Manchester International Festival - The Biospheric Project

With rising food prices, climate change and growing urban populations, how can we continue to put food on our tables? This summer, MIF and The Biospheric Foundation will be investigating some possible answers.

For The Biospheric Project, a derelict mill on the banks of the River Irwell will be transformed into a thriving agricultural space. Part farm, part laboratory and part research centre, this disused industrial site will be filled with innovative sustainable food systems, from agroforestry to aquaponics. A programme of related events, including special activities for schools and families, will bring the research to life, exploring how these experiments into food, technology and design can help forge a new way of urban living.

The Biospheric Project has grown out of work conducted for MIF11’s Vertical Farm and The Biospheric Foundation’s own research, supported by partners including Manchester Metropolitan University and Queen’s University, Belfast. The project will help to put Greater Manchester at the forefront of this vital area of international research and activity, and will continue to flourish beyond 2013.