In this episode of the podcast, I speak to Thomas Mason. Thomas is a consultant at Metabolic, which is a consulting and venture building company based in Amsterdam. In their own words, Metabolic “uses systems thinking to tackle global sustainability challenges”.
Thomas’s current work at Metabolic focuses on urban agriculture. He works with companies and communities and governments to try to increase the amount of food produced in and around cities.
You might ask why you would want to do that.
There are many benefits to city farming, actually. And most of the benefits don’t even have much to do with literally growing food for people to eat. From water management, air quality and social cohesion – Thomas explains it all in depth.
We did the interview at De Ceuvel, which is an experimental sustainable co-working space in the north of Amsterdam. A former shipyard, the area was transformed by Metabolic and their partners a few years ago. They brought a bunch of old houseboats onto the land and laid them around the yard to use as offices and meeting spaces.
There is also a cafe on site, which grows some of its produce in an aquaponic greenhouse. Aquaponics is a way to grow plants symbiotically with an animal, in this case, fish. The system works by delicately balancing the water and nutrients needed for everything to grow properly.
Indeed, the whole of De Ceuvel is designed to cycle resources as efficiently as possible. Solar panels generate energy… rainwater, greywater and sewage are collected… and the cafe is building a biogas reactor, to turn organic waste into cooking gas for their kitchen. The whole thing is an ongoing experiment, but so far they’ve had a lot of success. I recommend checking it out if you’re ever in Amsterdam.
Show Notes
02:53 The role of urban agriculture
03:27 The history of urban agriculture (in Europe): from medieval times, through to the Industrial Revolution, the World Wars, postwar development, hippies of the 60s and 70s
07:31 How can and should technology be used in urban agriculture?
08:58 The social aspect of growing food
09:54 The conventional food system is under pressure from a growing population, but the industry is also inefficient and is a large emitter of greenhouse gases
10:35 hydroponics, aquaponics
10:57 Thomas’s own history
12:29 QO Amsterdam
15:58 It’s not just about food – what else can urban ag offer?
16:48 Environmental benefits
18:13 Urban agriculture in the developing world
19:00 How to know what kind of project is appropriate for a certain location
22:02 Criticisms of urban ag
22:26 Aquaponics and hydroponics
25:42 Evolution of Thomas’s ideas about urban agriculture; the importance of resilience
27:00 The challenge of handling different opinions about what to do with an area. Solar panels or green roof?
29:50 The Milan Urban Food Pact
30:14 RUAF
30:33 Bright Agrotech
31:01 Metabolic
31:48 Dealing with inertia
33:56 The range of options: there is something for everyone, no matter your level of knowledge or experience