This article was taken from the November 2012 issue of Wired magazine. Be the first to read Wired's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by <span class="s1">subscribing online.
Architect Jennifer Broutin wants to turn busy urbanites into farmers in their spare time. "Imagine if people in your neighbourhood grew food in small quantities," she says. "We could change the way good, fresh food is produced and distributed in cities." So Broutin, a graduate student at MIT's Changing Places lab, built a little patch of synthetic land -- a 30cm squared module that can be installed in even the smallest home.
Each module, called a SeedPod, is made of a reflective plastic fitted with discs of neoprene, a black rubber into which seeds are planted. "You don't need any soil or water, because we provide water and nutrients in the form of a misted spray," says Broutin, 30.
Green, leafy plants and root vegetables such as potatoes grow particularly well this way, according to Broutin. "It's much quicker too -- you can get five to ten more crop cycles per year," she says. The SeedPods come with sensors that monitor water, light and nutrient levels. "This data feeds back to the spraying system, which adjusts itself accordingly," she explains. "Over a period of time, your system would learn the best way to grow specific plants."
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
