Mobile farm helps community grow produce

A Beijing architecture company have designed a bike farm to help the community grow produce without the need for land or space

The People’s Industrial Design Office (PIDO) in Beijing has designed a mobile farm which lets the community share the responsibility for the crops. With space being a major issue for the Chinese community, the mobile farm is an example of the urgent need for innovative solutions in this sector. It consists of a triangular framework that is supported by a pair of bikes. The bikes can be easily exchanged, making it accessible for any member of the community to attach their own bikes to the farm.

The aim of the bikes is to make the mobile farm easy to transport and also, allow for those looking after the farm to take it with them if they are combining the responsibility with another task. The farm is vertical, addressing the space issue head on and has solar panels attached to each pole, to power a pump that runs water through the entire system. The system is light and designed for two people to carry and simple to steer.

Farming has become a key challenge for major cities all over the world, especially those with little green space. In Finland, a micro-farm is helping locals grow their own food in a container, while in the US, a solar-panelled robot has been invented that chops down weeds. Could this be the start of more mobile allotments, gardens and farms and less manual labour for the average gardener?