2021 Global CEA Census Will Measure The Impact of Sustainability

The 2021 Global CEA Census has launched with a focus on growers’ perspectives on sustainability and how they are measuring specific ESG (environmental, social, and governance) outcomes.  

This year Agritecture Consulting will partner with AgTech leader WayBeyond who has taken over the responsibility of the Census from automation business Autogrow.   

“Our WayBeyond ethos for sustainable crop production technology fits perfectly with this year’s Census. Understanding the impact of CEA (Controlled Environment Agriculture) on the planet allows us to continue highlighting the growers doing remarkable work to reduce environmental impact while producing quality crops.

There’s clear evidence showing consumers, particularly Gen-Z, are making decisions based on the sustainability factor of not only the food they eat but also the packaging, distribution and producers themselves. This Census will give a clear view of the role CEA can play in creating a more sustainable planet.”

— WAYBEYOND CEO & FOUNDER DARRYN KEILLER

This is the third year the Census has run with increasing participation each year from greenhouse, indoor vertical, and tunnel house growers. Past Census reports have brought forward key information on the state of the industry, tactics being used, and the people behind its many operations. For example, the 2020 report showed that there was plenty of optimism despite the pandemic, with 95% of respondents having an “excellent” or “good” outlook for the 12 months ahead, and only 5% indicating that the business’ future was uncertain.

“We work hard to encourage as many growers to participate as possible and, with a focus on sustainability, we hope to gain an even better uptake this year, especially from large-scale operations.

This is the most comprehensive global survey of CEA operations running, and the published findings will provide valuable insights that may affect policy, financing options, operational practices, and new technology. That is a benefit for all of us in the industry.”

— AGRITECTURE CONSULTING FOUNDER AND CEO HENRY GORDON-SMITH

The 2021 Global Census will run from 7 July 2021 until 20 August 2021.

Take the survey: Global CEA Census

Survey Terms and Conditions can be found here.

Pinduoduo Launches 2021 Smart Agriculture Competition To Spearhead Agriculture Modernization And Sustainability

August 09, 2021 

Source: Pinduoduo Inc.

SHANGHAI, China, Aug. 09, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pinduoduo (NASDAQ:PDD), China Agricultural University, and Zhejiang University jointly announced the launch of the 2021 Smart Agriculture Competition, an agricultural technology competition with the aim of fostering innovation and promoting agricultural modernization.

View fullsize

Contestants will take a multidisciplinary approach, applying nutrition science, precision farming, and other relevant technology to cultivate tomatoes. The winners will be judged on yield, nutritional value, environmental sustainability, and commercial viability. The competition is open to young agronomists and computer scientists from around the world and offers a total prize pool of more than 1 million yuan ($154,000).

Registration for the competition will end on Sept. 9, 2021. Teams can register through the competition website (https://smartagricompetition.com/register). A total of 15 teams will be shortlisted by the judging panel to present their plans. The four teams with the highest scores will proceed to the final round of the competition.

Now in its second year, the Smart Agriculture Competition is led by Pinduoduo, China Agricultural University and Zhejiang University, with technical guidance from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and Wageningen University & Research. The Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences and representative agencies from the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Denmark have also provided strong support. Leading agritech companies including Bayer Crop Science, Ridder Group, and Omron have lent their industry expertise and advanced solutions to the competition.

View fullsize

Pinduoduo is organizing the annual competition as part of its support for global efforts to improve and modernize the agri-food system through technology. As China’s largest agriculture platform serving 824 million consumers, the company has made agriculture a central part of its mission to improve the way food is grown, transported, and sold.

“The driving force for the improvement of the agricultural industry comes from the development and application of cutting-edge technologies,” said Andre Zhu, Senior Vice President at Pinduoduo. “As China’s largest platform for agriculture, we want to play our part to improve food security and quality in a sustainable way.”

For the 2021 Smart Agriculture Competition, the judging panel is composed of leading experts and growers with diverse backgrounds including horticulture, crop modeling, algorithm design and policymaking. Tomato experts from China, the Netherlands, and Denmark will provide guidance to the participating teams.

The competing teams will be judged not just on yield but also on the nutritional value and environmental impact of their farming methods. This is in line with Pinduoduo's strong commitment to environmental sustainability, food quality and food safety.

View fullsize

“The Smart Agriculture Competition plays a unique role in that it aims to foster innovation that is usable by smallholder farmers, who produce around 80% of the food in China,” said Tian Jianhui, Vice President of China Agricultural University. “It is an important platform for the different stakeholders in the agri-food ecosystem to come together to develop practical, cost-effective, and environmentally sustainable solutions for working farms.”

In last year’s inaugural competition, the four technology teams employed data analysis, intelligent sensors and greenhouse automation to grow strawberries, producing 196% more fruit by weight on average compared with experienced farmers. Two of the technology teams have started to commercialize their technology after the competition, resulting in real-life gains in productivity for local farmers.

"China’s farming sector will undergo tremendous change, making the leap from traditional agriculture to modern agriculture,” said He Yong, Dean of Biosystems Engineering and Food Science College of Zhejiang University. “The Smart Agriculture Competition has encouraged more forces to push the industry forward together.”

Pinduoduo has gone from zero to over 800 million customers in just six years, making it the world's largest agri-focused tech platform. It is unique among other large internet companies to make digitizing the agriculture industry a core and strategic priority. Pinduoduo is also actively evaluating global opportunities to solve food safety and food security issues.

"Technology is transforming agriculture and food production. It is extremely important to implement the digital transformation of agriculture and improve food safety," said Carlos Watson, the FAO Representative to China. “FAO provided technical support to the Smart Agriculture Competition last year. We are looking forward to another successful collaboration to bring farmers real benefits through digitalization."

About Pinduoduo Inc.

Pinduoduo is a mobile-only marketplace that connects millions of agricultural producers with consumers across China. Pinduoduo aims to bring more businesses and people into the digital economy so that local communities can benefit from the increased productivity and convenience through new market opportunities.

For more information on Pinduoduo news and industry trends, please visit the content hub at https://stories.pinduoduo-global.com.

View fullsize

For media inquiries, please contact internationalmedia@pinduoduo.com

Tags agriculturefarmingtechnologycompetition

Sobeys To Boost Supply of Vertically Farmed Produce

By Russell Redman

July 26, 2021

Under an expanded partnership with Sobeys, vertical farming company Infarm plans to build four new production sites to be able to supply fresh produce to more than 1,000 of the Canadian grocer’s stores.

