Flashfood, Price Rite to Boost Fresh Sales, Cut Waste

August 12, 2021

Flashfood, an app-based marketplace that strives to eliminate retail food waste by connecting consumers with discounted food nearing its best by date, is adding more stores to its U.S. footprint through a new pilot program with Price Rite Marketplace. Price Rite Marketplace customers in the western New York area can now save up to 50 percent off select groceries that would otherwise go to waste.

The Flashfood app allows shoppers to browse and purchase fresh food, including produce, meat, deli and bakery products, nearing its best before date at significantly reduced prices. Shoppers can find great deals and purchase through the app, then simply pick up their items at the Flashfood zone located at their selected Price Rite store.

“We’re thrilled to work with Price Rite Marketplace as our newest partner committed to fighting food waste while helping their customers save significantly on their groceries,” said Josh Domingues, CEO of Flashfood. “Flashfood is a triple-win for our partners, the planet and people. We look forward to connecting Price Rite Marketplace shoppers with great deals while helping them make sustainable choices.”

In addition to helping customers shop more affordably with Flashfood, Price Rite Marketplace also supports local communities by donating to charitable organizations such as Feed the Children, contributing nearly 3 million pounds of food across 49 cities since 2015.

“Partnering with Flashfood is a natural next step as we continue to create environmentally-friendly neighborhoods and exceptional value for shoppers,” said Jim Dorey, president of Price Rite Marketplace. “We are proud of the concerted efforts our stores have made over the years to minimize our environmental footprint and look forward to seeing the impact of our new partnership with Flashfood.”

To date, Flashfood has partnered with grocery chains across the U.S. and Canada to divert more than 25 million pounds of food from landfills.

Vertical Farming: Turning Deserts Into Fresh Food Hubs

August 10, 2021

Vertical farming technologies allow for collecting the humidity produced by plants. With recirculating and recycling techniques, hydroponic and aquaponic systems can reuse 98% of water, which makes vertical farms feasible in deserts.

Deserts and arid lands are commonly perceived as worthless. Because of this image of the world’s drylands, agricultural investments and development initiatives pass these regions by. Moreover, with the new NASA food challenge, it seems like AgriTech enthusiasts would rather attempt to cultivate plants in space than in desert environments on their native planet.

Taking up 41% of our planet’s landmass, arid zones have always been seen as marginal for agriculture. But thanks to technological advancements, they can produce fresh food and compete on the global market. How? By adopting next-generation technologies like vertical farming.

How vertical farming enables agriculture in deserts  

The most fascinating thing about vertical farming technology is that it brings food production to regions with no arable land. Crops grow indoors, stacked in layers under LED lights. Most vertical farms rely on hydroponic, aeroponic, or aquaponic methods, as they don’t require soil. Anything “hydro” and “aqua” may seem inappropriate for arid lands, but these methods are extremely water efficient.

And here’s what thrills me a lot: While most barren lands suffer from aridity, agriculturally developed regions waste tons of water. Even though modern smart irrigation systems do help reduce water use on traditional farms, water is still lost because of wind and evaporation. On the contrary, vertical farming technologies allow for collecting the humidity produced by plants. With recirculating and recycling techniques, hydroponic and aquaponic systems can reuse 98% of water, which makes vertical farms feasible in deserts.

Vertical farms ensure plants have exactly what they need

The ultimate goal of vertical farming technology is to get the highest possible yield by precisely meeting plants’ needs. One can believe me or not, but it works like magic. 

After the vertical farming facility is built and all equipment is installed, a complex network of IoT and analog sensors comes to life. They measure gases and nutrients, humidity, light, and temperature inside and outside the farm. Additionally, the monitoring system takes photos and videos of plant growth. Then, all this data is transferred to secure cloud storage via edge gateways.

This provides a huge volume of raw data that can be integrated into AI-based software and analytics platforms. Built-in machine learning algorithms can match plant images against a huge database and learn to recognize plant types as well as deviations in their growth. The analytical algorithms can process plants’ growth data and correlate it with microclimate measurements to find the perfect combination of environmental factors for particular crops.

The final flourish is data visualization. User-friendly dashboards present calculations, analytics, and prediction results in meaningful histograms and neat reports. Having vertical farming software installed on any device, owners can get real-time insights into farm health and make data-driven decisions.

Basically, a vertical farm is a premium luxury ultra-all-inclusive spa resort for plants. 

The vertical farming market has huge potential

An ever-changing climate along with the depletion of soil nutrients and groundwater have accelerated the adoption of vertical farming technology. The coronavirus pandemic has also contributed. The risk of supply chain disruptions has underscored the need to locate vertical farms near distribution routes and intended markets.

With many drivers igniting the industry, the global vertical farming market will reach USD 11.71 billion by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 20.1% according to Emergen Research. But we’re only at the advent of vertical farming in terms of technology. Innovative advancements are expected to reduce costs and improve the efficiency of plant growth in vertical farms, giving us high hopes for the future.  

Desert reality: vertical farming or nothing

Some skeptics may consider vertical farming advantages controversial. But with temperatures reaching +40 degrees Celsius (over 100 degrees Fahrenheit), just a few days of rain a year, and barren sands, deserts don’t seem like suitable places for any other agricultural practices. In addition, climate change promises to make these lands even drier, hotter, and less valuable. Being land-agnostic and capable of conserving water, vertical farming is a reasonable option for arid lands. This ingenious method of producing food in deserts might be a springboard to economic development of arid regions. 

Boosts the local economy 

Local economies have attracted a lot of attention recently. And guess what I consider to be a remarkable contribution to developing local economies? Right, vertical farms near desert cities. The more often and the faster a dollar circulates in a region, the more income it creates. Studies also show that the most prosperous communities gain and sustain their wealth because they have the highest percentage of jobs in local businesses. Such communities still engage in global trade, but they import only things they can’t supply themselves.

Reinforces food security

The coronavirus pandemic has spotlighted local food production, making it more of a necessity than a luxury. Countries that heavily rely on food imports are now striving to achieve food security and resilience more than ever. And the risk of food supply chain disruptions is less imminent with several vertical farms near megalopolises. Because indoor environments are independent of outside weather conditions, vertical farms ensure reliable harvests to meet delivery schedules and supply contracts.

Decreases prices for fresh food

Besides ending dependence on imported food, vertical farming in close proximity to cities lowers the cost of products. Since food prices are linked to oil prices, delivery distance is an influential factor in food costs. The shorter the distance food travels, the less it costs. Additionally, local produce is fresher, as it isn’t stored in fridges for long during delivery. On top of that, vertically farmed crops are healthier than field-grown crops and are naturally flavorful, as strict biosecurity procedures in indoor farms eliminate plant diseases and the need for pesticides. 

Creates new jobs

Among other vertical farming advantages are the job opportunities the technology provides. Yes, an indoor farm doesn’t require much manual labor due to automated growing systems and robotics. Nevertheless, it creates a lot of new jobs in farm construction and management, plant cultivation, technology development and support, distribution control, and personnel management. 

Uses energy sustainably

Although a 30-story vertical farm needs 26 million kWh of electricity, it can generate 56 million kWh through biogas digesters and solar panels. The excess energy can be transferred back to the grid and bring additional income.

Given the technical opportunities, market potential, and benefits for communities, I struggle to find a rational explanation as to why large desert areas still lie unused. Fortunately, some early adopters have already recognized the potential of arid lands. 

The challengers who have already succeeded

However challenging the idea of growing crops in hostile climates may seem, some daring companies are already leveraging high-tech techniques of vertical agriculture and running successful businesses, boosting food production in their countries.

The Al-Badia market garden farm is among these pioneers. The daily harvest of the Middle East’s first commercial vertical farm is two hundred boxes of greens, including radishes, kale, mustard, basil, and arugula. The multi-story setup is on an 800-square-meter plot of land in one of Dubai’s main industrial areas. Al-Badia serves nearly 70 local caterers and restaurants, providing fresh and pesticide-free products that wouldn’t be available otherwise.

The driest state in the USA, Nevada, has become home to a 20,000-square-meter hydroponic vertical farm built by Oasis Biotech. Besides catering to the needs of the Las Vegas restaurant industry, the company has created its first consumer-facing brand, which is currently sold through a local distributor. While most US produce travels between 1,500 and 2,500 miles before reaching the consumer, Oasis Biotech ensures its goods are delivered within an average of four miles and go from harvest to plate within 36 hours. 

In Australia — a country that is 53% deserts and drylands by landmass —vertical farming technology is also being adopted. Stacked Farm’s two locations (200 and 4000 square meters) focus on salad greens, leafy vegetables, and livestock feed. But what’s more exciting about these farms is that they’re fully automated, from planting the seeds to harvesting and packaging the produce. Nevertheless, Stacked Farm doesn’t intend to take work away from farmers but rather to support farming communities that are suffering through drought or during off seasons. 

