After three editions, the Urban Greenhouse Challenge series comes to its end...

On the 29 June in the new Omnia Dialogue Centre at the Wageningen Campus, we celebrate the the very last Grand Finals of this Challenge series. 

For the past eight months, 20 teams of students from all over the world have been developing an urban farm concept for Ward 7 in Washington DC. We challenged them to come up with designs that create a difference in the lives of the local residents.

Now, 10 finalist teams remain and only three can take home the prize! In the UGC#3 Grand Finals we will announce the winners of this last edition of the Challenge. Do you want to be a part of this moment? 

During the event you will meet participating teams and partners of the Challenge, get inspired by Dhanush Dinesh (Clim-EAT), Sabine O'Hara (University of the District of Columbia) and Gert Spaargaren (Wageningen University & Research) and learn everything about the best projects.

13.00-15.00 Designers Market
15.00-17.00 Award Ceremony

Have you been following the Urban Greenhouse Challenge #3? ​​​​​​​Then mark it on your agendas because on 8 June we will announce the 10 finalist teams! 

Eight months have gone by since the Kick-off of the Challenge, and the student teams have been working hard to submit their second milestone reports on time. Which teams will be selected to face each other in the finals? 

​​​​​​​Join the livestream and toast to the qualifying teams!

Watch back Announcement Finalists

Have you thought about how many steps exist between food and you?

Often food travels long distances from the moment it is produced to the final consumer. This ends up in loss of freshness, food waste, and a big carbon footprint. This webinar will show you how food supply chains can look in a near future, so food can reach its destination in an user controlled, obstacle free, and local way.

Simone Koekkoek, Pixelfarm: Vegetables grown by robots sounds like a feature in a sci-fi movie. But it is actually what owner Simone Koekkoek does at pixelfarming.eu. With her robots, her customers can grow their own vegetables on a square plot in her 'pixel farm'. When it's time to harvest, the fresh produce are sent directly to the customers.

Maarten Klop, Local2local: Do you know your local farmers? Well, Local2local sure does, and they are feeding communities without all the 'fuss' in between. Local2local Talents coordinator Maarten Klop will give you an insiders' look on how they build a network of farmers and businesses, and bring young people into the frontlines of our food system transition

Watch back the Webinar here.

How can the 'Urban Greenhouse Challenge' boost your career?

Participating in a student Challenge is not just another way to spend your time next to your studies. You can really leverage your participation when entering the job market, and we have asked for expert help to show you how!

Astrid van Noordenburg from WUR Career Centre, will show you exactly how you need to position Challenge participation on your CV and LinkedIn profile to stand out. She will also explain how you can seize all the networking opportunities that come with it to really make your effort reap its benefits. Join her online on the 22nd February.

Get ready to find out which teams will move to the next stages of the Urban Greenhouse Challenge #3!

On the 2nd February, we will reveal the Top 20 teams participating in this challenge, livestreamed from our homebase in Plus Ultra II.

30 teams of students from around the world have signed up to the task of designing their dream Urban Greenhouse while addressing the socio-economic context of the project site: Ward 7, in Washington DC. Now, the teams will find out if they will be given the chance to continue further to the second round of the Urban Greenhouse Challenge #3.

Join this event on WebinarJam to find out which teams make it to the next stage, and to hear live interviews with our partners and guest speakers.

And don't forget to "bring" a drink for our virtual TOAST to the qualifying teams!

Watch back the Announcement here.

How can you achieve social impact via design?

During the fourth (!) webinar in this series, Dr.Anna Franz (UDC) and Dr. Marian Stuiver (WUR) explain the basics of socially inclusive design. Inclusive design is an upcoming approach, emphasizing the need for inclusiveness. People are at the core of this principle, making sure products, services and environments benefit as many people as possible and contribute to a better world. 

This webinar is perfect for participants of the Urban Greenhouse Challenge#3, the social impact edition. The tools will help you to come up with a successful design for your first milestone entry!

Note: this webinar topic was first planned on 1 December, but is postponed to 15 December.

Watch back the Webinar here.

