'Future of Food: Urban Ag Field Trip' to Explore Urban Farming Operations in L.A. County

LOS ANGELES - Dec. 19, 2016 - PRLog -- Slated for Friday, January 27, 2017, the Seedstock 'Future of Food - Urban Ag Field Trip' will look at the impact of urban farming in Los Angeles County, the most populous county in the United States.

The trip will offer an excursion into the diversity of urban farming and state-of-the-art hydroponic, aquaponic and aeroponic agriculture operations in Southern California. Tour participants will be treated to lectures and sessions from pioneering farmers who are embracing innovative business models and growing systems to both increase food security and take advantage of the escalating demand for local food.

"Urban agriculture ventures ranging from commercial hydroponic enterprises and rooftop aeroponic farms to community gardens planted atop formerly vacant lots are not only disrupting the food system, but also generating community and economic capital," said Robert Puro, co-founder and CEO of sustainable agricutlure social venture Seedstock. "The tour will give attendees an up close and personal look at the impact and future of agriculture in cities."

Scheduled Field Trips Stops include:

The University of Southern California (USC) Teaching Garden - The USC Teaching Garden utilizes aeroponics to challenge the food systems status quo on campus. It was established to supply fresh produce to the university's on-campus restaurants, dining halls, catering services, and hotel, while also teaching students and staff about flavor and sustainability. The garden utilizes aeroponic towers to produce chemical-free fruit, vegetables, herbs, and edible flowers without traditional soil growing media.

Local Roots Farms is an indoor vertical farming company based in Los Angeles that designs, builds, deploys, and operates controlled environment farms. Situated in shipping containers, the farms (called TerraFarms) grow with up to 99% less water, 365 days a year, pesticide and herbicide free, and with absolute consistency in production. Their plug and play form provides an innovative solution to the retail and foodservice sectors by greatly reducing supply-chain risks such as price volatility and food safety exposure.

The Growing Experience (TGE) is a seven-acre urban farm in North Long Beach that is located on a previously vacant lot. TGE is unique in that it is owned and operated by the Housing Authority of the County of Los Angeles (HACoLA), which manages 3,229 units of public and other affordable housing for the county's Public Housing program. The urban farm utilizes traditional as well as aquaponics growing systems to help meet the needs of the community by increasing access to healthy foods.

Select Confirmed Speakers include:

Rachel Surls – Sustainable Food Systems Advisor for UC Cooperative Extension and co-author of the book 'From Cows to Concrete: The Rise and Fall of Farming in Los Angeles'.

Erik Oberholtzer – Co-founder and CEO of Tender Greens

Chef Eric Ernest – Executive Chef of USC Hospitality

A farm-to-fork lunch hosted by Local Roots Farms featuring lettuce grown on site in the company's TerraFarms will be provided by lunch sponsor Tender Greens.

To register and learn more, follow this link:

http://seedstockurbanag.eventbrite.com

About Seedstock

Seedstock is a social venture that fosters the development of robust and sustainable local food systems through consulting services and the use of a variety of tools, including the news and information blog Seedstock (http://www.Seedstock.com) and live events. Seedstock works with government agencies, municipalities and all private sector stakeholders to create a sustainable food ecosystem of innovation, entrepreneurship and investment.