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EESA Scientists Lead Lab’s Precision Urban Agriculture Initiative2 min read

by Maryann Villavert on October 28, 2015

Climate and Ecosystem Sciences Division In The Press Initiative

The Precision Urban Agriculture Initiative (Urban Ag), led by Romy Chakraborty (an ecology scientist in the Climate and Ecosystem Sciences Division), brings a team of scientists together from the Earth and Environmental Sciences Area and the Energy Technologies Area to look at addressing the intersection of two problems—the environmental damage caused by conventional agriculture and the lack of healthy, affordable produce for low income urban populations.

By leveraging scientific resources and facilities, the team aims to build an understanding of the engineering and science to control complex environmental criteria like light, temperature, nutrient flow, humidity and CO2 with precision and maximum efficiency so that it would be possible to grow healthy produce that is directly accessible in local urban centers using less resources (such as water, fertilizer, and land) than conventional agriculture and no pesticides or herbicides.

Over the past year, the Urban Ag team regularly met to explore opportunities that would integrate some of the ongoing research at Berkeley Lab that could lead into developing affordable, deployable, energy- and water-efficient food production systems and technologies for low income urban populations.  The team consulted with local businesses as well as with urban farmers throughout the U.S. to understand their needs and challenges in entering the space of urban farming.  As a result, a few research themes developed and currently include performing life-cycle analyses, analyzing plant nutrient uptake, and identifying improvements and optimization in farming practices and technology uses (including lighting, hydroponics, aeroponics, etc.), management waste and reuse, and integration of composting strategies.

Urban Ag ties in with other on-going initiatives across the Lab where many of our EESA scientists are taking part, including, Microbes To Biomes, Predictive Agriculture, Urban Systems, Water-Energy, and the UC Global Food.

If you would like to learn more about the Urban Ag discussions please contact us.

Go here to meet the current Urban Ag team.

Press

Lab’s Precision Urban Agriculture Initiative Tackles Food Deserts  – Today at Berkeley Lab (October 22)

News & Events

EESA scientist co-authors new comprehensive guide on ways to remove CO2 from the atmosphere2 min read

January 18, 2021

Berkeley Lab researchers are working on ways to sequester more carbon in soil, including through agricultural practices. (Credit: Berkeley Lab) Scientists say that any serious plan to address climate change should include carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technologies and policies, which makes the newly launched CDR Primer an especially vital resource, says Berkeley Lab scientist Margaret Torn, one…

New EESA research explores impact of land-use policy on California’s terrestrial carbon and greenhouse gas budget3 min read

January 12, 2021

The 28 million acres of natural and working lands across California provide a unique opportunity to meet greenhouse gas emission reduction goals through various land-use strategies, such as expanding urban forest areas or restoring woodlands. However, the need to mitigate wildfire severity is also a critical priority for California, and one that can increase emissions…

Impacts of Climate Change on Our Water and Energy Systems: It’s Complicated5 min read

January 11, 2021

As the planet continues to warm, the twin challenges of diminishing water supply and growing energy demand are intensifying. But because water and energy are inextricably linked, as we try to adapt to one challenge – say, by getting more water via desalination or water recycling – we may be worsening the other challenge by…

New Study: Are Drylands Getting Drier?1 min read

January 5, 2021

EESA visiting postdoctoral fellow Sha Zhou led a recent study exploring why climate models do not project drylands will become substantially drier with climate change as scientists have long believed. A paper published yesterday in the journal Nature Climate Change, “Soil moisture-atmosphere feedbacks mitigate declining water availability in drylands,” describes the importance of long-term changes…

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