Charlie Shultz is Academic Director of the Controlled Environment Agriculture program in the School of Trades, Technology, Sustainability and Professional Studies at Santa Fe Community College. He teaches aquaponics and hydroponics, and is helping people around the world not only to learn to do indoor agriculture, but also to run successful businesses.
He recently contributed a chapter to a book called, FUTURE FOOD SYSTEMS: Exploring Global Production, Processing, Distribution and Consumption.
TIMELINE
3’09 controlled environment agriculture
3’49 shipping container agriculture
4’47 what are hydroponics and aquaponics
6’13 the importance of microbes and microbiomes
7’32 are there unhealthy systems in indoor agriculture
8’40 the growth of indoor agriculture and its relationship to national security and sovereignty
10’25 being shielded from extreme weather events
10’52 the potential for greenhouse gas reduction
12’28 comparing indoor and outdoor agriculture tricky to do because indoor is year-round
12’58 SFCC campus is on a solar-based microgrid. You need renewable energy for an indoor growing business to be profitable
13’32 water use doesn’t go so much to the plants as to the cooling systems in the summer
14’29 using rain catchment water for cooling
15’06 how much water actually goes into the food
15’52 high quality of the local fresh produce
16’51 the possibility and challenge of renovating old buildings for greenhouses
17’16 Desert Verde Farm in Santa Fe desertverdefarm.com, producing large amounts of local produce
18’19 Desert Verde becoming a model for others to follow in other places
19’22 project in Kentucky, food chain, integrated aquaponic farm, including spent brewery grains to feed fish, building a restaurant at the facility…and this draws in tourism
20’50 Santa Fe economic development department supports urban agriculture, Charlie doing short courses
21’48 how this can affect the larger food system, especially feeding the most vulnarable people
23’07 good food in the schools
23’27 Big Chef Little Chef
23’53 SFCC culinary department
24’57 the challenges of entrepreneurship, mentorship opportunities
27’03 the current administration looking at the food system in terms of national security. Hosting the current US Secretary of Labor
29’13 supporting trades and jobs
29’47 RFK Jr and the focus on fresh and unprocessed foods
30’00 new funding at NRCS
30’13 hoping the federal government will start to see the importance of clean water
31’03 the problems with cutting USAID farmer-to-farmer programs
33’20 the rise of people wanting to grow food, and the educational opportunities for them
35’31 “smart” indoor farming attracts artists, problem solvers, creative thinkers, practical people, and future policy people
37’27 relationship to outdoor, soil-based farmers
39’15 agriculture colleges and trade schools are adopting CEA
40’03 precision agriculture applies to both CEA and farming and ranching
40’36 the importance of using appropriate technology
41’44 we’re focusing on areas that may not be necessary–sometimes it’s more important and fruitful to look at the past.
42’41 you have to keep technology relatively simple and inexpensive
43’40 people wanting to spend money on high-value produce
44’32 AI not necessarily useful for growing food
45’01 students as “plant whisperers”
45’20 indigenous participation in CEA
46’21 SFCC resources, desire for collaboration
47’07 how to keep in touch: FB controlled environment agriculture at SFCC, and Instagram and TikTok @AquaponicsCharlie
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