CEO Eric Amyot on Smart Cities Through The Lens of a Farmer

As Modular Farms gears up for a new year of innovation, we caught up with CEO Eric Amyot to gain perspective on Smart Cities, the advancing urban farming industry and what Modular Farms has in store for 2018. Find out what Eric has to say in this in-depth interview on the future of farming and living.

What was your first introduction to the idea of a Smart City?

In all honesty, the idea of a Smart City was introduced to me as a child watching the cartoon show The Jetsons. Although the program seemed like science fiction when I was young, it was my first opportunity to explore and imagine life in the future. Fast-forward a couple years and I’m realistically thinking about how advancements in robotics, autonomous transport and artificial intelligence might shape a family's lifestyle and individuals' work habits. Imagine only having to work three days a week and having an AI enhanced robot as a maid!? Cool, right?

Who is a thinker or leader that inspires you?

There are a few agricultural and technological leaders who give me inspiration. First I’d like to shout-out Ron Finley for knowing how to get his hands dirty, putting in work and getting shit done in urban agriculture. Second, Stephan Ritz is inspiring for just being so damn passionate and genuine. Finally, Elon Musk (sorry, had to) for reminding me there's simply too much stuff to get done in a single lifetime to focus on just one thing.

What are the key advantages of vertical farming? How do these advantages align with the goals of Smart Cities and the future of agriculture?

The key advantage I'd like to point out, though there are many, is the ability to make growing and sharing food accessible in any scale, at any location. The potential genius of the Smart City really is its inclusivity. All citizens of a Smart City must have access to essentials like transit, waste reclamation, lifestyle services and, of course, healthy and safe food year-round. If that is accomplished, the possibilities are overwhelmingly positive, particularly for those who are typically or historically at risk of marginalization.

Vertical Farming will play a significant role in the success of Smart Cities, however it is alarming to often hear many planners misunderstanding or altogether discrediting the food production model. The current thought process of feeding people in densely populated city centres still invokes the ideas of raised soil beds, courtyard gardens and rooftop greenhouses. It is unrealistic to expect to feed large populations, (worldwide and all year long) without the adoption of controlled-environment vertical farming. Having said that, there will always be a need for hands-in-the-dirt gardening. In the case of Smart Cities, I believe traditional gardening will play more of a spiritually nourishing role for cities of the future than actually feeding a population.

What are some of the logistical challenges of integrating Vertical Farming solutions, and how can Smart Cities overcome those challenges?

There are a few primary hurdles vertical farming must overcome before it can be expected to be integrated into Smart Cities.

Education:

A large portion of society still lacks an accurate and positive perception of what vertical farming is. Space-age technologies are popularly regarded as a cumbersome mashing of nostalgia and futurism; both are perceived as time consuming and ineffective. Unfortunately, many of today's solutions are just that, well, at least for most individuals and families. While the vertical farming industry is getting closer in defining itself as an appealing option for some people, it must do a better job at honestly communicating the real benefits and challenges it presents before becoming a universal, trusted and commoditized solution.

Acceptance:

While the industry is pushing towards intensive capital to fund large factory farming ventures, acceptance by society will only occur when the individual consumer learns to trust and accept vertical farming as a means to nutritional sustainability, transparency and safety.

Energy:

The vertical farming industry is producing an increasingly prolific amount of food. Unfortunately, as we race to produce more and more lettuce and kale, we continue to place the importance of solving the industry’s high-energy issues as a secondary priority. The net-zero farm isn't very far in the future, in my opinion, but it isn't the focus it needs to be. Simply put, vertical farms consume too much energy to be implemented as a mandatory fixture and amenity in our cities. Another form of energy often overlooked are calories. The labor involved in owning and maintaining a vertical farm, particularly one producing enough food to truly feed a family, is far too labor-intensive and time-consuming to operate. Society barely has time to make kids' lunches, walk the dog, go to work, get to cheerleading practice, and do the laundry, let alone operate a vertical farm. Until vertical farms consume less energy (from the grid and from the people who operate them) they will have issues with broad adoption in Smart Cities. The only strategy for early adoption of vertical farming as a commoditized solution is to make it a mandatory amenity for new developments. Otherwise, as we see now, people will most often opt out.

As you delve further into the R&D side of vertical farming, what makes Modular Farms’ agritech different from other vertical farming systems (now or in future)? How does this fit in with designing the city of the future?

