Local Vertical Farm Startup Joins Growing Global Market

What if there was a more sustainable way to provide fresh, truly local greens to our communities? And what if there was a way to do it while bringing diverse flavors to the table year-round?

It sounds like an ambitious goal. But it is one that Carina Biacchi and her partner, Alvaro Fernandes, are set to meet.

Ortaliza Urban Farms is a dream that has been sprouting for some time now.

Carina Biacchi is no stranger to business. With a bachelor’s and postgrads in business administration, she has worked in several different sectors, from NGOs to massive corporations. “I’ve mostly worked in sales and marketing” Carina states. “And I have entrepreneurship in my DNA. My parents were entrepreneurs long before I was born.”

And as formidable as Carina is, she is among good company. Alvaro Fernandes, her partner, is an Agronomist Engineer. “He’s a passionate specialist in controlled environment agriculture” Carina explains.

When the two met they quickly started dreaming about their own indoor farm. Years passed, and the two immigrated to Canada and started a family. But those entrepreneurial sparks continued to fly.

“It took us a while to build our lives in Canada,” Carina states. “But we continued to research the idea we had. We kept visiting other businesses in the industry and we even traveled to New York and other areas to see what they had to offer in terms of vertical farms.”

But what is vertical farming? Vertical farming is a growing worldwide phenomenon set to add significant value to the food system. Food security and sustainability continue to be some of the top concerns for city planners, and venture capital firms are investing big into vertical farm operations.

And what is an urban farm? Simply put, urban farming is growing food in urban areas. “We’re located right on Main Street,” Carina states. “In a commercial zoning area. That is pretty unique by itself, and the town of Kingsville has proven to be the perfect partner to help us launch our dream.”

A hyper-local farm-to-plate experience

And while Ortaliza is not the first micro green seller in the region, they are the first to create a storefront, creating an exciting farm-to-plate experience, loaded with flavor and freshness.

“We are truly local!” Carina stresses. “Sometimes, when you see that something is “local” on your grocery shelves, it’s actually from another part of the Province. That might be fine for large vegetables, but greens are special. Think of all the nutrients you would get from a full vegetable but concentrated to deliver all that deliciousness in every single bite. Microgreens require just-picked freshness, so we are super, hyper-local. We’re only growing and selling here in our County.”

This business model, Carina explains, also allows them to reduce food mileage and consequently, food waste. “Leafy greens in Canada can sometimes travel thousands of miles before reaching their destination” Carina reports. “And it can take up to two weeks for the produce to get there. We have a commitment to sustainability, and we will always be local, no matter where we spread our roots to in the future.”

One of Ortaliza’s business Advisors, Adam Castle of WEtech Alliance says the launch of this business in Kingsville represents a unique opportunity for the Startup. “Here we are in the very heart of greenhouse agriculture, not just for Canada but seconded only to Holland from a global perspective,” says Castle. “So you’re planting yourself in a community that lives and breathes agriculture, who knows the value of being able to see where your food comes from and how it’s grown, at a time when the average consumer is more engaged than ever in providing the freshest, most sustainably grown food they can for themselves and their family. I applaud Kingsville for making room at their table for new kinds of agriculture, and being a business-friendly partner that our clients can count on.

“…it certainly fits hand-in-hand with the innovation and the diversification that we’re trying to identify with.”

One enthusiastic supporter of this innovative new business is Nelson Santos, the Mayor of Kingsville and the Deputy Warden of Essex.

“This isn’t your typical business, but it certainly fits in with the entrepreneurial spirit that we have in our community,” Nelson explains. “And it certainly fits hand-in-hand with the innovation and the diversification that we’re trying to identify with. They are touching on all the different aspects of what the community is looking for. Their business is one that is certainly going to turn quite a few heads. It’s very exciting, both in regards to the food aspect and the extension of agriculture.”

Ortaliza is now taking pre-orders for their home delivery service at www.Ortaliza.ca, which promises to deliver a lot more than leafy goodness.

“We want to be more than a farm-to-table service,” says Carina. “We want our customers to think of us as their weekly dose of living, natural vitamins that add easy nutrition to just about every recipe they can think of!”

To learn more and become a friend of the farm, head to www.ortaliza.ca or find them on social media at @OrtalizaFarms 

The Food Sustainability Dream

MITA SRINIVASAN

Food Security is everyone’s responsibility in the GCC. According to Satvik Jaitly, Consultant for Food & Nutrition at Frost & Sullivan in a special report to SME10x, the volatility in oil demand and trade disruptions due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has raised concerns about the current status quo and the future outlook of food security in the GCC. No product or commodity carries the immediacy or political sensitivity of food.

Chandra Dake, Executive Chairman and Group CEO at Dake Group, agrees with Jaitly. “If the recent pandemic has shown us anything, it is that such dependencies are not as sustainable as previously presumed. As circumstances change so do requirements, and as populations rise, producers and exporters may prioritize internal markets, logistics could get disrupted and prices could fluctuate, anytime. Therefore, going forward, food security has to take a strong self-sufficiency focus.”

Dake feels that the region needs to acknowledge that conventional, intensive farming is not feasible in the Gulf. “We need cost-effective, eco-friendly and sustainable means to enhance domestic production, by addressing soil and climatic deterrents. In countries like the UAE, where hardly one per cent of the land area is considered arable, we have to enhance agricultural yield per square foot, besides increasing overall production.”

Technology, says Mohamed El Khateb, CPG Segment leader Middle East & Africa at Schneider Electric, is going to transform farming and provide the UAE with food security. In May 2020, the UAE harvested 1,700 kilograms of rice in the emirate of Sharjah. They did this through technology. And given that the UAE imports over 90 per cent of its food, like much of the rest of the Gulf, the country’s leaders want to address the issue of food security, of having access to more food staples locally rather than having to rely on imports.

In Dake’s opinion, a holistic approach involving favourable FDI policies, subsidies, strategic push for agritech, supporting talent etc is needed. Subsidies and grants can entice many entrepreneurs in the agricultural sector. The creation of such an ecosystem requires multi-stakeholder engagement and participation to drive micro sustainability and self-sufficiency. “However, since each economy in the GCC differs in size and capabilities, the transition will require extensive location-specific analysis, followed by strategy and effective on-ground implementation,” he added.

Schneider’s Khateb said, “Policies are one part of the solution. The other will be technology. The Gulf is primarily desert, lacking in water and arable land. Populations are growing, as is consumption. Many of the firms who have joined with the government to look into how to best grow food locally have one thing in common – they’re using agrotech, technology adapted to the agriculture sector, to find the best way to increase harvest yields.”

