Episode 42: Babylon Micro-Farms: Growing Food in a Whole New Way
Episode 42: Babylon Micro-Farms: Growing Food in a Whole New Way
In the latest episode of the Everybody in the Pool podcast, we’re talking about food, sustainable farming, and my favorite: adaptation.
My guest this week is Alexander Olesen, co-founder and CEO of Babylon Micro-Farms, which builds small-scale vertical farming systems that can be remotely managed. These modular farms allow businesses, schools, hotels, and even cruise ships to grow fresh produce right on-site.
The episode dives into:
Why traditional large-scale agriculture is so resource-intensive and environmentally damaging
How vertical farming can provide a more sustainable way to grow food with less water, zero pesticides, and much lower transportation costs
The role vertical farms could play in increasing community resilience and self-reliance as climate change disrupts supply chains
The potential to localize food production in urban environments to feed growing mega-cities
Traditional farming currently uses about 70% of freshwater and accounts for 25% of greenhouse gas emissions. Soil degradation from over-tilling, fertilizer runoff polluting waterways, and loss of biodiversity and crop varieties are also major concerns.
Vertical farming combined with renewable energy could help reimagine our food systems to be more sustainable, decentralized and adapted to climate impacts like extreme weather. While still a tiny fraction today, this approach shows promise for increasing local food security.
Listen to the full episode at everybodyinthepool.com or in your podcast app. You can also find Babylon Micro Farms at babylonmicrofarms.com.
I'm looking forward to this episode. One request, though, Molly. Is there a way we could get episode transcripts? For me it is about learning style but I also know people with hearing loss that have trouble with podcasts, so making the current available to a broader audience would be fantastic.