Infarm said Monday that it aims to construct Infarm Growing Centers in Calgary, Alberta; Halifax, Nova Scotia; Winnipeg, Manitoba; and Hamilton, Ontario. Near Toronto, the Hamilton facility will be Infarm’s largest production site in North America, with a growing capacity of 37,000 square feet, the company said.

Sobeys and Infarm formed their partnership last year, with a goal of providing locally grown, indoor-farmed produce to the Stellarton, Nova Scotia-based retailer’s customers nationwide. The deal was the first of national scope between a Canadian retailer and a vertical farming company, according to Infarm.

“We are passionate about bringing Canadian families the best, freshest, most delicious produce every single day. The expansion of our exclusive partnership with Infarm demonstrates our commitment to delivering that in a technologically advanced and sustainable way,” Niluka Kottegoda, vice president of customer experience at Sobeys, said in a statement.

“We received overwhelmingly positive feedback from our customers and our store teams about the current Infarm product grown in our stores,” she added. “We are thrilled to expand into the Infarm Growing Centers, as they allow us to exponentially offer these great local products to a multitude of communities across Canada all year round.”

Berlin-based Infarm combines vertical farms with Internet of Things (IoT) and machine learning technology to create a resilient alternative food system. Situated across urban markets, Infarm’s smart modular farms are designed to grow fresh produce for city inhabitants.

The growing centers house farming units that can each save up to 10 million liters of water annually versus soil-based agriculture for similar crops, while producing the equivalent of up to 100,000 square feet of land, Infarm reported. The company noted that 90% of electricity used throughout the Infarm network will be from green-certified sources by September 2021, part of its plan to use 100% renewable or green-certified energy.

Sobeys' partnership with Infarm is the first national-level deal between a Canadian retailer and a vertical farming company.

With their expanded partnership, Infarm and Sobeys will extend the availability and distribution of vertically farmed produce to another four of Canada’s 10 provinces by 2023. That will boost production volume in Canada by more than sevenfold, in tandem with current Infarm Growing Centers in Vancouver and Victoria/Vancouver Island in British Columbia. According to Infarm, the deal stems from rising retailer demand for its produce, including from the Sobeys, Safeway and Thrifty Food supermarket banners of Empire Co. Ltd., the parent company of Sobeys Inc.

Infarm said that, by 2025, it expects to scale to 100 growing centers, with a growing capacity of 3 million square feet. As a result, over the next five years, Canadian consumers can expect to see a range of new Infarm produce items — such as tomatoes, strawberries, peppers, mushrooms, pre-cut salads and potted plants — added to the current selection of herbs, leafy greens and microgreens now available in grocery store aisles, the company said.

In turn, Infarm’s Canadian team of 97 employees stands to grow more than 50% to 160 by the year’s end, working from sites in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, Nova Scotia and Manitoba. 

“We’re delighted with what has been an extremely positive and successful partnership with the Sobeys family of retailers,” stated Erez Galonska, CEO at Infarm. “This expansion deal represents one of the largest rollouts of any vertical farming company in North America to date as we aim to offer local, high-quality produce to people everywhere.”

Founded in 2013 by Osnat Michaeli and brothers Erez and Guy Galonska, Infarm operates more than 1,300 farms in stores and growing centers worldwide and has partnered with over 30 major retailers in Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Japan, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, the United States and Switzerland. U.S. retail partners include The Kroger Co., Whole Foods Market and Amazon Fresh. International grocery retail partnes include Aldi Süd, Auchan, Carrefour, Casino, E. Leclerc, Edeka, Farmdrop, Intermarché, Irma, Kaufland, Kinokuniya, Marks & Spencer, Metro, Migros, Selfridges, Selgros and Summit.

Drought Signals Need For Sustainable Agriculture

By Lucas Edmond

July 20, 2021

As Winnipeggers funnel into air-conditioned buildings to stave off record-breaking heatwaves, Manitoba’s farmers are facing a much deeper crisis.

For avid small talkers who love to discuss the weather, the low river and empty floodways during flood season were the first indications that Manitoba was going to have a summer of extreme conditions. Then the aphids appeared — a small insect that thrives in hot, dry weather — lathering Winnipeg’s canopy with sticky gunk. Finally, reality of the drought’s devastation struck when the West Coast of North America erupted in flames following a heatwave that stretched across several borders earlier this summer.

On July 5, just days after the heatwave, St. Laurent, Man. declared an agricultural state of disaster as potential crop yields continued to dwindle in the face of high aridity and soil exhaustion. Armstrong, Man. was the second rural municipality to declare a state of agricultural disaster on July 9, but it is likely not the last.

As Manitoba’s farmers fight to stay afloat with the support of only 40 per cent of Manitoba’s natural rainfall, a grasshopper infestation — produced by the dry conditions — has begun eating away at the limited vegetables, grains and oats farmers have managed to grow.

Due to the heat and the grasshoppers, a significant portion of crops that are often recycled as feed for cattle have been lost. Many farmers are being forced to cut their losses and sell their herds. Some have decided to prematurely cut their crops to bundle their feed in order to keep their livestock through the winter — forcing them to lose large portions of their annual incomes.

The ecological disaster and its consequential financial impact has stimulated discussions with the provincial government about financial aid to keep the province’s large agricultural sector healthy. However, subsidies for lost incomes should go a step further.

Although droughts have been prevalent across North America throughout the 21st century, this year is shaping up to be the driest in the last century. Record-breaking heat and inconsistent rain due to global warming — compounded by exhaustive industrial agriculture — are destroying the soils, stripping them of nutrients at a rate incomparable to any other period in modern history. Humanity and our methods of production, accumulation and distribution has spurned a new geological epoch now visibly discernable in the stratigraphic record. If the weather continues to become increasingly unpredictable due to our ecological impacts, then something must be done to create a more sustainable and predictable agricultural sector.

The provincial government should take time to consider the benefits of establishing a fund dedicated to farmers who want to transition their efforts away from the unsustainable methods of industrial monoculture cropping that have proven to be unstable during this perilous drought. Although much more expensive and labour intensive, permaculture cropping adopts a land management system dedicated to farming based on a balanced ecosystem that can thrive through tough environmental conditions without the assistance of expensive and detrimental inputs of herbicide, pesticide and artificial fertilizer.

In other words, instead of planting one cash crop that is easy to harvest but tough on the environment, the agricultural sector should look toward planting crops and vegetation that mutually complement each other in their ecological contexts.