One area of promise is plant factories. These are facilities that don’t need access to natural sunlight. They use high-intensity lighting and vertical rows to fit as much produce into as small a space as possible, making them incredibly efficient. Plant farms require 95 per cent less water and 99 per cent less land than conventional farms. The farms are monitored by software and don’t use pesticides. Given that they require a smaller space than your traditional farm, plant farms can also be developed closer to or even in cities, cutting down on transportation to the retailer and consumer.

While there are major advantages to plant farming, they do need energy, lots of it. Lights need to be run for two-thirds of the day, and plant factories require heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) to regulate temperature. In fact, plant farms can consume more energy per square foot than a data center. Energy loads will vary based on the plant farm’s size and operations, but the power needs could vary from as little as 500 kilowatts to 15 megawatts.

“We believe that indoor agriculture is going to be one of the four major drivers of electricity consumption over the coming decade,” added Schneider’s Khateb. “What we are looking to do is develop innovative solutions to support this industry. One concept which is proving effective in the United States, which is pioneering plant farms, is the creation of on-site micro-grids.”

The thinking behind using microgrids is simple. Plant farms need power. And they’re often based in urban settings, where electrical distribution is constrained. By setting up a microgrid, which is basically a stand-alone set of energy sources and loads that can operate independently of the main energy network, plant farms can be energy self-reliant, operate at reduced costs, and rely on energy that’s clean.

Schneider is working with a number of plant farms in the US whose microgrids are powered by low-carbon energy through a mix of solar and natural gas. The company is looking at how it can develop feasible ways to have zero carbon microgrids and work through the constraint of space (plant farms are designed to be small, and the amount of surface area needed for solar panelling isn’t feasible in some cases). The energy requirements needed to power all of those lights and HVAC systems is sizable, and the cost of that energy can account for as much as 50 per cent of the operations at a plant factory based on studies in the US. Microgrids can give plant farm owners longer-term visibility over their costs (they’ll be able to calculate costs years in advance).

What’s most exciting for food security is that plant farms can produce significantly higher yields of crops throughout the year, thanks to the technology used to control the lighting, temperature, water and nutrients delivered to the plants. The flexibility of these setups is that the “daytime” for the plants can be in the middle of our night when electrical loads are lower. They can close the lights and simulate “night” for the plants during our daytime when the power loads are higher. In theory, a combination of power fed in from the grid can supplement a plant farm’s microgrid, allowing for even lower costs.

Khateb said, “Plant farms can help reduce the region’s food insecurity and tackle other big issues such as industrial agricultural pollution. Just as important right now, an effective food security response will create tens of thousands of jobs and result in economic gains worth billions of dollars for the country. Technology will both transform our farming for the better and create value for our society and the economy.”

Contrary to the connotation of a hi-tech solution, Dake Rechsand’s value proposition hinges on sustainability. The company’s products and solutions are employable by practitioners across the socio-economic spectrum, from individuals to institutions alike. Dake Rechsand has developed sand technology-based solutions for water-efficient desert farming, aimed at redefining the definition of "arable land", in the UAE and larger Gulf region.

Dake added, “Scarcity of water is a critical determinant of agricultural productivity. This is why Dake Rechsand has focused on innovations that harvest rain and reduce the water required to grow plants, as the path to achieving self-sufficiency in food production in the GCC. But creating these macro-outcomes requires both top-down initiatives from governments and bottom-up interest from individuals, communities, and corporates. So, we have positioned ourselves uniquely, between both ends of that spectrum, and tailored our offerings accordingly. We are actively onboarding sustainability advocates, administrations and farming communities, through awareness-based action and demonstrable positive impact. And the enthusiastic response our products has validated our strategy, for a self-sufficient and food secure GCC.”

The UAE has employed multiple strategies across the food value chain, focusing on enhancing domestic production, high-tech agriculture policies, research and development policies, import policies, foreign investment strategies, subsidization policies, stockpiling strategies, and food loss strategies, among others. These strategies contribute to addressing issues of food security self-sufficiency, trade, resilience, and sustainability in various degrees. These initiatives are gaining considerable traction due to enhanced public outreach campaigns and continued stakeholder engagements between the government and the private sector.

Fresh Impact Farms Awarded Arlington's First Agriculture Grant

Mark Hand, Patch Staff

Operating since 2018, Fresh Impact Farms uses hydroponic technology to grow a variety of speciality herbs, leafy greens, and edible flowers indoors. (Mark Hand/Patch)

ARLINGTON, VA — Arlington County received its first-ever agriculture fund grant from the state, money that will go to Fresh Impact Farms, an Arlington-based company that plans to double production at its indoor growing facility.

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced Monday that he had awarded an Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development, or AFID, Fund grant to Arlington totalling $15,000 to be given to Fresh Impact Farms. The company will receive a total of $30,000 from the government, with Arlington County matching the state grant with local funds.

"Agriculture continues to be a key driver of our economic recovery in both rural and urban areas of our commonwealth," Northam said Monday in a statement. "Innovative, dynamic businesses like Fresh Impact Farms are demonstrating how exciting new opportunities can grow out of pandemic-related challenges."

"I congratulate the company on their success and am thrilled to award the first-ever AFID grant to Arlington County to support this expansion," the governor said.

In recent decades, Arlington County has grown into one of the most densely populated counties in the nation. Up until World War II, Arlington still had plenty of farmland. But over the past 60-plus years, the only farming in the county has been of the backyard and patio variety or in the community gardens in the Four Mile Run area.

Operating since 2018, Fresh Impact Farms uses proprietary hydroponic technology to grow a variety of specialty herbs, leafy greens, and edible flowers indoors.

"Governor Northam's award to Fresh Impact Farms, Arlington's only commercial farm, is an innovative way to celebrate unique uses of technology to help a small business pivot during the pandemic," Arlington County Board of Supervisors Chairman Matt de Ferranti said. "I am thrilled that Fresh Impact Farms is growing and looking to the future of a sustainable food supply."
The company will invest a total of $137,500 as part of the expansion, which will include a second grow room, a larger production facility, and an educational hub where customers, after the pandemic, will be able to see how their food is harvested.

Fresh Impact Farms' community-supported agriculture or CSA, program focuses on leafy greens and home kitchen-friendly herbs and has grown them steadily since the program's creation last April. Along with residential customers, the company now has smaller wholesale clients in the Washington, D.C., area.

