FAQs - Frequently Asked Questions.
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There are 8 entries in the FAQ.
Pages: 1
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| I have seen other systems similar to yours, how is the UES Farm different? |
 | UES Farms utilise a number of off-the-shelf components and so may appear similar to other integrated horticulture and aquaculture systems. However, the UES system is a state-of-the-art zero-effluent system and its patent–pending technology has a number of key differences and benefits that allow our systems to be more profitable and more ecologically advanced than comparable systems. |
| What skills would I require to become a UES Farm manager? |
| UES farm managers have skills in protected cropping agriculture, aquaculture and business management. We believe that people are the most important asset in our company and invest accordingly in attracting the best people and ensuring that they are trained to the highest standards. If you are interested in becoming a farm manager and share our passion and motivation, please contact us.
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| What remote support does UES provide to farms? |
| UES utilises a remote 24/7 monitoring system to allow our technical team to monitor many of the important parameters in every UES Farm directly on-line. This will allow us to advise the farm manager at an early stage of any potential problems or imbalances so that corrective action can be taken before serious problems arise. |
| How will UES Farms help the environment? |
| The UES Farm was purpose-designed to contribute towards making food production more ecologically sustainable. Other aquaculture systems and conventional farming systems face a huge effluent challenge and leach large amounts of damaging effluents into waterways. The UES Farm, however, is a zero-effluent, and highly water and energy efficient system, that can be located close to urban areas or in environmentally sensitive areas. One of the major environmental problems with food production is the issue of "food miles". Food consumed by urban dwellers has often travelled thousands of kilometres or miles to reach the customer, consuming large amounts of fossil fuels and releasing climate change gases. In fact, the average city person's diet contributes more to global warming than either their car or electricity consumption. The UES Farm brings food production back to the urban fringe, and so dramatically cuts food miles. |
| Do UES farms need a large water supply? |
| The UES Farm is very water-efficient as nearly all the water used in the system is continually recycled. In fact, total water use in the system is mostly limited to the evaporation of water from the vegetable crops, unlike most conventional farming systems that waste large quantities of water.
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| How much land would be needed? |
| The UES Farm is very compact in comparison to conventional agricultural systems. However to make a farm commercially viable a minimum of 3,000 m2 greenhouse space would normally be required, plus necessary space for access, etc. Smaller systems may be commercially viable in situations where local fresh produce is very expensive such as island resorts, remote communities, water-constrained locations, etc. UES conducts a full feasibility study to determine the optimum size ad structure of UES Farm for each specific application |
| What type of locations would be suitable? |
| The most suitable locations for an UES Farm are where there is access to a retail consumer market. This would include all urban areas where a 'neighbourhood farm' can direct market fresh produce to local customers. Other locations could include remote communities where it is difficult and expensive to import food, or on islands, resorts, or environmentally sensitive areas where conventional food production systems would not be appropriate.
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| Can a UES farm be Certified Organic? |
| The waste from the fish, after treating in UES’s bioconverter is an “allowable input” to organic production of vegetables.
Organic Certification is granted by a variety of accredited certifying organisations worldwide. In Australia there are several including ACO and NASAA .
Organic Certification for food production is granted to an organisation or a sole trader who in most cases owns the land or farm. Legally one person is responsible for compliance to the standards and control over the product chain.
So owning a UES Farm will not necessarily guarantee ongoing certification, only diligent ongoing compliance to certification standards and procedures will achieve that.
Urban Ecological Systems has operated a certified organic farm at their research facility for the last 5 years.
UES Farms are based on the same production system and future UES Farms will receive a template Organic Management Plan as the basis for an application for their certification and UES LTD will assist each farm through their application for Organic Certification.
Farms that operate to the standards and otherwise meet their legal obligations in that regard, should meet requirements for Organic Certification of their product.
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I have seen other systems similar to yours, how is the UES Farm different?