Access to Healthy Food | How do we provide affordable and healthy foods to the 2.5 billion people living in restrictive climates?
By empowering and collaborating with local communities, The Growcer is building a network of hydroponic food producers in North America.
THE PROBLEM
When we walk down the supermarket aisle and select a package of processed, sugary, high-calorie food, we are slowly killing ourselves without being fully aware of it. And this is a global phenomenon. The Guardian reported that worldwide, poor diet is a factor for 1 in 5 deaths. People’s lack of consumption of nutrient-dense, healthy foods is becoming a major contributor to their demise. We are living longer, but spending more of that time in poor health, because of deficient diet choices and options.
Where our choices are partly to blame, the major players here are economic factors and availability of these nutritious staples. Each part of the world has its own circumstances and challenges, yet there isn’t an area where insufficient dietary choices aren’t a focal point of poor health. In a recent study done by World Bank they found that even as countries develop and they get better at providing more inexpensive healthy options, they also get better at providing cheap unhealthy foods. While the overarching food problem is the same, the issues certainly differ between developed and developing nations.
So, what are the main reasons why nutrient-rich food options are such a challenge to find? Well, there are many: poorly functioning food systems, lack of supply, climate challenges, loss and waste. With inefficient food systems it is extremely difficult for the 2.5 billion people in rural areas to access affordable and healthy options. While each of these challenges need special attention, there is a simple place to start. What if we could make it easier for farmers to grow fresh foods in a sustainable way, locally? Mobile hydroponic units support small rural farmers, who are gravely needed to support the growing population.
A SOLUTION
The Growcer is one of the companies leading the effort in food system improvement and access to healthy food options. Inspired in 2015 by the way in which the high-cost of fresh, healthy food was hurting Northern Canadians, they decided to build a system to help solve the problem. This hydroponic system can easily be installed in a container, enabling individuals or communities to effortlessly grow food anytime or anywhere, from the desert to the arctic.
Knowing that climate change is going to be drastically decreasing our food productivity, and that in the next thirty years the average temperature is projected to be between 1.8°F and 5.4°F higher, The Growcer has built a soilless growing system that can withstand even the harshest of climates. They provide three different types of state-of-the-art containerized growing systems (CGS) to existing or aspiring farmers: the artic (AGS), urban (UGS) or desert (DGS). Each of theses systems is specialized to operate and withstand weather conditions of a particular type, allowing farmers to provide regional foods year round, with growing times reduced to as little as 6 weeks.
By creating a strong network of localized sustainable growers in isolated regions, such as Northern Canada, The Growcer is single-handedly strengthening the healthy food supply for an industry very much in need of improvement. These systems provide year-round revenue for farmers as well as give communities the opportunity to spark economic growth. Through innovation, The Growcer is making a social, economic and environmental impact; making it easier and more affordable for people to make healthy, green food choices everywhere.
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