Monoculture industrial farmers typically try to avoid using pesticides due to their damaging effects on the ecosystems that surround their plots. However, if the dry conditions and the infestations persist, many farmers — without the capacity to produce natural solutions to the crisis — may have to bite the bullet to protect their livelihood in the short term.

As many biologists from around the world have concluded, killing back pests with artificial products stunts local ecology and the environment’s natural ability to balance itself. Using pesticides kills off vital food sources for various predators, thus unintentionally killing various other species and reproducing the conditions for much worse infestations in the future. Destroying biodiversity is exactly what farmers need to avoid during these periods of agricultural crisis.

By adapting to living with pests and drought, farmers will be investing in the longevity of their yields while simultaneously reducing their industrial emissions. Transitioning into a labour-intensive permaculture system will be a crucial step in making the future of the planet green, but the transition must start with incentives and funding from federal and provincial coffers.

Fundamentally, it is up to farmers to make their decisions in conjunction with government bodies. However, the world is not fixing itself, and sustainable agriculture is a good first step at mitigating the public calamities that lie ahead.

Lead Photo: Climate challenges lie ahead, but governments can reduce risks by investing in food

RMA Authorizes Emergency Procedures To Help Drought-Impacted Producers

View fullsize

By TOM KARST

July 13, 2021

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is authorizing emergency procedures to help agricultural producers impacted by extreme drought conditions.

The USDA’s Risk Management Agency is working with crop insurance companies to streamline and accelerate the adjustment of losses and issuance of indemnity payments to crop insurance policyholders in impacted areas, according to a news release.

The agency said the new crop insurance flexibilities are part of USDA’s broader response to help producers impacted by drought, in the West, Northern Great Plains, Caribbean and other areas. 

“Crop insurance helps producers weather natural disasters like drought,” RMA Acting Administrator Richard Flournoy said in the release. “We recognize the distress experienced by farmers and ranchers because of drought, and these emergency procedures will authorize insurance companies to expedite the claims process, enabling them to plant a new crop or a cover crop.”

Emergency procedures allow insurance companies to accept delayed notices of loss in certain situations, streamline paperwork, and reduce the number of required representative samples when damage is consistent, according to the release.

Producers should contact their crop insurance agent as soon as they notice damage, the agency said.

The insurance company must have an opportunity to inspect the crop before the producer puts their crop acres to another use. If the company cannot make an accurate appraisal, or the producer disagrees with the appraisal at the time the acreage is to be destroyed or no longer cared for, the insurance company and producer can determine representative sample areas to be left intact and maintained for future appraisal purposes, according to the release. Once an insured crop has been appraised and released, or representative strips have been authorized for later appraisal, the producer may cut the crop for silage, destroy it or take any other action on the land including planting a cover crop, the release said.

Additional information on these emergency procedures is available on RMA’s Crop Insurance and Drought Damaged Crop webpage.

Farming During The Dry Age

The period of 2000 to 2018 was the second driest 19-year period in over a thousand years. Let that sink in for a few moments. Global warming drives increased evaporation, causing droughts to become more likely and more severe where they already exist.

The past 10 to 20 years have been some of the driest on record, especially for the west coast of the United States. 70% of the land in the West is already in severe drought, and the National Weather Service estimates that the area is closer to 90%. Water demand is expected to rise by 55% by 2050, so planning how to provide more water with a diminishing supply is not a matter of whether one believes in climate change, it’s a crisis.

These climate events in the west have economic impacts worth noting water shortages during the 2015 droughts in California resulted in almost $2 billion in direct costs. On average, one drought event causes a 0.8% decrease in agricultural GDP, let alone the cost to the population. 

With California responsible for a large portion of the country’s produce and experiencing extremely dry conditions, indoor farming is the only option. CEA (controlled environment agriculture) where environmental factors are manipulated can help keep the west coast's agricultural sector intact.

Greenhouses, whether traditional or vertical uses methods such as drip irrigation that save up to 30-50% of the water it would take to conventionally grow using surface irrigation. Up to half the amount of an outdoor farm. Overall, reports indicate that greenhouses create around a 60% water savings during crop cultivation.

Droughts affect not only the direct air and soil of an open farm, but also the types of pests and pathogens living in them. When a climate drastically changes, the organisms that thrive there adapt much quicker than the plant’s ability to resist them. With the U.S. already using over one billion pounds of pesticides per year, as drier environments invite new pests and pathogens that native crops are ill-equipped to handle on their own either crops will die, or pesticide use will increase.

The agricultural economy along the West Coast and indeed across the U.S. and the world will need to adapt their growing techniques to meet the demand of a growing population and conserve water. Indoor growing saves water during growing cycles and significantly reduces crop loss, pesticide use, and GHG’s.

Droughts along the West Coast are already transforming the farming landscape as we watch farmers plow crops under knowing that there won’t be enough water to sustain them throughout the summer. Crops grown indoors can be both protected and hydrated with indoor technologies that are more secure for feeding people and sustaining the planet.

Hallie Cordingley, Intern

hcordingley@iunu.com

Carl Silverberg, Sr. VP Outreach & Public Affairs

csilverberg@iunu.com

844 746 4868 

2021 Global CEA Census Will Measure The Impact of Sustainability

7 July 2021: The 2021 Global CEA Census has launched with a focus on growers’ perspectives on sustainability and how they are measuring specific ESG (environmental, social, and governance) outcomes.  

This year Agritecture Consulting will partner with AgTech leader WayBeyond who has taken over the responsibility of the Census from automation business Autogrow.   

“Our WayBeyond ethos for sustainable crop production technology fits perfectly with this year’s Census. Understanding the impact of CEA (Controlled Environment Agriculture) on the planet allows us to continue highlighting the growers doing remarkable work to reduce environmental impact while producing quality crops.

There’s clear evidence showing consumers, particularly Gen-Z, are making decisions based on the sustainability factor of not only the food they eat but also the packaging, distribution and producers themselves. This Census will give a clear view of the role CEA can play in creating a more sustainable planet.”

— WAYBEYOND CEO & FOUNDER DARRYN KEILLER

This is the third year the Census has run with increasing participation each year from greenhouse, indoor vertical, and tunnel house growers. Past Census reports have brought forward key information on the state of the industry, tactics being used, and the people behind its many operations. For example, the 2020 report showed that there was plenty of optimism despite the pandemic, with 95% of respondents having an “excellent” or “good” outlook for the 12 months ahead, and only 5% indicating that the business’ future was uncertain.

