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Food Revolution With Dubai Vertical Farms
There is a growing need for local produce to be safe and fresh, and warehouse farms like Uns are responding to that demand. As the CEO of Uns Grahame Dunling puts it
Zubina Ahmed
September 4, 2020
An Al Quoz-based indoor vertical farm is setting a new template for food production. (Photo: Shihab/KT)
Imagine an ultra-modern, high-tech farm right in the middle of a desert, where fresh vegetables are being grown without soil or sunlight. Al Quoz-based facility Uns Farms is an indoor vertical farm that is growing high quality, pesticide-free, farm-fresh local produce in a controlled, indoor environment using hydroponic technology and LED lights. Produce includes greens like kale, mustard, basil, lettuce, eggplant, and capsicum, as well as a wide variety of crops ranging from leafy to microgreens. The farm, which began production in January last year, is on a 3,000 sqm plot of land in one of Dubai's main industrial areas and produces crops equivalent to 5,000 sqm of land. The idea is to create natural, healthy, and safe food options that can be produced with optimal resources throughout the year, even during peak summers.
"Agriculture has progressed drastically over the decades," says Mehlam Murtaza, executive director of Uns Farms. "It went from field farming to greenhouses, but both these models demand nature's aid. The Middle East is challenged in terms of the weather. It's hot, humid and there's a scarcity of water. Vertical farming, on the other hand, is a model that can be adopted anywhere in the world. It is resource-efficient and the climate and temperature are controlled, which, in the context of the GCC, is perfect.
"The sprawling indoor facility in Al Quoz uses three stages of farming to grow crops. Mehlam explains the first stage as being one where seeding is done. "That's where we are more efficient because we put one seed per plug." In the subsequent nursery stage, the seed grows into a small baby plant, which is then ready for transplanting. "That's when the root has developed into a certain amount as the plant requires more space to grow," says Mehlam. The final stage is when the crops grow. After the harvest, the plants are processed and packaged for distribution.
An indoor farming environment demands appropriate lighting. "In terms of light, the farm has energy-saving LED spectrums, which have different biological effects on the plant. For example, the red spectrum elongates the plant, the blue spectrum makes it thick, the green spectrum aids in health and immune system of the crop," says Mehlam
.Vertical farming also has a solution to concerns related to water. "What you see in soil farming is that you would drip-irrigate or spray water on the floor. A lot of that water goes into the earth and is lost. Hydroponics feeds the root and drains out into a tank and goes into a circular system, where the water is reused and that's how we save 90 percent of water."
There is a growing need for local produce to be safe and fresh, and warehouse farms like Uns are responding to that demand. As the CEO of Uns Grahame Dunling puts it, "We are very local and centralized with no outdoor influences. So, if there is anything in the atmosphere, it doesn't affect our crops." In fact, Covid-19 has brought about a renewed focus on vertical farming. "In pre-COVID times, we had difficulty in explaining to consumers what indoor farming really is, but the pandemic made us realize the fragility of the supply chain.
A lot of our customers had issues importing food, and with the UAE being a major food importer, it seemed to be a very big challenge. Because of COVID, we were able to expand and show people the importance of locally-owned produce," says Mehlam.
Today, Uns produces anywhere between 1,000 to 1,500kgs of vegetables every day and supplies to gourmet chefs, hotels, restaurants, supermarkets, and hypermarkets. Much to his gratification, Grahame notes that his modern farm is a 'choice for the future'.
zubina@khaleejtimes.com
Freight Farms in Montrose Colorado - Eatin' Greens Farm - Locally Grown Produce
“We have been container farming for 3 years now and we were in agriculture in this area since 1970, so we have been through a few cycles of wet and dry years. We are able to grow consistently all year long no matter what the weather is like. We only use about 3 or 4 gallons of water a day, so drought or no drought we aren’t affected.”⠀
The deserts of the west meet the Rocky Mountains, blocking any rainfall that might come their way. ⠀
Instead, the town relies on snowmelt to irrigate their valley so they can grow beautiful crops of corn, alfalfa, peaches, apricots and apples, and more.⠀
But for the past 2 years, the area has been experiencing a drought and the availability of water for next year depends entirely on the amount of snowfall the mountains receive this winter.⠀
“These cycles certainly make my wife and I appreciate the Freight Farm," says Steve Arnold of @eatingreensfarm. “We have been container farming for 3 years now and we were in agriculture in this area since 1970, so we have been through a few cycles of wet and dry years. We are able to grow consistently all year long no matter what the weather is like. We only use about 3 or 4 gallons of water a day, so drought or no drought we aren’t affected.”⠀
Vertical Farming With Hydroponics
In recent years, urban farming using vertical hydroponic systems has gained a lot of attention. Using the latest technology, these hydroponic farms are able to optimize plant growth, providing fresh, local produce, while minimizing water usage, space, transport, and pesticides
In recent years, urban farming using vertical hydroponic systems has gained a lot of attention. Using the latest technology, these hydroponic farms are able to optimize plant growth, providing fresh, local produce, while minimizing water usage, space, transport, and pesticides. However, whether hydroponic farms are superior to traditional farming methods and whether they can replace them has been subject to controversy.
AeroFarms vertical farming facility source: https://time.com/collection/best-inventions-2019/5733085/aerofarms/
What is a hydroponic system?
Hydroponics refers to the soilless techniques used to grow plants. There are a number of varieties of hydroponic systems, including aquaponics where live fish are used to provide fertilizer for the plants, traditional hydroponics which involves adding chemical solutions of the required nutrients, and aeroponics which uses a nutrient-infused mist. Hydroponic systems can be grown in a greenhouse using natural light, or more commonly in a vertical system using LED lights, to save space.
