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Startup Puts Everything You Need for a Two-Acre Farm in a Shipping Container

smithsonianmag.com

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Re: Startup Puts Everything You Need for a Two-Acre Farm in a Shipping Container

#31

Post by witty_username »

daveguy wrote: post #25
orasis wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Profits are the things that allow valuable products to scale. Its odd to me that Venezuela thought that getting rid of profits for producers would help society.

Non-profit doesn't mean the company can't make a profit on what it sells or even pay employees a fair salary. It does mean that profits go back into the company, rather than having profits siphoned off by investors and shareholders. Non-profit is pro-reinvestment and therefore pro-scaleup.

Without profits investors and shareholders won't invest.

Indeed, you could consider investors and shareholders in a similar manner to workers and lenders; investors provide money and in exchange the company gives them profits.

Re: Startup Puts Everything You Need for a Two-Acre Farm in a Shipping Container

#32

Post by cylinder »

mi100hael wrote: post #8

> All of those things affect the ultimate price of the box, and that’s why we have a range from about $50,000 to $60,000. If you were to a la carte all the different components that we put into this kit, it would end up costing you more than what we’re charging. I seriously doubt that. $50k for what appears to basically be 2 acres of irrigation equipment and a solar-powered raspberry pi is absurd. It also looks like…

My scam senses were tingling before I got to the comments. Most likely this is a routine NGO/EDU/Gov scam backed by an aggressive and shiny sales approach.

Re: Startup Puts Everything You Need for a Two-Acre Farm in a Shipping Container

#33

Post by roel_v »

yann63 wrote: post #9
roel_v wrote: post #2

Pretty light on details, even the website of this company itself. The claim of being able to feed 150 people off 2 acres (about 1 hectare, for those of us who like to think in units that make sense) is a pretty wild one. Maybe you could grow potatoes with [150 x 1700 x 365] calories in them in a climate where you can grow year round, but that's surely not what they're insinuating in their marketing pictures.

There's a gardeners society here (Les Jardiniers de France) which sells a set of packets of seeds which are said to be able to grow on 200m2 and feed a family of 4 people.

They probably say 'grow vegetables for a family of 4'. On 200m2, you'd have an abundance of vegetables, yes; at least in warm climates like in southern France. But not enough to be self-sufficient, and a 200m2 traditional vegetable garden is a lot of work, too (one day a week, averaged over the year, probably?).

Re: Startup Puts Everything You Need for a Two-Acre Farm in a Shipping Container

#34

Post by nnain »

Does it pack a tractor in? Who's gonna till the soil? Very click-baity.

I can pack in all the required farming equipment needed for a 2 acre land in under $20,000 in India (including a good tractor!). And I get to chose what I want.

$50,000-$60,000 is a STEEP price tag to suggest to African farmers I assume! And then there would be a maintenance costs.

These are just two of the field tested equipments that work (with spare parts available throught the Indian market at least) and are available with many options - https://www.mahindratractor.com/ http://www.jains.com/irrigation/drip%20irrigation%20system.h...

Re: Startup Puts Everything You Need for a Two-Acre Farm in a Shipping Container

#35

Post by web007 »

ericzawo wrote: post #16

I used to work with a company that modified shipping containers for a whole slew of uses, including hydroponic growing of vegetables. Shipping containers present a great solution to food production but sadly many of the companies I've seen attempt to do this sort of thing get bogged down in the details of implementing them to various clients (such as the article's mention of testing in Ethiopia). One company, however…

Thought this was FreightFarms from the description. I haven't seen the important details on either side, but it seems a lot easier to guarantee yields and more automated / automate-able by FF than by DIY farm-in-a-box.

Re: Startup Puts Everything You Need for a Two-Acre Farm in a Shipping Container

#36

Post by pythonaut_16 »

orasis wrote: post #20
agentgt wrote: post #13

I think I like the farmbot.io idea a little bit better as it seems far more practical. After all I'm not looking to grow all my food but mainly the dirty dozen vegetables/fruits (as well as seasonal ones I like). One of the main reasons I want to grow food though is some vegetables are not carried by my local grocery stores (I have to go to a farmer market or expensive grocery store). For example many grocery stores…

Unless they put the farmbot on wheels, you're talking about too small of a square footage to generate any interesting yields. You'll spend WAY more time maintaining the bot than you would just planting and mulching. The farmbot development is important, but won't be commercially viable with the current fixed rail system.

What if you put the FarmBot plotter on wheels or rails and let it move up and down rows of boxes?

I haven't looked a ton at its performance characteristics but I would imagine it spends a lot of time sitting idle with the current plot they're maintaining.

But a similar bot that could maintain 4'x8' boxes and then roll on to the next one could be interesting. Or even one that could manage continuous line of plots of a given width, e.g. 4' wide

Re: Startup Puts Everything You Need for a Two-Acre Farm in a Shipping Container

#37

Post by cloakandswagger »

mi100hael wrote: post #8

> All of those things affect the ultimate price of the box, and that’s why we have a range from about $50,000 to $60,000. If you were to a la carte all the different components that we put into this kit, it would end up costing you more than what we’re charging. I seriously doubt that. $50k for what appears to basically be 2 acres of irrigation equipment and a solar-powered raspberry pi is absurd. It also looks like…

I was shocked by that too. From what I gleaned from the article, you get a shipping container, some solar panels (and, presumably, batteries), a system on a chip and a drip irrigation system.

Re: Startup Puts Everything You Need for a Two-Acre Farm in a Shipping Container

#38

Post by pontifier »

I had a similar idea years ago, the goal was to build a kit that someone from the developed world could use to go somewhere lacking in modern farming equipment, set themselves up as a sultan by buying cheap land, farming it effectively with hired labor, with the eventual goal of building yourself a palace. I called it Sultanomics... it was a fairly juvenile daydream, that also included acquiring a Harem...

But, the base idea was that a rising tide lifts all ships, and that by increasing efficiency you could help to kickstart the economic development in an area that otherwise would remain stagnant.

Re: Startup Puts Everything You Need for a Two-Acre Farm in a Shipping Container

#39

Post by phillytom »

This reminds me (somewhat unfortunately) of the Playpump[1] which I saw referenced again in some product reading about really understanding customer and user needs in building new product. The Playpump was a playground toy that pumped water - got great PR and raised lots of money. Unfortunately it was also less efficient than existing pumps, required training, was more expensive and was not field repairable.

[1] http://unitedexplanations.org/english/2012/03/22/the-story-o...

Re: Startup Puts Everything You Need for a Two-Acre Farm in a Shipping Container

#40

Post by lisivka »

pjc50 wrote: post #17
billpg wrote: post #5

"a test plot [in Ethiopia] for Farm From a Box had to be cancelled, due to ethnic protests there" There's a sentence that asks more questions than it answers.

Not specifically related to the farm. Ethiopia is a very non-free country, as is nearby Eritrea. We just don't hear much about it because journalism is impossible and the government is pro-west.

Can you explain "pro-west"? I suspect it means somebody who says "I like West. West will help us", not a liberal mind.

Liberal philosophy roughly means freedom and same rights to everyone, including very bad persons, in exchange to strict execution of written laws. So to be truly pro-west, person must advocate same right to everyone, including e.g. gays, and strong independent court for everyone, including e.g. top leaders and officials, which will adhere to written laws religiously. He also must fight to death with bribes and bribers.

Are you sure you labeling correct person with "pro-west" label?

PS.

It's looks like offtopic here. Should I delete this message?

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