KSA-Based Natufia Makes It Easy To Grow Food In Your Home With Its Hydroponic Tech

By Pamella de Leon

August 10, 2021

Can you imagine growing your own salad in your kitchen? This is what KSA-based enterprise Natufia is daring to achieve. Founded in 2015 by Gregory Lu and Nadim Taoubi, Natufia is a multi-awarded research lab specializing in hydroponic kitchen appliances. With its fully integrated and automated indoor smart hydroponic kitchen garden, especially created for restaurant kitchens and households, Natufia enables people to grow an assortment of the freshest plants, vegetables, flowers and herbs all year round right in the heart of their kitchen.

Offering a holistic solution to healthy living, this smart garden nestled in your kitchen provides the optimal combination of water, lighting, nutrients, and even music (as the team’s research found that it helps to stimulate more growth). The fridge-sized appliance is easy to use: seed pods -which can be compared to the size of Nespresso capsules- are placed in the nursery drawer where it will grow for about 10 days, after which, the pod will be moved to grow in another cabinet. After 20-30 days, you are ready to harvest, and every 3-4 months, you just need to refill the nutrients. All other steps are automated as the Natufia smart kitchen garden creates the perfect environment needed to grow plants. It can grow 32 different types of plants, such as basil, lettuces, cilantro, kale, dill, cherry tomatoes, mint, and more, simultaneously, producing 1-2 plants per day. 

Gregory Lu, co-founder and CEO, explains how the startups aims to solve the huge multifaceted problem in the food industry. “The plants that will grow in your kitchen are free of pesticides, preservatives, and because of [its] freshness, they will give you up to 400% more vitamins.” He adds, “Because they are grown right where they are consumed, you will rediscover a wider biodiversity, true original taste of the greens vegetable, whilst they are being accessible anywhere and from the proximity of one’s kitchen." The startup aims to minimize the prevalent environmental impact by reducing food waste, packaging, pollution, and food miles. It also addresses the gaps of food security and traceability awareness, a prevalent issue for the region’s food security sector.  “We are disrupting the way people relate to their food and reinventing the consumer meal journey by allowing communities to take control of their food- produce where it is consumed," Lu says, explaining the startup’s mission. "By using Natufia, we encourage people to change their food habits by consuming a diet rich in vitamins and nutrition-dense vegetables and greens, improving their health and helping our planet.”

Source: Natufia

For Lu, taking on the path to entrepreneurship was inevitable, he says. “I have been an entrepreneur from a young age, so that’s something that’s always been inside of me.” Beginning his career in the property development and investment sector, the entrepreneur accumulated over 25 years of experience in the real estate sector and decided to diversify his businesses by diving into the food industry. Upon buying an olive plantation in Sicily to produce olive and tomato sauce, Lu faced the common issues of needing to use pesticides and fertilizers, which contradicted his views on healthy food and showcased the significance of the organic food industry. “I felt people needed to experience what I experienced in these hills of Sicily- the freshness, the connection of growing your own food and the quality,” adds Lu. “My real estate background also thrusted me into following up the idea. If people could grow food in their own homes, offices, schools, or hotels, all year around having fresh quality food easily accessible, then the world would be a much better place.” Lu is joined by co-founder and COO Nadim Taoubi, whose background includes advising tech companies at Deloitte and LD&A, as well as founding his own Estonia-based e-commerce platform, Ooolala which has been sold to an undisclosed buyer in 2016.

Originally launched in Estonia, the co-founders bootstrapped the concept and built a basic prototype to show to a few European fairs and evaluate initial reception. It kickstarted the first phase of their journey, which was focused on developing the technology: “It took us years to do that, but we accumulated over 20 patents.” This was followed by proof of concept and field-testing phase, wherein the duo invested in R&D and grew its team. “We have sold dozens of our Natufia [product] to the US, Europe and the Middle East to receive feedback and analyze large amounts of data.” As the company grew, the co-founders looked outside Estonia for investment partners. In 2018, the startup was accepted into the Techstars Dubai accelerator program, held in partnership with GINCO Investments. This proved to be an advantageous step, as the startup was able to raise US$1.2 million in a seed funding round, led by Butterfly Ventures, Techstars, and GINCO Investments, as well as several angel investors from US, Europe and the Middle East. The capital was set to pave its expansion plans to Europe and the US. “We spent a lot in Dubai with Techstars and understood that the region is a great market for Natufia,” says Lu. Later on, the CEO met representatives from the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) at a conference in London. After months of discussions, KAUST announced it would lead a $3.5 million investment in a Series A funding round, though its venture capital investment arm KAUST Innovation Fund, with Butterfly Ventures also participating in the round. This puts Natufia’s total funding to $4.7 million, with previous investors Butterfly Ventures, Techstars and GINCO Investments, remaining as minority shareholders.

As part of the new capital infusion, the startup is also relocating to Saudi Arabia, basing itself at the KAUST Research and Technology Park (KRTP) to help grow its R&D capabilities. Lu explains, “We felt it would be a huge opportunity being in the heart of the region to develop the market, but also being at KAUST on campus could give us the possibility to keep working on our technology to make it even better and advanced.” Lu commends KAUST’s distinctive infrastructure and tools, which can be greatly beneficial for the startup’s innovative solutions. “I give you an example: for us, it is very important to test the quality of our plants -the vitamins, nutrients, minerals, etc. In Estonia, it was a long and complex process. We had to reserve the test well in advance, transport the plants, which come with a lot of paperwork, expensive fees and long waiting times, before getting the result without being sure it was fully accurate.” He continues, “Today, at KAUST, we simply have to go across the street and get the result the same day. It means our research is more efficient. The other major factor is the community we continuously interact with, exchanging ideas with professors on pertinent topics like sensors, biology, botany, technology and so on- and that’s extremely enriching for new ideas and technology developments. We might even use KAUST technology in our future developments.”

Natufia botany lab  

Besides furthering its R&D development, Lu is also keen to help create job opportunities and align themselves with Saudi’s Vision 2030, which inevitably establish the Kingdom’s status as a top choice for businesses in the Middle East. “And we want to be a part of that,” Lu points out. At the moment, Lu notes that it’s all about the production of the newly upgraded Natufia smart kitchen garden model in Saudi and scaling its distribution locally and internationally. Next up, the team hopes to move towards mass production and develop new Natufia models. Having partnered with KAUST and Jumeirah Group, today, the startup now consists of a team of 12 people and is focused on its prime model, the Natufia smart kitchen garden, retailed at $7,955 and is available worldwide. With distributors in the USA, Europe, Australia and Saudi Arabia, the team have more lined up for next year- a model for those keen on a smaller budget, and another model to cater for commercial settings. On facing hurdles, Lu comments, “I personally work and build companies in different countries and contrary to what people might think, a lot of things are online and work smoothly. The biggest challenge was to get the residency for the core team who were not Saudi native and a bank setup for the company. It takes perseverance and patience.” However, the key benefit that the co-founders found (“and a pleasant surprise”) was the quality of local talent they found to work at Natufia, “The young generation is very well-educated, studied abroad and eager to work in the type of environment that Natufia creates- high tech, fast-moving and with big growth potential.”

As newcomers join the industry, Lu is focused on its USP: “Compared to our competition, we offer automation, quality and design. Our robust technology runs the whole process automatically and its high-end design that can be integrated into any kitchen design." And as for the future, Lu states it’s just the beginning of agritech. “We are just scratching the surface, because in the last 60 years, the industry was only focusing on quantity, price, shelf life and transportability. Since organic products came on the scene, people started to understand the importance of food quality, we opened up a new horizon. Freshness, taste and nutrient value is something that [people] will follow.” He dreams of having Natufia’s product everywhere, “We want to see Natufia in every home, in every school, in every office, hospital, airport. We want people to be able to experience the real taste of greens and vegetables and connect with nature on a daily basis from everywhere they are.”

Lead Photo: Gregory Lu, co-founder and CEO, Natufia

Aerospring Gardens Becomes Aerospring Hydroponics

August 9, 2021

Aerospring Gardens, a six-year-old Singapore start-up, has changed its name to Aerospring Hydroponics. The company has seen global interest in growing hydroponic food at home.

Thorben Linneberg, Co-Founder and CEO, says “For many years there wasn’t much knowledge of hydroponics and the benefits that it brings to homes around the world. But that has now changed, and we felt it was a good time for us to position our company squarely in the hydroponics space.”

Aerospring Hydroponics manufactures patented, high-quality, vertical hydroponic systems that make having a productive, useful and versatile home garden easy, no matter where you live. Whether you live in a city, the suburbs or a rural environment, Aerospring believes year-round home gardening is an achievable vision.

What started as a hobby and a desire to grow tomatoes on their apartment balcony in Singapore blossomed into a love of gardening - and for an interest in creating a sustainable food source at home. A densely populated city-state where most people live in high-rise apartments, Singapore sees less than 10% of its food supply grown nationally. The climate and land-scarcity make growing food challenging, which means high prices of imported fresh produce.