The future is bright for urban agriculture, said Ryan Pierce, founder of Fresh Impact Farms, located in the back of a Lee Highway strip mall. (Mark Hand/Patch)

After the start of the pandemic, Fresh Impact Farms decided to shift its business model to a CSA delivery service in order to continue generating revenue.

"Seizing the opportunity created by more people cooking at home, the company initiated a Community Supported Agriculture program targeting area residents," the governor's office said.

"Now, with vaccinations underway and the restaurant industry poised to rebound, Fresh Impact Farms is expanding, which will allow the company to resume supplying their restaurant customers, while also meeting new demand through their CSA program," the governor's office said.

Over the next three years, the company expects to grow an additional 10,500 pounds of Virginia-grown leafy greens, herbs, and edible flowers for restaurant and CSA customers.

The future is bright for urban agriculture, said Ryan Pierce, founder of Fresh Impact Farms, located in the back of a Lee Highway strip mall.

"The support and generosity from the Commonwealth and Arlington County will be valuable as we expand our production and move towards a hybrid model of serving both the needs of restaurants and consumers," Pierce said in a statement. "As the owner of a local food business, nothing gets me more excited than seeing the community come together in support of local food."

The funds from the Arlington County Industrial Development Authority, together with the state grant, represent "an important investment in urban agriculture, sustainability, and technology," Arlington County IDA Chair Edwin Fountain said in a statement. "This project will advance the County's innovative and forward-thinking approach to developing new sectors of economic activity in Arlington."

Hydroponics Greenhouse Provides Hands-On Learning At Hudson High School

Yeji Kim

Special to the Hudson Hub-Times

A Jan. 15 tour led by HHS AP Environmental Science teacher Matthew Kearns offered members of The Kiwanis Club of Hudson insight into the hydroponic greenhouse. The club donated a $20,000 grant to help fund the project. Submitted Photo

Project-based learning is a learning model where students work together to engage in real-world questions and problems, and the Hudson High School hydroponics greenhouse centres around this approach to education.

The hydroponics greenhouse started roughly two years ago, and Phillip Herman, Superintendent of the Hudson City School District, and Christina Wooley, HCSD Curriculum Coordinator, are credited with most of the original idea.

Herman first learned about hydroponics gardening and greenhouses from a community member and thought there may be a way to better utilize the HHS greenhouse space to create learning opportunities for students. He began by discussing the idea with teachers, visiting an operating hydroponics greenhouse and exploring areas of the curriculum that could be enhanced.

The first year consisted largely of planning, strategizing and raising money, and this past year was when equipment started to come in and crops began to grow.

A hydroponics greenhouse differs from a traditional greenhouse in that no soil is required. Instead, the plants draw up nutrient-rich water. Less water is used since the water is recycled, and because of the absence of soil, hydroponics greenhouses take up less space — the plants can be stacked vertically. The HHS hydroponics greenhouse also includes a monitoring computer system that measures what is currently in the water and what will be needed.

A $20,000 grant was given by The Kiwanis Club of Hudson to support the project, and this money was used to purchase greenhouse equipment.

CropKing, an Ohio-based hydroponics equipment company, was the supplier for the equipment, seeds and fertilizer, and the firm also aided in setting up the equipment and trained those involved with the greenhouse.

Two other grants, an ADAR grant and a grant from the Hudson Parent-Teacher Organization supplemented the Kiwanis grant money. The greenhouse itself is located off of HHS biology classes and has been there before the hydroponics greenhouse was started.

Students are faced with real-world questions, such as how to sustain crops in regions without sufficient access to water, ways to use the land effectively and properly, impacts on the environment and how to grow sustainably and locally.

Science teacher Matthew Kearns said students have been seeing the benefit of this project, which includes those in the AP Environmental Science class he teaches, special education students who work with Intervention Specialist Kristin Stonestreet and biology classes taught by Ron Wright. Students visit at least once a week to monitor the crops.

Currently, the greenhouse is growing its first round of crops, which includes lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers.

Stonestreet and Kearns are considering adding cilantro, basil and peppers as well. The diversification would enhance the project-based learning aspect, as students will need to work together to figure out how much additional lighting and heat every crop needs.

The long term goal is to get involved with the community; through connecting with the business department and forming a club, students plan to sell produce from the greenhouse at the Hudson Farmers Market in the summertime and sell to HCSD faculty and staff when school is in session, engaging aspects of science, business and team-work. Several potential products for sale in the future include a salsa kit, tomato sauce and fresh herbs.

Herman notes how this greenhouse works to enhance classroom activity and curriculum.

“Over recent years, we have continued to learn more about and explore opportunities for project-based learning. Project-based learning enables students to learn course content and develop other essential success skills by beginning with a challenging problem or question and conducting a sustained inquiry to explore solutions to the problem and answers to their questions. Together, Christina Wooley, Mr Kearns and Mrs Stonestreet dug in and worked collaboratively to do the hard work to bring an idea to implementation.”

BRITISH COLUMBIA: Agri-Tech To Anchor New Okanagan Falls Industrial Park

JOE FRIES

A vertical farming operation similar to this is planned for an Okanagan Falls industrial park. 

USDA/Special to The Herald

Vertical farming could be what finally helps a light-industrial park take root in Okanagan Falls.

Avery Group purchased the 110-acre former Weyerhaeuser mill site for $3.2 million in July 2020, and this week received tentative rezoning approval from the board of the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen.

The application, which would down-zone the site from its current heavy-industrial rating,  is now set for a public hearing March 18.

At the heart of the redevelopment plan is a 30-acre lot on which Avery Group wants to build a vertical farming facility, in which rows of crops would be stacked on top of one another in a warehouse-like environment.

“This really is the future of agriculture,” said Monique Janower, senior marketing and strategy director for Avery Group.

Potential crops include lettuce and leafy greens that vertical farming operations around the world had parlayed into a $2-billion industry as of 2018, according to Forbes Business Insights, which projects the market will expand to $12 billion by 2026.

The rest of the land at 1655 Maple St. would then be subdivided into lots ranging from 2.5 to 15 acres for a variety of uses, ranging from storage and food packaging to beverage processing and light manufacturing.

Janower, who cautioned there are still many regulatory hurdles to be cleared, said there has nonetheless been “tremendous interest” from potential buyers due to the relative rarity of new industrial land and the site’s central proximity to Alberta and the Lower Mainland.

Avery Group is owned by Garry Peters, who has deep ties to the area, according to Janower, so the company appreciates the site’s context within the community.