Deserts are no longer deadlands

Vertical farming technology is certainly a game changer for regions with severely hot climates. Once a dryland gets a vertical farm, it stops being a deadland and becomes an advanced hub of fresh food. Vertical farming pioneers will be remembered as the kick-starters of thriving desert economies. The first to build a vertical farm in a desert will most likely be the first to start getting profits from desert farming and eventually become a frontrunner in the industry.

Source: Agritech Tomorrow

New York’s Gotham Greens Plans Solano County Indoor Produce Farm

GARY QUACKENBUSH

FOR THE NORTH BAY BUSINESS JOURNAL

Example of the greenhouse operated by Gotham Greens which announced plans to open in Solano County (Photo courtesy of Gotham Greens)

Gotham Greens Holdings LLC, a firm with indoor agriculture operations across the U.S., Tuesday, announced plans to build a facility next to the University of California, Davis.

The first phase of this 10-acre Solano County facility is expected to open later this year. It will be located on 33.6 acres of agricultural land purchased from the university adjacent to Interstate 80.

The company stated its plans will provide it with the ability to deliver fresh leafy greens, herbs, plant-based dressings, dips and cooking sauces to more retailers, foodservice operators and consumers on the West Coast.

“… We are partnering with one of the highest-ranked agricultural research centers in the world to advance the entire agriculture system,” said Viraj Puri, co-founder and CEO of Gotham Greens. “California is responsible for growing one-third of the country’s vegetables and two-thirds of the nation’s fruit, yet in recent years, issues surrounding drought, food safety and worker welfare have demonstrated the need for continued innovation.”

The greenhouse will generate 60 full-time jobs and provide UC students with the opportunity to learn first-hand how to sustainably grow produce year-round in a safe, clean, climate-controlled environment. The company stated its facilities use 95% less water and 97% less land than conventional farming. Nationwide, Gotham Greens has 500,000 square feet of greenhouse space at five locations staffed by 400 employees.

The UC Division of Agriculture and National Resources and the UC Davis College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences has entered into a partnership with Gotham Greens to advance research and innovation in the areas of indoor agriculture, greenhouse technology, and urban agriculture to help advance the science, workforce technology, and profitability of indoor agriculture globally.

“We are building a Controlled Environment Agriculture Consortium to support and advance the indoor farming industry, grow more fresh produce on less land and create new jobs for Californians,” said Gabriel Youtsey, the division’s chief innovation officer. “Gotham Greens is an anchoring partner of this research and industry collaboration that we hope will spur innovation, create a new indoor farming workforce and support industry growth.”

Helene Dillard, dean of the college, said, “This partnership will offer our students the chance to learn best practices from leading experts in indoor farming.”

Gotham Greens recently raised $87 million in new equity and debt capital bringing the company’s total financing to $130 million to fuel the next phase of growth.

Founded in 2009 in Brooklyn, New York, Gotham Greens (gothamgreens.com) owns and operates greenhouses in New York, Illinois, Rhode Island, Maryland and Colorado. Its produce is available in more than 40 states and 2,000 retail stores, including Albertsons Companies (Safeway, Jewel-Osco, and Shaw’s), Whole Foods Market, Target, King Soopers, Harris Teeter, and Sprouts.

The company’s products can also be purchased through e-commerce sites including AmazonFresh, FreshDirect and Peapod.
Lead Photo: Gotham Greens

GoodLeaf Farms Launches Aggressive Expansion Plans

NEWS PROVIDED BY

GoodLeaf Farms

McCain invests in a national network of vertical farms to bring tasty, local food to Canadians

GUELPH, ON, - With the closure of a successful new funding round, GoodLeaf Farms is embarking on an aggressive growth and expansion plan to build a national network of vertical farms that will bring fresh, delicious, nutritious and locally grown leafy greens to Canadians across the country.

Backed by a sizeable investment from McCain Foods Limited — which has increased its total investment in GoodLeaf to more than $65 million ­— GoodLeaf will bring its innovative and proprietary controlled-environment agriculture technology to more Canadian markets over the coming year, providing more Canadian consumers with year-round local food that is typically imported from the Southern United States or Mexico.

"From our start in Truro to our first commercial farm in Guelph, GoodLeaf has built a strong foundation for future growth," says Barry Murchie, Chief Executive Officer of GoodLeaf. "We want to be a global leader in vertical farming. Our first step to accomplishing that is ensuring we have a strong footprint in Canada, giving Canadians access to top quality, nutrient-dense, sustainably grown and pesticide-free leafy greens 365 days a year."

GoodLeaf opened its first commercial vertical farm in Guelph, Ont., in the fall of 2019. By the end of 2021, GoodLeaf is planning two more indoor vertical farms — one to serve the grocery and foodservice networks in Eastern Canada, and one for Western Canada.

The exact locations will be announced shortly.

"It is our intention to build farms that support the Canadian grocery store network, foodservice industry and consumers," says Mr Murchie. "We want to change what people are eating by providing a fresh, healthy and local alternative that, until now, hasn't been available in Canada. We are driving a new way to grow food, with disruptive technology that brings consumers leafy greens from their own backyard. This is a fundamental game-changer."

GoodLeaf's vertical farm grows to produce on hydroponic trays stacked in multiple horizontal levels. A proprietary system of specialized LED lights is engineered to emulate the spring sun, giving plants the light they crave to maximize photosynthesis. The indoor controlled environment is almost clinical, meaning there are no pesticides, herbicides or fungicides used. It is also immune to weather extremes, such as summer droughts or late spring frosts that can be lethal to crops.

Furthermore, having a local source of year-round food is vital to Canada's food security and sovereignty, concerns that were in the spotlight at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic as shoppers were faced with rapidly dwindling supplies on grocery store shelves.

At its 45,000-square-foot Guelph farm, every day GoodLeaf is harvesting microgreens (Spicy Mustard Medley, Asian Blend, Micro Arugula, Micro Radish and Pea Shoots) and baby greens (Ontario Baby Kale, Ontario Baby Arugula and Ontario Spring Mix) for Ontario grocery stores, ensuring a local supply of fresh, nutrient-dense leafy greens all year long.

GoodLeaf produce is exceptional in a salad, as a topping for burgers and sandwiches, as a kick of nutrients in a smoothie or as an ingredient to elevate your favourite dish.

Follow GoodLeaf Farms on Instagram @goodleaffarms and Like it on Facebook at /GoodLeafFarms.

About GoodLeaf Farms:

With a passion for delicious, nutrient-rich greens, GoodLeaf was founded in Truro, NS, in 2011. Using innovative technology and leveraging multi-level vertical farming, GoodLeaf has created a controlled and efficient indoor farm that can grow fresh produce anywhere in the world, 365 days of the year. The system combines innovations in LED lighting with leading-edge hydroponic techniques to produce sustainable, safe, pesticide-free, nutrient-dense leafy greens. GoodLeaf has ongoing R&D Programs in collaboration with the University of Guelph, Dalhousie University and Acadia University.

Learn more at goodleaffarms.com.

About McCain Foods (Canada)

McCain Foods (Canada) is the Canadian division of McCain Foods Limited, an international leader in the frozen food industry. McCain Foods is the world's largest manufacturer of frozen potato specialities, and also produces other quality products such as appetizers, vegetables and desserts that can be found in restaurants and retail stores in more than 160 countries around the world. In Canada, the company has eight production facilities with approximately 2,400 employees and, in addition to its famous French fries and potato specialities, makes frozen desserts, snacks and appetizers.

SOURCE GoodLeaf Farms

For further information: Michelle Hann, Senior Consultant, Digital and Communications, Enterprise Canada, mhann@enterprisecanada.com, 613-716-2118

London Food Bank Is Going Greener With Greenhouse

Nick Paparella CTV News London Reporter

@NPaparellaCTV Contact

Inside the London Food Bank's greenhouse in London, Ont. on Friday, Jan. 29, 2021. (Nick Paparella / CTV News)

LONDON, ONT. -- The outdoors may be covered in a blanket of white in January, but at the London Food Bank these days everything seems to be coming up green.

After a year of planning and with donations from the community, the new greenhouse is bearing fruit - or in this case vegetables.

“This is what Londoners a few years ago wanted more than anything else, to donate funds towards fresh fruits, fresh produce and that's what they have done,” says Glen Pearson from the London Food Bank. “So we've just taken it to a different level so we can grow our own as well.”

The man with the green thumb here is horticulturalist Luis Reyes.

