The organization 19.20.21 provided an opportunity space to develop concepts for increasing populations.

Description

Platform that creates sustainable, regional food networks that support urban growth in expanding mega-cities.

Overview

For the first time in history, most of the world’s current population lives and works in cities. This project began with information from the 19.20.21 initiative, an organization set on collecting and packaging information for urban and business planning. Their research predicts that 19 cities in the world will have 20 million people in the 21st century, thus dramatically affecting the world’s economic and cultural landscape. One such component, food, plays a major role in how these mega-cities will support increasing populations.

Research on the globalization of food led to the discovery of three primary issues: convergence of diets, loss of crop diversity, and lack of community food security. The proposed platform concept seeks to put back in balance an ecological and social system jarred by the negative effects of globalization. The proposed system will empower farmers to remain on their small farms and give them the security they need to sustain themselves and their families, while at the same time protecting land from environmental destruction and preserving crop biodiversity. The platform develops by first leveraging the needs of the hospitality industry, expanding to schools and specialty grocery stores, and culminating in a transition to urban farming.

Regional farmers are grouped into efficient distribution channels to bring fresh, local food to urban dwellers.

Seeds, part-time labor pools, new tools, proven techniques, and distribution channels are shared for maximum benefit to all.

Under the new platform, money goes directly to the farmer instead of industrialized farm owners and middle-man distributors.