There’s essentially two ways you could look at micro-properties for shipping container farms – the micro-property could be the land on which the shipping container farm sits, or it could be the space inside of a shipping container that already exists on a small plot of land. Leptonic’s original intention was for the first scenario, but there is no reason why an existing shipping container couldn’t be listed as a micro property.
There a several companies that have started to offer shipping containers that a fully outfitted to be a vertical (or indoor) farm (see LettUsGrow, Farmbox, Freight Farms, Grow Pod Solutions, CropBox, or a broker like CULTIVATD) and can be placed anywhere with a power source – or even just with solar panels. A water source would also be beneficial, but is not entirely necessary.
These shipping container farms can be placed on a micro-property to bring farming (of herbs, fruits, vegetables or even growing mushrooms) to any community – think about the space required for traditional farming, and the lack of space in urban areas. Shipping container farms allow community gardens to be much more productive for the same land use as a few raised garden beds.
Also, since the plants are protected from the weather, shipping container farms can consistently produce food year round, and there is no need for pesticides or animal/bird repellents.
If there is an unused shipping container on a property, then the vertical farming systems could be installed into the unused container. The main benefit of this approach is that it is much easier to move vertical farming equipment into a shipping container than it is to move the shipping container itself.
So, I’d suggest that if you have an used shipping container on a property and you are looking for a use that could benefit your community, then go ahead and list it as a micro-property! You’ll help out budding vertical farmers and I’m sure they’ll be happy to share some produce with you. It’s always good to know where your food comes from, and if what better place to have it come from than your own property.
If you’re interested in learning more about micro-properties for container farms or what exactly a shipping container farm is, or all of the “guts” that go inside the shipping container to actually grow produce you can check out these articles on shipping container farms and hydroponics.
