Concept for a combined farm, restaurant and retail store. Is this a trend or the future of shopping and dining? Well, both. Concept was released last week at the Nordic Exceptional Trendshop in Denmark by the Agropolis Team.

Their belief is - we can source our food in 90% less water, 80% less space, and 100% less pesticides to grow the world’s food supply. And, a place where food is not transported a single mile to reach the consumer.

Although the technology is not new, their concept takes hydroponic, aeroponic, and aquaponic farming one step further by combining the farm within the retail store and restaurant is. Can you imagine going into your local grocery store and picking fresh fruits and vegetables grown right on premise? Sustainability taken one step further. Nutrients from fish in aquaculture tanks will feed the plants, and the store becomes an entire ecosystem. An on site restaurant also serves produce from the urban farm.

This notion is not new by the standards of many cultures of eating local and seasonal. There is a big movement today to eat local, with restaurant chefs leading the way. Chefs are very passionate about the location of their food source and even growing their own. Many of my colleagues/friends feel it's the only way. A prime example is friend, Chef Joseph Realmuto of Nick & Toni’s Restaurant in East Hampton, New York. This field-to-table way of cooking has been Nick & Toni's philosophy for years.

Business, technology, farming and chefs - Agropolis is not just for the extreme environmentalists but also for those who simply enjoy fresh food. Looking forward to seeing this come to life.

images, Agropolis Farm

George Hirsch TV Segment: Chef Joe Realmuto - Nick & Toni's