The Future of Food? Aquaponics...

On the 13th for September join Fox & Squirrel Ltd, creative walks for the culturally curious, in Stratford for an afternoon that will explore food cycles and their future. Although, renowned for their innovative city walks , this time Fox & Squirrel will be walking up 8 flights of stairs to the rooftop of a Stratford car park to meet GrowUp Farms, London’s first commercial aquaponic farmers

There they hope to find the answers to some of the most pressing questions facing urban dwellers and how metropolises will come to feed themselves in the near future.

Apparently it all comes down to aquaponics... 'Aqua-whaaaat?' we hear you say.

Briefly, aquaponics is a recirculating system that combines hydroponics (growing plants in water without soil) and aquaculture (fish farming). It creates a cyclical process of fertilising and filtering and is just one facet of the future of urban farming that is revolutionary in it’s principles.

And, this process is what will ensure us lovers and residents of the metropolises will be getting our five a day in the near future…

Although the farm can only be viewed from afar, for one day only, on September 13th, Fox & Squirrel has arranged an exclusive visit inside their up-cycled shipping container and greenhouse, complete with a few goodies along the way (watercress cake made with watercress grown in the box and many more)

Fox & Squirrel's food walk guide Lindsay will grill the founders Kate and Tom, but she promises not to touch the fish, on aquaponics, how it works and how it came about, the design of the box, how the attitudes and landscape around urban farming are changing.

Following the tour, tea, coffee and cake will be provided by Cake is Not to Share who will make individual cakes for everyone using ingredients from the GrowUpBox..

GrowUp Urban Farms has recently moved to the latest and greatest redevelopment of urban spaces, RoofEast. Tea and cakes will be served at RoofEast from where you can enjoy sunsets and fantastic views that overlooks London and Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, or carry on your evening with a bit of open air cinema…