Nutrients
“We wanted all the nutrients that come from eating food harvested that day”, says Nadine Linneberg, Co-Founder. “We had concerns about pesticides and where our produce was coming from. We also knew that these concerns were very real for many people - no matter where they live. These factors, and a natural interest in problem-solving, inspired us to develop our own hydroponic system with the aim of growing our own food at home.”

Encouraged by an early design breakthrough, Thorben set about prototyping systems for commercialization. The goal was to design and build a food safe system that was functional and looked chic on any urban city balcony. Twelve months of 3D prototyping followed, which led to the unveiling of a sleek, modular vertical gardening system, which was simple to assemble and easy to maintain. Even better, it fit into the smallest of spaces. Aerospring received its first US patent for the aeroponic system in 2020.

Upon the functional and commercial success of the outdoor systems, Thorben started developing a prototype for an indoor system to cater for those without sufficient outdoor space and sunlight. The Aerospring Indoor system, which was launched in 2018, is a unique 2-in-1 convertible indoor/outdoor system. When the system is combined with the innovative indoor kit, which includes professional-grade grow lights, frame and tent, it allows for year-round growing: grow outdoors during spring and summer and bring the system inside when the weather starts getting colder. Irrigation and lighting schedules are controlled via a mobile app from a smartphone, taking the worry of tending to your plants daily away from your everyday life.

For more information:
Aerospring Hydroponics
www.aerospringhydroponics.com

A New FEZ "Karakalpak-Agro" Established In Uzbekistan

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) - The Cabinet of Ministers adopted a resolution”On measures to organize the activities of the free economic zone “Karakalpak-Agro”.

In accordance with the decree of the President “On measures for the comprehensive socio-economic development of the Republic of Karakalpakstan in 2020–2023” on an area of 875.4 hectares in Amu Darya, Buzatausky, Kegeili, Konlikul, Kushgirot, Muynak, Nukus , Takhiatash, Turtkul, Khodjeyli, Shumanai and Ellikala districts, the SEZ "Karakalpak-agro" was created.

The functions of managing the activities of the FEZ "Karakalpak-Agro" are assigned to the State Unitary Enterprise "Directorate of the free economic zone" Nukus ".

The main tasks and directions of the SEZ "Karakalpak-Agro":

- attracting direct foreign and domestic investments for organizing modern greenhouses on a cluster basis, including hydroponic ones, as well as organizing the production of structures, equipment and other components for the construction of modern energy-efficient greenhouses;

- increasing the production of agricultural products, expanding its deep processing and increasing exports, effectively using the production potential of the region;

- encouraging the organization of the complete process of agricultural production from seeds to delivery to the market;

- introduction of effective mechanisms for providing greenhouses with seeds and seedlings of high-yielding crops demanded by the market, by creating conditions for organizing nurseries, as well as seed production;

- formation of a modern infrastructure for the provision of logistics services, assistance to agricultural producers in organizing the export of their products;

- widespread introduction of modern resource-saving technologies, the use of alternative sources of thermal energy in the organization of greenhouses;

- creation of research and production centers to assess the compliance of products with international standards.

The Council of Ministers of Karakalpakstan, together with the Ministry of Investments and Foreign Trade, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry and commercial banks, was instructed to develop a targeted program of facilities for the production of structures for greenhouses on the territory of Karakalpak-Agro within two months, with the allocation of vacant non-agricultural land.

October 16th to 18th - Awesome Features of The First ONLINE Aquaponic Conference

Interactive Sessions, Networking &

industry Experts Sharing Exciting Developments

In The World of Aquaponics

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You're not going to want to miss this.

We want this conference to maximize your connection and engagement with other attendees. We're featuring both live and recorded speakers and by reserving a ticket you can access all these recordings until the end of the year!

You'll find sessions ranging from aquaponics in prisons, experts in decoupled aquaponics, STEM educators, and international discussion panels!

Get a greater understanding of this rapidly evolving industry and connect with the experts today.

Reserve Your Ticket ›

The Aquaponics Association

© 2020 Aquaponics Association 

Cultivating The Future Starts Next Friday!

Hello Aquaponics World,

The 2020 Aquaponics Conference, Cultivating the Future, starts next Friday, October 16. This year, you don't need plane tickets or a hotel room!

The Conference features OVER EIGHTY SESSIONS including talks, panel discussions, virtual tours, breakout discussions, and more! Dr. Wilson Lennard, (pictured above) will join us live from Australia on Friday night to discuss the state of aquaponics research! Check out all three days of schedules:

Friday Agenda

Saturday Agenda

Sunday Agenda

Are you a K-12 teacher, home grower, or part of a small business or small farm? You may be eligible for STEM / Community Super-Saver Discount Tix!

Learn more:

STEM / Community Ticket Info

All Conference tickets include:

• Access to all content in all four Learning Tracks – STEM Education, Commercial, Community, and Research

• Access to 100% of conference video files online through the end of 2020

• Access to all conference slide presentation files through the end of 2020

• Access to Aquaponics Virtual Vendors featuring the best products and services in the aquaponics industry

• Access to Direct Messaging, Breakout Discussions, Chat Rooms, Live Polls, and Virtual Cocktail Hour to interact with growers from around the world!

• Ability to ask LIVE QUESTIONS to Aquaponics Experts!

We hope to see you there so we can advance aquaponics together!

Brian Filipowich, Chairman

Aquaponics Association

Matt Roney New Lumileds CEO

Lumileds announced the appointment of Matt Roney as the company’s Chief Executive Officer, effective October 1, 2020. Roney most recently served as President of Lumileds’ Automotive Business Unit and succeeds Dr. Jonathan Rich who will continue with the company as Executive Chairman of the Board.

“Speaking on behalf of the Board of Directors, we are grateful for Jon’s contributions as CEO and believe Lumileds is well-positioned for success in this next phase under Matt’s leadership,” said Rob Seminara, Senior Partner at Apollo Global Management. “Matt has nearly 25 years’ experience in the automotive industry and his performance and leadership throughout his career have given us even greater confidence in his ability to drive long-term innovation and growth at Lumileds.”

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“Lumileds has a long history of innovation in conventional automotive lighting and is a pioneer of leading-edge LED technology for the consumer electronics, automotive, and general illumination markets,” said Roney. “I am honored by the opportunity to lead this company and team in its next phase and excited by the opportunities ahead to bring new and innovative lighting solutions to market. I look forward to building on the foundation Dr. Rich has put in place to further advance our technologies and increase the value we deliver to customers across a broad set of industries.”

Prior to joining Lumileds, Roney served as Chief Operating Officer for Stanley Infrastructure, a division of Stanley Black & Decker. Previously, Roney was the President of Paladin Attachments, which was acquired by Stanley Infrastructure. He also spent eight years at TRW Automotive, now known as ZF TRW, in roles of rising responsibility, including Vice President and General Manager of its $2.5 billion Global Steering Business. Roney has a BS in Electrical Engineering from Cornell University, an MSE in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue, and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

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For more information:
Lumileds
www.lumileds.com

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Publication date: Tue 22 Sep 2020

Aquaponic Farming Promises Higher Yields For Kundasang Farmers

September 26, 2020

By: Bernama

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Green coral lettuce (left) and red coral lettuce thrive when cultivated using the hydroponic or aquaponic technique. Photo courtesy of Muhammad Irwan Maruji.

KOTA KINABALU: In the cool, hilly area of Kundasang in Ranau, about 100 kilometers from Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, a small group of young farmers are trying their hand at cultivating vegetables using aquaponic and hydroponic techniques.

Under the guidance of the Kinabalu Area Farmers Organisation (PPK), the farmers based in Kampung Desa Aman in Kundasang have gone into aquaponics and hydroponics since December 2019.

Their ventures are proving to be lucrative and PPK Kinabalu intends to encourage more young farmers to grow vegetables using these modern and more sustainable techniques.

According to PPK Kinabalu general manager Muhammad Irwan Maruji, in aquaponics the whole cultivation process, starting from planting the seedlings until they are ready for harvesting, takes only about three to four weeks. And, he added, vegetables harvested from a 223-square meter block of aquaponic plants can rake in sales of around RM5,600 a month.

“The capital to start an aquaponics venture, including setting up the pond and a 223-sq m block and greenhouse, comes to about RM85,000. The investment, however, is worthwhile when compared to the returns,” he told Bernama, adding that aquaponic farming is suitable for young entrepreneurs who want to get involved in agriculture.

In aquaponic farming, aquaculture (rearing of aquatic animals such as freshwater fish or prawns in tanks) is combined with hydroponics (cultivating plants without soil) in an integrated system where the aquatic waste serves as nutrients for the plants which, in turn, purifies the water in the tank.

Pointing out that vegetable farmers in Kundasang and other parts of Sabah were badly hit during the initial stage of the Movement Control Order, Muhammad Irwan said under the federal government’s Prihatin Rakyat Economic Stimulus Plan (Prihatin), each PPK in Sabah was allocated RM100,000 to RM200,000 to revitalise the agricultural sector.

