also reduces water consumption by 90% and the diminishes the need to use pesticides, since the growing technique is groundless.
The Biomimicry Global Design Challenge is a prestigious international competition that encourages leading innovators to develop practical projects in response to some of the world’s biggest challenges using nature’s solutions as inspiration.
Source: HEXAGRO Urban Cropping System
Licensed under CC – credit Flickr user: denebola2025
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