Global food insecurities are on the rise! Various startups and governments across the world are looking for ways to transform urban farming. Urban farming has the potential to disrupt produce supply chains, and with new technologies and public backing, the urban farms could help shape future food as well. The Floating Farm is one of the numbers of innovations to come out of Rotterdam, a city that is focusing heavily on design and technology.
Bringing farming into the city!
A few months back, Minke van Wingerden built the first floating cow shed in the world in Rotterdam. Investing around €2.7 million, it was designed by architecture studio Goldsmith. It is now home to about 40 cows.
The main aim is to show a new way of bringing back farming into the city, with minimal impact on both resources and the environment. This floating farm is installed in Merwehaven – a port area that is set to become a residential district for the city.
Picnic signs a new agreement!
In the latest move, Picnic, an online supermarket has signed an agreement with the Floating Farm in Rotterdam. As per the agreement, users can now order the animal-friendly and sustainably produced milk from their city and have it delivered to their homes.
Minke van Wingerden, CEO, Floating Farms, said:
The collaboration with Picnic is a new beginning for the farm. We hope for more cooperation partners in the future. We just started this morning, but we just received a phone call from Picnic asking if we can bring extra milk. That is no problem for us because we are not yet on top production.
800 liters per day
The cow shed features – milk robot, slurry robot, an automatic belt feeder, and a rubber floor. At present, we don’t have any exact information on how much milk Picnic will buy at Floating Farm. The maximum production of the floating cowshed is 800 liters per day. In addition to Picnic, the Floating Farm is in talks with numerous interested parties from China and Singapore.
Built on circular design principles
This floating farm is built based on circular design principles. In other words, the farm generates its electricity from the floating solar panel and provides fresh water for cows through integrated rainwater collection and purification system.
Cows manure is used to create a natural fertiliser
The cows on the farm are fed with grass from the golf field along with residual products such as potato peels, beer broth and bran from companies in and around Rotterdam. Their manure is used to create a natural fertiliser. This product has attracted a lot of international attention.
Place to learn about sustainable farming!
The whole structure is transparent so that visitors can easily see the process. Notably, there are also education spaces onboard, where groups can come and learn more about sustainable farming.
If this proves to be a success, the team in the future is planning to expand this business model with chicken, greenhouse gases, fresh fruits, and vegetables.
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