“We work hard to encourage as many growers to participate as possible and, with a focus on sustainability, we hope to gain an even better uptake this year, especially from large-scale operations.

This is the most comprehensive global survey of CEA operations running, and the published findings will provide valuable insights that may affect policy, financing options, operational practices, and new technology. That is a benefit for all of us in the industry.”

— AGRITECTURE CONSULTING FOUNDER AND CEO HENRY GORDON-SMITH

The 2021 Global Census will run from 7 July 2021 until 20 August 2021.

Take the survey: Global CEA Census

Survey Terms and Conditions can be found here.

VIDEO: France’s First ‘Vertical Farm’ Sets Its Sights On Sustainability

View fullsize

There’s no soil and no sunshine, just stacks of boxes of microgreens and herbs, robot sprinklers and LED lights at France’s first ‘vertical farm’. The aromatic plants grown by Jungle company in a hangar in the northern French town Château-Thierry will soon supply the national supermarket chain Monoprix. Eventually, it is expected to produce eight million plants a year without any of them ever seeing the light of day.

Click here to watch the short video of the news.

Source: Yahoo News
Photo: Screenshot from the video on Yahoo news

Dickson Despommier, Professor Emeritus - Contributor To The New Book "The Economics of Sustainable Food: Smart Policies For Health And The Planet "

I contributed to the new book The Economics of Sustainable Food: Smart Policies for Health and the Planet , Co-Authored by Dr. Charles Knirsch, and am excited to say that it is now available!

In The Economics of Sustainable Food, I discuss, as agrotechnology advances rapidly, consumers will no longer have their produce shipped months in advance and from thousands of miles away. Vertical farming uses a fraction of the resources of conventional farming and allows farmers to grow locally and bring fresh produce to the mass market within days or even hours, reducing the carbon footprint associated with transporting food. Additionally, as climate change brings dramatic weather changes, CEA allows constant conditions regardless of weather patterns. VF thus promises substantial environmental and economic gains, and policy should incentivize vertical farms to grow increasing shares of produce both domestically and across the world.

If you’d like to purchase a copy from Island Press, which ships worldwide, use the code BATINI, which is good for a 20% discount. You can also order the book from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and your local independent bookseller.

I hope you will consider sharing the book with your own networks.

You can help in a few ways:

 Forward this message to your own contacts or

share the news on your social media networks.

Feel Free To Include The Discount Code, BATINI.

·       If you’d like to review it for a publication or website, you can request a review copy from press@islandpress.org.

·       If you’d like to use it in a class, you can request an exam copy

at www.islandpress.org/request-exam-copy.

·       Encourage your organization to contact info@islandpress.org

 for details about a discounted bulk purchase.

·       Review the book on Amazon, Goodreads, or another review site.

If you have any questions or ideas for how to use the book in your own work, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.  I hope you enjoy the book.

All the best,

Dickson

dickson.despommier@gmail.com

[Upcoming Webinars] Communicating Sustainability, Financing Indoor Ag

Indoor Ag-Con

SUSTAINABILITY, FINANCING HEADLINE

MAY | JUNE INDOOR AG-CONVERSATIONS SCHEDULE  

View fullsize

MAY 26, 2021 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM EDT

 Indoor Ag-Con  & Agritecture invite you to join us for this important session.

Despite a decade of innovation and funding in vertical farming, many businesses do not communicate accurate information about the sustainability of their technology or operations. Whether it's unsubstantiated claims of water savings, carbon reduction, circularity, or overall sustainability, many companies do not avoid greenwashing in their marketing. This panel will explore the best practices for communicating and reporting on sustainability with the hopes of encouraging the industry to mature.

Moderator:

Henry Gordon-Smith, Founder & CEO, Agritecture

Panelists:

Sara Segergren, Project Portfolio Leader, Sustainability Innovation and Development,

Ingka Group | IKEA

Sam Norton, Founder, Heron Farms

Lisa Causarano, International Accounts Manager, Schneider Electric 

SAVE YOUR FREE SPOT!

JUNE 8 & 9, 2021 1:00 PM - 4:30 PM EDT EACH DAY

Join Indoor Ag-Con, Brad McNamara & FarmTech Society for this
 2-day SPECIAL EDITION of Indoor Ag-Conversations.

DAY 1 | JUNE 8, 2021 -- 1:00 PM - 4:30 PM

SEED TO SERIES B

HOSTED BY BRAD MCNAMARA

During 3 in-depth panel discussions with successful entrepreneurs and their investors, host Brad McNamara will push for first-hand accounts of each round to pull back the curtain on what it takes to fund an idea and create an investment-grade business in CEA.

DAY 2 | JUNE 9, 2021 -- 1:00 PM - 4:30 PM

CROSSING THE CHASM

HOSTED BY FARMTECH SOCIETY

2020 was a big year for Controlled Environment Agriculture -- and the next two years are likely to see unprecedented growth and change in the sector.

On day 2 of our Indoor Ag-Conversations 'Seed to Scale' event, the host FarmTech Society will focus on the maturing of the industry as CEA "crosses the chasm" into mainstream adoption.

LEARN MORE & SAVE THE DATE

View fullsize

INDOOR AG-CON - IN PERSON! 

OCTOBER 4-5, 2021

We can't wait to see our industry colleagues again in October! We've got an incredible program lined up from you. Check out our expo hall floor, which is filling up quickly. And, explore our educational offerings, including keynotes from top indoor ag CEOS, panel discussions diving deep into 3 tracks - business & marketing; science & technology; alternative crops & growing methods.

And, of course, a full roster of networking opportunities, too!

JOIN US!

SPECIAL THANKS TO INDOOR AG-CON 2021 SPONSORS & MEDIA ALLIES

View fullsize

Indoor Ag-Con, 950 Scales Road, Building #200, Suwanee, GA 30024, United States

Save The Date!

OptimIA Stakeholder Meeting

August 20th, 2021

10:00 AM - 3:00 PM Eastern

Plan to join our annual stakeholder meeting online to learn about our collaborative research update!

More information available on our website

OptimIA (Optimizing Indoor Agriculture) is a USDA-funded Specialty Crop Research Initiative project to support the indoor farming industry through critical research and extension activities.

Sustainable Impacts Indoor Farming May Have On Environment

Mar 18, 2021, | Knowledge Base, Learning, Research Paper

By Center of Excellence

View fullsize

 Figure 1. Map of research and knowledge domain of indoor farming.