Aerofarms aeroponic system uses a nutrient infused mist. Source: https://aerofarms.com/technology/
Advantages of hydroponics
1. No soil
The earth has a finite coverage of arable land on which crops can be grown. Climate change and destructive farming practices cause loss of this soil. Soil erosion is one of the greatest threats to food security. As a result there is a growing demand for alternative, innovative approaches to provide food for the growing population. Hydroponics is one of these, providing a soilless system that can be used anywhere, particularly suited to cities.
2. Transport
As previously mentioned, hydroponic systems offer the advantage of the ability to be grow anywhere, even in the middle of a soilless city. As a result, fresh produce can be made available locally, sold in restaurants and farmers markets with minimal transport. This helps minimise greenhouse gas emissions as well as minimise nutrient loss and damage of produce, as leafy greens are quick to lose their nutritional content once harvested. Better yet, many hydroponic farms allow transport of the live produce to the market, providing the freshest possible option.
3. Reduced water usage
Hydroponic systems can use up to 10 times less water compared to traditional soil-based cultivation due to the recirculation of the water used. This offers a huge advantage as water shortage is of great concern, with field-based agriculture being one of the greatest consumers of freshwater sources - up to 80% of ground and surface waters in the U.S. Therefore, hydroponics offers a sustainable option for crop cultivation, with the growing population causing an increasing demand for food and water.
4. Controlled environment
Growing indoors allows better control of temperature, light, air composition and pests. As a result, crop growth rates, quality and yield can be maximised and can also be grown year-round. Therefore, these indoor farms can play an important role in filling the market gap, providing fresh produce in all seasons.
5. Less space
Indoor hydroponic farms are typically grown vertically, with LED lights for each layer of crops, this allows maximum usage of small spaces making it a viable option for growing crops in the city homes, in a spare room or basement. Moreover, in hydroponic systems plant roots don’t spread out as much in the search for nutrients like when grown in soil, as the roots are suspended directly in nutrient-rich solution. As a result, it is possible to grow crops much closer together, saving space.
6. Less need for herbicides and pesticides
Due to the controlled, soilless environment, pests and disease are minimised. As a result there is little need for use of chemical herbicides and pesticides which is a big bonus for health and food safety, with often no need to even wash the harvested crops.
Disadvantages and challenges of hydroponics
1. Organics debate
It has been subject to debate whether hydroponic systems should be permitted organic certification. Standard hydroponics typically uses a chemical nutrient solution, which are often not organically sourced. Moreover, it is controversial whether the absence of the soil microbiome may effect the food quality, with unknown impacts on the human microbiome, as increasing evidence suggests that the microbes we obtain from food may be an important contribution to our health.
2. limited crop variety
Due to the high light demands of fruiting plants, often requiring a wider light spectrum with a longer growth period, hydroponic technology is currently mostly limited to leafy greens due to costs. Therefore, hydroponics can in no way be seen as a complete replacement for traditional farming methods. Despite this, technological advancements are constantly improving hydroponic growth, possibly making it a viable option for a wider range of crops in the future.
3. Technical knowledge and difficulties
Understanding of the technical set-up of the hydroponics system and plant growth requirements is essential for preventing system failures. Leakages can occur and different crop types may require vastly different nutrient, temperature and lighting conditions. In addition, the close proximity of water and electrics poses risk and careful, regular monitoring of the system is required.
4. initial expenses
Although setting up a hydroponic system can be done on a budget with minimal costs, on a commercial scale, the specialist equipment required can be expensive. After the initial set up costs will be limited mainly to electricity and nutrient costs, the increased plant growth rates and yield often outweigh these added costs.
Concluding remarks
Despite the number of challenges and limitations associated with vertical farming with hydroponic systems, it still offers great potential to contribute to a more sustainable future of farming. It is important to emphasize that vertical farming and hydroponics is in no way a viable replacement for traditional farming practices but an alternative option, particularly suited to cities to help support the demand for fresh, locally-sourced healthy greens, with the growing population. Technological advancements are expected to further improve the costs and efficiency of plant growth in hydroponic systems, giving it high hopes for the future.
VIDEO: Dubai’s Badia is GCC’s First Commercial Vertical Indoor Farm
Badia Farms in Al Quoz Industrial area in Dubai is the GCC’s first commercial vertical indoor farm that supports Dubai’s agricultural sustainability
June 26, 2020
An expert takes notes on the health of vegetables.
Gulf Today, Staff Reporter
Badia Farms in Al Quoz Industrial area in Dubai is the GCC’s first commercial vertical indoor farm that supports Dubai’s agricultural sustainability.
The large-scale high-tech vertical farm produces 3,500kg of chemical, pesticide, and herbicide-free fruits and vegetables per year.
Badia Farms said, “We have a growing reputation for supplying the finest micro-greens and herbs to Dubai’s top restaurants, caterers and chefs.”
Vertical farming is the practice of producing food vertically in stacked layers, vertically inclined surfaces, and/or integrated in other structures.
It uses a combination of indoor farming techniques and controlled-environment agriculture (CEA) technology.
Experts examine a produce.
Vertical farms can grow non-native produce in locations where traditional agricultural methods are impossible. Also, there’s no exposure to the hazards of traditional farming, such as bugs, diseases, pesticides and weather.
In some ways, it’s as simple as it sounds: a vertical farm is a multi-story greenhouse where fruit and vegetables are grown in stacked up towers. There’s obviously a lot more to it than that – and here’s where we’ll try not to blind you with science.
The techy term for it all is hydroponics, which is a technique for growing produce without soil. Seeds are planted in a sterile, soil-less growing environment and then grown in nutrient-rich water. Water is recycled, and everything from air and water temperature through to humidity and lighting are controlled to create the perfect growing environment.
Badia Farms Vertical Farming Agriculture Dubai UAE InnovationTechnology