CFPs: Space for Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture

Scope

• The scope of this Kick-Start Activity is to support companies in investigating the technical feasibility and commercial viability of services that utilise space technologies to support Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture.

Topics of Relevance

• Site Selection for Urban and Peri-urban Agriculture
  • Limited space in urban areas poses challenges not only for housing, transport and green spaces but also creates pollution, congestion and health issues. Dealing with limited space in urban settings requires creative and innovative solutions to ensure that cities remain liveable and sustainable for their cities. To address these challenges, urban planners have utilised various techniques such as rooftop gardens, green walls, and repurposed vacant lots to create green spaces in densely populated areas. Vacant or obsolete properties are good candidates for indoor vertical farming systems, due to their large spaces and because soil and sunlight aren’t required.
• Enhancing local food production
  • Urban and Peri-urban Agriculture depends on ensuring a constant tightly controlled growing environment for crops. There is little flexibility in terms of natural variables and conditions such as ambient temperature, humidity and lighting. One of the pre-requisites of urban and peri-urban farming is that these and other parameters need to be monitored and adjusted in real-time to ensure that they are meeting the optimum requirements for a great yield.  The availability of real time data enhances farm management and supports precise adjustments to improve crop yield and quality.
• Resource management
  • Urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) presents distinct challenges, but also offers significant opportunities for high-yield, cost-effective, and environmentally sustainable food production. The key lies in optimising resource use, with water efficiency being paramount. Precision irrigation techniques, such as drip irrigation and hydroponics,  directly delivers water to plant roots, significantly reducing evaporative losses.
  • Rainwater harvesting and closed-loop hydroponic systems further enhance water sustainability by capturing and reusing runoff. Strategic integration of renewable energy sources, such as solar panels and wind turbines reduces the carbon footprint of UPA operations and decreases reliance on fossil fuels. Additionally, energy-efficient technologies such as LED grow lights and optimised greenhouse climate control systems further minimise energy consumption. By adopting these resource-optimised strategies, UPA can achieve sustainable and productive food production within urban and peri-urban environments.
• Connected growing centres
  • Connected growing centres can be defined as cloud-connected, high-yield agricultural facilities that form a global network, functioning as both local farms and distribution centres. This network is connected to a central data processing system (the cloud), which collects sensor data to facilitate remote monitoring, automation, and risk mitigation. Such infrastructure supports global growth and scalability, accommodating the needs of retailers of any size and location.
  • Efficient and resilient food supply and distribution systems are crucial for the success of connected growing centres. Strengthening the peri-urban food supply chain is essential to ensure adaptability during disruptive events and to maintain a steady supply of fresh produce.
  • Sustainable transportation and logistics planning can help reduce carbon emissions by utilising alternative fuels and methods. This approach strengthens connections between urban growing centres and peri-urban and rural areas, fostering a more sustainable and efficient distribution network. Additionally, enhancing or developing energy-efficient municipal public markets—such as farmers’ markets, retail markets, and wholesale markets—supports this goal. Creating a supportive environment for the informal food sector and its stakeholders is also important. The target users for these services include urban farming businesses (B2B) and local food retailers (B2C).

Funding Information

• The European Space Agency (ESA) will provide funding for six-month feasibility studies known as ‘Kick-Starts’, which can lead to larger-scale projects and pilots. Kick-Starts are funded at 75% by ESA, up to a maximum of €75K per contract. Proposed services must use satellite data or space-based technologies.
• Their offer includes:
  • Technical & commercial guidance
  • Access to their network and partners
  • Use of the ESA brand for your service

Eligibility Criteria

• To be eligible for funding, your team must be based in one of the following countries:
  • Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Norway, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland and United Kingdom.

For more information, visit ESA Space Solutions.