"Ailuo garment factory planted more than 40 varieties of vegetables on its 4,800 sqm workshop roofs. The harvest is enough to produce meals for all 200 workers in the factory canteen."Text and image from Wired, via The Soul is Bone.
Photo credit Rex Features.
The ambiguity of this bothers me. Obviously it is a good use of space, but how many days per year is the harvest sufficient to produce meals for all 200 workers? Full 600-800 Calorie vegetarian meals or just a vegetable portion of a larger meal?
ReplyDeleteI have seen estimates that it takes not less than two acres of land to produce enough calories to feed a family of four a vegetarian diet for a year. If I estimate generously the picture might depict a little more than two acres. It is at least an order of magnitude less than what would be needed to provide one third of the caloric needs of 200 people for a year.
It's in China, so the meals would almost certainly not be vegetarian. Finding vegetarian meals there is very hard outside of some big cities, as things labelled as such are often flavored with chicken broth. You would have to restrict yourself to certain dishes and there's no cultural impetus to do so since meat was too expensive for most until more recent history (which means it has a history as a mark of status).
DeleteWithout further information, I would assume they only grow for meals that happen during work hours.
Oops there it was. 4,800 square meters is about 1.2 acres. If each roof has that area then it is 2.4 acres.
ReplyDeleteI'm curious as to what is grown in the plots. I raise vegetables in several rented community garden plots and part of the interest for me is calculating how much food can be harvested from a limited space. I'm keen on figuring out a good value. Some plant corn or widely spaced, slow growing vegetables such as eggplant. Greens- for salads and stir fry dishes- seem to offer the most for time and money.
ReplyDeleteCheck out your state agricultural extension for best varieties and yield rates. Much depends on your planting zone and soil composition.
DeleteThat being said, generally in-ground growing vegetables exceed the yields of above ground crops growing in the same space, with the exception being most potatoes. Try carrots (nantes if soil is loamy, Danvers if not), beets, leeks, and sweet potatoes if you have decent soil and the right climate.
Alternatively, tomatillos and tomatoes (not botanically related) actually do have really good yields if properly cared for and in the right climate. However, they are much higher maintenance than most in-ground vegetables.