StadtFarm,Preis,Lichtenberg,Berlin

The StadtFarm has been awarded again

The StadtFarm is the Berlin-Lichtenberg Company of the Year 2021 in the category “Innovation and creative approaches to solutions in the context of the challenges of the pandemic”. This award means a lot to the StadtFarm, especially in these (for everyone) difficult past two years where one challenge followed the next. With creativity and agility, the StadtFarm adapted its business model to the changes in the market and was thus able – accompanied by BE Solutions – to find a way to successfully navigate through the pandemic. The concept of AquaTerraPonik is and was constantly continued and StadtFarm customers were also able to enjoy the local and sustainable products throughout the whole pandemic. The entire StadtFarm team is very proud of the award, which recognises and rewards the commitment and hard work put in during this time! You can read more about the award ceremony in this article from the Lichtenberg Business Portal (German article).


As advisors to the StadtFarm, we set an impulse during the summer which is already bearing fruit. The StadtFarm is developing its business model further and will emphasise its social focus even more in the near future. From October onwards, the value chains and the community of the StadtFarm will be even more strongly integrated into the business model: The StadtFarm is oriented towards the principles of solidarity-based agriculture (Solawi) and is also taking a closer look at its educational offerings. From October onwards, the Solawi community can be involved in the processes and cultivation planning of the StadtFarm and vegetable yields will be shared among the members. However, customers can still order the sustainably and locally produced fish in subscription boxes or visit the farm shop. More information about the new concept can be found on the StadtFarm’s website, Facebook or Instagram profile.


P.S.: Are you interested in an advisory service regarding solidarity farming? Then subscribe to the (German) BE Solutions newsletter or contact us.

Funding from the German government!

The APV plant we designed and planned has been selected as a funding project by the Environmental Innovation Programme of the Federal Ministry for the Environment. The Agri-photovoltaic plant, which will be built by the company AgroSolar Europe, will thus receive financial support from the federal government. In mid-June, the project was officially opened in the presence of State Secretary Flasbarth with the handover of a funding decision. Our customer Steinicke can therefore look forward to subsidies of €400,000 for the 1-hectare plant. More information about APV plants can be found in our portfolio.

niederländisches-königspaar

A Royal Visit!

The Stadtfarm welcomed the Dutch royal couple on 7 July.
During their three-day state visit to Germany, the Dutch royal couple Máxima and Willem-Alexander decided to take a closer look at one of the BE Group companies: Our so-called Stadtfarm („City farm“).


Our team welcomed the royal couple at our location in the Herzberge Landscape Park. Despite the rainy weather, they visited the StafdtFarm together and the concept of aquaponics and urban farming was presented and discussed. The principle of sustainable, healthy and local food in cities is a topic that is becoming increasingly important in the face of the climate crisis and for the future of our urban way of life. The urban farm developed a sustainable concept that combines fish production and fruit harvesting through a completely closed water cycle and thus offers a healthy, local and sustainable option for urban nutrition.

The regional pilots – so that innovation becomes routine

Knowledge, dialogue and examples against anger and slogans

The riots in Hamburg around the G20 summit shook us as a team – not least because of the descriptions of a colleague who was on site (passing through from an appointment). He first fled from burning Molotov cocktails and then, after hours of waiting in spookily empty station halls, caught the last train out of the city. Our attitude is very clear: there is no justification or tolerance for violence, which is also directed against completely uninvolved people. Of course we also discuss intensively in the team, when scandals such as the current one in the car industry come to light – and we also understand that such events can trigger feelings of powerlessness and anger, both on the industry and politicians, who obviously didn’t want to look so closely for a long time. At the same time we see no reason for conspiracy theories. The global economy is too complex to be controlled by a few individual masterminds with evil intentions! Take the example of the banks: in relation to former interest rates, they now receive only half or a third of the price for the same core product (loans). However, the demands for scrutiny and diligence on the part of regulation have in some cases even increased. Of course, this is why the discount interest rates are particularly high, and of course the bank does not want to grant small loans but concentrates on the big deals – otherwise it will not survive. Why then continue to pay out high bonuses? Well, the gentlemen (and ladies) have manoeuvred themselves into a nice prisoner’s dilemma: whoever cuts first, fears losing thousands of employees. For once, a cartel-like arrangement would be something that the population would support – a rogue who calls it hypocrisy. The companies are stuck in their own system – and are being overtaken right and left by “fin-tech” start-ups that are seizing their chance to use innovation to cut costs and speed up processes. Many customers are already changing, very slowly even the mainstream – this too is a kind of “right to vote” in our democracy. Not every traditional company will survive this. We have it really good in liberal Germany, where there are usually freedoms and rights for which billions of people envy us – starting with the right to demonstrate peacefully. Of course, not everything goes smoothly, but you can work, get involved and do things better yourself. The excesses of Hamburg would be a good reason to discuss how to make people experience even more self-efficacy so that they do not (believe that) need violence as an outlet. Good examples and more dialogue. Blaming belongs in the kindergarten. Photo (c) fcl1971 (free images)