tomaten im wohnzimmer züchten

tomatoes, cucumbers and co. often come from far away.a large amount of our fish is provided by farms in asia and africa: longdistances, much transport, high emissions. but there’s an alternative: environmentally friendlier and fresher.a model project in berlin shows us how. fish and vegetable farming, combinedintelligently, in very little space, right in the middle of the city. the experts call it “urban farming.” “what we actually want to do isto raise awareness for food. i believe awareness in general hasgone a bit missing as of late. people go to the supermarket, buy something,and don’t have any idea where it came from,

how far it’s been transported, orhow the animal was butchered.” for a few years now, researchers have beenworking on behalf of germany’s federal and state governments on the integratedfish and vegetable farm. the berlin start-up “efficient city farming”wants to ready the system for the market. supported by researchers, but at the company’sown risk - working title: “tomato fish.” “ok, back here is where the fish are. the fish are fed, and so produce excrement.this excrement passes through these two filters. thefirst filters out the solid waste. what remains in the water is ammonium.the ammonium is then

turned into nitrate by microorganisms in this filter.nitrate is classic plant fertilizer. the nitrate is then pumped into a basin.this is the start of the second circulation. from there it goes up to the hydroponicswhere it fertilizes the plants, which leads to outstanding growth.” large grocery chains are already showinginterest in the idea of a city farm. transparent production without pesticidesand without artificial fertilizers are likely to be well received bycustomers, believe supermarket managers. for the final push to convince, the youngentrepreneurs are now constructing a city farm big enough to pay off.

there’s plenty enough space for city farming.for example, in abandoned buildings like the berliner malzfabrik – itsgarden is where the model stands today. the property owners are consideringgetting into climate neutral farming. it would be doable,according to the experts. “the malzfabrik building is preserved as anhistorical monument. that means the heritage agency is also pleased when someonecan use the space creatively. and even without the rooftopgreenhouse, on this level the old tanks for soaking malt lendthemselves wonderfully to fish farming. in this fishery, we can cultivate between80 and 120 tonnes of fish in a year.”

and recently, a well-knownrestaurateur was in touch, the young entrepreneurs report. his vision: fish and vegetables froma private farm direct to the pan – fresh and no detours. it’s pretty likely the tomatofish has a great future ahead it. research funding that you can taste.

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