“A couple of weeks ago we received the heaters and since then you can see the growth in only a couple of weeks,” says Reyes.

Like many from the food bank, Reyes is passionate about helping those in need.

“I am a grower and that's what I like to do and now to do it directly to people makes me proud,” he says.

The greenhouse is expected to grow about 15,000 plants a year which amounts to about four tons of food.

“You're not going to get anything fresher than this in a supermarket,“ says Reyes. “So probably you're going to harvest today here and the people or clients are going to receive it tomorrow or the same day.”

In the winter months, they are growing cold-weather plants like lettuce, spinach and even kale, but once summer arrives they will switch to tomatoes, cucumbers and fruit-bearing plants.

Adds Pearson, “It just expands the nutrition we're able to give to other people.”

Start-Up Launches London’s First Delivery Service For Vertically-Farmed Eco-Friendly Greens

Crate To Plate Says All Its Greens Are Picked

Within 24-hours of Being Delivered To Your Door

Crate To Plate grow greens both vertically and horizontally, without soil, inside giant crates on the Isle of Dogs / Crate To Plate

A start-up is offering to deliver vertically-farmed vegetables to Londoners homes within 24 hours of harvesting in a first for the capital.

Crate to Plate, founded by former banker and scion of the supermarket dynasty, Sebastien Sainsbury, currently grows all its leafy greens inside three giant shipping containers on the Isle of Dogs.

The type of indoor farming the start-up uses has been tipped as the future of food production, and investors have spotted the trend.

The company, launched in London earlier this year, grows salad and herbs using hydroponics - which means seeds are grown year-round on vertical and horizontal racks without any soil or pesticides. The amount of water, light and “specially mixed” nutrients each kale or basil plant receives is carefully controlled. 

(Crate To Plate staff include agriculture MA students / Crate To Plate)

The process uses around 95% less water than traditional farming, in a tiny space.  In recent film A Life on Our Planet, David Attenborough recently warned of the critical importance of moving away from exhaustive farming practices to innovative solutions.

At the height of the November lockdown the team - which includes agriculture MA students - branched out into high-end “leafy veg box” deliveries spanning Zones 1-3.  Each delivery is made on electric vehicle.

A £15 variety “farm to table” box will buy you 3 lettuce varieties, 3 bags of other leafy greens and 4 herbs - all harvested within 24-hours of arriving at your door.

Crate To Plate is now planning to expand around the capital. A second site is opening in Elephant & Castle in the new year, and the firms aims to have up to 15 “farms” by 2021. Each will produce up to six tonnes of fresh food per year.

Sainsbury, who previously founded the Hush Restaurant and organic baby food company Goodness Gracious, told the Standard he began exploring the business idea in 2015, after visiting a hydroponic farmer in Canada.

“I’m all about food wattage. One of the reasons I set up this business is for the environmental sustainability element of it. “Now technology has enabled us to move from growing on one row [as on the Canadian farm ] to growing both vertically and horizontally,” he said. Of the veg boxes, he said: “I did a bit of research and Londoners’ searches for ‘where does my food come from?’ increased by 40% in the pandemic.

“The pandemic was an opportunity to focus on home delivery. We’ve been sold out every week.”

“Everyone is talking about 15 minute cities now. Effectively that was what I was talking about - I want everyone to be able to get fresh leafy greens no more than a mile away from where they live.”

Critics of vertical farming have said it is just too expensive a method to realistically become the future of UK farming. But Sainsbury said the team is already working with farmers around the country to get them on board, with the aim of eventually expanding UK-wide. 

By Naomi Ackerman | @nomiackerman

Published by Dani Kliegerman for iGrow.News

“The Future of Agriculture”: Goochland Tech Students Get New Vertical Farms While Demand Grows At Area Food Banks

GOOCHLAND COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — Farm to table has a whole new meaning.

“It’s literally grown, sometimes even harvested and consumed in the same room,” said Meredith Thomas with Babylon Micro-Farms. 

Vertical Farming is one of the fastest growing trends in food production. Some call it the future of agriculture. Now, students at Goochland Tech will get the chance to learn all about it while their local community reaps the benefits. 

In a new partnership between GoochlandCares and Goochland Tech, two new vertical farms have been installed at the high school. According to Babylon Micro-farms, the Charlottesville company who made the farms and installed them in early August, “a single micro-farm takes up only 15 square feet but has the productive capacity around 2,000 square feet.”

The farms are active year-round and all aspects of farming are controlled by a cell phone app. 

“It’s a hydroponic farm designed to take the green thumb out of growing,” Thomas said.

She added this kind of farming is more environmentally sustainable — it uses no soil, no pesticides and roughly 90 percent less water.

“The nutrients and PH are controlled by sensors that check the water every single morning, and add nutrients, or PH balancing solution, or even water,” Thomas said.

Students will be taught about vertical farming while also supplying food to the pantry at GoochlandCares, which distributes food to neighbors in need.

“The pantry will receive both nutritious, locally grown fresh produce year-round and dishes prepared by the students with the harvests from the farms,” said Janet Matthews with Babylon Micro-Farms.

8News has witnessed long lines outside of food banks in our area for months. In Chesterfield on Friday, cars filled two lanes for over half a mile leading up to the Chesterfield Food Bank. That kind of backup has been seen on Ironbridge Road every weekend for the past several months. 

Before COVID-19 spread around the world, the Chesterfield Food Bank was helping anywhere from 8,000 to 12,000 people a month. Now, they say nearly 30,000 people utilize the food bank’s distribution programs each month — with 200 to 400 volunteers offering their help every week.

Chesterfield Food Bank averaging a million meals per month during the pandemic, triples in donations

“The recent COVID-19 pandemic has shown us the weak links in our country’s food distribution system, affecting everyone especially those who are most vulnerable. We hope that this partnership will be a model for many other food pantries to have a reliable in-house resource to provide fresh food,” said Sally Graham, Executive Director of Goochland Cares.

On Wednesday, the food pantry’s manager, Terri Ebright, said her team is “ecstatic” about the food that will be coming in. She said the demand for food has also grown at her pantry during the pandemic. “Our clients are relying on us even more.”

Goochland Tech Culinary Arts instructor David Booth said the new farms are a big deal for students.

“Right now I’ve got five different lettuces in there that I know half my students have never seen or tasted before,” he said. “It’s one of those things you don’t even really have to design a lesson plan around,”

“I just see it as a boundless opportunity. I really do,” Booth said.

You can learn more about how vertical farming works here.

By Alex Thorson

Posted: Sep 16, 2020 / 09:01 PM EDT - Updated: Sep 16, 2020 / 09:19 PM EDT

Berlin-Based Infarm Raises €144 Million During Pandemic To Grow Largest Urban Vertical Farming Network In The World

View fullsize

By Charlotte Tucker

September 17, 2020

View fullsize

Today German startup Infarm, one of the world’s fastest-growing urban farming networks, has announced an approx. €144 million investment raised in the first close of a Series C funding round expected to reach around €169 million. Led by LGT Lightstone, the first round included participation by investors Hanaco, Bonnier, Haniel, and Latitude and was supported by existing Infarm investors Atomico, TriplePoint Capital, Mons Capital, and Astanor Ventures.

Founded in Berlin in 2013 by Osnat Michaeli and the brothers Erez and Guy Galonska, Infarm is dedicated to creating a future where local super fresh produce is available for everyone. The farms are placed in various locations in the city, like supermarkets, restaurants, and distribution centers, so that vegetables grow and are harvested close to the moment of purchase or consumption.

These controlled, growing environments are connected to a central cloud-based farm-brain which gathers more than 50,000 data points through a plant’s lifetime, allowing the platform to learn, adapt and improve itself constantly so that every plant grows better than the one before. This modular, data-driven, and distributed approach — a combination of big data, IoT, and cloud analytics, in addition to rapid growth at a global scale — sets Infarm apart from any other urban farming solution.

With a mix of equity and debt financing, the scaleup’s fresh capital infusion brings Infarm’s total funding to date to more than €254 million, underscoring consumer and retailer appetite for Infarm’s innovative approach to fresh, sustainable and local food production in the wake of this year’s pandemic. By 2025, Infarm’s farming network is expected to reach more than 5,000,000 square feet to become the largest distributed farming network in the world as it builds towards helping cities become self-sufficient in their food production.

The investment will be used to deepen the regional and local reach of Infarm’s global farming network and complete the development of Infarm’s new generation of vertical cloud-connected farms, capable of generating the crop-equivalent of acres of farmland and amplifying the diversity of produce currently available through vertical farming. An integration of advanced engineering, software and farming technology, these farms will save labor, land, water, energy, and food-miles while contributing to a more sustainable food system.