“We are grateful for the allocation as it will be very helpful to the farmers and agro entrepreneurs here,” he said, adding that PPK Kinabalu plans to use the funds to start an additional hydroponic venture involving the local farmers, as well as introduce maize cultivation and a hanging fertigation system next month.

He said courses on aquaponic and hydroponic farming will be conducted starting early next month, following which he hopes to rope in at least 20 young farmers a year to pursue aquaponic and hydroponic ventures.

“PPK Kinabalu also plans to expand the market for their vegetable produce to the outside of Sabah,” he added.

Elaborating on PPK Kinabalu’s aquaponics venture with local farmers on a 2.83-hectare site in Kampung Desa Aman, Muhammad Irwan said vegetables such as red coral lettuce, green coral lettuce, mustard plant, and celery are being cultivated as they are suitable for aquaponic farming. As for the aquatic component, ikan tilapia and ikan keli are being reared.

“Aquaponic vegetables are chemical-free as no other fertilizer is used with the exception of the fish waste.

“For this farming technique, we need not use much water and the plants mature faster and yield higher quality produce,” he said, adding that they also plan to sell the ikan tilapia once they mature.

“So, eventually this project will enable us to ‘kill two birds with one stone’.”

Sabah State Farmers Organisation (PPN) acting general manager Mohd Sabri Jalaludin, meanwhile, said with the allocation his agency received under Prihatin, they plan to implement a cattle fattening project which is expected to have a positive impact on the state’s economic cycle.

He said Sabah PPN has expertise in the livestock industry as it has been involved in it for over 10 years. For the new project, the agency plans to buy 40 head of cattle from cattle rearers within the state in a bid to support local businesses.

Under the first phase of the project, expected to kick off next month, the cows will be fed palm kernel cake or palm kernel expeller, wheat husk, and soy residue to fatten them. Once they attain a minimum weight of 320 kilograms each, they will be sold at RM4,000 to RM5,000 each. 

Mohd Sabri added that in view of the project’s potential to contribute to the growth of the state’s Gross Domestic Product, they plan to increase the cattle to 320 heads by 2021. 

Farming In The Desert: Are Vertical Farms The Solution To Saving Water?

With high temperatures and water scarcity, the Emirates might seem an unlikely place for a farm. Yet, as coronavirus and climate change heightens the desire for food security, could vertical farms be the solution?

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"When I told people I was going to grow tomatoes in the desert, they thought I was crazy," Sky Kurtz, founder of Pure Harvest Smart Farms, told DW.

With just an average 12 days of rain a year, less than 1% arable land, a desert location, and an 80% import rate for food, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) seems an unfavorable place to set up a farm.

Read more: World needs 7 planets to eat like a G20 nation, food report finds

Kurtz is one of several entrepreneurs using high-tech farming techniques to boost crop production in the Emirates. Pure Harvest built the first climate-controlled greenhouse in Abu Dhabi in 2017. 

Prompted by arid conditions and a desire for greater food security, the country is investing millions in technologies — such as vertical farming — that could make it an unlikely agricultural pioneer. 

Read more: Goodbye to fields: What food production may look like tomorrow

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Sky Kurtz says people thought he was crazy when he said he would grow tomatoes in the desert

Vertical farms can grow a rich variety of different crops by stacking them in layers under LED lighting in climate-controlled greenhouses and watering them with mist or drip systems. The process is tailored to each crop's specific needs, resulting in high-yield, year-round harvests. 

"It takes 30 to 40 days to grow leafy greens out in the field. We can grow that same crop in 10 to 12 days," says Marc Oshima, co-founder of Aerofarms. The company received funding from the Abu Dhabi Investment Office to build the capital's largest indoor vertical farm, with 800 different crops, by 2021.

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With vertical farming, crops can flourish year-round, far from traditional regions of production

Water scarcity and fossil-fuel reliance

The technology uses minimal land and up to 95% less water than conventional agriculture. 

The hydroponics system places the plants' roots directly into a water-based and nutrient-rich solution instead of soil. This "closed-loop" system captures and recirculates all the water, rather than allowing it to drain away — useful for a country like the UAE suffering from extremely high water stress.  

Read more: Blue Gold: The dwindling resource of water

Globally, agriculture accounts for 70% of freshwater withdrawals, and UAE is extracting groundwater faster than it can be replenished, according to the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA).

"Water is very expensive over in the UAE, but energy is cheap as it is subsidized," says Jan Westra, a strategic business developer at Priva, a company providing technology to vertical farms.

The artificially controlled environment is energy-intensive because the air conditioning and LED lights need a constant source of electricity. 

This bringing forth of life in the desert could come at a high environmental cost. Most of that energy comes from carbon-emitting fossil fuels, even as the Middle Eastern country feel the effects of climate change. 

By 2050 Abu Dhabi's average temperature is predicted to increase by around 2.5°C  in a business-as-usual scenario. Over the next 70 years, patterns of rainfall are also expected to change.

Read more: Bringing water to Tunisia's struggling farmers

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Aerofarms has received funding from the Abu Dhabi Investment Office to build the capital's largest indoor vertical farm, with 800 different crops, by 2021

Integrating renewable energy 

Although Pure Harvest is building a solar-powered farm in neighboring Saudi Arabia, its UAE operations get electricity from the carbon-intensive national grid. 

Investing more in renewables "is a goal of ours," Kurtz told DW. He said the company has not set a clean energy target but is working on various green power projects, including a plan to integrate solar power generated in UAE into its operations.  

However, Willem van der Schans, a researcher specializing in short supply chains at Wageningen University in the Netherlands, says sustainability and clean energy should be "inherent in the technology and included in plans when starting a vertical farm."  

He argues that many vertical farming companies are not sustainable in terms of energy as they still view clean power as an optional "add-on."

Read more: Innovative clean water technologies

Ismahane Elouafi, director-general of the government-funded ICBA in Abu Dhabi, acknowledges that vertical farming has some way to go before achieving "real sustainability," but she believes the innovations are "promising."   

Improved battery storage, increasingly efficient LED lights and cheaper solar panels will help, she adds. 

Local solutions 

By 2050, the UAE government wants to generate almost half its energy from renewable sources. 

Fred Ruijgt, a vertical farming specialist at Priva, argues that it's important to factor transport and refrigeration into the energy equation. Vertical farming uses more energy to grow crops than traditional agriculture, but because crops are grown locally, they do not have to be transported by air, sea or truck over long distances. 

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Vertical farming installations come in all shapes and sizes, meaning food can grow where land and water are scarce

"The energy-saving is difficult to calculate exactly, but the advantages of locally grown crops are huge," he says, adding that those grown in vertical farms not only use less water and pesticides but that they also have a longer shelf life due to minimal transportation time. 

Read more: Dubai: Can the city of black gold go green?

Food security and coronavirus 

In 2018, the UAE set out its vision to become a hub for high-tech local food production.

Companies and investors have flocked to the region, attracted by the 0% corporate tax rate, low labor costs, and cheap energy. With their help, UAE aims to reduce its reliance on imports and make its food system more resilient to shocks like climate change and pandemics. 

Oshima from Aerofarms says the coronavirus pandemic has brought "greater appreciation of how fragile the supply chain is and raised questions about food safety and security."

When the UAE went into lockdown in April, imported supplies of perishable goods like vegetables fell and business boomed for local suppliers.

ICBA's Elouafi said they have helped keep the UAE well-stocked during the pandemic.

"With the help of local food production and adequate imports, there has been absolutely no shortage of food in the UAE," Elouafi told DW.

Climate change, however, poses an altogether more complex threat to the country in the long-term. Given climate change's likely impact on food production, she says vertical farming has shown it is "an economically viable proposition even with harsh climatic conditions."

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Larry Ellison's Indoor Greenhouse Farm In Hawaii Undergoes Business Changes

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April 12, 2011: Lanai, Hawaii. The long red dirt road of Munrow Trail. (Image: Jenna Szerlag/Design Pics via ZUMA Wire)

HONOLULU - The owner of a hydroponic greenhouse operation in Hawaii has announced changes to the farm operation in Lanai, including a new leader and severance from resort operations.

Owner Larry Ellison and partner David Agus said earlier this week that Sensei Farms has been rebranded as Sensei Ag as part of the change, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported.

Sensei Ag began producing vegetables earlier this year on Lanai and is currently supplying hotels, retailers, and chefs on the island. The operation aims to produce more than a million pounds of food annually for distribution beyond Lanai using 90% less water than traditional farming, company officials said.

The initial farm on Lanai island was separated from Sensei, formerly Sensei Retreats, and Sensei Lanai, a wellness resort operated by hotel management firm Four Seasons.

The farm and the resort were previously part of Sensei Holdings, Inc.

Sonia Lo was also named CEO of Sensei Ag, officials said. Lo has more than 30 years of experience in finance and most recently was CEO of Crop One Holdings, a California-based indoor farm operator.

