The London FARM: shop project will be the world's first shop that actually has a farm within it. Created by sustainable-living design company Something & Son, the project comprises turning an old retail establishment into a place that grows fruit, vegetables, fish and even poultry (via a chicken coop on the roof).
As part of Hackney's Art in Empty Spaces project, the FARM: shop project will employ new technologies to grow produce inside the store. The shop will also comprise a second-floor meeting room and a main-floor cafe that serves dishes made from the produce grown at the shop. According to Springwise, all profits will go back into the project's farming outreach program, which teaches people how to grow food.
Andy from Something & Son appears in this video and explains that the reason behind the FARM: shop project was that the group wanted to see how much food they could grow in Dalston within the time they had of the shop.
Agriculture Retail Stores
The London FARM: Shop Project is the World's First Farm in a Shop
Trend Themes
1. Vertical Farming - The integration of a farm within a retail store showcases the potential for vertical farming, where agriculture is conducted in indoor environments, leading to increased efficiency and reduced land use.
2. Sustainable Retail - The concept of incorporating a farm into a retail store promotes sustainable retail practices by encouraging local production and reducing transportation emissions.
3. Community Education - The farming outreach program associated with the project highlights the trend of community education in agriculture, creating opportunities for individuals to learn about sustainable farming practices and food production.
Industry Implications
1. Retail - The integration of a farm into a retail store presents disruptive innovation opportunities for the retail industry to explore new models of sustainable and locally-focused food retailing.
2. Agriculture - The use of innovative technologies to grow produce within a shop demonstrates potential disruptive innovation opportunities for the agriculture industry in terms of vertical farming and urban agriculture.
3. Hospitality - The addition of a cafe serving dishes made from produce grown in the shop opens up disruptive innovation opportunities in the hospitality industry, showcasing the potential for farm-to-table dining experiences.