Erez Galonska, Co-founder and CEO of Infarm said: “The coronavirus pandemic has put a global spotlight on the urgent agricultural and ecological challenges of our time. At Infarm, we believe there’s a better, healthier way to feed our cities: increasing access to fresh, pure, sustainable produce, grown as close as possible to people. As we scale to 5,000,000 sq ft in farming facilities across Europe, North American and Asia by 2025, this investment will help us make a truly global impact through our network, preserving the thousands of acres of land, millions of liters of water, and ultimately change the way people grow, eat and think about food.”

View fullsize

In the past 12 months alone, Infarm has formed new partnerships with the world’s largest retailers, including Albert Heijn (Netherlands), Aldi Süd (Germany), COOP/Irma (Denmark), Empire Company Ltd (Sobeys, Safeway, Thrifty Foods – Canada), Kinokuniya (Japan), Kroger (United States), Marks & Spencer (United Kingdom) and Selfridges (United Kingdom), driving market expansion beyond Germany, France, Luxembourg and Switzerland to the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Japan.

With operations across 10 countries and 30 cities worldwide, Infarm harvests 500,000+ plants monthly and growing while using 99.5% less space than soil-based agriculture, 95% less water, 90% less transport and zero chemical pesticides. Today, 90% of electricity use throughout the Infarm network is from renewable energy and the company has set a target to reach zero emission food production next year.

Dharmash Mistry, Partner of LGT Lightstone said: “We are excited to partner with the Infarm team to accelerate their urban vertical farm vision, ultimately creating a more sustainable food system for a growing population. Fresher, tastier & healthier food using 95% less land & water, no pesticides and 90% less transport. With over $1 billion of customer demand, partnerships with 17 of the top 50 global grocers, Infarm is set to revolutionize the market behind a unique ‘demand led’ modular business model. We look forward to working with Erez, Guy & Osnat to create a better, healthier & tastier future.”

Pasha Romanovski, Co-founding Partner of Hanaco Ventures said: “We are big believers in vertical farming as we see the traditional industry going through (much needed) rapid disruption these days. We were deeply impressed by Infarm’s founders and management, with their ability to move fast and execute. What is extremely appealing about Infarm is their innovative and modular approach, using cutting edge technology that unlocks added value throughout the supply chain, benefiting both the retailers and end-customers. We see a massive demand in the market for sustainable, environment-friendly, and healthy food – and Infarm has just the right team in place to make this happen.”

GreenFactory Emirates: The Largest Indoor Farm In The World To Be Developed In Abu Dhabi

Barendrecht (The Netherlands) and Abu Dhabi (UAE)
September 22, 2020

A joint venture between GrowGroup IFS from Barendrecht (The Netherlands) and RainMakers Capital Investment LLC from Abu Dhabi (UAE) will build the largest indoor farm in the world in the desert of Abu Dhabi. The GreenFactory Emirates will produce 10,000 tons of fresh produce per year on a plot of 17.5 hectares and a cultivation area of 160,000 square meters.

GreenFactory Emirates will develop an innovative indoor farming with the world's most advanced indoor growing system from The Netherlands. It is a combination of vertical and flat farming and solves the normal cultivation restrictions due to extreme climates in regions as the UAE. The facility will involve numerous leading agro-technological companies in its construction as best of breed for each component will be sourced through top-tier Dutch companies. It is now possible to cultivate high-quality vegetables 100% pesticide-free, all year round and anywhere on the planet: “Quality of Holland – Local Grown.” From seeding, harvesting, processing to "ready to eat" products will take place under one roof.

The joint venture also plans to build other indoor farms in other regions of the world where extreme climates are a challenge to normal cultivation.

Water, Co2, and waste

The GreenFactory will be saving 95% of water consumption as opposed to standard methods of cultivation as well as reducing its Co2 footprint up to 40%. By growing fresh produce locally, GreenFactory Emirates will also contribute to reducing waste in various other areas. Its contribution to slowly reducing reliance on fresh foods imports will in turn reduce waste of produce occurring during the transport process while reducing logistical traffic.

Research and development

GreenFactory Emirates will include a built-in research and development component that will help ramp up the production beyond the 56 current varieties of lettuces, leafy greens, herbs, and kale. It will also optimize its production by collecting real-time data to inform future global expansion of indoor farming. With confirmed partnerships with GAAS Wageningen and Delphy in The Netherlands, GreenFactory will benefit from live feedback provided by some of the best students and Academia in the field.

Food security

Food security is high on the UAE’s agenda. The country aims to be number 1 on the Global Food Security Index by 2051. In 2019, the UAE ranked on the 21st place on the Index, jumping an impressive 10 places from number 31 in 2018. Boosting local production and creating an enabling environment for agri-tech is a top priority for the government. The UAE strives to become a knowledge hub with regards to food production in heat, high humidity, and high salinity soil. The private sector (supermarket chains and the hospitality industry) has also set ambitious targets for itself in order to sell more local produce.

Partnership

The partnership between GrowGroup and rainMKRS is initiated and a result of an introduction made by the Embassy of the Kingdom of The Netherlands in the United Arab Emirates and the Monarch Group which has played an instrumental role in seeking opportunities and nurturing relationships.

Expo 2020 Dubai

The total project amounting to 650M AED (150M EURO) is planned in different phases in 3 years. Phase 1 will be operational before Expo 2020 Dubai in October 2021, so GreenFactory Emirates can show the world its innovations. A kick-off for more similar projects and innovations worldwide.

View fullsize

GrowGroup IFS

GrowGroup IFS (Innovative Farming Solutions), founded by CEO John Breedveld in Barendrecht in The Netherlands, is specialized in developing indoor farming based on the most advanced Dutch innovative farming solutions, especially in regions where normal cultivation is restricted by extreme climate and or limited space.

rainMKRS Capital Investment LLC

View fullsize

With offices in Abu Dhabi (UAE) and Montreal (Canada), rainMKRS is an entrepreneurial catalyst co-founded by a group of Emirati and Canadian entrepreneurs. Led by Mohamed Jouan Al-Dhaheri, Sultan Al-Nassour, Sebastien Leblond, and Jonathan Mérineau Gosselin, rainMKRS brings together the world’s most impactful companies and projects in the food and agriculture sector and UAE’s economic, educational, and investment stakeholders. rainMKRS’ objective is to help bridge the gap between these stakeholders in order to accelerate the progress on critical and strategic components in support of the UAE desire to achieve food security.

GreenFactory Emirates is its first of many initiatives in the field.

Pure Harvest Invests In Kuwait

View fullsize

BY TOM JOYCE

8th September 2020

The Abu Dhabi-based agri-tech company has entered into an agreement to supply fresh fruit and vegetables to Kuwaiti retailer the Sultan Centre

View fullsize

Pure Harvest co-founder and chief executive Sky Kurtz

Abu Dhabi-based agri-tech firm Pure Harvest Smart Farms has announced plans to invest over €30m (Dh130m) in the construction of a hi-tech, climate-controlled farm in Kuwait.

The facility will supply locally grown, premium quality fresh fruit and vegetables all year round to the Sultan Centre (TSC), one of Kuwait's largest independent retailers, which also has stores in Oman, Jordan, and Bahrain.

A shared visitor's center will demonstrate Smart Harvest's technology to customers, showing how produce can be cultivated in harsh environments, utilizing up to 90 percent less water than conventional agriculture.

“There has never been a more pressing time to invest in food innovation in the region," said Khadija Oubala, chief executive at TSC. "The region’s longstanding dependence on imports paired with a growing demand for fresh produce highlight the importance of local farming. Pure Harvest is developing a state-of-the-art local farm that can provide organic fruits and vegetables fresh from the farm to TSC stores. We are committed to providing quality, variety, value, and services that customers demand, and investing in homegrown fresh produce is the way forward.”

Even prior to the Covid-19 outbreak, food security had become a major priority for Gulf nations. According to Chatham House, GCC states presently import up to 90 percent of the food they consume.

“We are investing heavily to reinvent our offering to better serve our customers," explained Nicolas Allan, chief operating officer at TSC. "TSC’s commitment to this off-take partnership with Pure Harvest is designed to meet the demands of our customers to deliver premium quality, locally-grown, and pesticide residue-free fresh produce at affordable prices. We are investing before the growing system is built, which enables our partner to scale but also helps to eliminate waste in the value chain, including freight costs, which ultimately benefits our customers in the form of value-for-money."

In 2018, Pure Harvest produced its first greenhouse tomatoes and has since been experimenting with greens and berries.
Sky Kurtz, co-founder and chief executive of Pure Harvest Smart Farms, commented: “Through this partnership, together TSC and Pure Harvest further food security, water conservation, economic diversification and sustainability within Kuwait and the region.”

