14 DAY TRIAL // It is no news that, as urban areas develop and grow, agricultural lands worldwide find themselves negatively affected by modern society's industrial ways.
Moreover, many older constructions are left abandoned as new ones get built, which means that quite a lot of usable space is in fact wasted.
The good news is that environmentalist John Edel seems to have found a way of tackling both of the aforementioned issues at the same time.
Thus, he is seriously looking into the possibility of turning the Union Stockyard in Chicago into a hot spot for urban farming.
More precisely, he plans to turn the abandoned building here, which used to be part of Chicago's 19th century booming industrial trade, into spaces now meant to enable aquaponic urban farming.
For those unaware, aquaponic farming basically means that aquatic animals such as fish and snails are raised together with plant species in what most consider to be a symbiotic environment, therefore making the most of the available resources.
Our World informs us that, while discussing his project with several representatives of the press, John Edel made a point of how: “Vertical food production makes a lot of sense, as you’re moving the food production to the place where it’s consumed — in the city.”
He goes on to say that: “The effort is solidly run and securely funded, with a well thought-out, realistic business plan drawing on extensive research; and it has strong community ties, a network of strategic alliances in the region, and strong political support, including from the highest echelons of Chicago’s municipal governance.”
Therefore, odds are that his endeavor will turn out to be quite successful.
More so since research and education with respect to present-day agricultural practices will also be on John Edel's agenda once construction activities come to an end.
Given the fact that developing this urban farm, which is to be known as The Plant, will also help boost local economy by presenting the people living in Chicago with new job opportunities, we salute his idea and wish him the best of luck in implementing it.