FARM:shop is one of several projects funded in part by Hackney Council’s Art in Empty Spaces initiative, a project to help regenerate parts of Dalston by transform empty properties into something useful and meaningful for Hackney’s residents and visitors.
Councilor Guy Nicholson, Cabinet Member for Regeneration and the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, has called Farm:Shop: “a great joint initiative which will give residents in the borough and beyond a great opportunity to see first-hand how urban farming works.”
Since July, when the project managers (Sam, Paul and Andy) first received the keys, there have been over 40 volunteers (the author included) working away. The run down building has been transformed, with a new mushroom farm in the basement, a poly-tunnel built in the back lot and new hydroponic units for growing food in it’s many rooms. With the help of Aquaponics UK, the storefront has been revamped with aquaponic units - tanks for growing tilapia fish and freshwater prawns whose waste serves as a food source for plants growing in the same closed loop system. A chicken coop was constructed on the rooftop, with hens already happily laying away, oblivious to the street noise. The backyard also includes a run and pens which will soon be home to a pair of piglets which will be reared in the garden.
The project offers city dwellers the chance to see a variety of sustainable farming techniques, including mini fish farms, rooftop chicken coops, indoor allotments as well as a basement mushroom farm. It is part inspiration and part educational unit, offering visitors guided tours of the facility which houses a number of forms of indoor farming: hydroponics, aeroponics and aquaponics opportunity to try their hand at urban farming. FARM: Shop aims to inspire and educate Londoners, particularly Dalston residents, about how food is grown and to encourage healthy eating. It will also provide an affordable workspace and meeting room hire for start up businesses and help bring creative businesses into the borough which focus on sustainability and the food industry.
Paul Smyth, co-founder of Something & Son, said: “We’re really excited by this project and hope that we can bring a bit of the countryside into the heart of Dalston….FARM:Shop will provide a place for local businesses, community groups and families to come together and learn more about sustainable farming.”
Over the next year the project will grow as much food possible on every inch of the building. The produce will be used in the shop café and sold to local restaurants. The café will open in mid-December in partnership with a local charity (opening in November). The meals served will rely mainly on the in -house produce and rely on Church Farm - an eco-agriculture enterprise 30 miles way – for meat and non-perishable vegatables. The project helps to demonstrate the viability of sustainable urban food systems. It will also provide regular volunteer opportunities in growing food as well as a series of fortnightly workshops and events about sustainable food and farming.
Visitors can stop by to explore any weekend from Fri - Sun and volunteers will be running 30 minute tours of FARM:shop at 1pm.
Farmshop is located at:
20 Dalston Lane, Hackney, London.
(Just short walk from Dalston Junction Overground Station and Dalston Kingsland. ( MAP)
Contact:
Email:
someone@somethingandson.com
Call or text to learn more or volunteer:
Paul : +44(0)7736 002006
Andy: +44(0)7855 027876
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