“We are incredibly well-positioned with Larry and David’s guidance, knowledge, and networks to become the leader in our space,” Lo said. “There has never been a better time to rebuild our global food and agriculture supply chains.”

Ellison, the co-founder of Oracle Corp., was ranked by Forbes as the fifth-richest person in the world, with a net worth of $73 billion. He bought 98% of Lanai in 2012, the Star-Advertiser reported.

His partner Agus is a doctor and renowned cancer specialist.

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Temperature is The Biggest Challenge For Cultivation in The Maldives

A pearly white beach and a vast blue ocean. This is the picturesque location for which many tourists travel to the Maldives every year. However, these islands in the Indian Ocean are tiny and are highly dependent on imports for fresh produce. They currently import 95% of their food. Fruit and vegetables are brought in from afar to provide food for the many tourists as well as the locals.

That could be done more efficiently, according to a group of university students from TU Delft. As part of an assignment, they designed a modern self-sufficient greenhouse in order to produce food locally. And where most study assignments remain a plan on paper, this greenhouse actually might be realized on one of the islands in the near future.

Biggest challenge is temperature
The plans of the Maldives Matter Project are already very advanced, says Carmen Jansen op de Haar of Resilient Island. "It will be a semi-closed greenhouse of one hectare in size. Two-thirds of it will be used to grow lettuce, there will be tomatoes in one-third and possibly strawberries at a later stage. There will be a hydroponic system for lettuce cultivation, for which we collaborate with Van der Hoeven. There is plenty of sunlight and an occasional shower. The biggest challenge for growing in the Maldives is the temperature and the high humidity. On the islands it is between 25 and 30 degrees Celsius all year round, both during the day and at night. Because this temperature difference is so small, many fruits and vegetables cannot grow in that climate, so that the Maldives become highly dependent on imports."

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"In order to keep the temperature in the greenhouse at the right level, we need cooling technology. We are also looking at Deep Water Source Cooling, where you use the temperature differences in the water. A new technique that we certainly will not apply immediately, but that is worth investigating.”

Test greenhouse
To investigate the feasibility of the thought out plans, the group will first set up a miniature version of the greenhouse. “We have already done a test with tomatoes. The cultivation results in those circumstances were very positive. With a mini greenhouse, we mainly want to test the techniques.”

Growers from the Netherlands
According to Carmen, so far there is little horticulture to be found on the sun-drenched islands. “There is some cultivation in simple plastic tunnels without cooling or other techniques. The products on the field are sprayed a lot. Agricultural training is available, but currently only six people have completed the university horticultural training. Because there is little work to be found in it, that number will not grow anytime soon."

At the end of last year, Resilient Island made an appeal to find a Dutch grower who, once the greenhouse is completed, will start the cultivation. “We have found two growers who are currently helping us to answer technical cultivation questions and who also give advice on setting up an education program. Eventually, a Dutch grower will head over there to train the Maldivian growers. We are also going to bring local growers to the Netherlands to show them our horticulture here. Ultimately, they will have to manage cultivation independently, with the help of Hoogendoorn climate computers and some advice from the Netherlands.”

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Supply to resorts
The choice of crops will be tailored to the demand of resorts. “Our market research showed that there was a great need for lettuce, however, if we would produce only lettuce then it would be too much. Lettuce and strawberries are fragile in transport and therefore very suitable for local cultivation. The intention is to supply various resorts with fresh produce packages."

The exact location for the greenhouse has not yet been determined. “We have selected three islands, each of which has potential in a different way. All three are local islands, which ensures that the local population can easily work in the greenhouse later on. "Although the Maldives have many luxury resorts, not every resort will be supplied." We are looking for resorts that share our vision. Some say that they strive for sustainability, but in practice, nothing much is achieved. It is important that the resorts with which we work support our principles."

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Chain reaction
Further in the future, the Resilient Island team hopes to broaden the project. “Our goal is to make the Maldives less dependent on the rest of the world. We are hoping for a chain reaction to other Small Island Developing States, as these countries are called that are highly dependent on the mainland. The corona crisis once again made it very clear that it is important that countries and islands can meet their own needs. Air traffic almost came to a standstill, making it even more evident why it is so important that these kinds of countries can be self-sufficient."

For more information:
Carmen Jansen op de Haar
Resilient Island Foundation / Resilient Island B.V.
info@resilientisland.com
www.resilientisland.com

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Publication date: Mon 6 Jul 2020
© HortiDaily.com

How Advanced Nutrients pH Perfect Technology Makes Growing Hydroponically Brain-Dead Simple!

If you are a new hydroponics grower … or even if you have years of experience under your belt … one thing that’s very important for all indoor growers to understand is the importance of pH in hydroponics.

In short, if you don’t understand how to monitor and achieve the best pH level for hydroponics, then you can seriously hurt your results and even drastically reduce your harvests.

What is pH and why is it so important?

pH is the measure of the level of acidity or alkalinity of your entire garden which consists of your nutrient solution and growing medium. It ‘s a scale that’s represented by figure 1 showing pH values from most alkaline to most acidic using common materials.)

To achieve optimal growing conditions, you want to achieve and maintain the best pH level for plants.

Here is why it’s so important to get the perfect ph balance …

Living, growing organisms such as your high-value plants are essentially chemical machines. One of your most important jobs as a grower is to keep those chemicals in balance. This means avoiding a shift in the pH toward either pH extreme: excessive acidity or excessive alkalinity.

The pH level makes the difference between having a grow room full of nutrient-healthy, thriving plants and seeing your time, effort, and money end up as little more than a compost waste pile!

Here’s what happens when pH gets out of balance

When the pH of your hydroponic system gets out of balance—which can happen quickly if some kind of stabilizing agent or mechanism is not put in place—the ability of your plants to absorb macro, secondary, and micronutrients, as well as vitamins, carbohydrates, and other beneficial sources, is limited.

For example, when the nutrient solution has a high (alkaline) pH, iron and manganese are locked out. That’s because they form poorly soluble chemical compounds. Adding chelators to compounds helps to keep them in bio-available form. However, chelation itself is a pH-dependent process.

Another reason why pH is so important for the absorption of nutrients is biochemistry. Nutrients cannot enter the plant roots on their own because plant cells are protected by membranes that are difficult for water soluble ions to penetrate. To overcome this barrier, nutrients are carried inside the plant by special transporters. These transporters are big protein molecules in the cell membranes. They recognize nutrient ions and let them enter the plant cells. Since proteins are rich in ionizable chemical compounds, their function is dependent on pH. Thus, every transporter protein has an optimal pH range where it works best.

In addition, the beneficial bacteria and fungi included in sophisticated hydroponic supplements need a consistent pH. These microorganisms thrive at pH 5.5–7.0 (Perry, 2003). A more acidic pH can foster an environment that allows the growth of pathogenic microorganisms, which may pose a risk to plant health.

Here’s what happens when pH gets out of balance

When the pH of your hydroponic system gets out of balance—which can happen quickly if some kind of stabilizing agent or mechanism is not put in place—the ability of your plants to absorb macro, secondary, and micronutrients, as well as vitamins, carbohydrates, and other beneficial sources, is limited.

For example, when the nutrient solution has a high (alkaline) pH, iron and manganese are locked out. That’s because they form poorly soluble chemical compounds. Adding chelators to compounds helps to keep them in bio-available form. However, chelation itself is a pH-dependent process.

Another reason why pH is so important for the absorption of nutrients is biochemistry. Nutrients cannot enter the plant roots on their own because plant cells are protected by membranes that are difficult for water soluble ions to penetrate. To overcome this barrier, nutrients are carried inside the plant by special transporters. These transporters are big protein molecules in the cell membranes. They recognize nutrient ions and let them enter the plant cells. Since proteins are rich in ionizable chemical compounds, their function is dependent on pH. Thus, every transporter protein has an optimal pH range where it works best.

In addition, the beneficial bacteria and fungi included in sophisticated hydroponic supplements need a consistent pH. These microorganisms thrive at pH 5.5–7.0 (Perry, 2003). A more acidic pH can foster an environment that allows the growth of pathogenic microorganisms, which may pose a risk to plant health.

In fact, pH affects every function of the root zone

For example, carbohydrate transporters in the roots require the right pH in order to perform their job of absorbing carbohydrates. These carbs are assimilated from decaying organic matter or carbohydrate supplements, which the plant uses as food.

Maintaining the normal pH of the nutrient solution and growing medium as close as possible to your plant species’ unique pH “sweet spot” is critical to obtaining a rich harvest.

The sweet spot is the optimal pH range where all the plant essential nutrients are readily available for absorption. For high value plants, the sweet spot is pH 5.5–6.3.

Why is maintaining a stable, consistent pH so difficult?

Three major factors tend to disrupt the pH balance for plants. Learning to control these influences is essential for a successful harvest.

* pH Problem #1: Your Water.

The truth is that there’s no such thing as pH perfect water. Here’s why …

Freshly distilled or deionized water has a pH of 7. However, the pH of the water may fall to as low as 5.5 within hours of preparation because water absorbs carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air.

