Urban agriculture agreement focuses on food security

SHANGHAI – Following the inauguration of the Tongji-Plantagon Research Center in April 2013, Plantagon International AB and Tongji University, have accelerated their joint efforts to develop solutions for urban agriculture in China over three years was signed on Tuesday, November 5th. 

Hans Hassle, CEO of Plantagon, and Lou Yongqi, dean of the College of Design and Innovation and executive vice director of the Sino-Finnish Centre at Tongji University, signed the agreement in the presence of Swedish Consul General Viktoria Li. The work acts to meet the goals set forth in the 12th five-year plan for China to “Safeguard the security of food...”

Plantagon is a global innovation leader in urban agriculture whose technology minimizes the need for energy, water and pesticides. The negative environmental impact of the food production is very low, and since the products are delivered directly to consumers in the city, the transportation costs are also minimized.

“Urban Agriculture can be an effective land-use solution that embraces the market and the infrastructure. Mega Cities need food production within, to avoid paralyzing congestion. Urban farming supports the market with products that do not need to be transported,” said Mr Hassle.

Vertical urban farming (Photo © Plantagon)

The execution of the work is delegated to the Sino-Finnish Centre and to the Modern Agriculture Science & Engineering Institute at Tongji University, which will take responsibility for the execution & coordination. Tongji University, one of the leading universities directly under the State Ministry of Education in China, emphasizes the importance of high-quality research and social service. 

“Urban Agriculture is a concept that restores our common knowledge of a cyclic system of life and its necessities. We cannot distance ourselves from the resources we need or the waste we produce. If products are grown in closed urban agricultural systems using the best available environmental techniques, risks for both plants and consumers will be minimized,” Professor Yongqi said. 

To tackle the massive population expansion into Chinese urban areas and its consequences for food production and agriculture, the overarching objectives and intentions for the Parties is to commercialize and implement the concept of vertical urban agriculture into all of China. It is noted that this is in line with the MoU of Sustainable Urban Development Cooperation between the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development of the People’s Republic of China and the Ministry of the Environment of the Government Offices of the Kingdom of Sweden.

The success of the Tongji-Plantagon collaboration is founded on Plantagon being the technological experts of urban agriculture and Tongji University having the market expertise.