“We understand we’re not just creating bricks and mortar,” said Janower. “It’s very much tied to regional economic development of the area.”

The rezoning application already has the support of RDOS staff and a key community group.

“Rezoning of the property could potentially bring an influx of new and growing industrial businesses to Okanagan Falls,” Matt Taylor, president of the Okanagan Falls Community Association, wrote in a letter to the RDOS board.

“This in turn could lead to additional employment, a need for more residences and even more tourism. These factors would all contribute to and support the community.”

Since the 2007 closure of Weyerhaeuser, the site has been the subject of multiple development proposals, including an industrial park, residential development and, most recently, a cannabis production facility.

If rezoning is granted, Avery Group will then apply for the RDOS development permit required for the vertical farming operation. At the same time, it will apply to the B.C. government for subdivision. If all goes well, the company expects the park to be open for business in 2022.

Kalera Acquires Customised Seed Developer Vindara For Vertical Farming

By Emma Upshall

US vertical farming company Kalera has announced the acquisition of Vindara, a S2G Ventures portfolio company which breeds plant varieties specifically designed for use in vertical indoor environments.

Founded in 2018, Vindara develops customised, non-GMO seeds for use in high-tech vertical indoor farm environments, as well as other controlled environmental agriculture farming methods.

Based in North Carolina, the company uses genomics, machine learning and computational biology along with traditional breeding methods to meet the market need for produce that is non-GMO, nutritious and high-yielding.

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Following the acquisition, Vindara will become a fully-owned subsidiary of Kalera and will operate out of Kalera’s headquarters in Orlando, Florida.

Kalera says Vindara will significantly increase the output from its current and future facilities by reducing the plant grow cycle and providing higher yields.

According to the press release, Vindara’s breeding process shortens development time from the usual 5-7 years to just 12-18 months, resulting in increased output and optimising yield and profitability.

Together, the companies say they are better positioned to offer differentiated products – expanding beyond leafy greens to include high yield basil, spinach and strawberries – and have improved ability to optimise colour, texture, flavour and nutrient profile.

“While advances in technology such as lighting, robotics, sensors, and planting substrates are all improving grower economics, seeds developed specifically for indoor farming have been a ‘missing link’ to vertical farming achieving its full potential,” said Daniel Malechuk, CEO of Kalera.

“Together with Vindara, we are ushering in a new era of agricultural advancements that will increase production yields and produce unique crop varieties customised for the needs of our discerning customers around the globe,” he added.

The deal will see Jade Stinson continue in her existing role as co-founder and president of Vindara. “With Kalera’s commitment to R&D and improving the yield, variety and characteristics of its produce, we will be able to better leverage our ability to develop customised seeds for indoor growers faster than any other seed provider,” she said.

The transaction will reportedly enable Vindara to accelerate and expand its seed research and development programmes.

Babylon Micro-Farms Establishes New Corporate Headquarters In Richmond, Virginia

Richmond, VA (February 2021) Babylon Micro-Farms has chosen Richmond, Virginia as the site for their corporate headquarters, opening a new office and R & D space in historic Scott’s Addition. The move from Charlottesville was driven by the company’s growth and need for a larger talent pool - they had been courted by California and Arizona as an up-and-coming tech company in the indoor ag-tech space. 

The company has developed disruptive technology - a cloud-based platform that operates vertical farms through a mobile phone app that controls all aspects of farming at the touch of a button. The indoor ag-tech industry is projected to grow globally from USD $121.26 billion in 2019 to USD $167.42 billion by 2025, a compound annual growth rate of 5.4% according to the latest report released by Market Data Forecast last week. 

Babylon’s CEO and Co-Founder, Alexander Olesen, commented on the move. “Richmond is the perfect launchpad for our next phase of growth. It has a dynamic business eco-system and gives Babylon the chance to build an even stronger foundation for the future with everything it has to offer.” 

Babylon began hiring locally in Richmond prior to the move, scaling up their operations in preparation for the anticipated increase in sales in 2021. Graham Smith, CTO and Co-Founder of Babylon, said “Our growth has been based on significant R & D we were able to accomplish because of support from The Center for Innovative Technology, the National Science Foundation and investors that understood early on the potential for this technology. Richmond offers a hub where innovation and industry intersect and having our headquarters here will fuel our expansion.” 

The company expects to triple its workforce in the next three years, adding jobs in every department, from assembly to engineering. For more information visit www.babylonmicrofarms.com or contact janet@babymicrofarms.com for interview requests.

Babylon Micro-Farms team, from left to right: Alexander Olesen, CEO and co-founder; Marc Oosterhuis, COO; and Graham Smith, CTO, and co-founder. Courtesy of Babylon Micro Farms

ABOUT BABYLON MICRO-FARMS

At the touch of a button, Babylon Micro-Farms delivers a simple, yet engaging indoor growing experience. Babylon helps senior living communities, hospitals, schools, and hospitality companies showcase their commitment to providing fresh, nutritious produce and sustainability to their residents, employees, and customers.

They have designed a complete on-site farming service that makes growing simple for anyone, thanks to their plug-and-play Micro-Farms and Guided Growing App. Babylon offers the most affordable, efficient, and advanced vertical farming platform available, remotely managed through the cloud with unparalleled customer service. Since their humble beginnings as a social entrepreneur student project, Babylon have attracted investors from Silicon Valley, been awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation to support their research, patented a groundbreaking technology, and received recognition by Virginia's Governor Northam for their contribution as a technology innovator following their successful application for funding from the Center for Innovative Technology. 

Babylon has designed a software platform to reclaim the decentralized food system of the 21st Century - using modular vertical farms that enables anyone to grow local produce on-site, all year round, indoors. They launched their first products focusing on the health care and senior living markets where our vertical farms provide access to food-as-medicine quality food and a variety of therapeutic activities.  

Website:

https://www.babylonmicrofarms.com/

Press Contact:

Sharon Rettinger

sharon@babylonmicrofarms.com

WayBeyond Appoints Head of Industry Transformation to Drive Sustainability Agenda

WayBeyond’s vision is to transform the agricultural industry. This is a declaration of intent and to give this intent focus and leadership, Kylie Horomia has been appointed into a new role as Head of Industry Transformation. Ms. Horomia holds a Masters in International Communications, 20 years in communications and almost 10 years in the Horticulture industry, most notably with T&G Global and recently with Autogrow where she was Head of Brand & Communications.

