Earth is an living organism where every living creature is an important part of a bigger whole. Our ancestors lived in symbiosis with the nature, today we are trying to tame the nature. Cities are expanding and the nature is being pushed into the periferi. Free flow of elements such as water, air, earth and plants are being controlled, disstorted, polluted and manipulated. Our political and economical systems are built upon the mind-set that we are separate from the nature and above the nature, but we are a part of the nature just like every other speecies on this planet. Our fast paced city-lives are creating a huge gap between the nature and ourselves and massproduction has replaced traditional craft and sustainable food production. Where is this going to end? How will it end? How can architecture help us reconnect with the nature and ourselves and inspire to a more sustainable lifestyle? Prana is not a building, it is a site. It consists of a multifunctional garden area with several buildings that together creates a whole. Prana is sanskrit meaning breath, energy or life force and has given the site its’ name because it is a platform for recreation, contemplation and knowledge exchange. We need to slow down, reflect and learn in order to feel the force and make a change, no matter if it is your lifestyle, your mind-set or your goal, no matter if you do it for the climate or for yourself. Prana is about reconnecting with the nature and yourself though arts, crafts, activities, food and food production. Prana welcomes everyone for a close nature experience of hot and cold, of fire and earth and community based learning.

Master of Landscape Architecture / Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional & Community Planning / Laurence A. Clement, Jr. / Our current agricultural system in the U.S. involves procedures that appear to maintain high levels of productivity. However, the long-term outlook regarding this system indicates an overall degradation of the ecological resources that generate the abundance of agricultural products to which we are accustomed (Lyle, 1994). This project applies sustainable food production strategies specifically addressed in permaculture as a regenerative alternative to industrial agriculture to a site on the Kansas State University campus. This research initiative quantifies the productive benefits of sustainable agriculture in providing for the Derby Dining Hall, and illustrates how sustainable food production strategies can be shaped through landscape form and space in ways that connect people with ecologically sound food production. The literature review addressed landscape architecture theory and sustainable agriculture. In addition, a set of interviews as well as three precedent studies helped to focus project considerations and to inform design decision-making. The site design process comprised the primary method for exploration and subsequent development of conclusions. The first two design iterations were performed with a specific focus on garden productivity and then garden form, with the third acting as a synthesis of the first two. The final plan suggests that there is a potential for a positive didactic experience of sustainable food production through the artful synthesis of landscape form, particularly with regard to carefully arranged circulation patterns. In addition it was found that, given the average growing season rainfall of 3 inches per month, the water harvested from the roofs of Moore and West residence halls can support over 7,300 square feet of intensive produce beds with a 1 inch per week application rate. In regard to food production, select non-bulk items on Derby Dining Hall’s menu (e.g. Parsley, Garlic, Basil, Kale, Radishes, Turnips, & Oregano) can be provided for or supplemented entirely, given the designed array of produce in the proposed gardens. It would appear that incorporating permaculture and organic farming strategies into the campus fabric would facilitate K-State Housing and Dining’s efforts to promote healthy food -- and sustainable thinking -- by increasing the variety, freshness and interest of its menu.