Pure Harvest recently secured a multi-stage investment commitment worth more than US$100m from Wafra International Investment Company to drive the research, development, and deployment of advanced controlled environment agriculture solutions in Kuwait and across the region. The company is also currently expanding its capacity in the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

Food Revolution With Dubai Vertical Farms

View fullsize

Zubina Ahmed

September 4, 2020

View fullsize

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.

View fullsize

"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." 

View fullsize

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

Netled Partners Up With Agritech Start-Up Vertigo Farms – A Focus On New Kinds of Vertical Farming Applications

26th August 2020 by johannak

Netled and a Polish agritech start-up Vertigo Farms have announced a new technology partnership. Vertigo Farms will use Netled’s Vera® vertical farming technology in its indoor growing projects. The collaboration has already started, and the goal is to have the first plants growing at the beginning of 2021.

Vertigo Farms is the first publicly known European actor to produce natural extracts from plants grown indoors. Mainly herbs are grown and processed in a sustainable manner with no use of chemicals, all-year-round, regardless of weather conditions.

“At Vertigo Farms, we believe that vertical farming serves the future not only for direct consumption purposes, but it may also serve as base for highest quality natural extracts for food, cosmetics and pharma industries”, comments Dawid Drzewiecki, the CEO of Vertigo Farms.

The company works with research laboratories and universities to develop methods for optimal conditions and nutrition of plants to boost their growth. Each type of plant requires a different approach. For start, the company will experiment with Safflower, Lovage, and Opium poppy, but there will be more species along the way.

Niko Kivioja, CEO of Netled, comments the newly formed partnership: “Vertigo Farms has a very interesting approach to produce natural extracts. Netled is proud to be Vertigo’s technology partner. In addition to this, our crop specialist team is especially excited to have insight into the new, more exotic plants growing in a vertical farming environment. Globally, we see massive opportunities to produce crops which have very high-quality standards in vertical farms, alongside the more common leafy greens.”

The mission of Vertigo Farms is to process and deliver the highest quality natural ingredients with the use of state-of-the-art solutions. Thus, the goal is a great fit with Netled, as the company aims to provide the best technology, expertise, and guidance for vertical farming projects and actors all around the globe.

Read more about Netled’s Vera® Vertical Farm: https://netled.fi/vertical-farming-vera/ 

Read more about Vertigo Farms: http://vertigofarms.eu/

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Share

Filed Under: NewsTagged With: indoor farming, indoor farming technology, indoor growing, sustainable growing, vertical farm, vertical farming, vertical farming expertise, vertical farming technique, vertical farming technology

Plants That Can Be Grown In Hydroponic Greenhouse

View fullsize

Abhijeet Banerjee 

31 August 2020

Most of us will know that Hydroponics is a type of “Soil-less” culture, which is a method of growing plants without soil, by using mineral nutrient solutions in a water solvent. It comes under the Horticulture discipline and has many advantages, one of them being a decrease in water usage. This method is considered as superior methods of cultivation when compared with the traditional soil-based cultivation method. In comparison to farming on the soil, the Hydroponic cultivation method requires about 80-90% lesser quantity of water.

Vegetables grown under Hydroponic set up are in high demand, and the trend for seeking vegetables/fruits grown through this method is rising every year.  This system is beneficial in enabling growers to produce fresh and healthy vegetables on a controlled and consistent basis. When compared with cultivation under the soil, Hydroponics is one of the most water-efficient methods. Since the system can be designed and built according to the space available, it can be inferred that in case of lesser space, it is not a matter of concern generally. If you believe in experimenting with farming, then growing plants with the hydroponics method is most likely to catch your attention.

If new to hydroponics then is advisable to select those vegetables and plants that most growers have produced successfully. Studies and feedback from successful growers convey the possibility of larger yields through Hydroponic greenhouses than a traditional greenhouse. Here it will be important to consider that in order to maximize the chances of successful production the grower must understand which plants to grow under this method.

One should be aware of some facts that few plants may spread out too much to grow properly in a hydroponic greenhouse, and few others may be suited to cooler weather, hence may not survive under high temperatures. Also, one should also have knowledge about plants that need special attention, when growing in a Hydroponic greenhouse. There is the easy availability of the raw materials and supplies for hydroponic systems in the online and offline markets. Hydroponics not only helps a grower in designing its own system, but it also offers the opportunity to produce fresh and healthy vegetables for the entire year. Now let us know which plants can be grown in a Hydroponic Greenhouse:

Related Links

• Is Hydroponics a Better Cultivation Method than Aeroponics?

View fullsize

Strawberries

This type of cultivation environment is suitable for strawberries. The usual layout of the hydroponic greenhouses comfortably accommodates the fruit. Depending upon the size of the berry and desired sweetness level, there are lots of varieties to choose from.

Potatoes

Hydroponic systems can support the growth of potatoes and other root crops as well.  But they should be provided sufficient depth to grow adequately. This is because there is a lot of growth in the root area, in addition to growth in stems and foliage. So if these plants are grown in lesser space, overall growth will be restricted. One can prefer smaller varieties of the root crops, in order to provide sufficient depth.

Tomatoes

Tomatoes grow well under this method.  In the case of tomatoes, it is necessary to provide them a support system, similar to when cultivated in a traditional greenhouse or home garden set up.

Mint

Mint needs wet weather to grow therefore in Hydroponic greenhouses one has a greater option to choose lot many varieties. Mints should be given enough space as they spread quite a bit. With this method you can easily grow any type of mint – be it peppermint, spearmint, ginger mint etc.

Basil

Basil is a herb and can be grown in the hydroponic setup. The moist conditions provided to the herb through this system are beneficial in enhancing the herb’s flavor. Like other plants, the yield is most likely to increase using hydroponic methods of cultivation.

Lettuce

There are various types of lettuce providing different flavors. Normally the iceberg is commonly produced variety but when it comes to growing hydroponically, once can think of growing romaine, sweet butter and many more varieties, to be used in your salad menu.

Cabbage

Cabbage needs cooler temperature for proper growth, hence suitable for growing hydroponically. One may be required to adjust growing conditions for the cool weather vegetables. This would imply that it will be necessary to grow the plants according to their natural seasons. One can change the temperature settings in your greenhouse as per the crops decided for cultivation.

Green Beans

Normally the Bush-style green beans adjust quite well with the typical conditions set up in a hydroponic system, although pole beans can be grown as well. Also, the size of bush-style beans is convenient to manage versus pole beans.

Plants that require Additional Care in Hydroponic Greenhouse  

Watermelon, other melons, squash, and corn are some of these vegetables which occupy greater space to grow, making it difficult to thrive well in Hydroponic greenhouses. Therefore these plants need growers addition care like pruning on a regular basis. Few varieties of pumpkin varieties allowed for the space they need. This is done by planting them outside where they can spread and increase in size accordingly.  

Many plants have both male and female flowers on them therefore need the bees to pollinate them. Hydroponic setups do not have bees inside the structure, so cultivating these plants are a bit labor-intensive. Nevertheless, if the task of pollinating these plants is done by the grower himself, then chances of proper growth will be higher.

Four Storeys Up, A Commercial Vegetable Garden Thrives In A Converted Sears Warehouse

View fullsize

DAVID ISRAELS

SPECIAL TO THE GLOBE AND MAIL

SEPTEMBER 1, 2020

View fullsize

The Lufa greenhouse sits atop a former Sears warehouse in Montreal's St-Laurent neighbourhood.

CHRISTINNE MUSCHI/THE GLOBE AND MAIL

In the industrial part of Montreal’s St-Laurent area, it can be hard to distinguish the bulky buildings from one another, except for one – the roof sticks out like a green thumb.

It’s a great glass greenhouse roof atop a former Sears warehouse – a giant vegetable garden, said by its creators to be the world’s biggest commercial rooftop greenhouse.

The 163,000-square-foot garden, which opened last week, is the equivalent of nearly three football fields worth of food. To date, it is the fourth and biggest commercial facility for Montreal-based Lufa Farms.

Lufa is already well known among local “Lufavores” – foodies, restaurants, and alterna-living people in the Montreal area, who value its fresh tomatoes, eggplants, and vegetables, as well as the produce it gathers from local farmers.

Growing food on roofs represents the future of farming, especially in these pandemic times, says Mohamed Hage, Lufa’s chief executive officer, who co-founded the company with his wife, Lauren Rathmell.“

When we looked at how to grow where people live, we realized that there was only one option – rooftops. It’s not sustainable to always be trucking food in from across the continent or shipping from all over the world,” Mr. Hage says.

