Technology for Sustainable Agriculture: Feeding a Growing Population

Program Overview:

Food systems account for 30% percent of the energy consumption, over 70% of freshwater withdrawals and more than 20%of GHG emissions worldwide. Forecasts indicate that we will need to produce at least 60% more food by 2050 to meet demands of growing populations and emerging economies, centered in urban areas.

Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) can help meet the nutritional needs of a growing population with greater resource efficiency and fewer environmental impacts. This panel will review the deployment of CEA methods (e.g. hydroponics, aquaponics) at residential and commercial scale. Our panelists will discuss advances in CEA grow methods and smart technologies (e.g. LED lighting, sensors), as well as some of the technical and financial challenges to scaling and widespread adoption.

Panelists:
Jeff Barton - Founder and Owner of Water Fresh Farm in Hopkinton, MA
Mike Zartarian - Director of Engineering at Grove Labs in Somerville, MA
David Hamby - Principal Engineer, Advanced Technologies, OSRAM Corporate Innovation in Beverly, MA
Kyle Seaman - Director, Farm Technology at Freight Farms in Boston, MA
Moderator: Sarah Brezniak - Principal at Captus Group LLC in Westborough, MA

PowerPoint Presentation