FarmLab is an experimental farm plot at Hackerfarm where we have free reign to try out different things. Currently we’re testing out multiple ways to grow crops such as:
- Raised beds
- Crop rotation
- Traditional cultural farming (ie: Japanese satoyama techniques, three sisters from indigenous tribes in Mexico)
- Companion planting
All the growing at Hackerfarm is done completely organically. We’re also adding technology into the mix to try and quantify the parameters, inputs, and outputs for each technique. More information can be found below:
FarmLab is located approximately 7 minutes from HackerFarm by walking. Here is the Google Maps link:
The dimensions of the plot go here…
Winter/Spring crops:
- Potatoes (4 varieties)
Spring/Summer crops:
Raised beds
- Mini tomatoes
- Tomatoes
- Eggplant
- Zucchini
- Bitter Gourd
- Japanese cucumber
- Lemon balm
- Egoma (aka Perilla)
- Basil
Tilled area
- Kabocha (Japanese pumpkin)
- Watermelon
Autumn/Winter crops:
Tilled area
- Maize (milpa, ie: non-sweet corn for corn flour, tortillas, tamales)
- Brown beans
- Soy beans
- Sweet potatoes
- Peanuts
Raised beds
- To be determined/planted
For FarmLab, our goal is to implement technology in the context of agriculture. This distinction is important to us because it distinguishes it from technology for technology’s sake. We are working with agriculture experts at both Hackerfarm and other growing communities in Japan and around the world, and the technology implementations are based on problems that we directly experience or are brought to us by others.
Here are some of the things we are in the process of implementing:
- Weather stations to measure the micro climates
- Wireless data loggers to collect data
- Automated irrigation devices to drive water pumps
- 3G and long range wireless aggregators to send data to the internet
- Computer servers to house the databases, python/javascript frameworks, and REST APIs
- Front end data retrieval via REST APIs in JSON format
- Data visualization and presentation
Links go here…