<p>Ett växande problem i världen idag är att nå en hållbar matproduktion. Världens befolkning växer stadigt och miljontals människor lever på gränsen till svält. Fosfor är en icke-förnyelsebar resurs på jorden och ett av de näringsämnen jorden behöver för att ge bra avkastning. Fosfor förekommer i alla växter, djur och människor och kan återvinnas av naturen på egen hand. Ibland när människor och den moderna teknologin påverkar den naturliga cykeln så förändras den till ett öppet system där resurser överutnyttjas.</p><p>I den här uppsatsen har fyra fallstudier från Sverige, Ghana, Thailand och Zimbabwe jämförts med fokus på hur organiskt hushållsavfall hanteras i de olika länderna. Resultatet visar inte på några större skillnader mellan utvecklingsländer och industrialiserade länder, vilket kan bero på tillgänglig data. Alla länder i studien har förutsättningar att använda sig av olika återvinningsmetoder av organiskt avfall, både med och utan exkrementer. Genom att använda olika tekniska lösningar, som exempelvis rötning och olika typer av kompostering, kan förlusterna av fosfor minskas ordentligt. Ofta kostar teknik och den nödvändiga kunskapen pengar, men i många fall kan återvinning av organiskt avfall vara en ekonomisk vinst då mindre kemiska gödningsmedel behöver importeras.</p><p>För att nå en hållbar matproduktion bör fosfor från alla olika utflöden användas; organiskt avfall (från kök och trädgård), avloppsvatten (från bad, kök och tvätt), och från exkrementer (urin och fekalier).</p> / <p>Sustainable food production is an important issue in a world with a rapidly growing population and millions of people living on the verge of starvation. Phosphorus is a non-renewable resource and one of the nutrients needed for soil to give good crop outcomes. Phosphorus is essential to all plants, animals and humans, and can be recycled by nature itself within the phosphorus cycle. Problems could arise when humans and modern technology interfere with this cycle and turn it into an open-ended system.</p><p>In this thesis four case studies from Sweden, Ghana, Thailand and Zimbabwe are compared with focus on how organic waste is handled in the different countries. There results show no big differences between developing and developed countries. This might depend on the data used for the study. All countries show potential for using different recycling methods to increase the reuse of organic waste, both including and excluding excreta, but lacks technology and knowledge. By using technology, for example anaerobic digestion or composting, phosphorus losses could be reduced substantially. Technology costs money and needs knowledge, but in many cases these costs could probably be offset by not needing chemical fertilizers, or less of these.</p><p>To reach a sustainable food production, phosphorus from all outflows needs to be considered for reuse: solid organic waste (food waste and garden waste), greywater (water from kitchen, bath and laundry) and excreta (urine and faeces).</p>

Ett växande problem i världen idag är att nå en hållbar matproduktion. Världens befolkning växer stadigt och miljontals människor lever på gränsen till svält. Fosfor är en icke-förnyelsebar resurs på jorden och ett av de näringsämnen jorden behöver för att ge bra avkastning. Fosfor förekommer i alla växter, djur och människor och kan återvinnas av naturen på egen hand. Ibland när människor och den moderna teknologin påverkar den naturliga cykeln så förändras den till ett öppet system där resurser överutnyttjas. I den här uppsatsen har fyra fallstudier från Sverige, Ghana, Thailand och Zimbabwe jämförts med fokus på hur organiskt hushållsavfall hanteras i de olika länderna. Resultatet visar inte på några större skillnader mellan utvecklingsländer och industrialiserade länder, vilket kan bero på tillgänglig data. Alla länder i studien har förutsättningar att använda sig av olika återvinningsmetoder av organiskt avfall, både med och utan exkrementer. Genom att använda olika tekniska lösningar, som exempelvis rötning och olika typer av kompostering, kan förlusterna av fosfor minskas ordentligt. Ofta kostar teknik och den nödvändiga kunskapen pengar, men i många fall kan återvinning av organiskt avfall vara en ekonomisk vinst då mindre kemiska gödningsmedel behöver importeras. För att nå en hållbar matproduktion bör fosfor från alla olika utflöden användas; organiskt avfall (från kök och trädgård), avloppsvatten (från bad, kök och tvätt), och från exkrementer (urin och fekalier). / Sustainable food production is an important issue in a world with a rapidly growing population and millions of people living on the verge of starvation. Phosphorus is a non-renewable resource and one of the nutrients needed for soil to give good crop outcomes. Phosphorus is essential to all plants, animals and humans, and can be recycled by nature itself within the phosphorus cycle. Problems could arise when humans and modern technology interfere with this cycle and turn it into an open-ended system. In this thesis four case studies from Sweden, Ghana, Thailand and Zimbabwe are compared with focus on how organic waste is handled in the different countries. There results show no big differences between developing and developed countries. This might depend on the data used for the study. All countries show potential for using different recycling methods to increase the reuse of organic waste, both including and excluding excreta, but lacks technology and knowledge. By using technology, for example anaerobic digestion or composting, phosphorus losses could be reduced substantially. Technology costs money and needs knowledge, but in many cases these costs could probably be offset by not needing chemical fertilizers, or less of these. To reach a sustainable food production, phosphorus from all outflows needs to be considered for reuse: solid organic waste (food waste and garden waste), greywater (water from kitchen, bath and laundry) and excreta (urine and faeces).

