New Urban Farming System Aims to Return Vancouver to a Time When Food Was Local
It doesn’t look like much now, but by October the top of a dusty parking garage in the heart of Vancouver expects to be harvesting up to 700 pounds of produce, five days a week.
On Wednesday, Alterrus began the construction of its first VertiCrop urban farming system on the rooftop of a city-owned car park on Richards Street, between Dunsmuir and West Pender Streets.
The framework is in place, literally — a 6000 square-foot greenhouse imported from Holland lays in pieces awaiting a poured concrete foundation.
Alterrus spokesperson and strategic advisor Donovan Woollard said the central location will be showcase of the VertiGrow technology, which can churn out 80 varieties of salad mixes, herbs and spinach.
And even before the first urban crops have been planted, Alterrus has created quite the buzz.
“We get calls daily from India and China,” Woollard said, in addition to calls from the Caribbean and major U.S. cities, including L.A.
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