TEDxJohannesburg Salon – Hacking the Farm

Angus Donald CampbellFood Security, Technology, Urban Agriculture

TEDxJohannesburg Hacking the Farm

I will be speaking on the design of situated technology for urban agriculture at the TEDxJohannesburg Salon – Hacking the Farm on March 1 2018. From http://www.tedxjohannesburg.co.za/hackingthefarm.html : “The nature, texture, and complexion of the farm are changing. The gates are opening—slowly if not surely—to many who were previously excluded. Land reform promises to deliver tangible justice to those who’ve been deprived for far too long. Human population is projected to reach an astounding 9.7 billion by 2050. Every mouth will need to eat, and do so well. Climate change remains a challenge. But human ingenuity is hard to beat. Strategies and tactics will emerge. They must emerge. Business models are shifting—the farm is transforming into a high performance, high growth enterprise. It’s adding value to crops, turning commodities into products, and moving up the supply chain. The modern farm is a brand, with a USP, and a target audience. It … Read More

The Science of Slow Food

Angus Donald CampbellFood Security, Industrial Design, Urban Agriculture

The Science of Slow Food

I was interviewed this morning on Radio Today by Gillian Godsell together with my co-researcher Dr. Naudé Malan from Izindaba Zokudla, and collaborators Geoff Green and Brian Dick from Slow Food Johannesburg. I discuss how as an industrial designer I ended up working on urban agricultural projects and how relevant they are for the South African context. You can listen to the 1hr 20min podcast here:

Innovation in Food, Ag and Integrated Resource Systems

Angus Donald CampbellConferences, Food Security, Sustainability, Urban Agriculture

Workshop: Innovation in Food, Agriculture and Integrated Resource  Systems: Creating Sustainable Opportunities in Soweto Presenters: Sander Mager and Dr. Christopher Peterson Facilitator: Dr. Naudé Malan When: Thursday 5 June 2014 11:00 – 17:00 Where: VIP Lounge , University of Johannesburg Soweto Campus , Chris Hani Road South Africa is not unique in facing social, environmental and economic challenges. To address these three successfully would require innovative solutions that bring together state agencies and departments, non-governmental organisations and private enterprises. Two leading experts in the creation of sustainable enterprises will in this workshop share their experience of addressing these challenges. Dr. Christopher Peterson and Sander Mager are leading the creation of the Global Innoversity which is an innovation accelerator aimed at inspiring and supporting the world’s metropolitan regions in developing and sharing innovations in food, agriculture and integrated resource systems. The workshop will share the methods used and experiences gained in creating ecological, social … Read More

World Without Fences

Angus Donald CampbellDevelopment, Sustainability, Urban Agriculture

Will Allen CEO of Growing Power, Milwaukee, “I have worked with community gardening projects that don’t do a good enough job of involving the garden’s neighbours.”We’ve got to put up a fence to protect our garden,” people will say.  I tell them no, you don’t. You have to do the harder work of engaging the community. You’ve got to make sure the neighbours know that the garden is their own, not yours. Kids in the neighborhood threw rocks at my greenhouses when I first opening in 1993, but they stopped several months after my arrival.  I had not retaliated or chased them away. Instead, I invited the young people to come and see what we were doing. I gave them summer jobs. Neighbours started respecting the fact that I was bringing food into the community. They started being eyes and ears for me. The community felt ownership in our shared success. … Read More

Design and development of a single household farming kit

Angus Donald CampbellUncategorized

I am currently supervising Kyle Brand for his MTech in Industrial Design which is focused on the development of a single household farming kit. Kyle explains that, “This project forms the practical component of my masters study at the University of Johannesburg, Department of Industrial Design. The aim is to offer small-scale (often backyard) farmers some of the competitive advantages usually reserved only for large-scale farmers. The kit that is being developed using a humancentered design process includes a greenhouse which is low cost but optimised for smaller farmers. The greenhouse integrates an irrigation system as well as water capture. The other element of the kit is a multifunctional hoe/spade hand tool. This tool hopes to provide a more versatile tool for smallscale farmers, building on a tool which is often the symbol of agriculture, the hoe.” See three of the stories as the project unfolds on IDEO’s HCD Connect.

Farming at the V&A Waterfront, Cape Town, South Africa

Angus Donald CampbellUncategorized

If you are visiting Cape Town anytime soon head down to the new Moyo at the V&A Waterfront. The open air “African Souk” urban farm and restaurant is designed by architect Tsai from Tsai Design Studio. Tsai’s concept was to increase sustainability and almost completely remove food miles by actually growing all of the produce required for the restaurant on site. Not only does this include aquaponic vertical green walls and trout ponds, but also electricity generating solar louvres providing shade for patrons! Read more about the project here