Abstract

This article identifies the potential environmental effects large-scale indoor farming may have on air, water, and soil. We begin with an overview of what indoor farming is with a focus on greenhouses and indoor vertical farms (eg, plant factories). Next, the differences between these 2 primary methods of indoor farming are presented based on their structural requirements, methods of growing, media, nutrient sources, lighting requirements, facility capacity, and methods of climate control. We also highlight the benefits and challenges facing indoor farming. In the next section, an overview of research and the knowledge domain of indoor and vertical farming is provided. Various authors and topics for research are highlighted. In the next section, the transformative environmental effects that indoor farming may have on air, soil, and water are discussed. This article closes with suggestions for additional research on indoor farming and its influence on the environment.

Citation

View fullsize

Stein EW. The Transformative Environmental Effects Large-Scale Indoor Farming May Have On Air, Water, and Soil. Air, Soil and Water Research. January 2021. doi:10.1177/1178622121995819

Introduction

Open field farming has been practiced the same way for centuries as the primary means of growing food. Its origins can be traced back to wheat production 11 000 years ago in the Middle East, which later spread to the Mediterranean, North Africa, and elsewhere.1 Given limitations on the amount of arable land, water scarcity, increased awareness of sustainable development, and the well-documented environmental effects of open-field agriculture, other farming methods have been developed in the past few decades. The primary alternative to open field farming is referred to as indoor farming, which has received relatively little attention in terms of environmental impacts. The goal of this article is to introduce indoor farming in its many forms to environmental scientists, outline key areas of research, and highlight the effects large-scale indoor farming could have on the environment. Research needs to be done to better understand the cumulative and transformative environmental effects indoor farming methods may have on water, air, and soil as it realizes its potential to supply a significant portion of the population with fresh food.

What Is Indoor Farming?

Indoor farming is a relatively new method of growing vegetables and other plants under controlled environmental conditions. These farm systems are variously referred to as indoor farms, vertical farms, vfarms, zfarms, greenhouses, controlled environment agriculture (CEA), and plant factories.2,3 Indoor farms are sometimes confused with urban farms, which typically represent small outdoor farms or gardens to grow vegetables that are located in urban areas. It also should be noted that mushrooms have been grown indoors in compost under controlled conditions without light for more than one hundred years.4 For the purposes of this article, we will focus on characteristics of controlled environment indoor vertical farms and greenhouses, which are the primary architectures used for the large-scale production of leafy greens and other vegetables that require natural or artificial light.

The many faces of indoor farming

Greenhouses have been the workhorse for indoor growers for decades, especially in the production of flowers and ornamental plants. The modern high-tech greenhouse designs were pioneered in the Netherlands and have since been embraced all over the world. Several examples of these farms are evident throughout the United States and the largest span hundreds of acres. For example, according to Greenhouse Grower,5 Altman Plants (CA) has almost 600 acres under glass followed by Costa Farms (FL) with 345 acres. These are mainly used in the production of ornamental plants.

For vegetables, greenhouses were originally designed for tomatoes but now are used in the production of kale, microgreens, lettuces, herbs, squash, and other types of fresh produce. These greenhouses, formerly located in rural areas, are now being positioned near urban and peri-urban areas to bring operations closer to population centers to save money and reduce the carbon footprint associated with transportation miles. For example, BrightFarms (brightfarms.com) has greenhouse operations located just outside of Philadelphia and Cincinnati to produce lettuces and other leafy greens. Gotham Greens (gothamgreens.com) situated its first greenhouse on top of a warehouse in Brooklyn, NY and has since expanded to other cities. AppHarvest (appharvest.com) is a venture located in Kentucky whose greenhouses cover more than 60 acres to produce tomatoes and other vegetables. What is common to greenhouse design is that all growing takes place on a single level, they are clothed in materials such as glass that transmit natural sunlight, and include climate control and irrigation equipment. They may also use a modest amount of supplemental artificial lighting during winter months.6

Growing leafy greens and other plants in buildings has emerged in the past 25 years whereby plants are grown vertically and hydroponically using artificial lights. Indoor vertical farms are typically located in warehouses or similar structures that have been retrofitted to provide superior heating, ventilation, and cooling (HVAC) for the benefit of plant production and racking systems to support the production systems.7-9 The PVC grow systems transport nutrient-rich water to the root zone of the plants, and the water is then returned to the main reservoir. Designed as closed re-circulating systems, indoor vertical farms only use a fraction of the amount of water as greenhouses or open-field methods (see also section “Water Use”). The advent of cost-effective LED lighting technologies has allowed farmers to provide the plants with just the right wavelengths of light, intensity, and photo-period to optimize growth.10 Other advances include automation, IoT, and artificial intelligence; ie, all of the information technologies that contribute to “smart farming.”11

Although modern LEDs are very efficient compared to HID, high-pressure sodium, or florescent lamps, the capital and operating costs of these artificial lighting systems are significant,10 as are the climate control systems that are also required. Greenhouses, for example, require significant investment in heating and cooling equipment to maintain stable temperatures and humidity, which results in significant operating costs in buildings with low R-value membranes (eg, glass). The chief benefit of this design is that the light comes free, although growing is limited to a single level. Indoor vertical farms, however, can benefit from well-insulated structures that reduce heating and cooling costs and growing can take place on multiple levels. That said, these savings come at the expense of relatively high electricity usage for artificial lighting.10 These operating costs can be mitigated with the increasing efficiencies of LED’s, sensing systems that modulate light to the maximum required for the plants, pairing indoor farms with renewable energy sources such as solar and geo-thermal, and architectures that favor energy efficiency.9

Methods of indoor farms

Indoor farms are characterized by several parameters:

• Growing Method and Media

• Source of Nutrients

• Lighting Requirements

• Facility Capacity

• Climate Control

• Economics

Most indoor farms use hydroponic methods of growing; i.e, plants are grown in water. Seeding takes place in an inert material such as stone-wool or peat, which is irrigated with nutrient–rich water. Water is administered using a variety of techniques ranging from fine mist sprayers (aeroponics), to shallow water (NFT) irrigation, to deep water culture (DWC) immersion to flood and drain methods.9 All are effective and have their pros and cons. Nutrients for larger-scale hydroponic production systems typically come from dissolved salts that ionize in the water. In some smaller systems, the nutrients come from the nutrient-rich water of fish farms (ie, aquaponic systems) that are proximate to and coupled with the plant production system.

