http://agritecture.com/post/65340214931/how-urban-agriculture-can-grow-grocers-revenue
Commercial-scale urban agriculture presents opportunities for grocers to benefit from multiple revenue streams, while hedging against uncertain climate futures and meeting consumer demand for locally grown, organic food.
With changing global climates, securing a stable supply chain of fresh produce has become more costly: Unpredictable seasonal rains pose threats to regular crop yields; and rising fossil fuel costs threaten to increase already large transportation costs. Because of consistent demand, transportation costs to fly or truck food in from warmer climates to cooler ones can add up to 40% of total costs, as an Oliver Wyman analysis shows.
In the US, it is estimated that 10% of the national energy budget is dedicated to “bringing food to our tables.” In Europe, the European Commission found that up to 39% of food is wasted during processing and distribution, waste that could be minimized and controlled by the retailer if brought in-house. Agriculture is typically far removed from urban settings, further adding costs, time, and shrink to the produce journey.
At the same time, consumers across the globe are changing buying habits. They are showing an increased awareness of the quality and healthiness of the food they consume, and they are conscious of the environmental impact, especially of the food miles their dish travels before reaching their tables.
Rooftops provide an excellent opportunity to bring farming closer back to the city and to further develop urban agriculture around, and occasionally in, densely populated cities. Rooftops present prime real estate for building integrated agriculture solutions, specifically rooftop greenhouses, where farmland may be expensive, or even non-existent.