The new building was planned and construction began well before COVID-19 hit the world, but it offers a strong response to the pandemic, he explains.“

In March 2020, we saw a doubling of demand for our food. Growing food locally on rooftops and sourcing from local farming families allows us to swiftly adjust and respond to this demand,” he says.

View fullsize

An employee works inside the Lufa greenhouse. | HANDOUT

Co-founder Ms. Rathmell, who is also Lufa’s greenhouse director, says it took three months to build the St-Laurent facility and grow the site.“That would normally have taken years,” she says.

“In response to COVID-19, we enacted stringent safety protocols early on, launched seven-day service, tripled our home-delivery capacity, and launched new software tools,” she says. The company also brought in more than 200 new team members, 35 new local farmers and food makers, and 30,000 new Lufavores customers.

Lufa’s new staff includes two full-time nurses to take workers’ temperatures as well as “social-distancing police” to walk around and make sure workers aren’t too close to one another, Mr. Hage says. The company has also boosted the frequency of its air exchange in all of its facilities, including the new one.

Designing and building a rooftop greenhouse is challenging, Mr. Hage says. Although some of the preparation required is not much different than getting any equipment onto a roof, some of the prep work up there is more complicated, he says.“

We have to meet national building codes, and of course, everything for the greenhouse needs to be hauled up to the roof on a crane,” he says. “Yet once it’s there, you have to do a lot of stuff manually rather than mechanically. All of this is harder than it would be to do on the ground.”

It’s also expensive. “This greenhouse costs two times as much as a ground-based greenhouse,” he says. Lufa declines to give out the cost of this latest project but says the first of its four facilities, built 10 years ago, cost $2.2-million.

Using buildings for farming is catching on, says Mike Zelkind, co-founder of 80 Acres Farms in Cincinnati, Ohio, which also operates building-based facilities in Arkansas, North Carolina, and New York.

“A field can be the least efficient place to grow food,” he says. “An indoor farm can produce more than 300 times more food, with 100-per-cent renewable energy and 97 percent less water. That’s the beauty of growing in buildings.

View fullsize

Montreal-area foodies value Lufa's fresh tomatoes, eggplants and various other vegetables. HANDOUT

”Similarly, in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., up the Hudson River from New York City, restaurateur, food-truck owner, and chef John Lekic pivoted as the COVID-19 lockdowns spread to launch an indoor farming business called Farmers & Chefs.“

“We use technology from an Israeli company called Vertical Field that was being showcased at the Culinary Institute of America, which is nearby,” he says. The Israeli company supplies all the materials to grow some 200 different crops on roofs and in parking lots with minimal experience required.“

We planted and installed a container in March and our first harvest was in April, Mr. Lekic says. “We’re learning fast, but it’s an easy way to grow herbs and produce.”

”Mr. Hage agrees, adding that “rooftops are superior places for an urban farm.”

“When we started [in 2009], we considered leasing parking lots for growing, but no one wanted to give them up,” he recalls. “But for most commercial building owners, rooftops are unloved – they leak, they have to be maintained and, in a cold climate like ours, you have to clean off the snow. A commercial rooftop greenhouse is a solution.”

The new St-Laurent project gives Lufa a total of about 300,000 square feet of agricultural production, and the company plans to eventually expand into Southern Ontario and the U.S. northeast.

Mr. Hage points out that a rooftop greenhouse also makes great sense in terms of environmental sustainability and reducing energy and carbon emissions.“

“We don’t use pesticides and our greenhouses use half the energy that a greenhouse at ground level would consume because we use heating from the building that rises up to the roof,” he explains.

“The biggest challenge is not the greenhouse space – who doesn’t want to walk around in a warm sunny greenhouse when it’s 20 below outside? The challenge is maximizing the warehouse space below the greenhouse,” he says.

“We’re growing so many tomatoes that the warehouses never seem to be big enough to store them.”

Urban farming in Canada is still a niche in a nationwide food industry that is primarily export-based, and accounts for 12 percent, or $62.5-billion, of Canada’s total exports every year, says Claire Citeau, executive director of the Canadian Agri-Food Trade Alliance (CAFTA).

But in a post-COVID-19 world, every bit of food production counts, she says. “We continue to see the adoption of science, technology, and innovative ways to feed people and create new economic opportunities at home and abroad.”

And if that’s not enough, just look at the place, Mr. Hage says. “Boy, do I like driving by – it sticks out like a crystal,” he says. “And when you go inside, it’s like being in a spa.”

TOPICS AGRICULTURE CORONAVIRUS GREENHOUSE MONTREAL ORGANIC FOOD

Doctor Grows Vegetables For Antarctic Team

View fullsize

By Tian Shengjie

2020-08-28       

Dr. Hu Miao, from Shanghai East Hospital, has been working at China’s Great Wall Station in the Antarctic since December 4.

As this year’s doctor in the polar region, Hu not only treats scientific investigation team members if they get sick but also grows vegetables.

Vegetables contain vitamins that are necessary for health, he says.

View fullsize

Various types of vegetables are grown in the greenhouse in the Antarctic. | Ti Gong

However, due to the extreme climate, it is rare to see the natural development of plants.

Hu said: “The weather is terrible with heavy snow and high winds even if it is summer in the Antarctic.”

Eating fresh vegetables was just a dream of the team members.

However, that dream became reality after a greenhouse was established at the Great Wall Station in 2015.

Several types of vegetables are grown in the greenhouse now, such as squashes, pumpkins, and pak choi, or Chinese cabbage, Hu said.

He added: “There are over 10 people at the station and everyone can eat a cucumber every two days.”

View fullsize

Plants thrive in the ideal environment of the greenhouse. | Ti Gong

The 36-square-meter greenhouse is made of transparent plastic sheets of the type usually for aircraft windows. It can allow 90 percent light to pass through.

There’s artificial lighting, automatic irrigation, and heating to provide the best environment for the plants to grow, said Shu Yu, one of its developers.

Because of aged circuits, the greenhouse burst into flames in 2018. This year, it has been repaired and renovated with more areas to grow and purple lights to strengthen photosynthesis.

The hospital has sent eight medical workers to the Antarctic and Arctic since 2015.

Source: SHINE   Editor: Yang Meiping

Lead photo: Hu Miao harvests vegetables grown in the Antarctic greenhouse.

Future of Farming: Vertical Harvest Announces Plans For New Location In Westbrook, Maine

Maine’s first vertical farm, Vertical Harvest, is dedicated to jobs serving the underemployed population and enhancing community access to exceptional farm-fresh foods year-round using less land, water, and fuel

Westbrook, Maine (July 28, 2020) – Born from the creative minds of a group of women in Jackson Hole, Vertical Harvest became the first vertical greenhouse in the United States. In the last four years, Vertical Harvest has perfected the urban farm model and will bring their second location to Westbrook, Maine. The project will start construction in 2021 in partnership with the City of Westbrook.

Vertical farming is a growing industry that uses environmentally sound practices to produce nutrient-dense food grown locally year-round, and yields more crops per-square-foot than traditional farming. Vertical Harvest has a company mission to grow both food and futures. The company pairs innovative growing technologies of vertical farming with jobs for the underemployed population in what has been proven in Jackson to be a successful model for uplifting local economies, providing fresh nutritious produce to schools, hospitals, restaurants, markets, and consumers, and embodies a commitment to civic participation, health, and the environment.

View fullsize

Co-founder Nona Yehia stated, “We have felt a kinship with Maine for quite some time. At our beginning stages 10 years ago, Vertical Harvest Jackson engaged the same engineer as Backyard Farms in Madison, Maine. Wyoming and Maine have more in common than just a four-to-five month grow season and drastic seasonal climates – they have polar rural and urban areas, there is deep-rooted respect for the environment, the farming and food communities are a source of pride, and there is a sense of responsibility to serve the job and food insecure population. With our second location for Vertical Harvest, we feel honored to become a part of this special state and Westbrook community.”

View fullsize

Pictured: Co-founders Nona Yehia (right) and Caroline Estay (left)

Vertical Harvest will generally not compete with local Maine growers. Instead, the farm lowers the need for out-of-state produce imports into Maine (representing over 90 percent of the State’s consumption), and the out-of-state jobs these imports benefit, thereby helping to strengthen the overall business base of Maine’s economy. Vertical Harvest will also support local businesses for its growing supplies, increase food security, and be part of the solution to fulfill objectives for the Maine State Economic Plan focusing on talent and innovation. In addition, Vertical Harvest will strengthen the Maine businesses it will serve by providing a stable, consistent source of produce, year-round at competitive prices.

Co-founder Caroline Estay said, “At Vertical Harvest, we have reimagined the food systems and the jobs they create to make them more nourishing, resilient, and sustainable. Maine has an impressive history of changemakers in the food and farming industry and inspiring culinary thought leaders – we are excited to bring Vertical Harvest to Westbrook and work alongside valued community members in these industries and beyond.”