 “Kylie is a passionate and respected communications specialist and industry advocate, who has provided the next level of thinking around our story and will begin working on our long-term global sustainability strategy. This includes ensuring we deliver on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and formalizing and extending the work we have been doing on industry education, connecting the eco-system and our own graduate and internship program,” says CEO & Founder Darryn Keiller.

 The key to the transformation of anything is the transformation from the inside. In the context of agtech, this means ushering in a new generation of farmers, scientists, and technologists. Addressing Zero Hunger (including reduction of waste), Clean Water & Sanitation, Sustainable Cities, and the evolution of Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure; will take creativity and collaboration.

 “With our WayBeyond team based in New Zealand, the Netherlands, and United States and employees from 15 cultures; we celebrate our diversity, which critically includes the diversity of thinking required to solve the world’s greatest food production challenges," explains Mr. Keiller.

 Ms. Horomia is also on the Executive Board of the NZ Guild of Agricultural Journalists and Communicators and worked to develop the Global CEA Census alongside New York-based industry partner Agritecture Consulting.
“I’m very excited about this new opportunity. AgTech is an amazingly fast-paced industry to be in and the work we are doing to grow food sustainably using science and technology is something of which I am incredibly proud. I will continue to promote the inclusion of STEM disciplines to reduce food waste, increase the efficiency of natural resources, and make a positive impact on growers, the environment and communities we operate within,” says Ms Horomia.

 Ms Horomia will take up the role effective immediately.

 To learn more about WayBeyond and follow Kylie’s transformation of the brand, please go to www.waybeyond.io

 For further information, interviews and images, please contact
Kathy Cunningham
(e) kathy@empirepr.co.nz
(m) +6421 743 378

About WayBeyond

The WayBeyond Vision is to transform the agricultural industry to produce food sustainably for everyone on the planet.

The Mission is to break boundaries to explore new ways of farming so our solutions benefit every farm in the world (and beyond). This includes sharing knowledge and expertise with data, artificial intelligence, and plant science to transform the way growers farm. www.waybeyond.io

Vertical Farming Takes Root In Taiwan

BY JULES QUARTLY

Exposed root system for hydroponically grown plants at YesHealth's iFarm in Taoyuan. Photo: Jules Quartly

After becoming a world leader in semiconductors and other electronic products, Taiwan is now looking to smart agriculture as its next vine to climb. The island aims to supply much of the world’s fruit and vegetables within the next 30 years.

This might seem rather unlikely until you consider that the future of farming is not land and labor but factories and robots. Furthermore, Taiwan already possesses in abundance the tools that tomorrow’s smart farmers will use, including solar and advanced light technology, chemicals, gene editing, drones, smart sensors, software, algorithms, data mining, and big data.

Many of these technologies are being put to use in a glittering new 14-story vertical farm at Copenhagen Markets in Denmark’s capital. The first phase of construction of the 7,000-square-meter facility finished in early December. It is one of Europe’s biggest and most efficient vertical farms and was built using a blueprint of patented technologies from Taiwan’s YesHealth Group.

The result of a partnership between YesHealth and Danish agritech startup Nordic Harvest, the farm looks like a fancy warehouse from the outside. The interior is fitted with rows upon rows and columns upon columns of trays containing leafy greens, growing under an intense battery of more than 20,000 smart LED lights. The plants are tended by engineers in lab coats and guided by software that processes over 5,000 individual data points to optimize plant health.

Rows of fresh produce grown under batteries of LED lights at iFarm. Photo: Jules Quartly

The LEDs provide variable spectrum light for 100 different kinds of plants, nanobubble hydroponics oxygenate the roots and inhibit bacterial growth, and liquid microbial fertilizers derived from oyster shells, brown sugar, and soy milk provide essential nutrients for plants and soil. Even the music played to the plants is science-infused, with classical or light jazz music ranging between 115 and 250 Hertz seeming to work best.

Production at the new vertical farm is set to begin in the new year and will scale up to around 3,000 kilograms of leafy vegetables per day by the end of 2021, equating to approximately 1,000 tons of greens annually. Crucially, unlike most farms, these figures are close to guaranteed since production is not at the mercy of climate, the weather, pests and disease, pesticide residue, nitrate levels, or hundreds of other variables that affect traditional farming. 

According to Jesper Hansen, YesHealth Group’s Chief Communications Officer, the partnership with Nordic Harvest has been a productive one so far. It took just five months to install the farm and all the produce is pre-sold to ensure the operation is profitable by Q3 of 2021.

“This collaboration is just the start of a long-term journey together,” Hansen said in an email from Denmark. He notes that the two partners plan to expand to other Scandinavian countries over the next several years.

Hansen credits Taiwan for its efficient development of the technology and know-how to reproduce vertical farms all over the world and calls the Danish development “a crucial milestone in our international expansion.” He adds that the company is eyeing new partners in Europe, Asia, and the MENA (the Middle East and North Africa) region.

YesHealth is the brainchild of serial tech entrepreneur Winston Tsai, who started an LCD screen company at age 21. His “eureka moment” came after being diagnosed with liver cancer and partly linking his illness to pollution in foods. After recovering, he made it his mission to produce affordable, pesticide-free produce by harnessing the power of technology.

He founded YesHealth Agri-Biotechnology Co. Ltd. in 2011 and six years later established YesHealth iFarm in Taoyuan’s Luzhu District. The iFarm cultivates an ever-expanding range of leafy vegetables and herbs in a 2,500-square-meter warehouse factory. It produces 1,500 kilograms of leafy greens per day, a yield which the company says is 100 times more efficient than a traditional farm using the same space and requires only 10% as much water. In addition, YesHealth has a farm in China’s Shenzhen, which harvests up to 2,500 kilograms per day.

A tour of iFarm is well worth a visit and introduces the wide variety of plants grown there. Photo: Jules Quartly

YesHealth’s products are sold to major retailers both in Taiwan and abroad, including restaurants, hotels, and airports. Its stated aim is to supply a total of 7,000 kilograms of leafy greens per day worldwide in 2021.

Diners enjoy a meal at iFarm’s restaurant, which overlooks the vertical farm. Photo: Jules Quartly

Having sampled the produce at the iFarm, I can confirm the arugula grown there is as tasty as any I have tried, while the lettuce and leguminous alfalfa is a perfectly clean, green, and crunchy eating experience – the result, I was informed, of an optimal growing environment and harvesting at exactly the right time.

A plate of salad featuring leafy greens grown at the iFarm site. Photo: Jules Quartly

In a sense, it’s back to the future for Taiwan, which had a largely agricultural economy up until the 1950s. Agriculture was one of the pillars supporting the nation’s economic miracle after World War II. With the help of mechanization and productivity gains, agricultural production at that time contributed around a third of Taiwan’s GDP.