The behavior of tap water is even more complex. It contains dissolved and slightly alkaline calcium and/or magnesium salts. In this case, absorption of CO2 from the air makes predicting the pH even more challenging.

Because the calcium and magnesium salts in most tap waters (not to mention even more chemically complex well and spring waters) create such serious problems, many hydroponic growers, from hobbyists to huge commercial greenhouses, prefer using treated water.

Although a number of water treatment systems exist, reverse-osmosis (RO) is considered the most economical. Water obtained from an RO system is almost as good as expensive distilled water.

Another option is to adjust the pH of tap water before using it. This can be done with so-called pH up or pH down additives. However, this task is demanding and often done incorrectly—and what’s worse, the acidic and alkaline chemicals used in these products, and the resulting sudden fluctuations in pH when they are added to the reservoir, can be hard on your plants.

* pH Problem #2: Your Nutrients.

Many pH changes are caused by the nutrients themselves. Many growers don’t realize there is a relationship between pH and ppm. Here’s what that means …

The more compounds in the water— measured in parts per million (ppm) or by the nutrient solution’s electroconductivity (EC)—the greater their influence on pH.

For example, the urea used in many fertilizers is broken down by enzymes into one molecule of CO2 (a slightly acidic compound) and two molecules of ammonia (a slightly alkaline compound). This can cause erratic changes in pH.

In addition to urea, any compound containing an amide chemical bond
(e.g., the proteinates used in many fertilizers) can, when broken down, affect the pH in unpredictable ways.

Nutrient absorption also leads to changes in pH. When a plant absorbs a lot of potassium ions, it gives out hydrogen ions in return. The result is a net decrease in pH. The situation reverses when the plant absorbs a lot of nitrate ions and gives out hydroxyl ions to compensate, thus increasing the pH (Bar-Yosef, Ganmore- Neumann, Imas, and Kafkafi, 1997; Ryan, P.R. and Delhaize, E., 2001).

In short, the higher the rate of nutrient absorption, the more dramatic the change in pH.

* pH Problem #3: Your Growing Medium.

The growing medium (also called the substrate) affects pH as well.

For example, coco-based growing media undergo subtle changes during your crop’s life cycle that affect the pH of the nutrient solution.

In fact, every chemical or biochemical process that goes on in the growing medium changes the pH of the nutrient solution. Each additional factor drives it further from the sweet spot.

In nature, the volume of surrounding soil—teeming with microbes, humates, and other pH stabilizing agents—does a good job of offsetting pH changes. Natural soils act as natural pH buffers. That’s why, in outdoor gardens, where the soil itself contributes to a more stable, consistent pH, changes in pH are more gradual than in hydroponic gardens.

In hydroponics, however, pH stability is a challenge. It is an intense gardening method where the concentration of nutrients and their absorption rate by plants are much higher than in soil. As a result, chemical and biochemical processes influence the pH to a much higher degree than in natural soils or traditional agriculture. The natural stabilizers and buffers in the nutrient solution, mainly phosphates, are weak, so indoor gardeners have to constantly be adjusting pH in hydroponics and adjust it when it goes below or above the sweet spot.

What a hassle!

Enter Advanced Nutrients pH Perfect® Technology – Automatically Balances Your pH For You.

The fact is that Advanced Nutrients has spent many thousands of man-hours developing a technology that automatically balances your pH for you — putting it in the “sweet spot” and holds it there for weeks.

And the technology is so “smart” it can account for many of the aforementioned variables in your grow room.

For example, they wanted to find pH stabilizers and buffers that would allow growers to use any source of low-mineralized water. The resulting proprietary pH buffering agents and stabilizing mechanisms became the foundation of a new system aptly called pH Perfect® Technology.

But developing a groundbreaking pH buffer and stabilizer wasn’t the whole answer. It required many years of field testing to determine the proper concentration for pH Perfect base nutrients.

How Does pH Perfect Technology Work?

The general answer is that pH Perfect Technology is a proprietary system, so the exact details cannot be shared with the public at this time.

However, Michael Straumietis, the founder and CEO of Advanced Nutrients has graciously shared detailed information about how the technology works …

First, the technology uses its proprietary and primary mechanism to quickly bring the nutrient solution into the “sweet spot” for growing–which is 5.5 to 6.3 pH (usually holding it at a rock-solid 5.6 pH). And it is able to do this across a wide range of pH ranges.

In addition to this main mechanism that quickly brings your pH into range, you have three chemicals that work synergistically to make sure the pH stays in that “sweet spot”. In lab experiments, Advanced Nutrients scientists have had pH Perfect Technology lock down the pH in this “sweet spot” for 10-14 days.

Then, there are a number of chelates used …

In particular, there is a type of chelate called “Zwitterionic” used — which simply means that this chelate can swing both towards more acidic or more base. That reinforces that stability of the pH column because it can go either way as needed to maintain the proper pH.

Then, heavy ‘cation’ elements are used that–after the plant takes them in–helps the plant to exude acid. This produces a more acidic growing medium.

So now your plants are working for you, not against you … But that’s still not enough …

Because the technology has a built-in “safety net” in the form of the chelates that are used. That’s because the extensive matrix of chelates that are utilized have a theoretical absorption range from pH 1 to pH 10.

Now, at pH 2.5 the plant’s roots are burning back faster than they can produce, and at pH 9.5 your plants are dying too. But the point is that … even if … the entire pH Perfect mechanism were to completely fail …we have this built-in “safety net” with the extensive amount of chelates used to protect the plant and make sure it feeds and stays healthy.

But Does Advanced Nutrients pH Perfect Work?

But the question is “Does it actually work?”

And the answer is a resounding yes!

Check out the YouTube video below for a demonstration of the pH Perfect Technology in action:

pH Perfect Technology VS The Competition

You can also visit the website pHShootout.com to see proof of the technology’s effectiveness. In short, they put pH Perfect Base Nutrients and supplements head-to-head against all the other top hydroponics brands and filmed it live for you.

They set up three diverse pH ranges of 4.5, 6.5, and 8.5 – then tested all the top brands against Advanced Nutrients to answer the ultimate question …

Does pH Perfect Technology really work? And how does it stack up against the competition? You can visit pHShootout.com to see the video results.

What’s the bottom line?

If you use any pH Perfect base nutrient as directed, you will never again have to monitor and adjust your pH. The pH Perfect Technology automatically brings the pH of the nutrient solution into the sweet spot for optimal growth and flowering—and keeps it there for at least one week.

You no longer have to hassle with pH meters and pens. Relax and rest assured that the pH of the nutrient solution and growing medium is right on target, providing optimal growing conditions and nutrient absorption for your plants. pH Perfect lives up to its name, making hydroponics easier and safer for any type of grower.

Here Are The Advanced Nutrients pH Perfect Nutrients lines

There are three main lines of Advanced Nutrients pH Perfect Base Nutrients.

* For 3-Part base nutrients, growers can use pH Perfect® Grow, Micro, Bloom.

* For 2-part base nutrients, growers can choose between The Sensi Series (pH Perfect® Sensi Grow Parts A & B and pH Perfect® Sensi Bloom Parts A & B) …

* Or Advanced Nutrients flagship 2-part base nutrient formulation pH Perfect® Connoisseur Grow Parts A & B and pH Perfect® Connoisseur Bloom Parts A & B.

* And for coco coir growers, Advanced Nutrients has separate Coco Base Nutrients formulations of their 2-part base nutrients made specifically for the challenges of growing with coco.

In short, it’s up to the individual grower as to whether they want to use a 2-part or 3-part base nutrient.

Many times, these days, it comes down to personal preference of the grower and making a fully informed choice is beyoned the scope of this article. Either way, choosing pH Perfect Base Nutrients ensures that you won’t have to worry about balancing and adjusting your pH throughout the process!

The Advanced Nutrients ph Perfect Feeding Chart

It’s important when using any 2 or 3-part base nutrient to follow the correct feeding chart.

If you are looking for the pH Perfect feeding chart then you are in luck because it can be found on this page here:

https://www.advancednutrients.com/nutrient-calculator/

On that page, you’ll find the official Advanced Nutrients ph Perfect Calculator and the official Advanced Nutrients ph Perfect Feeding Schedule can be found on every bottle of pH Perfect Nutrients.

References

Bar-Yosef, B., Ganmore-Neumann, R., Imas, P., and Kafkafi, U., 1997. Release of carboxylic anions and protons by tomato roots in response to ammonium nitrate ratio and pH in nutrient solution. Plant and Soil, 191 (1), pp. 27–34.

Nye, P.H., 1981. Changes of pH across the rhizosphere induced by roots. Plant and Soil,
61 (1–2), pp. 7–26.

Olsen, C., 1958. Iron uptake in different plant species as a function of the pH value of the nutrient solution. Physiologia Plantarum, 11 (4), pp. 889–905.

Perry, L., 2003. pH for the garden. University of Vermont Extension, Department of Plant and Soil Science, [online] available at: http://www.uvm.edu/pss/ppp/pubs/ oh34.htm [accessed 12 January 2012].