Alternative food networks in a post-communist context:: Farmers' markets and farm shops in Czechia Marie Syrovátková ABSTRACT The emergence of farmers' markets (FMs) and farm shops (FSs) in Czechia is a follow-up of the expansion of alternative food networks (AFNs) from Western Europe and North America where they have been developing for several decades. AFNs are an up-to-date topic as they respond to the growing concerns about the negative effects of the globalized conventional food system on social, economic and environmental aspects of food production, distribution and consumption. Each form of AFNs emphasizes a different aspect of the food system sustainability. FMs and FSs should primarily enable direct selling of quality local products made by small producers to support local economy, rural development, environmental protection and to improve quality of life. Based on a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods, the aim of the dissertation is to explore the emergence and development of AFNs in Central Europe. Using the example of Czechia, considering the communist past of the region, the work evaluates the contribution of AFNs to build a more sustainable system of food production and consumption and the weak points of the phenomenon in Czechia and, using a comparison of the AFN evolution...

Rapid growing population, urbanization, climate change, decreasing agricultural production, and soil degradation causes massive challenges for food production and supply chain in Southeast Asia, especially in urban areas. A sustainable food production and supply chain system is needed to produce and supply food for Southeast Asia urban areas. One potential solution to those challenges is introducing vertical farming. Vertical farming can produce high-quality crops locally and sustainably by reducing water and land use, decreasing pesticide use, reducing carbon footprint, and growing plants in any climate. This research aims to identify the current status of vertical farming startups in Southeast Asia, investigate the existing challenges and available opportunities in the Southeast Asia vertical farming industry, and analyze the sustainability practices and sustainable business model innovation implemented by Southeast Asia vertical farming startups. A literature review of vertical farming business typology, business model innovation, and sustainable business model innovation is used to create theoretical frameworks in this research. This research is an exploratory multiple case studies research with a qualitative method. The data in this research is collected through interviews with founders and managers from 10 vertical farming startups in Southeast Asia. The interview data is analyzed using vertical farming business typology, business model framework, and sustainable business model innovation archetypes. The research outcomes indicate that the vertical farming industry in Southeast Asia is an early growing industry, and Southeast Asia vertical farming startups are considered as early growing startups with small capital and small teams. Despite existing financial, operational, and market challenges, Southeast Asia vertical farming startups have considerable opportunities to grow with their effort to develop their vertical farming business into a more sustainable business by conducting various sustainability practices and adopting sustainable business model innovation. / Snabbt växande befolkning, urbanisering, klimatförändringar, minskad jordbruksproduktion och markförstöring orsakar enorma utmaningar för livsmedelsproduktionen och försörjningskedjan i Sydostasien, särskilt i stadsområden. En hållbar livsmedelsproduktion och försörjningskedja behövs för att producera och leverera mat till Sydostasiens stadsområden. En potentiell lösning på dessa utmaningar är att införa vertikalt jordbruk. Vertikalt jordbruk kan producera högkvalitativa grödor lokalt och hållbart genom att minska vatten- och markanvändningen, minska användningen av bekämpningsmedel, minska koldioxidavtrycket och odla växter i alla klimat. Denna forskning syftar till att identifiera den nuvarande statusen för vertikala jordbruks-startups i Sydostasien, undersöka de befintliga utmaningarna och tillgängliga möjligheter i den vertikala jordbruksindustrin och analysera hållbarhetspraxis och hållbar affärsmodellsinnovation som implementerats av vertikala jordbruks-startups. En litteraturgenomgång av vertikal jordbruksverksamhetstypologi och hållbar affärsmodellsinnovation används för att skapa teoretiskt ramverk i denna studie. I detta examensarbete tillämpas en kvalitativ forskning med flera fallstudier. Data samlas in genom intervjuer med grundare och chefer från 10 vertikala jordbruks-startups i Sydostasien. Intervjudata analyseras med hjälp av typologi för vertikal jordbruksföretag, ramverk för affärsmodeller och arketyper för hållbar affärsmodellsinnovation. Resultaten indikerar att den vertikala jordbruksindustrin i Sydostasien är en tidig växande industri, med tidigt växande startups med litet kapital och små team. Trots befintliga ekonomiska, operativa och marknadsmässiga utmaningar har vertikala jordbruks-startups i Sydostasien stora möjligheter att växa med sina ansträngningar att utveckla sin vertikala jordbruksverksamhet till en mer hållbar verksamhet genom att bedriva olika hållbarhetsmetoder och införa hållbar affärsmodellsinnovation.

