Ecoids in action

This is an ecoid, a tool that's being used to help identify potential microclimates where tender plants such as banana might thrive on West Town Farm. Developed by i-DAT at Plymouth University, ecoids are devices that allow remote sensing of environmental factors such as light levels, temperature, humidity and wind strength. Each ecoid monitors its local environment and regularly sends data, using wireless signals, to a central computer.

Chris Hunt, an MRes Digital Art and Technology student came to West Town Farm yesterday to help set up. We're running a month-long pilot project, to see how the technology gets on with the farm and the farm gets on with the technology. If things go well, we'll install them across a wider area for a longer period of time.

(No) go bananas

Eating seasonal, locally produced food is an ideal for some but may become a necessity for everyone as future energy (and therefore transportation) costs rise.

Many food items that the UK currently imports might not be missed, but what about bananas? The UK consumes more than five billion bananas each year, all of which are shipped from places such as South America and the Windward Islands – about 4000 miles away.

Bananas are a tropical plant – they needs lots of sun, lots of humidity and sustained heat. Although members of the banana family can be grown to fruit in the UK, no traditional edible varieties currently thrive, except in heated greenhouses. Given that dessert bananas are such an integral part of British food culture, could they ever be grown locally as an outdoor crop?