In greenhouse production facilities, most lighting comes from the sun, which may be supplemented with artificial light, especially in the northern latitudes during winter. Plant factories and vertical farms, however, use only artificial lighting but are designed to maximize growing area using stacking methods. One common design is characterized by horizontal multi-tier growing systems starting at ground level that may include up to a dozen growing levels or tiers. Aerofarms (aerofarms.com) and Bowery Farms (boweryfarming.com) use this type of design for their production processes. An alternative is to use vertical drip irrigation grow systems. This design is characterized by vertical multi-site growing systems starting at ground level that extend upwards of 8 ft. In these systems, plants grow “sideways” toward artificial lights that are positioned at a right angle. Plenty, Inc. (plenty.ag) uses systems like these obtained in the acquisition of Bright Agrotech. Several examples of vertical farming ventures can also be found in Al-Kodmany.

All indoor farming methods share the characteristic of offering CEA. Controlled environment agriculture offers the grower complete control over several environmental variables including, but not limited to: light intensity and wavelength, photo-period, wind velocity, temperature, and humidity. Water culture is further managed to obtain optimal results based on nutrient levels, PH, and dissolved oxygen.9,12 In most cases, pesticides and herbicides are eliminated. More advanced farms such as Fifth Season (fifthseasonfresh.com) benefit from extensive use of sensors, IoT, robotics, automation, and control systems designed to optimize yields and minimize labor. Another valuable aspect of CEA farms is their ability to produce plants with certain desired morphologies and nutritional profiles based on the control of lighting wavelength, temperature, and nutrient levels. Sharath Kumar et al13 go so far as to suggest that with CEA, we are moving from genetic to environmental modification of plants.

Benefits and challenges of indoor vertical farms

Several benefits are associated with vertical farming,9 although the industry is not without its challenges (see Table 1). The principal sustainable benefits of indoor vertical farming are a large reduction in the use of water (see also section “Water Use”), the reduction or elimination of pesticides, and mitigation of the effects of excess fertilizer run-off. From an economic perspective, the ability to control the environment results in a stable supply chain, price stability, long-term contracts with distributors and retail markets, and high yields per square foot. The elimination of pesticides puts produce grown this way on par with organics, which command premium pricing. Indoor farms, if designed correctly, can reduce labor costs and may be located closer to urban centers. Some see a role for indoor farms to ameliorate food deserts, unemployment, and as a means to re-purpose abandoned buildings and lots.3,9,14-16 Finally, vertical farms provide resilience to climate change, flooding, droughts, etc.

However, the vertical farming industry is facing some key challenges. For instance, currently only a very small portion of fresh vegetables are produced indoors. The one exception is the mushroom industry, which represents a US$1.15 billion industry.17 Second, the USDA does not clearly identify vegetable production by method; eg, greenhouse, open field, vertical farm, etc, so data are not readily available. Third, profits have been elusive, especially for vertical farms.18 According to the 2019 Global CEA Census Report only 15% of shipping container farms and 37% of indoor vertical farms were profitable vs. 45% for greenhouse operations.19 Another limitation of indoor farming is that a relatively small number of cultivars can be grown using indoor farming methods.

The primary ones are leafy greens, herbs, microgreens, tomatoes, and peppers, although berries, root vegetables, and other more exotic plants are being trialed.19 Another challenge for indoor farm start-ups are the high capital costs, which can range from US$50-150/ft2 for greenhouses to US$150-400/ft2 for vertical farms. For example, AppHarvest had to raise over US$150 million to fund its 60-acre greenhouse complex.20 Aerofarms raised US$42 million for a 150 000 ft2 vertical farm,21 which equates to over US$280/ft2. Cosgrove22 further reports that access to capital is impeding the growth of indoor farming, especially for smaller farms. One reason that indoor vertical farms are not easily profitable is that they have to compete against conventional farms, which still enjoy a cost advantage.

As a result, indoor farms typically price product toward the high end and along the lines of pricing for organics,2 which limits market penetration. The 2 major factors contributing to the high costs of indoor and vertical farm operations are energy10,23,24 and labor, which account for nearly 3 quarters of the total.2,24 Despite these challenges, venture capital continues to pour money into indoor farming and agtech in the hopes of driving cost down and maintaining growth. Dehlinger25 reported that US$2.8 billion was invested by venture capitalists in Agtech companies in 2019.

Finally, the industry is struggling to share knowledge, establish standards, and create best practices, although progress is being made. For example, the Center of Excellence for Indoor Agriculture established a “Best in Class” award for growers and manufacturers (indoorgacenter.org). Indoor Ag-Con (indoor.ag) and the Indoor Agtech Innovation Summit (rethinkevents.com) hold online events and annual conferences to help promote knowledge sharing. Several specialized industry news outlets now exist including Vertical Farm Daily (verticalfarmdaily.com), Urban Ag News (urbanagnews.com), iGrow (igrow.news), Hortidaily (hortidaily.com), AgFunder Network (agfundernews.com), and others.

Read more >>>

Keywords: Indoor farming, vertical farming, vfarm, zfarm, plant factory, water, air, soil, sustainability, carbon cycles, drought, information technology, greenhouse gases, climate change, environment, agtech

The Food Sustainability Dream

MITA SRINIVASAN

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Vertical Farms vs Greenhouses – The First Consideration: Location

In just the past decade or so, sustainable farming has seen a high-tech makeover in the form of Controlled Environment Agriculture, or CEA, which consists of two main technologies: Vertical farms and greenhouses.

When it comes to feeding the world, it’s not a choice between vertical farms or greenhouses. We’ll need both to feed our growing global population with healthy, sustainable food, and we need to understand the ideal situation for each.

But as a business decision, it often is a choice between the two – and that’s what we hope to explain in this five-part series of articles: When and where to use a vertical farm versus a greenhouse, and what factors – both economic and environmental – make the difference.

In this first post, we’ll cover the basic differences between vertical farms and greenhouses, and why location matters so much when deciding between the two. Then stay tuned because, in the next articles, we’ll dive deeper into energy and lighting costs, automation and other expenses, environmental and crop considerations, and finally, the future of farming.

Vertical Farms vs Greenhouses: The Basics

The two technologies are often confused, but there are significant differences between them in resource use, cost, output, and, perhaps most importantly, the ideal locations for each.

Greenhouses are the more traditional technology that you’re probably familiar with: A single layer of crops, planted inside an enclosed space with walls and a ceiling made of glass or plastic to allow natural light in. They’re semi-controlled environments.