The company anticipates bringing 50 full-time equivalent jobs to Westbrook, in addition to currently working with Portland-based architect and engineering firm, Harriman (in partnership with GYDE Architects in Jackson, WY where Nona Yehia is partner/co-founder).

City of Westbrook Mayor Michael Foley stated, “This exceptional mixed-use project, anchored by Vertical Harvest’s four-story greenhouse, will provide significant private commercial investment and job creation, expanded residential presence and expansion of free public parking to support growth and development of other businesses in our downtown. We are excited about the partnership and welcome Vertical Harvest to the City of Westbrook. “

View fullsize

Pictured: New employees get an orientation tour at Vertical Harvest Jackson Hole (L); two employees harvest produce in the greenhouse (R).

The 70,000 square-foot Vertical Harvest Westbrook located on Mechanic Street will initially grow a variety of microgreens and lettuces. It’s estimated this vertical farm will produce a million pounds of produce per year. In addition to wholesale partnerships with hospitals, corporate cafeterias, schools, chefs, restaurants, caterers and more, the Westbrook location will also have a consumer marketplace and plans for a presence at farmer’s markets.

View fullsize

Pictured L to R: Varieties of microgreens and lettuces grow in the Vertical Harvest flagship, Jackson Hole. Microgreen Kale (middle) is packaged for consumers.

For more information please follow @verticalharvest on Instagram, Facebook, and visit www.verticalharvestjackson.com

###

About Vertical Harvest:

Vertical Harvest is a vertical farm that provides consistent, meaningful employment for people with intellectual and physical disabilities by cultivating nutritious food for the community. The Vertical Harvest company's impact is much larger, joining private investment, public resources, and philanthropy as a model to create positive economic and social impact for communities. Vertical Harvest’s focus is to create partnerships to build cost-effective, profitable hydroponic farms that will not only act as innovative urban models for growing fresh food but will have a substantial social impact. The first of these is a state-of-the-art, three-story hydroponic farm in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

The second location will be in Westbrook, Maine. In 2020, a documentary on Vertical Harvest was released on PBS called Hearts of Glass: https://www.heartsofglassfilm.com/

View fullsize

About Vertical Farming:

Vertical farming is an industry that can work to supplement traditional agriculture by developing controlled indoor growing environments that save space, water, and energy use. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that by 2050 the human population will increase by 3 billion people demanding a 70% increase in agricultural production. Globally, over 80% of arable land is in use. At the same time, food deserts, where affordable and healthy food is difficult to obtain, are becoming more common in urban neighborhoods. Hydroponic agriculture uses a fraction of the water and energy of field agriculture.

Additional Press:

Farms that grow up—rather than spread out

Vertical Harvest seeks to grow jobs for disabled in city

World's Biggest Rooftop Greenhouse Opens In Montreal

Lufa Farms just opened what it says is the world’s largest commercial rooftop greenhouse, seen in this aerial photo in Montreal

26 Aug 2020

MONTREAL: Building on a new hanging garden trend, a greenhouse atop a Montreal warehouse growing eggplants and tomatoes to meet demand for locally sourced foods has set a record as the largest in the world.

It's not an obvious choice of location to cultivate organic vegetables -- in the heart of Canada's second-largest city -- but Lufa Farms on Wednesday inaugurates the facility that spans 15,000 square metres, or about the size of three football fields.

"The company's mission is to grow food where people live and in a sustainable way," spokesman Thibault Sorret told AFP, as he showed off its first harvest of giant eggplants.

It is the fourth rooftop greenhouse the company has erected in the city. The first, built in 2011 at a cost of more than C$2 million (US$1.5 million), broke new ground.

Since then, competitors picked up and ran with the novel idea, including American Gotham Greens, which constructed eight greenhouses on roofs in New York, Chicago and Denver, and French Urban Nature, which is planning one in Paris in 2022.

A local Montreal supermarket has also offered since 2017 an assortment of vegetables grown on its roof, which was "greened" in order to cut greenhouse gas emissions linked to climate change.

'Reinventing the food system'

Lebanese-born Mohamed Hage and his wife Lauren Rathmell, an American from neighboring Vermont, founded Lufa Farms in 2009 with the ambition of "reinventing the food system."

At Lufa, about 100 varieties of vegetables and herbs are grown year-round in hydroponic containers lined with coconut coir and fed liquid nutrients, including lettuce, cucumbers, zucchini, bok choy, celery and sprouts.

Bumblebees pollinate the plants, while wasps and ladybugs keep aphids in check, without the need for pesticides.

Enough vegetables are harvested each week to feed 20,000 families, with baskets tailored for each at a base price of C$30.

The company's "online market" also sells goods produced by local partner farms including "bread, pasta, rice, etcetera," Sorret said.

On the ground floor of the new greenhouse, a huge distribution center brings together nearly 2,000 grocery products for offer to "Lufavores," including restaurants.

Shopper Catherine Bonin tells AFP she loves the freshness of the produce but laments that some items are always out of stock. "I can never get peppers," she says.

Sales doubled during pandemic

"We are now able to feed almost two percent of Montreal with our greenhouses and our partner farms," said Sorret.

"The advantage of being on a roof is that you recover a lot of energy from the bottom of the building," allowing considerable savings in heating, an asset during the harsh Quebec winter, he explains.

"We also put to use spaces that were until now completely unused," he said.

Fully automated, the new greenhouse also has a water system that collects and reuses rainwater, resulting in savings of "up to 90 percent" compared to a traditional farm.

Lufa "more than doubled" its sales during the new coronavirus pandemic, a jump attributable "to contactless delivery from our online site," says Sorret.

Profitable since 2016, the private company now employs 500 people, around 200 more than before the pandemic, according to him.

It is currently working on the electrification of its fleet of delivery trucks and is in the process of exporting its model "to different cities around the world," starting with Canada and the United States, Sorret said.

"What's a little crazy," he recalls, is that none of the founders "had grown a tomato in their life" before opening the business.

PODCAST: Vertical Farming - Fork Farms: Growing Food For Positive Change - Alex Tyink

Alex Tyink is the President of Fork Farms, an organization that started on the principle that growing fresh and healthy food is a vehicle for positive change in the world. It is their belief that having consistent access to the freshest, highest quality food is a human right. Join Harry Duran, host of Vertical Farming Podcast, as he and Alex discuss Alex’s unorthodox path to entrepreneurship, hydroponic farming and the impact Covid-19 has had on Alex’s business, Fork Farms.

Click on the Above Image to Access the August 25th, 2020 Podcast

Key Takeaways

02:54 – Alex expounds on the impact Covid-19 has had on his business, Fork Farms, and how he got involved in AgTech

13:02 – Where Alex got his entrepreneurial drive and motivation and Alex’s experience moving to NYC

20:12 – Alex breaks down the business model of Fork Farms, the curriculum package they offer and the idea behind Flex Farm

32:28 – What Alex has learned throughout his entrepreneurial journey in AgTech

37:55 – Challenges and obstacles Alex has had to overcome as he continues to grow his team and business

43:14 – Alex talks about what excites him the most about the future of Fork Farms, AgTech, and a tough question he had to ask himself recently

50:29 – Harry thanks Alex for joining the show and let’s listeners know where they can connect and engage with Alex and Fork Farms

AeroFarms Helps Reduce Food Waste With New Partnership With Table to Table and Matriark Foods

AeroFarms Helps Reduce Food Waste with New Partnership with Table to Table and Matriark Foods Through New FarmPlus to People Program, funded by ReFED COVID-19 Food Waste Solutions Fund

AeroFarms is proud to support the new FarmPlus to People program, an innovative partnership with Matriark Foods and to upcycle farm surplus into a healthy, added-value vegetable stew for distribution to the hungry in New Jersey.

Matriark Foods and Table to Table were awarded a $50,000 grant from ReFED COVID-19 Food Waste Solutions Fund  to pilot a processing program that pays farmers, creates jobs, diverts vegetables from landfill, feeds the hungry, and proves out the metrics for nimble processing infrastructure. The goal is to deliver 500,000+ meals​ and ​offset 1,000,000+ pounds of greenhouse gases over the next 90 days.

With its global headquarter and farms in Newark NJ, AeroFarms is excited to be able to provide delicious, healthy stems and greens from a second-harvest that normally would be left in the traditional field. AeroFarms pioneering indoor vertical farming allows access to the entire root to leaf to create upcycled products that are breaking through for their culinary flavor and nutrition.

