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NEWS & CURRENT AFFAIRS

The Nairobian

Portable farm that can feed your family of five

Smart Harvest

By George Mbakahya | Feb 23, 2019

With traditional farming methods proving less sustainable every year, a new farming system is emerging — the portable farms.

The system combines cutting-edge technology with modern agriculture to produce food in a relatively small space. Data shows table vegetables for one person can be grown in 25 square feet of growing tray space. So a family of five requires 125 square feet of grow tray space. Consequently, a space equivalent to the size of the living room 10 feet by 30 feet will feed a family of five year round.

Water management

The protein requirements will be supplemented from the fish reared in the tanks of these portable farms.

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The waste from the tanks will be used to raise fruit trees and other crops on the farm.

An average family of five consumes one head of lettuce a day. In portable farm, lettuce is planted on I inch centre on the grow tray.

Economise space

To maturity, lettuce takes approximately 30-40 days from planting to harvesting. On average therefore, it means there will be 40 lettuces in the grow tray all times.

Forty lettuce plants require 27 square feet of grow tray space. Each time lettuce is harvested, a new seedling is planted to be harvested in 40 days. This succession planting ensures that lettuce is available all through the season.

Of the 125 square feet, only 27 square feet has been utilised. To make use of the remaining space, choose to grow plants that you already like to eat – it’s not worth putting the time and effort into growing a vegetable type no one in your family is keen on.

Your grocery bills or a trip to a local farmer’s market are good places to start working out how much you need to grow.

Create list of plants

For a good start, create a list of plants, and note how much you eat per week. So if you eat 2 kgs kales a week, that’s 8 kgs a month and about 109kg a year. You’ll need to grow this amount at least.

To succeed with portable farms, you need to refrain from planting all the space at once. For instance, the 27 square feet of lettuce will tempt you to fill it up. Don’t.

Plant a new lettuce seedling daily until the grow tray is full. It may sound ridiculous but the fact is this staggered planting will ensure constant supply of vegetables. This is the best planning. How much you want to harvest will dictate how many plants you need to grow and space you’ll need to grow them in. Some crops, such as tomatoes produce many vegetables or fruits per plant, so you’ll need fewer of these plants to obtain a large harvest.

The potential possibilities and benefits of portable farms are unlimited. It is possible to grow almost anything, almost anywhere, sustainably and economically. The grow trays are completely customisable, mobile and stackable. They can be installed in your building, on your factory roof or in your parking lot.

[The writer is an expert on sustainable agriculture and agricultural solutions]

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