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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

#41

Post by chrissnell »

jbob2000 wrote: post #28
dghughes wrote: post #15

>...and even individuals who want to start a farm. As a person who lives in a farming area this seems like putting a computer and a box of red bull in a box and labeling it "computer programmer kit". I'm not a farmer but things like crop rotation, regulations, WHIMIS (pesticides/herbicides), dangers such as the PTO on the tractor and other farm dangers all needed training. You see at least once per year some farm han…

>We have a three-part training program that comes with the box. One: Covering sustainable farming, making sure everyone knows a little bit in terms of crop rotation, and composting, and intercropping. Two: Covering technology use and maintenance, making sure that the individuals know how to maintain and troubleshoot all of the components of the farm. Three: Farming as an enterprise, making sure that there is a market…

That's a lot of investment for someone getting their feet wet. I've been growing food for my family at home for the last four years and while I don't have two acres to farm, I can tell you that equipment has been the least of my problems.

Learning to grow food has been a gradual process for me, learning what works for my soil and my climate. I can't imagine trying to start with a Conex full of equipment and two acres to farm, unless you have a local farmer there to help you along. It's so much easier to start small, a few hundred square feet, and to get the advice of a local gardening club or garden store when it comes to choosing what to plant.

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

#42

Post by atourgates »

jaclaz wrote: post #10
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.

I have troubles in computing the BOM (Bill Of Materials) of such a thing. 1) a container 2) a tin shed leaning on it on one side 3) a small plastic? nursery/seeding house on the other side 4) a 3 Kwh solar plant (including batteries, etc.) 5) a bunch of pumps (and I presume pipes) for drip irrigation 6) web connectivity 7) possibly a bunch of hand farming tools do not sum up to costs that justify the US$ 50,000/60,00…

I was trying to do the math here too. Here's what I came up with.

1) Shipping Container - ~$2,000

2) Tin Shed - Maybe another ~$1,000

3) Hoop Greenhouse - ~$400 [1]

4) 3Kwh Solar Plant with Batteries - ~$8,500 [2]

5) 2 Acre Drip Irrigation System - ~$3,000 [3]

6) WiFi Access - $1,000 (I have no idea what hardware/capabilities they're delivering here, but it seems like that's a safe number)

7) A Bunch of Hand Farming Tools - $1,000 (Another guesstimate)

8) A 1,000 gallon water storage tank - ~$700 [4]

So that takes us to about $17,600. Let's add another $5,000 for preparation, packaging, research and educational materials. Let's add another $5,000 for stuff that's more expensive than my guesstimates, and remove nothing for the article's claimed efficiencies that makes this so much more cost-effective than buying a la carte.

That still only puts us at $28,000, so either there's something I'm totally missing here, or this is total BS.

[1] http://www.greenhousemegastore.com/product/16-foot-wide-cold... [2] http://www.bimblesolar.com/3kwcomplete-sunny-island [3] https://www.berryhilldrip.com/Kit-Pro-2-This-Complete-Kit-wi... [4] http://www.plastic-mart.com/category/9/plastic-water-tanks

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

#43

Post by thrwoutacct8 »

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…

From the article...

> We have a three-part training program that comes with the box. One: Covering sustainable farming, making sure everyone knows a little bit in terms of crop rotation, and composting, and intercropping. Two: Covering technology use and maintenance, making sure that the individuals know how to maintain and troubleshoot all of the components of the farm. Three: Farming as an enterprise, making sure that there is a market-based approach to farming.

It's not just 2 acres of irrigation equipment and a solar-powered raspberry pi. There's at least initial support to help improve odds of success.

Not saying that bumps to $50,000 in value in material terms. Just pointing out you don't just get a box dropped off on your driveway.

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

#44

Post by lmickh »

roel_v wrote: post #33
yann63 wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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?).

Takes a bit more then that to make a 200m2 plot thrive. My experience has been that it would roughly equate to 3-4 days of 4-6hrs. That is assuming you are keeping on top of all of the tasks and not using any serious tooling. If you do that and have good conditions/knowledge, you'll see a density that is enough to provide for 4 and generate a small surplus.

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

#45

Post by kccqzy »

> Every box also comes with its own renewable energy system. Everything is solar. We’ve got three kilowatts of solar energy pre-installed on the actual kit.

What do they mean by this? Kilowatt is not a unit of energy, but a unit of power. Does that mean they provide equipment that is rated to produce three kilowatts? I'm no farmer but that sounds like awfully little power for power-hungry farm equipment.

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

#46

Post by eddieroger »

dghughes wrote: post #15

>...and even individuals who want to start a farm. As a person who lives in a farming area this seems like putting a computer and a box of red bull in a box and labeling it "computer programmer kit". I'm not a farmer but things like crop rotation, regulations, WHIMIS (pesticides/herbicides), dangers such as the PTO on the tractor and other farm dangers all needed training. You see at least once per year some farm han…

That was my read on this, so thanks for confirming it. It seems like the most valuable part of this kit won't be in the box, and that's access to someone who knows the basics (and not so basics) of farming to guide the new box owners. I suppose there's the argument of "no one taught our ancestors to farm and they figured it out," but then how effective is this kit at all if you're winging it?

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

#47

Post by koolba »

cylinder wrote: post #32
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.

> Most likely this is a routine NGO/EDU/Gov scam backed by an aggressive and shiny sales approach.

And this is why I don't like those Gov (capital G intentional) programs. The scamsters are the best at exploiting them.

That's how you end up with things like this: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/free-golf-cart-but-call-it-a-low...

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

#48

Post by mkaziz »

cylinder wrote: post #32
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.

What's an NGO/EDU/Gov scam?

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

#49

Post by programLyrique »

There is an agricultural startup also using containers, first for strawberries, but they literally want to grow fruits or vegetables in a container, while aiming at a better taste: http://www.agricool.co/

The idea seems to target cities, to decrease the time to market, so that they can optimize the fruits or vegetables for taste and not for conservation.

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

#50

Post by chrissnell »

ComputerGuru wrote: post #4
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.

I would say corn, then potato. But you're right, the startup isn't being all that forthcoming with details and it's likely their claims are (greatly) exaggerated, or perhaps, from a purely "well, technically..." point-of-view. There's an excellent article that champions the calories-per-acre metric by WP: https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/in-defense-of-... In the calorie department, corn is king [..] corn…

If I was designing a two-acre farm to feed my family, I wouldn't devote much space to corn. Corn is a very useful crop but mostly once it's processed and you need a lot of it.

Here's what I think I'd grow:

Potatoes - Incredibly easy to grow. Produces a ton of food. Can be grown in trash cans on otherwise unusable land. Very versatile and useful in so many cuisines. If I had to place my bets on one staple crop, it's potatoes.

Green beans (Blue Lake variety or similar) - Also very easy to grow. You trellis them and they don't take up a lot of ground space. Incredibly bountiful crop--you'll have trash bags full from 50 sq ft of beans. Puts nutrients back in the soil--very good crop to rotate.

Kale - Nutritious, versatile crop. Easy to grow.

Tomatoes - Nutritious and so easy to grow. Can be grown vertically in raised pots for more space efficiency.

Tomatillos - Tasty, good for sauces. These grow as voraciously as the green beans.

Pumpkins, squashes, etc. - These are wandering vines so you can plant them in good soil on the edge of unusable land and let them grow out over the areas that you couldn't plant in.

Various lettuces - Not easy to grow--they're susceptible to pests and they bolt as soon as the weather gets too warm--but they grow fast and if your family likes salad, you'll eat a lot of them.

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