Ryan, P.R., and Delhaize, E., 2001. Function and mechanism of organic anion exudation from plant roots. Annual Review of Plant Physiology and Plant Molecular Biology, 52, pp. 527–560.

By Advanced Nutrients | December 2, 2016

Calculating Optimal Equipment And a Settings, Before The Greenhouse is Built

“Our software calculates the best configuration of a closed greenhouse for any crop all over the world,” says Vincent Stauffer, director of Hortinergy, a French technology company. It’s mostly used before the construction of a closed greenhouse to select and size the equipment. It helps to make sure that the right choices for energy-efficient equipment are made to reach the optimal climate with the lowest energy expenditures.

The greenhouse simulation software calculates energy consumption and expenditures (cooling, dehumidification, heating, and lighting). It models the inner climate like a virtual greenhouse, with specific parameters, and allows users to compare different technical solutions. Growers, consultants, and greenhouse designers use the software to know what the best settings and equipment are.

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Orange Climate
Orange Climate, a Dutch supplier of climate technique, uses Hortinergy software to calculate the demands for the installation. Jeroen Verhagen, Business Unit Manager at the company talks about how the product works for them. “We have to know how many kiloWatts of heating and cooling we need, to have the requested greenhouse conditions, and we can calculate that with Hortinergy.”

When the company first started using the software, there were some issues and questions. “Vincent really cooperated with us on this, we discussed via Teams. He is very involved in the process.” Sustainable climate solutions for greenhouses and special concepts can be a big save in energy. “With Hortinergy, we can calculate what can be saved.”

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For more information:
Hortinergy
contact@hortinergy.com
www.hortinergy.com

Publication date: Fri 3 Jul 2020
Author: Marlies Guiljam
© HortiDaily.com

Tech-Driven Vertical Farming Company Kalera Announces New CFO Fernando Cornejo

Mr. Cornejo’s extensive background in corporate finance, strategic planning, technology, and investment banking will help Kalera rapidly and sustainably expand.

July 20, 2020

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Cornejo brings with him an extensive background in corporate finance, strategic planning, technology, and investment banking.

ORLANDO, Fla., July 20, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, technology-driven vertical farming company Kalera announced the appointment of Fernando Cornejo as Chief Financial Officer. Cornejo brings with him an extensive background in corporate finance, strategic planning, technology, and investment banking. He will be based out of Kalera’s Orlando, Florida headquarters.

Fernando held similar roles at Argo Group (NYSE: ARGO), where he was Segment CFO and subsequently CFO for EXIN Group, a financial services company. Mr. Cornejo oversaw corporate finance, cost management, financial planning and analysis, capital structure optimization, M&A, risk management, accounting, and corporate strategy.

Prior to his role as CFO, Mr. Cornejo was an investment banker for companies such as Citibank, Credit Suisse, and Bear Stearns where he executed several transactions including financings, mergers and acquisitions, and capital raisings including Initial Public Offerings. Mr. Cornejo has a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from ITESM and a Master of Business Administration from Georgetown University.

“I couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome Fernando to Kalera, where he will create value immediately as we continue to expand our operations,” said Daniel Malechuk, Chief Executive Officer of Kalera. “Fernando brings more than 20 years of experience in diverse organizations with core expertise leading finance and accounting operations while enabling companies to achieve fast and sustainable growth.”

Mr. Cornejo stated, “I look forward to joining Kalera’s leadership team and leading its finance operations to contribute to Kalera’s future success as the company accelerates growth and progresses to the next phase of its strategy.”

Mr. Cornejo will lead Kalera’s financial operations, accounting, and investor relations. He will report directly to Mr. Malechuk.

Kalera has experienced significant growth in recent months, with plans of its new growing facility in Atlanta announced only months after opening its facility in Orlando. Kalera also announced last week that it will open a vertical farm in Houston in Spring of 2021. Its Orlando facility is currently the single largest indoor vertical farm in the Southeastern United States, and the Atlanta facility will be even larger. The Houston vertical farming facility will be the largest in Texas.

Central to Kalera’s business is good science. The company is planting non-GMO seed, and over the past several years has perfected plant and data science-driven methods to naturally optimize the factors that make plants thrive. Kalera manages these natural factors in a way that makes plants reach their maximum potential, resulting in the highest quality produce, grown locally with consistent high yields year-round.

By using a closed-loop irrigation system, Kalera’s plants grow while consuming 95% less water compared to field farming. While a head of lettuce grown in a field may use as much as 60 gallons of water, Kalera’s systems result in a healthier plant with less than five gallons.

The company utilizes cleanroom technology and processes to eliminate the use of chemicals and remove exposure to pathogens. With indoor facilities situated right where the demand is, Kalera is able to supply an abundance of produce locally, eliminating the need to travel long distances when shipping perishable products and ensuring the highest quality and freshness.

About Kalera

Kalera is a technology-driven vertical farming company with unique growing methods combining optimized nutrients and light recipes, precise environmental controls, and cleanroom standards to produce safe, highly nutritious, pesticide-free, non-GMO vegetables with consistent high quality and longer shelf life year-round. The company’s high-yield, automated, data-driven hydroponic production facilities have been designed for rapid rollout with industry-leading payback times to grow vegetables faster, cleaner, at a lower cost, and with less environmental impact.

Elka Karl
Phone: 510-508-7328
Email: elka@dadascope.com

US (MI): Detroit Indoor Farm Will Deliver 1000 Ready-To-Eat Salads A Day

Planted Detroit is a controlled environment vertical farm, run by five enthusiastic entrepreneurial growers. “As a team, we’re trying to make the best decisions for the plants, the company, and our community,” Meg Burritt, managing partner of business development, says.

“Planted Detroit’s salads are a unique product, including our own baby greens, microgreens, and herbs. It basically takes salads to another level”, Simon Yevzelman, managing partner of biosecurity, says. The indoor farm produces all kinds of baby greens. “We’re not doing head lettuces just yet. We are in R&D with edible flowers, so hopefully, in a few months we’ll be growing those, too,” said Burritt. The company is aiming to differentiate baby greens from fully grown produce of the same species, through an analysis of the nutritional makeup of the greens Planted Detroit has grown. “We want to differentiate ourselves from the competition, large scale soil growers.” 

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Planted Detroit’s ‘power lunch salad’

Scaling up

“Our CEO, Tom, started this farm for a number of reasons, one being he saw the lack of variety in fresh produce available in grocery stores and the poor quality of what was available. [Tom] knew that he would be able to deliver better greens, grown in a way that is additive to the food system – not extractive. Soon, we will figure out to scale that effectively,” Burritt says. Planted Detroit is currently constructing new grow rooms in their facility, in part utilizing technology from a long-term partner, AmHydro. “Joe Schwartz, CEO of AmHydro, has been a great help to us.” The company is getting a new automated cultivation system that will be fully automating the production area. “Now is the time to invest in our systems and infrastructure. The new construction will deliver 1000 ready-to-eat salads a day. We’ve taken a pro-active approach since the beginning of the pandemic,” Yevzelman notes. 

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A full view of the farm

“We are excited about the upcoming months because construction will come to a close. We built a firm consumer base over the past few years, so when launching direct-to-consumer salads we had a good starting market share. The farm is small-scale right now and we sell out everything we grow. Ultimately, there will be more greens to sell and we can satisfy more customers. However, we know the current risks and we’re fully anticipating a second wave [of Covid-19]. Now, we are definitely strategizing, trying to stay sustainable through this time, through direct customer engagement and social media sharing,” Burritt states.

Increase of local demand

There is noticeably more demand for fresh produce in South East Michigan and throughout the state. “The pandemic shut everything down and showed how we are really interdependent on others. Local produce supply keeps us safer and is a more secure food supply. We hope to see more of this demand as our produce is way fresher and more delicious. The great thing is that individual consumers are becoming more aware of that,” Burritt notes. Yevzelman shares, ”we maintained our production capacity throughout the pandemic, so we could continue to sell direct to local Detroit consumers without pause.” 

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Racks stacked with microgreens

Ups and downs

The past few months have been a rollercoaster for Planted Detroit. Before COVID-19 the company sold its produce to restaurant partners, but when restaurants were shut down they had to make some changes. “All the [Covid-19 cases] going on the East Coast back then, made us pivot the business the model. Thankfully, we had a backup plan in our back pocket as we anticipated on all changes happening,” Burritt says. The company already had strict food safety measures in place, which also work against the virus. “We built the company around food safety and our employees have always been more conscious of hygiene,” Yevzelman says. Production was not scaled back as a result of the pandemic and safety procedures were followed up tightly. The company obtained certifications to sell their fresh produce directly to consumers. A well-known partner of the company, Skidmore Studio, launched a fresh food e-commerce website, MichiganFields.com, during the peak of COVID-19 shutdowns in March. Planted Detroit has been selling the platform ever since. 