The nutritious, tasty vegetable stew ​will be distributed to the hungry​ using Table to Table’s established logistics capability and large network of agencies in Bergen, Essex, Passaic and Hudson Counties in New Jersey.

The Covid19 pandemic has increased the challenges of accessibility and availability for much-needed fresh food, straining food system logistics of storage and distribution resulting in an increase in food waste at a time when so many are in need.​ We are thrilled for the opportunity to partner with such extraordinary organizations who will help us provide an alternative source of nutritious produce. ReFED’s commitment to this project will have a significant impact on our ability to feed our hungry neighbors, while keeping a little less food from ending up in our landfills.” said Ilene Isaacs, Executive Director of Table to Table.

“The goal of this public/private partnership pilot is to demonstrate that with the existence of more nimble food processing, massive amounts of food waste could be diverted from landfill while providing jobs, nutritious food for those who need it, and offsetting GHGs at scale,” states ​Anna Hammond, Founder and CEO of Matriark Foods.​ “We plan to optimize the use of the ReFED grant to inspire investment in scaling our model for the benefit of people and the environment.”

“AeroFarms is proud to partner with Table to Table and Matriark to help provide fresh, nutritious, delicious leafy greens and stems and serve our communities struggling with food insecurity. As a Certified B Corporation, we are committed to helping increase access to fresh, healthy, great tasting food while minimizing food waste, a huge contributor to climate change. “​Marc Oshima, Co-Founder & Chief Marketing Officer, AeroFarms

“We’re thrilled to collaborate with Matriark and Table to Table to divert high quality produce at risk of going to waste to those who need it most. In particular, we see enormous value in demonstrating a proof of concept for in-time processing of surplus produce, a development that has the potential to build capacity for a food waste reduction strategy that has remained elusive due to lack of nimble processing infrastructure.” ​Anya Ranganathan, Co-Founder, Bad Apple Produce

“COVID-19 has disrupted the regular flow of the food supply chain, making it difficult to get fresh, healthy food to the people who need it most and increasing the amount of food insecurity,” said Alexandria Coari, Capital and Innovation Director at ReFED,​ a national nonprofit working to advance solutions to reduce the amount of food waste. “The work of organizations like Table to Table and Matriark Foods is urgent, and we’re excited to get them the critical support they need from the ReFED COVID-19 Food Waste Solutions Fund.”

Hydroponics – The Pros And Cons of Growing In Soilless Medium

View fullsize

Posted by: Alejandro Gutierrez

Hydroponics is the practice of growing food with no soil involved. Hydroponic operations may bring food to places where it would be difficult to obtain. It may also assist in the flaws of our current food system.

In 2018, the CDC and the FDA issued two safety alerts for Romaine Lettuce in seven months. Consumers across the United States were urged to avoid Romaine lettuce because of E. coli infection concerns. It took weeks for the FDA to announce that the agency found the source of the contamination. The advisory prompted many food stores, including Whole Foods to remove all Romaine lettuce from their shelves.

View fullsize

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay;

Situations like these are scary for consumers. And not surprisingly, they’re also angry. People are frustrated about how little they know about the source of fresh produce they buy at grocery stores. Urban farming ventures are taking advantage of concerns about the safety of fresh food. Food miles also become relevant. Consumers desire to avoid fresh food that may have been grown with unfavorable conditions. In some cases, pesticide drift from near farms also poses a threat.

Hydroponics offers an answer and a solution to all these concerns. And it presents an opportunity for healthy and eco-conscious people to gain control over the source of their fresh food.

View fullsize

Photo by Harits Mustya Pratama on Unsplash

Let’s look at the pros and cons of hydroponics. We’ll look at the advantages and disadvantages that apply to urban farming companies catering to local consumers. Followed by those to home gardeners who are involved in hydroponics on a vastly smaller scale.

The Pros and Cons of Hydroponics for Urban Farms

Advantages

• In many cities, urban farms bring business to abandoned buildings and decaying neighborhoods. Their presence benefits the area and encourages the restoration of unused and abandoned buildings.

• Urban farms create jobs in areas with limited or non-existent job opportunities.

• Hydroponic growing offers training opportunities for young people in the community, providing skills they can be used in later life.

• Community growing brings fresh food to “food deserts,” eliminating the excuse that area residents had for not eating healthier foods.

• Growing hydroponically within the city gives people access to locally grown food that doesn’t have to travel so far.

• Food grown on urban farms is picked at the peak of freshness, so it’s higher in nutrition.

• Urban farms lower the carbon footprint of food production. Because they use so water efficiently, hydroponic systems are far eco-friendlier. And the food doesn’t have to travel as far. The use of LED lights increases the energy-efficiency of hydroponic systems.

• Government officials have instant access to information about hydroponic produce and its path from the controlled environment to the consumer.

• Consumers have the assurance that there won’t be any problems with bacterial contamination. They can trust the source of the produce they buy.

• Access to high-quality fresh, locally grown produce means that they don’t have to buy more than they can use. This ensures they’re not wasting food or throwing money away.

• Hydroponics eliminates the need to use chemical pesticides and insecticides

• Photo by Nolan Issac on Unsplash

• Photo by Fitleaf

Empty/Abandoned warehouse has the potential for Hydroponic Growing

Disadvantages

• Urban agriculture doesn’t solve the problems of gang violence and crime in low-income neighborhoods but it’s a great start.

• Businesses that want to establish urban farms in big cities have to go through lengthy applications. From the business license to the zoning permit, it may be a tedious process.

• An urban agriculture venture isn’t likely to bring lots of jobs to the community in the short run. It is not until it establishes itself that results come in the long-run. 

• It will take time for the company to create the conditions for growing conditions. Assembling a hydroponic system that can handle large scale food production will also require some effort.

• The company will need to consider transportation and parking needs for the employees. There may be concerns regarding parking for workers; having an impact on the parking situation for people who live in the neighborhood. However, a good solution with be biking

• There may be a high cost of installing a backup power system (like generators). This is necessary because the damage of potential power failures would inflict significant losses.

Pros and Cons of Hydroponics for Home Growers

Positive Benefits of Hydroponic Gardening at Home

• Hydroponics brings plants into the home, and the presence of plants improves air quality and overall health.

• Hydroponics encourages people to take an interest in the origin of their food. It also gives them insight on what it takes to bring it to their tables.

• Individuals who have hydroponics systems in their homes have access to better quality, fresher, and more nutritious food.

• When you have a hydroponic system at home, you’re able to pick fresh produce just before using it. There is then less chance that fresh vegetables will sit in your refrigerator because you forget about them.

• Because you can pick fresh food when you need it, you’ll cut the cost of your weekly grocery bills. The money you save from buying fewer groceries can go towards clearing debts or in savings.

• You’ll get a tremendous and invaluable sense of satisfaction from being able to be more self-sufficient.

• Since you’re buying the seeds for your hydroponics system, you can be certain of their origin.

• You can plant and harvest fruits and vegetables grown at your own standard. You are free of paying the premium that is standard for food products that bear the “certified organic” label. This label usually carries the charge to the consumer.

Negatives of Hydroponic Gardening at Home

• The cost of purchasing equipment. Regardless of whether you buy kits like the Tower Garden, or buy the components to build your own. While building a system isn’t cheap, the process is educational and fun.

• Unless you buy a kit that provides instructions, you’ll have a harder time assembling your system and getting it started.

• If you buy a kit, you’ll eventually need to purchase replacement parts, additional accessories, and supplemental nutrients. You should factor these things into the total cost of buying and operating a hydroponics system at home.

• No matter how energy-efficient your system manufacturer claims it is, there will be an extra load on your electrical system. A hydroponic system will increase your utility bill throughout the year. With this issue, eco-friendly alternatives arise, such as solar panels which should be implemented if possible.

• Unless you buy a system that is fully automated, you’ll have to constantly monitor nutrient and water levels. You may also have to turn the lights on or off. Don’t expect to have a productive hydroponic garden unless you’re willing to put the effort in. Checking your plants every day is a must. Observing them will ensure that their growing conditions are acceptable.

• Failing to add water when the reservoir needs it, may burn your motor out, and you may weaken or kill the plants. That would be a significant financial setback.

• A power failure will alter the growing conditions in your hydroponic unit. An extended power failure will deprive your plants of light, water, and oxygen. That’s a recipe for their death.

Hydroponics is no different from traditional gardening in that you get what you put into it. Some of the most significant advantages include being able to grow what you want and when you want to grow it, not being tied to traditional gardening seasons, and not having to do as much maintenance as you would if you tried to grow your food in the ground. A well-maintained hydroponic garden will give you access to healthy and nutritious food at any time. You’ll never have to rush to the grocery store for something because you don’t have it on hand.

View fullsize

Photo by Fitleaf

View fullsize