What's the idea?

U-Grow provides all the equipment and training needed to grow food at home, whether in the garden, on the roof, in a window-box or even in a spare wardrobe, making use of all the latest space-saving techniques, such as hydroponics and aeroponics. U-Grow will then buy any surplus produced - sometimes it's difficult to find a use for a bumper crop of tomatoes or beans.

U-Grow aggregates all the surplus produced in the local area and sells it to local shops, schools, hospitals, markets or restaurants. The scheme is managed through a website that shows what's in season and what current prices are. Subscribers can let U-Grow know what surplus they have through the website, and U-Grow has a fleet of electric vans to pick up produce.

Why is this a low carbon product?

Getting food from farm to fork produces carbon dioxide, especially if the produce needs to be transported from far away. Home production could reduce the amount of food that is moved around in lorries and planes, and so reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

Meanwhile, more and more people want to grow fruit and veg at home but lack the expertise and often the space as well. In future, pressure on the amount of agricultural land we have may mean that more land in cities is needed to grow food.

A viable and lucrative support scheme for small vegetable and fruit producers could see a transformation of the urban landscape, enticing people to dig up their concrete forecourts and convert their roofs, balconies or window boxes to productive green space. Greener cities means cooler cities in summer, and cleaner air.

The scheme would also encourage healthy gardening activity, promote consumption of healthy produce and foster a reconnection with nature.

How could U-Grow fit into our lives in 2022?

If this was a real service, would you be interested?