Back on track

“The sales had been relatively steady, but they really popped up during the pandemic”, Burritt adds. So far, Planted Detroit still sells through MichiganFields.com and directly to consumers, including home delivery. Next to that, their greens are sold at Detroit’s Eastern Market at the Tuesday market and through fresh produce boxes, in combination with other fresh produce, for people who don’t want to be exposed to the virus while grocery shopping. This month, the company is back to normal production. “It’s business as usual for us again. Just this week restaurants started calling us for produce again. [Adding in restaurants again] will be a perfect customer mix for us, especially after the construction,” Burritt notes. 

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For more information:
Planted Detroit

Megan Burritt, Managing Partner of Business Development
Simon Yevzelman, Managing Partner of Biosecurity
admin@planteddetroit.com 
www.planteddetroit.com 

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Publication date: Wed 22 Jul 2020
Author: Rebekka Boekhout
© HortiDaily.com

"We Want To Raise Awareness On Vertical Farming In Italy"

“As we’re located in Italy, a country with great farming traditions, some people would think that we don’t need indoor farming. But, especially today, this is wrong. In fact, we import a great part of our food, and while adverse climate events are always more frequent, the fertility of the soil is decreasing rapidly and water scarcity is becoming a real problem in more and more areas”. Guido Medici says. “So, indoor and vertical farming can be a great solution to produce high-quality food close to the market. These are the cases of our friends of Agricola Moderna and Planet Farms, both vertical farms which are located outside of Milan”, Guido states. 

Lorenzo Franchini adds, “There is a generational shift taking place in the agricultural sector, as more people are open to innovation. The challenge is to find the right set up to get started. Hopefully, more European governments are going to direct public investments in the sustainable farming sector, so this will definitely become easier-going in the future. Speaking of crops, although they are quite unknown in Italy, microgreens are the most interesting to grow here. We think that people will be immediately convinced by their delicious taste and high nutritional power.” 

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Sananbio's growing system

Scalable farms
Guido and Lorenzo have worked together as intermediaries, since 2017. They founded the project Vertical Farming Consulting to help customers finding the right set up to start their own farm. “We’re cooperating with SananBio (vertical farming racks), Monti & C (climate rooms), and with Ferriplastic (irrigation and installation). Through these partnerships, we are able to stand by the customer through all the project phases, from the initial idea to the active production.

Together with our partners, we have designed a layout that is easily scalable. Clients seem to like that idea as it allows for expansion. They can start with a small part of the farm, like 60 sq. m., and then increase production once the demand will grow. The aim of VFC is to offer a turnkey vertical farm…”, Franchini adds,“…while our future goal is to create an association for vertical farming in Italy, to bring all indoor farmers together in the country, to obtain a more powerful voice”, Medici states.

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The fixed layout of a VFC’s farm

How it all started
“We originally started with a vertical farming blog, visiting farms, and attending important events in the sector. More and more people were requesting information on vertical farming, so we started our own consultancy project” says Franchini. “Together with our partners, we are currently finalizing a vertical farm in Southern Italy for the production of microgreens.”, adds excitedly Guido, “The new facility will be opening its doors at the end of this summer.” 

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The Vertical Farming Education’s team: (F.l.t.r.) Guido Medici, Alessandro Russo Montecchio, and Lorenzo Franchini

Educating kids through hydroponics Vertical Farming Education (VFE) is an environmental education laboratory. The laboratory was designed in 2019 by Guido and Lorenzo, in collaboration with Alessandro, a psychologist who is extremely passionate about nature and plants. “The goal of VFE is to increase awareness of the water footprint of food among young students. We’ll start with primary and secondary schools, and eventually, we will scale up the project for older students,” Lorenzo states. “We developed a four-week workshop, divided into five lessons. The practical part is carried out by the installation of a small in-class vertical farm rack. This allows students to grow small salad portions by themselves. 

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The in-class vertical rack

The theoretical part is carried out by providing schools all supporting teaching material, such as exercises, theory, and questionnaires”, Guido adds. The VFE’s Team is now working on the realization of 20 workshops in 10 different schools which will be held at the beginning of 2021. 

For more information:
Vertical Farming Consulting
Guido Medici, Co-founder
Lorenzo Franchini, Co-founder
info@vfitaly.com
www.verticalfarmingconsulting.com

Vertical Farming Education
Alessandro Russo Montecchio, Co-founder
Guido Medici, Co-founder
Lorenzo Franchini, Co-founder
info@vfeducation.com

Publication date: Tue 21 Jul 2020
Author: Rebekka Boekhout
© HortiDaily.com

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New Pieces of The 3D-NFT Vertical Barrels

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07-07-2020  |    Goedemorgen

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GERMANY- The Aponix vertical barrel system is an alternative vertical NFT solution from Germany that can be used instead of rack systems to use vertical space more efficiently in hydroponic setups and at the same time be able to use natural sunlight better. The aim was to enable edible plant production also in smaller farming plots or community spaces and allow for more decentralized urban micro-farming.

The whole concept is based on lego-like ring segment pieces that serve either as spacers or provide differently organized inserts for standard 2-inch netpots. Assembling multiple of these ring segment pieces will result in stackable ring segments or barrel levels to assemble one or multiple such vertical cylinders or ‘barrels’. With more ring segments stacked, the height and the number of grow spaces are increased. 

With regard to irrigation, there are multiple options with a pressure line or without pressure. Please visit www.aponix.eu/barrel-irrigation for more details. Apart from configuring for crop size and shape, users also need to plan how they integrate the barrel units. They can be operated as independent single units with their own reservoir in the base or be chained into a larger production context with externally managed liquid nutrients.

Aponix' mission is to facilitate the setup of high density grow spaces for soil-less cultivation by taking the existing 2D NFT concept to the 3rd dimension in a very flexible, simple, and also robust way. It is especially designed for urban farming facilities operating on limited space. The range of available pieces with different functions has been extended continually during the last 2 years of development. In the meantime, many new users started testing or are actively using vertical barrels worldwide in a wide variety of applications.

As of 2020, Aponix changed their market strategy from looking for distributors to working more extensively with product partners who bring in their own engineering and create more specific and distinguishable products from their barrel components. This is based on the definition of the Aponix components as being mere infrastructure parts that always need to be integrated into a greater individual context. Product partners are required to create their own unique solutions based on Aponix pieces adding other external even competitive pieces and/or service and market them independently under their own brand and own product name. As a result of this co-operative type of relation, some new interesting components have been designed that in turn can be used by other existing product partners too. One nice example is the new lid-base that can be used to put a unit on a rotation table or stationary with a standard 40mm PVC pipe to drain the liquid underneath. That way Aponix managed to move the focus from unproductive competition on just commodity pieces and open the door for all sorts of bad copies to the best possible solutions and product creation for the product partners.

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For more details please visit www.aponix.eu/product-partners.

For more information on the Aponix vertical barrel please visit http://www.aponix.eu or follow Aponix.eu on https://www.facebook.com/aponix.eu.

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Contact: Marco Tidona - hello@aponix.eu.

45 Years Logiqs: From Container Systems to Vertical Farming and Warehouse Automation

45 years ago, on July 1st, 1975, the Logiqs journey began, together with the founding of Intransit B.V. (the company’s initial name).

And even though the company name and shareholders may have changed since then, they still look back at this date as the very beginning of the company.

"At the start, the main goal of our company was to design and build innovative and reliable benching systems for potted plant growers, that add true value to the customer’s business.

"This initial focus has held up very well throughout the years and has produced amazing results for our customers, with thousands of acres of Logiqs benching systems operational in greenhouses all over the world.

"This success has allowed us to expand our area of expertise to serve a much wider range of growers as well as a couple of new industries."

Nowadays Logiqs supports most horticulture crops grown in greenhouses as well as a large variety of hydroponic crops.

"Our experience working with some of the most successful growers in the world, encouraged us to also apply our know-how and expertise to the Vertical Farming industry. This amazing collaboration with our customers allowed us to quickly become one of the industry leaders and trendsetters in automated vertical farming.

"Beyond greenhouse cultivation systems and Vertical Farming, we have also made incredible steps in warehouse automation by developing the innovative iCUBE Automated Storage and Retrieval System.

"We are grateful to all of our wonderful customers and partners who have influenced us to get better, and we hope that we can continue to repay their trust in the coming decades.

"We would also like to take this opportunity to thank all Logiqs team members that have devoted their time, energy, and passion to our common goals in the past 45 years.

"Without these devoted and talented individuals, Logiqs could have not evolved into the company it is today.

"We are extremely excited to think of the impact that our talented colleagues will have moving forward on the future of Logiqs, and on the future of horticulture, agriculture, and logistics."

For more information:

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Logiqs
info@logiqs.nl
www.logiqs.nl

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Publication date: Thu 2 Jul 2020

The Future Of Food, What Role Will You Play?

July 20, 2020

Industry News

COVID19 has highlighted the vulnerabilities of our food system, ones that will continue to evolve as climate change progresses. As we look for solutions, several factors should shape our decision making. 