In more recent times it has accounted for just 1.8-1.9% of GDP. That greatly reduced figure, which includes animal husbandry, fishing, and forestry, is not due to a decline in agricultural output per se, so much as the growth in manufacturing and the emergence of a pervasive service sector.

Taiwan has a wide range of rich, often volcanic soils that are exceptionally fertile, along with a subtropical climate that provides plentiful sun and rain. It is known as the “Fruit Kingdom” because of the quality of its fruit, with dozens of varieties ranging from bananas and papayas to wax apples and guavas. More than 100 kinds of vegetables grow all year round.

On the other hand, Taiwan’s mainly mountainous geography means just 25% of the land is suitable for farming. Meanwhile, climate change is affecting agricultural production by increasing summer temperatures and making rainfall more unpredictable. At the same time, considerable soil erosion, acidification, contamination by chemicals and heavy metals, and strong pesticide use have diminished soil quality over the last 50 years.

Furthermore, the proportion of Taiwanese involved in farming has rapidly declined, from 37% of the population in the early 1970s to the current 15% or less, according to the Yearbook of the Republic of China. Not only is the farming population declining, but it’s also ageing as well.

Those factors may not pose as much of an issue, however, since the old model of agriculture is being disrupted so dramatically that even economies of scale are being upended. Given the large size and advanced technology of the U.S., it may come as no surprise that it is the world’s biggest exporter of food as measured by value. Second on the list, however, is the Netherlands, which has just 0.045% the area of the U.S.

According to a National Geographic report in September 2017, the Netherlands’ achievement can be attributed to the work coming out of Wageningen University & Research, 80 kilometres from Amsterdam in the heart of Food Valley – the world’s agricultural equivalent of Silicon Valley in California. The university strives to come up with ways to increase yields and sustainability, and then to disseminate that knowledge.  

New generation

With its strong background in information technology, Taiwan is in a good position to follow that example. The island manufactures everything required for what is known as precision agriculture, a farming management concept that uses IT to collect data from multiple sources as a means of increasing crop yields and boosting profitability. Taiwan is thus the ideal place for putting together prototypes relatively quickly and cheaply.

YesHealth, for example, makes its own LED lights through a local contractor rather than relying on a major manufacturer like Philips, which means it’s nimbler in terms of bringing focused, new tech to the market – and reaping the dividends. According to the company’s Program Manager, Dennis Jan, Taoyuan’s iFarm has the sixth generation LED lighting, while new iterations that are increasingly productive and energy-efficient are being rolled out on an almost annual basis.

The Council of Agriculture (COA) recognized some time ago the need for a precision approach to farming. In 2016, it developed the “Smart Agriculture 4.0 Program,” which was passed by the legislature a year later.

COA realized that the nation’s “calorie-based food self-sufficiency rate is relatively low” and that “shortages in food supplies and escalations in food prices” will inevitably occur as the world’s population expands from 7.5 billion to an expected 10.5 billion by 2050. 

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations says that in order to meet the needs of all these additional people, about 70% more food needs to be produced. Gains achieved in improving crop yields have plateaued and are unlikely to rise again without a complete transformation of the agricultural landscape through the introduction of city farms, vertical farming, and the application of information technology.

In a written response to Taiwan Business TOPICS, COA commented: “With the rapid development of sensing technology, smart machinery devices, IoT, and big data analysis, smart agriculture has been growing in various fields.

“For example, it can monitor and control the production environment automatically to keep animals and crops in the best condition,” COA said. “It can predict harvesting dates and yields through data analysis and make adjustments to maintain a balance of production and marketing, and it can use smart automated machinery in agricultural operation to significantly reduce the labor burden.” Such uses, says the Council, “make agriculture more competitive.”

Fruitful results

Besides fruit orchards, other sectors that COA has included within Agriculture 4.0 include seedlings, mushrooms, rice, aquaculture, poultry, livestock, and offshore fisheries.

COA cites Taiwan Lettuce Village as an enterprise that has benefited from precision farming. The company halved fertilizer use but improved harvest efficiency 1.5 times by introducing a fertilization recommendation system, a harvesting date and yield prediction system, synchronous fertilizing technology, and transplanter and harvester technology.

According to COA the application of precision farming increased yield prediction accuracy by 5% and prevented 350 metric tons of overstocking. In addition, plant disease and pest control were improved through the use of a cloud-based system and machine learning algorithm. “The results were very fruitful,” COA concluded.

Agriculture 4.0 doesn’t just apply to the growing of produce; it also looks at the storage, transport, and export of goods. As an example, COA points to a relatively new fruit hybrid that was originally developed in Israel in the late 1960s. The atemoya – or pineapple sugar apple (鳳梨釋迦), as it is known in Taiwan – is a heart-shaped fruit with green, scaly skin. A cross between wax apples and the cherimoya (often referred to as Buddha’s head fruit locally), it has become synonymous with Taiwan and export success, much like the kiwi fruit and New Zealand.

Previously, 90% of the country’s atemoya exports went to China because it is so close. Later, the Taitung District Agricultural Research and Extension Station introduced a frozen whole-fruit technique that enables 95% of thawed fruit to have a “consistent ripening texture and dramatically improved the raw material quality.”

The technique involves a quick freeze to -40° Celsius, which inhibits bacteria, allowing the whole fruit to be transported at a fairly standard -18°C. After thawing, it can meet the rigorous food safety standards of Japan and South Korea.

Traditional farmers may harbor concerns about agriculture becoming a primarily manufacturing process, taking place under artificial light. However, Kevin Lin, Head of Business Development at YesHealth, insists that what the company is doing is still agriculture.

“This is nature; we are just optimizing it,” he says. “Sustainability is at the forefront of what we do, and our focus now is on ensuring the energy costs of vertical farming – such as heating and lights – are lowered and the source is sustainable.”

In this way, Lin says, Taiwan can produce cheap, healthy, and environmentally friendly food that can help feed the world, even as the global population approaches the staggering 10.5 billion mark.

IPO Planned To Improve Revenues Indoors

8-01-2021| Business Live

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“We believe that there is no better time to be involved in both agritech and medtech." A company which makes technology to improve indoor crop yields has received a £1 million investment ahead of a planned IPO.

Light Science Technologies has gained the funding from Intuitive Investments Group plc (IIG), ahead of going public on the London Stock Exchange in the next six months.

