Imagine trying to start a farm in the middle of a city but not knowing if it's actually good for the planet or the local economy. This work creates a guidebook and a digital tool to measure exactly how rooftop or vertical farms affect the environment and people. It's like a GPS for city planners and farmers to find the most successful way to grow food in urban spaces.
City planners and AgTech companies lack standardized data to prove that urban farming is economically viable and environmentally safe. This creates a gap in policy and slows down the adoption of rooftop and vertical farming.
A knowledge-based decision-support tool featuring performance indicators and a Catalogue of Good practices for urban farming governance.
If you are a vertical farming company dealing with a lack of evidence to convince city councils to grant permits — this project developed evidence-based indicators that prove the environmental and economic performance of urban farms. This helps you justify the installation of your systems in new cities.
If you are a developer dealing with strict green building regulations and biodiversity requirements — this project developed a catalogue of good practices for rooftop farming. You can use these insights to integrate productive greenery that meets policy standards and increases property value.
If you are a city official dealing with the disconnect between rural food sources and urban consumers — this project developed a decision-support tool and policy guidance. This allows you to create legal rules that encourage urban farming while minimizing risks to the community.
Based on available project data, there is no mention of pricing or licensing costs for the tool.
The project tests various scales from individual farms to regional and EU levels, suggesting the tool is designed to handle industrial-scale assessments.
Based on available project data, specific IP and licensing terms are not provided.
It provides guidance on policy instruments and a catalogue of good practices to help shape legal frameworks for urban agriculture.
The project period runs from 2024-01-01 to 2027-12-31, indicating the final results will be ready by the end of 2027.
The consortium is heavily weighted toward research and academia, with 7 universities and 5 research institutes. However, it maintains a practical edge with 2 SMEs and 2 larger industry partners, and 6 other organizations. This 10% industry ratio suggests the project is primarily focused on evidence generation and tool development rather than immediate commercial product launch.
Contact STICHTING VU in the Netherlands
Contact us to get early access to the urban farming performance indicators.