• Global food systems are responsible for one-third of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. 

• Cities consume 78 percent of the world’s energy and produce more than 60 percent of greenhouse gas emissions (UN)

• By 2050, it is estimated that nearly 70% of the world’s population will live in urban areas (UN). 

• Today, the average age of North American farmers is around 60 years old, with many nearing retirement.  

What would you say if there was a solution that would address these challenges while also supporting the economy, helping us reach climate goals, and improving community health and well-being?

Urban agriculture is the process in which food production takes place within the city itself. Instead of relying on rural farmers to grow, harvest, and transport food to city centers, all of this is done close to the consumer. Urban agriculture can take various forms including backyard, balcony, and community gardens, rooftop farms and greenhouses, and more recently, the growing trend of indoor vertical agriculture using hydroponics.

During World War I and II, the “Victory Garden” campaign encouraged citizens to grow food in open urban spaces to support the country’s war efforts. By 1945, 20 million victory gardens produced 40% of America’s fresh vegetables. Once the wars finished, we saw the move away from growing food locally and towards a more industrialized food system where a few large farms produce most of our food at economies of scale. This way of producing food is largely responsible for disconnecting humans from their food and for environmental degradation. 

Today, during COVID19, we are seeing a resurgence of “victory gardens” as a response to the unpredictability of the pandemic on our food supply. Communities are also starting to understand the importance of being more self-sufficient and supporting the local economy. 

So how do we take this renewed interest in local food to the next level and encourage more urban farms and gardens in urban areas? In addition to policy support, we need the tools to equip the next generation of farmers. An organization that is supporting the transition is Green Roofs for Healthy Cities (GRHC), the industry association for professionals in the green infrastructure industry. Green infrastructure refers to using nature and natural systems to tackle urban challenges such as stormwater, the urban heat island effect, and air quality. 

GRHC is creating the tools to help professionals maximize the return on investment for green infrastructure projects while demonstrating how to design for optimal ecosystem services and community benefits. Green infrastructure needs to be part of the green recovery as it is uniquely positioned to help city regions adapt to climate change and create jobs. Urban agriculture is a more productive form of green infrastructure that can take any project to the next level and support local food production, reduce food insecurity and reduce a city’s carbon footprint. 

The Introduction to Rooftop Urban Agriculture training course is a first for the green building industry as it integrates green infrastructure and urban agriculture concepts. The course examines the history and benefits of urban agriculture and highlights various types of rooftop farms, design requirements, and business models. The course features rooftop farm case studies on Brooklyn Grange, Lufa Farms, Ryerson Urban Farm and more. 

With the success of the online course, GRHC is now hosting an Urban and Rooftop Agriculture Virtual Symposium on Thursday, July 23. The event brings together professionals from diverse backgrounds involved in mainstreaming urban agriculture. 

• Top Leaf Farms is a regenerative farmer-led design team creating built environment food system solutions that are productive, beautiful and resilient in the face of climate change. Benjamin Fahrer the Principle will share project case studies and farm design tips!

• Universities are the ideal space for urban agriculture research and education. Ryerson Urban Farm Operations Coordinator, Jayne Miles, will dive into the logistics of running the quarter-acre rooftop farm and what is coming next! 

• Alex Speigel is a Partner at Windmill Development Group who is sharing two case studies on integrating a meaningful strategy of urban agriculture in mixed-use developments

• Have you heard of Agritecture? They are a global consulting company that specializes in building integrated agriculture projects. Yara Nagi, Agritecture’s Operations Director, has been involved in more than 60 urban farm projects where she develops the feasibility studies for economic models. 

To learn more and to register for the Urban and Rooftop Agriculture Symposium visit  https://greenroofs.org/virtualevents/agriculture

The potential of urban agriculture to transform our cities has yet to be fully recognized by decision-makers. Food can be used as a lever to solve numerous urban challenges and we need to rapidly start implementing these strategies. The green recovery from COVID19 will not happen without drastic changes to our food system, what role will you play?

Tagged: urban agriculture, virtual events, green infrastructure, food production, food systems, rooftop farm, rooftop garden, urban farm, Top Leaf Farms, Agritecture, Agritecture Consulting, Windmill Developments, Ryerson Urban Farm, Ryerson Urban Farm Living Lab, Jayne Miles, Alex Speigel, Benjamin Fahrer, green recovery, ecosystem services, Green Roofs for Healthy Cities

3 Key Senior Living Benefits of Vertical Farming

By Jack Silverstein

June 28, 2020

Senior living communities face unprecedented challenges touching on all areas of community life, from move-ins and occupancy to resident activities to food quality and sourcing. The COVID-19 pandemic is forcing operators to re-imagine their offering and strategies, to find creative solutions to everyday challenges.

Vertical farming is one of those solutions.

Babylon Micro-Farms in Charlottesville, Virginia is delivering vertical farming to corporate cafeterias, universities — and senior living communities. The company’s three-by-five, eight-foot-tall vertical farms are self-contained and managed remotely through an app, making them an ideal avenue for senior living operators to both gain fresh produce and deliver health, wellness, and activity to residents.

The farms produce leafy greens, herbs, and edible flowers, and deliver as much yield in their 15-square feet as a horizontal 2,000-square-foot farm, says Chief Executive Officer Alexander Olesen, who notes that Babylon is the leading indoor farming provider to senior living and health care settings.

“This is a multi-faceted tool for providing high-quality food to residents,” Olesen says.

Here are three major benefits that onsite vertical farming can have for senior living communities, including benefits during a health crisis.

Strong return on investment

Before even looking at the benefits of vertical farming in terms of the health of a given resident, Olesen points to the farm as a marketing differentiator in the industry, one that can help operators drive move-ins and maintain occupancy.

“What we’ve seen is that in senior living environments, there is an increasing pressure to source locally,” Olesen says. Being able to tell prospective residents and their families that their produce is grown on-site reveals the operator as forward-thinking around sustainability and food transparency.

There are other ways that vertical farming offers a return on investment (ROI), he says. One is a bit more obvious.

“By bringing food production closer to the point of consumption, we’re able to decrease the time from farm to fork,” he says, which, as he notes, reduces food waste and offers the highest quality, fresh produce at competitive prices.

The other is more subtle: Operators are positioning the farm as a sort of art installation in a relatively public place, such as a dining room or a lobby.

“We are seeing communities that are filling beds because they are able to better engage with prospective residents and their children,” he says.

Better food quality

The wellness movement in senior living was booming before COVID-19 — but the need for operators to pay deep attention to what their residents eat increased dramatically with the pandemic.

With onsite vertical farming, residents and operators know the source of their food. Residents gain more enjoyment from dining. They are healthier. And the produce is not tied to any given season.

“This is produce that is ready to harvest throughout the year,” Olesen says.

The flexibility provided by the farms means that operators can also rotate their crops — and hence change their menus — with greater ease.

Enjoyable resident activities

Onsite vertical farming is not just a benefit to residents in terms of health and dining enjoyment. Operators are using the farming itself as a resident activity, Olesen says. Because of the cloud-based advanced technology and user app that drives the farming, there is an ease-of-use for both residents and the operator. This is farming with no green thumb nor horticultural expertise required, he says.

“Being able to host a harvest with the residents really adds value on top of the produce that they are getting out of the farms,” Olesen says. He is seeing residents enjoying the interaction with farming in a non-labor-intensive way. They are able to grow their own food, name their plants, and have a year-round gardening experience without mud, bugs, or pesticides.

“We’ve developed so many service options that are tailored for senior living and health care settings,” Olesen says. “This is a viable alternative in a post-COVID environment.”

To learn more about how Babylon Micro-Farms can bring sustainable farming and fresh food to your community, visit BabylonMicroFarms.com.

Companies featured in this article:

Babylon Micro-Farms

Jack Silverstein

When not covering senior news, Jack Silverstein is a sports historian and staff writer for SB Nation's Windy City Gridiron, making regular guest spots on WGN and 670-AM, The Score. His work has appeared in Chicago Tribune, RedEye Chicago, ChicagoNow, Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, Chicago Magazine, and others.

Home Hydroponics Guide Released From Cornell University

For people looking for a new project, building a home hydroponic system can be a great way to add some fresh, tasty, and aesthetically-pleasing greens to the home. Searching around for information can be frustrating, so this guide packs all the information into one spot, with detailed steps for building and operating one's own deep water culture and nutrient film techniques including plant spacing, reservoir size, and system components. The guide includes sections on seeding starting, managing nutrient solutions, lighting, and plant diseases/disorders.

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Each section has detailed information on all the major concepts of each topic (including examples with calculations), and finishes with a “quick guide” that recaps the main points. Wondering how much a hydroponic system will cost to build and maintain? Sample calculations are provided for lighting, fertilizer, and entire system costs. There is also an accompanying excel sheet to help with cumbersome calculations.

The guide and excel sheet can be found here under featured resources or the growing tab.

For more details and information contact Ryan Ronzoni at rjr293@cornell.edu

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Publication date: Tue 30 Jun 2020