Rural request for proposals
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Why rural CEA?
We have seen an increasing interest in rural CEA recently. Farmers and landowners are actively seeking ways to diversify their operations and income streams. At the same time, sustainability is an ever-present and ever-growing necessity for all those land-managers. There is a clear opportunity for CEA to play a role in achieving both these goals, as part of working towards all three pillars (environmental, economic, social) of sustainability, and increased food system resilience overall.
What are the challenges?
It can be difficult to know which technologies and approaches are the right ones for any given operation. Do you need something high-tech, to deliver premium niche crops? Or would you be better off with a lower-tech set-up just to extend your growing season? Can you hybridise different growing systems together, and can CEA tech support your existing operations? Can CEA be integrated into your existing resource and waste streams? There is a huge amount of information to review and choices to be made. You’re going to need professional and unbiased support, guidance and advice as you go through the process.
How UKUAT can help
We can help you in two ways. Firstly, we have our Request For Proposals (RFP) process. You fill out a form and we send it to all of our organisational members, who can then reach out to you to help, making us a one-stop-shop for everything you might need.
However, if you’re not yet sure what you want and need, the UKUAT team can support you to craft your RFP submission, to make sure it has all the right information in it. There is a cost attached to this, but we think it’s worth it to maximise your chances of getting the results you want the first time around.
Our Expertise
We have a rich variety of expertise within the UKUAT team, including:
• Paul Myers – Founder & Managing Director Farm Urban, UKUAT Finance Director
• Katia Zacharaki – Founder Innophyte Consulting, professional agronomist, UKUAT Communications Director.
• Oscar Rodriguez – Founder Architecture & Food, professional architect, UKUAT Policy Director
• Johnny Stormonth-Darling – Engineer, participatory systems expert, UKUAT Technical Director
• Charlotte Yare – UKUAT membership & Communications Coordinator
• Mark Horler – UKUAT Founder & Chairman
• … and our large, diverse membership