Integrated aquaponic food production systems are capable of producing more food on less land using less water than conventional food systems, and marine systems offer the potential of conserving freshwater resources. However, critical factors such as suitable species combinations, environmental conditions (salinity and pH), and nutrient management (animal to plant ratio, C/N ratio, and dietary crude protein) have not been fully understood for marine systems. There were four objectives in this project. The first objective was to evaluate the growth performance of potential comparable combination (whiteleg shrimp with three halophytic plants) for the development of marine aquaponics with BFT under different salinities. The second objective was to evaluate stocking densities and the C/N ratio on growth and production of whiteleg shrimp and three halophytes. The third objective was evaluation of varying concentrations of dietary crude protein in practical diets fed to shrimp raised in biofloc aquaponic saltwater systems. The fourth objective was to evaluate effects of pH levels and additional C on the growth and production of whiteleg shrimp and five plant species in marine aquaponics. Four conclusions were determined: 1) Regarding marine aquaponics, whiteleg shrimp and the three halophytes (Atriplex hortensis, Salsola komarovii, and Plantago coronopus) are suitable combinations for future development. According to the research results, shrimp performed better in a salinity of 15 and 20 ppt; yet, plants performed better in a salinity of 10 and 15 ppt. Therefore, a salinity of 15 ppt is suggested as the optimal saline condition for shrimp and the three halophytes in an indoor marine aquaponics system. In addition, inoculating probiotics do have the efficiency of stabilizing water quality, cultivating microbial community, and enhancing the health of shrimp and plants in the operation of aquaponics. 2) The stocking density ratio and C/N ratio exerted significant impacts on the performance of shrimp and plants in marine aquaponics. Shrimp performed better with the stocking density of 2:1 and 3:1, with no impact from the C/N ratio. Conversely, plants performed better with the stocking density of 3:1 and 5:1 with the C/N ratio at 15. Therefore, a stocking density ratio of 3:1 with a C/N ratio at 15 is suggested as the optimal condition for shrimp and the three halophytes in an indoor marine aquaponic food production system. Inoculating the water with biofloc and applying probiotics regularly can enhance the management of water quality and the health of shrimp and plants in aquaponics. 3) Among the findings of the study, shrimp growth was not affected by the protein content of the feed, suggesting that it is possible to use feeds with lower protein concentration when culturing shrimp in biofloc-based marine aquaponics. However, plants grew better in the treatments with higher protein content feed in the early and middle stages of production. Hence, for maximum production, providing a higher protein concentration feed (35 %) in the early stages of system start-up, and switching to a lower protein concentration feed (30 %) in the later stages of cultivation might be feasible. 4) The current study found no significant effects of pH or additional C on shrimp performance. In contrast, plants grew better in lower pH treatments, while additional C supplements improved the performance of plants grown in higher pH treatments and had similar results to the lower pH treatments. We suggest that RO water is not suitable source of water for shrimp-based marine aquaponics if ionic composition is not managed. The addition of C, however, led to improved growth and yields of most plants. Hence, adding C can be a promising approach in marine aquaponics to enhance the resistance to the abiotic stress of plants and improve their growth.<div> <br>The present study on marine aquaponics has produced important findings that will fill some knowledge gaps, provide management guidelines for production, and facilitate its development. <br></div>