The business, based on the Hilton Business Park, Derby, provides lighting and plant growing and monitoring technology for agriculture in partnership with university research teams.

Its agricultural tech can be used in three main indoor settings – vertical farming (where crops such as tomatoes are grown in vertically stacked layers), greenhouses and medicinal plants.

Its patent-pending, sustainable light unit combines interchangeable LEDs, power and technology to help reduce costs and generate maximum yields over 25 years.

Its real-time monitoring and control technology can also be used to link technicians, farmers, and facility managers with their crops to provide instant production data.

Management said that with better light quality and energy savings, its light, science and technology products increase cycles.

It also supplies technology to clients in the electronics, audio, automotive, AI technology and pest control sectors.

The move to become a publicly listed company follows significant investment in its team and operations over the past few years which, the business said, has “brought to market a fully updateable, bespoke and intelligent lighting solution that provides optimal yield”.

The company is also due to launch its own in-house growth and laboratory service in the spring, focusing on plant growth and performance to help farmers with their crops.

Chief executive Simon Deacon said: “We believe that there is no better time to be involved in both agritech and medtech as two rapidly expanding sectors which are going to be responsible for spearheading some of the most significant global developments over the coming decade and beyond.

“IIG’s investment is not just a reflection of its commitment to LSTH as a fast-growing business backed by almost 30 years’ expertise in light technology but also of its awareness of the importance in achieving a better, more sustainable approach to agricultural production as well as pioneering potential life-saving solutions in digital health innovation.”

Light Science Technologies is IIG’s first investment following its own successful IPO and admission to AIM in December, as it seeks to attract investors with its life sciences portfolio.

IIG chairman David Evans said: “LSTH has the key ingredients for success; it has an excellent management team, a deep knowledge of the light spectrum and the application of that knowledge to areas where substantial growth can be obtained.

“I am personally excited about the potential diagnostic applications in the digital health sector, such as non-invasive haemoglobin measurement, as well as the developments in vertical farming technology that will underpin the long-term growth of LSTH.”

The investment follows recent funding for Light Science Technologies from Innovate UK which will see it work over the next six months with Nottingham Trent University to develop a growing sensor and transmission node for vertical farms.

Photo: Light Science Technologies designs lighting, science and plant monitoring technology.

Source and Photo Courtesy of BusinessLive

“Sharing Technology Is The Only Way The Industry Will Grow”

“There is a lack of know-how amongst farmers to apply those techniques in a successful way,” says Joe Swartz, Vice president and Lead horticulturalists at AmHydro. In every situation, according to Joe, from geography to the skill of the grower or climate control, all play into what types of technology should be used. This requires a lot of experience and knowledge. Lack of this might lead to farmers being susceptible to misleading information, using ineffective technologies, which I’ve seen many people suffering from.

Joe adds, “Watching many good growers that have been led down a bad path in the industry, while investing so much into technologies that are not really effective, really breaks my heart. While providers know that they aren’t effective in this particular situation. With many years of industry experience, Joe is well aware of the challenges that the industry faces these days. Within the aquaponics sector there is not one singular technology, just as in conventional farming, rather various unique technologies can be combined for different outcomes.

Lack of know-how
When asked about the kind of growers that Joe educates, he notes that there are two kinds of growers contacting him. “We have two types of growers: either growers facing challenges or new growers wanting equipment and knowledge. Both of those approaches are interesting and it’s great to be able to help them become successful. It is great to see our system helping companies to grow and develop and become a worldwide provider. Growers like that keep coming back to us. They are the ones that move the industry”.  

Joe Swartz, Vice president 

An essential part of being a vertical farmer, in Joe’s opinion, is having experience with working on the ground floor. Only this will teach you what it takes to manage the equipment, crops and technology. “The best growers have started in the greenhouse. Hydro-experts will get nowhere with their college degree alone,” Joe states. For that reason, AmHydro offers grower seminars and even possesses a commercial greenhouse where growers can work in order to gain experience. “Some growers don’t think that they need it as they rely on technology, but my experience is exactly the opposite.”

Fake promises 
Joe observes similar trends as in the 1980s when certain technologies were promoted as ‘the farming of the future’. People talked about automatic farming, in which no farmer would be needed, new techniques and new lightings. All things we hear today were said back then. What happened afterward, according to Joe, was that some techniques turned out disappointing. Millions of dollars invested were lost, leading to the industry losing its credibility.

“As a result, investors only valid projects that already have a positive cash flow, as they have become more cautious. Some growers struggled to get funding, even though they had a viable business model. In a certain way, negative events have closed off some appetite for investments in CEA, which is a shame. It is a good investment in general, but every time we see a less than a reputable company or a technology that fails, it holds the industry back.”

Misconception
Related to that, Joe says that vertical farming still has to overcome a somewhat negative public image. “The traditional consumer, at least in the USA, have an image of farmers working on the land using sustainable methods. Now, being a conventional farmer using hydroponics I know that it is a sustainable and safe way to produce food, but there’s a public perception of automatization, as robotic food. Some people even call it “Frankenfood”. In my opinion, the more we can promote CEA as what it is, sustainable growing techniques, people will be more accepting and investors will invest more easily”.

Joe strongly senses that the vertical farming industry needs more skilled farmers and growers to meet the demand. “A lot of my work is actually training people. We want to help especially young people, new to the industry, by giving them skills, experience and knowledge. I have been blessed to have mentors when I was young and I try my best to pass that knowledge as this will help the industry along. That’s one of the reasons why we now see some consultancy firms who see economic opportunities. Sharing technology is the only way in which the industry will grow,” says Joe.

“Despite the diversity amongst growers that I meet in over 66 countries, all growers face similar problems. Funny tech flitches, pipes that break and spray water all over the greenhouse, or water pumps that break down. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a technologically advanced greenhouse or a small low-tech one. It kind of goes across the board,” says Joe laughing.  

For more information:
AmHydro
Joe Swartz, Vice president and Lead horticulturalist
joe@amhydro.com  
www.amhydro.com 

 
Author: Rebekka Boekhout
© VerticalFarmDaily.com

Joint UAE-Israel Food And Water Security Conference Announced

Could Israel’s success story of “making the desert bloom” boost food security in the UAE?

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BY GULF BUSINESS STAFF

JANUARY 6, 2021

The first-ever UAE-Israel food security summit will take place later this month, bringing together Israeli food and water security companies and investors from the UAE.

GoforUAE-Israel Food Security Investment Conference will have experts from both countries explore strategic partnerships and capital market opportunities. This event aims to improve the productivity of desert environments in the Middle East and worldwide.