In the third webinar of our series, three experts in the field of indoor farming will discuss elements essential to make urban farming work.

Prof Leo Marcelis (WUR) will talk about different indoor farming systems and their applicability. What indoor farming system suits your purposes best and what are the most important factors to consider?

Dr. Hilke Bos-Brouwers (WUR) will introduce the ‘circularity by design’ framework that will help you to come up with a truly sustainable design. Where do you start and what steps do you take next?

Finally, Daniel Podmirseg (VFI) will dive into the topic of energy efficiency. How can you measure and optimize energy consumption of a vertical farm? Daniel will give you some helpful tools to deal with this issue.

An interesting event and very useful for the design of your concept for the Urban Greenhouse Challenge#3!

Watch back the Webinar here.

Are you interested in how social impact and urban farming can go hand-in-hand together? Then join us on 22 November during the second webinar! 

In the first part of the webinar, Nona Yehia, Co-Founder and CEO of Vertical Harvest, will tell the story of this unique business venture. Vertical Harvest runs cost-effective and profitable hydroponic farms that provide inclusive employment for underserved populations. A flourishing business with a mission that illustrates that if you get it right, social impact, economic feasibility and high-tech food production can go hand-in-hand.

​​​​​​​In the second part, Lisa Ploum (StartHub Wageningen) will reflect on Vertical Harvest’s example and show how to use Mission Model canvas to design your own social impact enterprise. You will find out what it takes to get it right!

Watch back the event.

In this first event of the Urban Greenhouse Challenge, local residents, Jimell Sanders and Antawan Homes will introduce you to their neighbourhood, Ward 7. How did it change over the years? And how does it look like now? In addition, Dr. Sabine O’Hara (UDC) will share some important data that will help you to understand social and economic context of Ward 7 better.

 

Watch back the Webinar here.

with Dr Sabine O’Hara (UDC), Tiffany Tsui (VFI) and Dr Sigrid Wertheim (WUR)

As metropoles all over the world are encouraging urban food production, agriculture is making its way back to the cities. Urban farming in its modern forms looks cool (check #rooftopgarden), helps to green and cool down urban heat islands and produces food that has positive associations: local, fresh, sustainable. 

Urban Greenhouse Challenge has been set up to explore the potential of urban farming in all its forms. The third edition of this international student competition focuses on urban farming as a catalyst for social impact. How can it create benefits for local residents? What is needed to design a socially inclusive concept? Can urban farms play a role in bringing back social justice?

In the opening event of the Urban Greenhouse Challenge#3, Dr Sabine O’Hara (University District of Columbia), Tiffany Tsui (Vertical Farm Institute) and Dr Sigrid Wertheim-Heck (Wageningen University & Research) will discuss those and other questions related to impact of the urban farming beyond food production. The event will be presented by Simone Ritzer, Programme Facilitator Wageningen Dialogues

Programme:

Welcome word: Prof Arthur Mol, Rector Magnificus Wageningen University

Key-note: Urban Food Hubs Initiative: igniting community empowerment

Dr. Sabine O'Hara about the transformative power of local food systems and the role that urban agriculture can play in mitigating systemic racism

Round table discussion with Tiffany Tsui and Dr Sigrid Wertheim-Heck

Topic 1: Beyond nutrition: food as part of one’s culture and identity

Topic 2: Urban agriculture as means of greening the cities/ creating public spaces

Topic 3: The role of urban farms in transforming local economies

Launch of the third edition of the Urban Greenhouse Challenge

Watch back the event.

Join the info-meeting to find out all you want to know about the third edition of the Urban Greenhouse Challenge!

During this online event you will learn firsthand what it means to participate in the Challenge from one of the participants of the first edition. 

You will also meet Sabine O'Hara from University of District Columbia who will guide you through this editions site.

And of course WUR Student Challenges, the organizer of the Challenge, will explain the timeline, selection process and all you need to know about deliverables and criteria. There will be also plenty of room for your questions!

If you consider joining the Urban Greenhouse Challenge#3, this info-meeting is a must!

Watch back the event.