[pt] A Agenda Ambiental Global tem como uma das principais diretrizes a redução da pegada ecológica para a produção de alimentos. Parte desse desafio está associada a vastas áreas de pastagem degradadas. No Brasil, 70 porcento da área total de pastagem utilizada pela pecuária é diagnosticada como degradada, representando 118,3 milhões de hectares. Nesse contexto, algumas estratégias podem ser usadas para reverter esse cenário, sendo uma delas a transição para um sistema de produção agroecológico sustentável, como o Sistema Silvipastoril (SSP). Como Estudo de Caso para esta pesquisa, foi escolhida uma paisagem tropical e montanhosa na região Sudeste do Brasil, com baixo potencial de mecanização, fato que diminui sua competitividade no agronegócio, contribuindo para um longo período de declínio social, ambiental e econômico, principalmente a partir da década de 1950. O objetivo da pesquisa consistiu em avaliar o SSP como uma ferramenta estratégica para a recuperação de terras degradadas da Bacia Hidrográfica do Rio Paraibuna (BHRP), considerando as três dimensões da sustentabilidade: social, ambiental e econômica. Para isso, foram levantados dados de 6 fazendas de gado alimentado, exclusivamente, a pasto: 2 (duas) de pecuária degradada em monocultura (PDM); 2 (duas) de pecuária produtiva em monocultura (PPM); e 2 (duas) de pecuária produtiva em Sistema Silvipastoril (PPSP). Um conjunto de indicadores foi desenvolvido e utilizado para avaliar princípios e metas que orientam a transição de sistemas de produção convencionais para sistemas sustentáveis. Os resultados apresentaram uma escala progressiva de evolução na sustentabilidade entre todos os sistemas de produção pesquisados como: PPSP (0,75) maior PPM (0,61) menor PDM (0,42), nos aspectos social, ambiental e econômico, sendo 0,7 o ponto de equilíbrio para a sustentabilidade e 1,0 o máximo. Dessa forma, esta pesquisa apresenta o alto potencial do SSP como ferramenta estratégica para recuperar as 3 dimensões da sustentabilidade em terras degradadas. Os principais benefícios são: a adoção de boas práticas de produção; a capacidade produtiva do solo; a diversificação da paisagem; a vegetação nativa; a saúde e segurança no trabalho; a rentabilidade e segurança do investimento; e a lucratividade. / [en] One of the main guidelines of the global environmental agenda is lowering the ecological footprint for food production. Part of this challenge is associated with vast areas of degraded pasture. In Brazil, 70 percent of the total pasture area used by livestock is diagnosed as degraded, representing 118.3 million hectares. Some strategies can be used to reverse this scenario. One of these is a transition process for a sustainable agro-ecological productions system, such as Silvopastoral Systems (SPS). As a case study it was chosen a tropical landscape in a mountainous region in the southeast of Brazil. It has low potential for mechanization, which decreases its competitiveness in agribusiness, contributing for a long period of social, environmental and economic decline, especially after the 1950 s. This paper aims to evaluate SPS as a strategic tool for the recovery of degraded lands in the Paraibuna River Basin (BHRP), considering the three dimensions of sustainability: social, environmental and economic. We surveyed data from six grass-fed cattle farms: two of degraded monoculture pasture (DMP); two of productive monoculture pasture (PMP); and two of productive Silvopastoral System (PSPS). A set of indicators was developed and used to evaluate principles and goals that guide the transition from conventional production systems to sustainable systems. The results presented a gradual scale of sustainability evolution among all production system surveyed such as PPSP (0.75) PMP (0.61) DMP (0.42), in social, environmental and economic aspects, with 0.7 being the breakeven score for sustainability and 1.0 the maximum. In this way, this research presents the high potential of SPS as a strategic tool to recover the three dimensions of sustainability in degraded lands, being the main benefits, a better: production practices adoption; soil productive capacity; landscape diversification; native vegetation; health and safety at work; profitability and security of investment; and diversification income.