To be held on January 18, the online conference will address pertinent issues in agriculture and food security such as precision agriculture, desert farming, development of resilient species, advanced storage solutions, and more.

“Our mission for this event is to introduce emerging technologies that can facilitate the UAE access to food security solutions in the long term”, said Edouard Cukierman, chairman of Cukierman Investment House and Managing Partner at Catalyst Funds.

“Since its founding in 1948, Israel has never stopped inventing agricultural technologies that greatly improve farming everywhere, especially in arid areas. Israel gladly shares its experience, innovations and achievements in this field with the rest of the world. With Similar weather, conditions and water scarcity to the UAE, and 60 percent of Israel’s land covered by the Negev desert, Israel and the UAE can jointly make an impact on desert farming to enable quality, available food in the Middle East and worldwide,” he added.

Read: Israeli tech companies make debut at Gitex 2020

Hundreds of investors from the UAE have already registered for the conference to explore some of Israel’s most promising and innovative solutions for food and water security and agtech, the organizers said.

Participating Israel firms include Saturas, a pioneer of in-tree water intelligence systems based on water monitoring from within the plant. Saturas can then offer tailored irrigation based on the crop’s real-time water needs, resulting in efficient water use.

Also taking part is Ramat Negev Research & Development, an R&D center that develops agro-technical methods suitable for desert conditions. Ramat Negev R&D has recently established a new ag-tech innovation center jointly with Arieli Capital to boost Negev agriculture through co-developing with emerging startups.

Register Here

Tags: AGRITECH ISRAEL UAE

VeggiTech Inspires People To Grow Crops Sustainably

How VeggiTech Is Changing UAE's

Agriculture Sector With Innovative Farming-Tech

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November 18, 2020

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Hatim Morbiwala, Head of Learning and Development,VeggiTech, controls and monitors eco systems with VeggiTech IoTImage Credit: Supplied

VeggiTech is an agro-tech organization focused on disrupting the agriculture industry to create sustainable and eco-friendly farms. Its tech-enabled solutions are:

VeggiTech digital operating system (V-DOS)

 This is a scalable, repeatable set of solutions that are focused on the controlled environment agriculture as well as farming as a service (FAAS) model for its customers and investors.

Grow operating system

 VeggiTech deploys the latest technology in terms of grow lights that provide the right amount of spectrum of light frequency to a plant-based on its type and growth cycle. This light is tuned to the grow cycle and creates the optimum environment for it to grow, coupled with the right nutrition and water quality for the plants. Internet of Things (IoT)-based sensors manage the environment and are linked to the data models that track the yield per unit of input resource so that it continually improves the quality of yield per sqm of grow space.

Farm operating system

 All of VeggiTech’s business activities are managed in an enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution that provides complete control of the unit economics while creating a unique QR code for every crop being grown on its farms.

Learning Hub 

VeggiTech also manages its Learning Hub using a state-of-the-art learning management platform that has online and offline features to interact with the learners. This has proven to be a very useful tool during the Covid-19 times as it continues to enable the future leaders – students – with the knowledge to grow their own food.

New launches

“With our vision to create the next one billion farmers, we are delighted to announce the launch of two new products that have been conceived, designed, and developed in the UAE,” says Hatim Morbiwala, Head of Learning and Development at VeggiTech. “We have developed a mobile app – Grow App – that will enable everybody to grow their own food and they can interact with the VeggiTech agronomist in case they need support with their plants. The app also has the ability to diagnose issues with the plants and recommend solutions using a machine learning database.”

Grow Kit is another unique product, developed by VeggiTech. “This is a physical kit which will inspire everybody to start their journey of growing their own food. We believe this is a life skill and should be part of the curriculum of every citizen on the planet,” says Morbiwala.

For more information, visit Veggitech.com

Call 058 263 1317 and 06 881 1861

email: info@veggitech.com

Scottish Agritech Firm Has The World In Its Sights With Appointment of Global Projects Director

Kathleen Honeyman joins IGS to drive vertical farm implementation worldwide 

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Edinburgh, Scotland – 01 September 2020 – Edinburgh-based agritech and smart spaces business, IGS, has welcomed Kathleen Honeyman to its management team as Global Projects Director. Her appointment marks a significant step-change in the company’s development as it moves to deliver vertical farms to customers around the world.

The new role will see Kathleen take overall leadership of the successful delivery of each IGS-built vertical farm worldwide, engaging closely with our deployment and supply chain partners. Kathleen will build an international team of project managers to ensure the resource and skills within IGS to deliver extremely precise systems to a very high-quality threshold.

South African-born Kathleen has lived in Scotland for more than 18 years. She joins IGS from Edinburgh Airport where she was Senior Project Manager, taking overall responsibility for the end-to-end management of all IT Projects including a variety of strategic operational, financial, and compliance-specific assignments. Prior to that, she held project management roles at Royal Bank of Scotland and Scottish Water. 

Reflecting on her decision to join IGS, Kathleen commented: “The chance to be part of this exciting sector, in a company as innovative and forward thinking as IGS, is an opportunity that I am delighted to accept. The team is ambitious and excited about its future ambitions, not just in the deployment of our solutions, but also the wider impact of supporting globally sustainable food supply chains. My role will be heavily focused on meeting those ambitions – something I am really proud to be able to support.” 

IGS CEO, David Farquhar, continued: “Kathleen is a strategic hire for IGS and we’re delighted to have her join the team. We are currently facing what is simultaneously the most exciting and challenging phase of IGS’ history to date: rolling out our vertical farms to customers across the globe. Having a person of Kathleen’s calibre and experience to help drive our deployments forward, utilising globally recognised best practice, will provide confidence to our customers in committing to buying IGS farms. In turn, this will help support the supplier commitments to their off-takers. 

“As an organisation, we’ve always prided ourselves on going above and beyond, continuously innovating and never resting on our laurels, and we want our customers to know that the same applies to the way in which we deliver farms in the field. Kathleen is ideally qualified to help us continue to deliver outstanding service on a global scale.”

 About IGS:

Founded in 2013, IGS brought together decades of farming and engineering experience to create an agritech business with a vision to revolutionize the indoor growing market. Its commitment to innovation has continued apace and it has evolved the applications of its technology beyond agriculture to create solutions for a wide variety of indoor environments that enhance life for plants and people alike. 

IGS launched its first vertical farming demonstration facility in August 2018.

For more information visit www.intelligentgrowthsolutions.com or connect with us on Twitter and LinkedIn.