Modular Farms farming system has two distinct competitive advantages – it’s modular and scalable. Providing different models of container farms and farming implements our Growers’ results in a refined and defined solution, not only for crop diversity but also ROI. Just like everything else in life, no single product provides a solution to every challenge. At Modular Farms, we certainly don't believe in pounding square pegs into round holes. This approach speaks well to the challenges of working with Smart Cities of the future. We're container farmers at our core, but our past experience, current design and future Modular approach will allow us flexibility in scale, accessibility and aesthetic. Future Smart City farms will have to be built on the principles we are currently following. Secondly, Modular Farms strongly considers aesthetics and ergonomics. Let's be realistic and honest, working for any period of time inside a shipping container isn't exactly a dream scenario, despite how cool and exciting it can be. While we are still growing food in boxes, it’s important to try making those boxes as bright, cheery and enjoyable as possible. Having spent years farming inside an 8' foot wide container, I can't tell you how much the extra 2' in a Modular Farm means, to both the Growers and the plants. Being inside a Modular Farm is like being in a pre-fab structure, lab or office. It is what it is, a box, but it's so much better in so many ways. Finally, Modular Farms is consistently and actively looking toward the future and for areas of differentiation. Fact: people in Smart Cities won't be fed by lettuce and kale alone. Yes, some container farms are capable of growing fancy herbs and strawberries, but it's still not enough. I won't divulge all of our secrets at this time, but the future of Modular Farms includes precisely what we're doing now and something much different.

We understand that Modular Farms is diving into AI and robotics. What short term/long term goals can we share and how do they integrate into this subject matter?

I've always believed vertical farm companies, at least for the foreseeable future, should be focusing on making better labor assistive tools and technologies before jumping to fully-enabled farming robots. Yes, it would be cool having a farm where simply dropping a seed produces a head of lettuce only a few weeks later, but for now we should be focusing on farms with low costs that grow the foods we need. Modular Farms is taking a close look at robotics and AI in 2018, learning how we can make the process of vertical farming easier for Growers without replacing them.

Name a current city that’s doing Vertical Farming really well. Tell us who’s doing a great job in your eyes (if any).

I'm actually really excited about Alphabet's Sidewalk Labs consultation over the next year with the City of Toronto and its $50 million commitment for the installation and testing of the company’s smart city technology. There’s still a long way to go, it’s noted if the Quayside project is completed the costs would be in the billions, fortunately Alphabet is capable, and Toronto’s tech-focused eagerness gives me hope it might actually happen. Toronto is running behind in established vertical farming infrastructure compared to cities like New Jersey, Boston and even Truro, NS. However, Toronto’s position as the world’s tech centre in AI, Fintech, and other advancing strengths would have me place my bet on Toronto coming away as a leader in the vertical farming race for success. I hope companies like Just Vertical, Waterfarmers, Ripple and of course Modular Farms, among every other vertical farming startup calling Toronto home, continue to shape the future of vertical farming in the city.

Can you describe the ideal result for a Smart City for Toronto? What would vertical farming on a grand scale look like here?

Vertical farming will only truly serve a large metropolitan centre like Toronto if solutions like large-scale vertical farming, micro farming (like Modular Farms) and viable residential solutions are considered. The challenge of feeding as many people as possible is only met by matching large-scale production with local distribution or even in-home growing; regardless whether national grocery chains adopt vertical farming. A Smart City in Toronto, if well executed, provides new opportunities for food, energy, health care and transportation inclusivity – helping blur class divisions.  Large-scale vertical farming in Toronto means eliminating a dependency on fresh food imports. Incorporating restorative agriculture practices in the city and surrounding areas ensures that preservation and improvement of conventional soil-based farming. Frankly, the fastest approach affecting the largest populations requires an obligation or mandatory measure, ensuring citizens become self-sufficient, confident growers and buyers of locally sourced, distributed and affordable food.

With Sidewalk Labs announcing its creation of a Smart City at Toronto’s waterfront, do you have any final words to share with stakeholders who may read this published piece in future?

We're at a wonderful and pivotal time in the world of vertical farming. Despite all the fantastic technologies assisting the rise of vertical farming as a viable solution, we've got a little way to go before we can provide a solution that is suitable for everyone. As billions of dollars are invested in the grandiose dreams of giant vertical farms feeding global populations, we mustn't forget, food is a fundamental right intended for all citizens and is not a privilege to those solely with the means to afford and access it. The impressive amount of capital pouring into a handful of the now-largest vertical farming companies in the world spurs innovation and produces vast quantities of only some foods. It is important to keep focus, if not an increased amount of focus, on the reason why we are doing this to begin with – to build food secure cities, institutions, schools, homes and families. I maintain my excitement for what is coming across the industry, and I am in awe by the scale of our ambitions. I will however, rest happy when we've taught everyone the value of local, healthy and safe food by giving them tools for growing the essentials themselves.

Published by: Jesse Brito in Farm Resources, News