Vertical farms, on the other hand, are a much more recent invention using trays of usually hydroponic plants, stacked in floor-to-ceiling towers, with LED lights illuminating each layer, and climate control constantly adjusting the temperature, humidity and more.

In the upcoming articles in this series, we’ll dive into each part of these differences in more detail. But for now, let’s start with the first question entrepreneurs always need answering: The price tag.

Henry Gordon-Smith is the CEO of Agritecture, an independent consultancy and software creator that helps clients decide between the two technologies. As he puts it, “Vertical farming represents the most expensive, most controlled form of agriculture.”

At first blush, vertical farms are, in fact, shockingly more expensive than greenhouses – six to 10 times as costly. Gordon-Smith says vertical farming costs 2,200 to 2,600 Euro per square meter of cultivation bed space, while high-tech greenhouses cost 250 to 350 Euro per square meter of cultivation space.

Both offer a year-round source of fresh, pesticide-free, locally-grown produce, which provides better nutrition than the same foods that arrive from far away.

But what else do farmers, entrepreneurs, and investors get for all the added expense of vertical farming?

The answer is pretty simple: A more compact farm with more production per square meter, less water use, and more control over both quantity and quality. (With iFarm, this predictability is part of the package, in the form of a guaranteed yield within a precise time frame.)

For some entrepreneurs or municipalities, the cachet of implementing a high-tech farming technique that’s only been in use for less than a decade is also a factor in favour of vertical farming. But most often, the choice comes down to location.

The Ideal Location for a Vertical Farm versus a Greenhouse

The first step in determining the feasibility of building a vertical farm or greenhouse is to look at the drivers and constraints – many of which are simply location-based.

Places with limited space, such as dense urban areas, and limited access to fresh water are ideal for vertical farms. Doubly so if they have access to low-cost, renewable energy, and if they’re near a market with high demand for the crops vertical farms excel at producing: Leafy-greens, micro-greens, herbs and berries grown locally, without pesticides.

But in areas with unlimited space, lots of natural sunlight, and high-cost and/or high-carbon electricity, greenhouses may be the better option and the extra expenses of vertical farming might not make sense.

How these considerations apply in broad regions of the world is illustrated below:

Hydroponics Greenhouse Provides Hands-On Learning At Hudson High School

Yeji Kim

Special to the Hudson Hub-Times

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

7 New HDB Carpark Rooftop Sites Offered For Rental For Urban Farming In Public Tender

Ashley Tan 

Part of Singapore's efforts to strengthen its food security is increasing its capability to produce food locally.

To do this, more sites for urban rooftop farms atop multi-storey Housing Development Board (HDB) carparks are being offered for rental, via a public tender process that was launched today (Feb. 23).

Seven new sites

Seven sites have been identified in Jurong West, Bukit Panjang, Sembawang and Woodlands, according to the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) and HDB.

The sites will be used to farm vegetables and other food crops, and will also be used to pack and store produce.

They will be tendered out as a single site (in Jurong West) and three cluster sites (in Bukit Panjang, Sembawang and Woodlands).

Screenshot from SFA and HDB

Tenderers who successfully bid for cluster sites will be awarded all sites within the cluster, to allow them to cut costs through production at scale.

Single-site farms, on the other hand, provide opportunities to "testbed innovative ideas".

Tenderers must submit their proposals via GeBiz before the tender closes on Mar. 23, 4pm.

Proposals will be assessed on their bid price, production output, design and site layout, as well as their business and marketing plans.

More information can be found on SFA's website here.

Producing food locally

This is the second time tenders were launched for rooftop urban farms on carparks here — the first took place in Sep. 2020, with nine sites being awarded.

Collectively, the nine farming systems can potentially produce around 1,600 tonnes (1,600,000kg) of vegetables per year.

Having more space for commercial farming in land-constrained Singapore is one of SFA's strategies to achieve its "30 by 30" goal — which is to produce 30 percent of Singapore's food locally by 2030.

The move is also in line with HDB’s Green Towns Programme to intensify greening in HDB estates.

“Besides contributing to our food security, Multi-Storey Car Park (MSCP) rooftop farms help to bring the community closer to local produce, thereby raising awareness and support for local produce," said Melvin Chow, Senior Director of SFA’s Food Supply Resilience Division.

Columbia Vertical Farm Uses Technology To Cut Plastic Pollution And Boost Sustainability

BY LAURRYN SALEM

Vertical Roots is the largest hydroponic container farm in the country. They grow and package lettuce varieties and have recently implemented a packaging process that reduces plastic with a resealable film. TRACY GLANTZ TGLANTZ@THESTATE.COM

With the use of agricultural technology, Vertical Roots farm in West Columbia created a packaging system for its leafy greens that cut down the company’s plastic usage by 30% and extends the shelf life of the lettuce.

In 2015, high school friends Andrew Hare and Matt Daniels created the idea for Vertical Roots, now the largest hydroponic container farm in the country. Hare is the general manager of the company and Daniels acts as the chief horticulturist.

The first Vertical Roots opened in Charleston and expanded with its second farm site in West Columbia in 2019. Vertical Roots parent company, AmplifiedAg, manufactures the container farms and farm technology of which Vertical Roots operates.

The farms are part of a growing industry called controlled environmental agriculture (CEA) that uses technology to ramp up nutrient-rich food production year around.

Hydroponics helps the farm uses 98% less water than traditional farming, according to Hare. Their technology creates an indoor environment to grow lettuce on the East Coast. Most lettuce in the U.S. comes from California and Arizona, where temperatures do not fluctuate much throughout the year, travelling 2,000 miles from farm to table. Vertical Roots offers a solution for local lettuce.

“Our mission is to revolutionize the way communities grow, distribute and consume food,” said Hare. As populations grow, Hare said the ability to produce enough food is a global concern.

VERTICAL ROOTS AGRICULTURAL INNOVATION

As a company committed to sustainability, Vertical Roots had to address its plastic usage and the consumer demand for environmentally friendly products.

“I think everyone can agree that the amount of plastic that’s consumed and used globally is a bit of a problem,” said Hare.

If Vertical Roots were to completely opt-out of using plastics, as much as 40% of the lettuce would be damaged in transportation to the retailers, Hare said. So the company decided to still use plastic containers in order to cut out food waste, but it changed the amount and type of plastic used.

By replacing the conventional “clamshell” plastic lids that you see on a container of lettuce at the grocery store, Vertical Roots cut down more than 30% of plastic usage by creating a resealable film lid. The new packaging comes at no extra cost to the customer and will be cheaper in the long-run for Vertical Roots, according to Hare.

The farm also uses recycled plastic that can also be recycled again after use. Tiny perforations in the film lid of the packaging allow air to leave the lettuce container and extends the product’s freshness, making Vertical Roots lettuce last around 14 days on the shelf.

“We tested respiration and condensation with each lettuce variety, and ultimately found that we could extend the freshness and shelf life of our salad mixes even more,” said Hare.

Vertical Roots, at the S.C. Farmer’s Market, is the largest hydroponic container farm in the country. They grow and package lettuce varieties. Tracy Glantz TGLANTZ@THESTATE.COM

GROWTH IN THE AGRICULTURAL TECHNOLOGY INDUSTRY

In the first three quarters of 2020, a record $754 million of venture capital was invested in the vertical farming industry, according to PitchBook data. This was a 34% increase from the entire previous year, Bloomberg reported in a January article.

A 2019 report from Global Market Insights showed that the vertical farming market size, or the number of potential customers or unit sales, surpassed $3 billion in 2018 and said it, “will exhibit a massive compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of over 27% from 2019 to 2026.”

In vertical farms, crops are harvested on several vertical layers indoors, where farmers can grow year-round by controlling light, temperature, water and other factors, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Vertical agriculture is also seen as a growing industry because it “could help increase food production and expand agricultural operations as the world’s population is projected to exceed 9 billion by 2050,” according to the USDA.

However, some are skeptical about the future of vertical farming for several reasons. The farms use LED light bulbs to grow crops, which require a lot of energy and money to operate.

Also, the farms mostly produce greens, which are low in calories because they take less water and light. The new farming technology is marketed as a way to combat world hunger, but in poorer countries, low-calorie greens are not as beneficial, according to Bloomberg.

THE FUTURE OF VERTICAL ROOTS

Despite a tough year due to COVID-19, Vertical Roots will open two more indoor, container farms in Georgia and Florida in 2021.

The company lost revenue from foodservice customers like restaurants, schools and universities during the pandemic, said Hare.

Those food service customers accounted for about half of Vertical Roots’ business, Hare said. Grocery store business stayed steady and even grew during the pandemic. As schools and restaurants are slowly reopening, Vertical Roots is gaining business back.

The West Columbia farm location produces about $1.5 million pounds of produce per year, said Hare. Vertical Roots lettuce is in 1,200 different grocery stores in 11 states, including Lowes Foods stores, Publix, Harris Teeter and Whole Foods Market chains.

Hare said the company is constantly working on sustainable initiatives, including figuring out a way to reduce light energy consumption by 20-25%, thinking about compostable packaging systems and finding ways to use less water at the farms.

In the future, Vertical Roots hopes to offer a larger variety of produce. The team is experimenting with growing foods like tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, herbs and mushrooms to see if they could be viable products.

Play VideoDuration 1:25This tunnel farm could be the future of agriculture

At 25,000 square feet, the world's first indoor vertical farm is also one of the largest farms. Located 120 miles south of Seoul, South Korea, fruits and vegetables grow without soil, bathed in light from pink LEDs. BY META VIERS

1 of 3

Vertical Roots, at the S.C. Farmer’s Market, is the largest hydroponic container farm in the country. They grow and package lettuce varieties. TRACY GLANTZ TGLANTZ@THESTATE.COM

Our Best Chance To Stop Vilsack From Leading USDA!

President Joe Biden has nominated former Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to return as head of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). This would be a huge step backwards in our urgent need to support agricultural systems that mitigate the ongoing climate crisis while protecting public health and the environment. But the Senate hasn’t confirmed Vilsack for the role yet, so we still have a chance to stop this regressive appointment by writing our senators.

Tell Biden’s transition team: Oppose Tom Vilsack as USDA Secretary!

While serving as USDA Secretary under President Obama, Mr. Vilsack supported chemically-dependent industrial agriculture that resulted in millions more pounds of pesticides released into the environment, contaminating our water and soils and harming human health and wildlife. 

The beef industry supports Vilsack’s nomination and it’s easy to see why. Vilsack put meatpacking profits over worker and food safety when he implemented a new poultry inspection system that led to plants running faster line speeds with fewer independent inspectors. The last time he took on this role, the meat industry grew larger and more concentrated, further exacerbating the climate crisis. We can’t afford to make the same mistake in 2021.

Help us ensure USDA moves forwards, not backwards!

We know that “bigger IS NOT better” when it comes to agriculture! We can grow more food with fewer chemicals by investing in small and medium-sized, diversified farms.

That won’t happen with Vilsack — an avid supporter of the expansion of genetically engineered crops, the majority of which are designed for one purpose: to withstand being sprayed with more pesticides. In fact, Vilsack is such an aggressive supporter of genetic engineering, the Biotechnology Industry Organization named him Governor of the Year twice.
 
Vilsack’s appointment would also continue the “revolving door” relationship between chemical industry employees and government officials. Since leaving USDA, Vilsack has represented corporate dairies and other major food corporations. To avoid conflict of interest, we cannot continue to put executives of mega-corporations in top government positions — especially when those mega-corporations are also mega-polluters.

We don’t need to wait and see what Vilsack will do as USDA Secretary. We already know. He had eight years to put farmers, workers, and the environment ahead of food industry profits, but he chose not to. 

In the midst of our climate crisis, we need a USDA Secretary who will make U.S. agriculture sustainable and resilient. That’s not Tom Vilsack.

Tell Biden’s transition team: Vilsack

is not what our country needs right now!

Thank you for everything you do,

View fullsize

Jaydee Hanson

Policy Director

Center for Food Safety

WayBeyond Appoints Head of Industry Transformation to Drive Sustainability Agenda

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

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

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

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

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

 Ms Horomia will take up the role effective immediately.

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

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

About WayBeyond

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

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

Liberty Produce & Writtle University College Launch Webinar Series On The Transformation of Agriculture And Its Workforce For A Sustainable Future

18th January 2021

London & Essex, UK

Writtle University College (WUC) in Essex and Liberty Produce launch their highly anticipated public webinar series on January 27th 2021. The online events will consider major issues facing the horticulture and agriculture sectors based around a key theme of ‘Transforming Agriculture and its Workforce for a Sustainable Future.’

Each of the webinars will feature a range of prominent industry figures and will welcome all viewers with an interest in sustainable production. All online events will be free-of-charge, in line with WUC and Liberty Produce’s ongoing commitment to education and knowledge-sharing. This webinar series is being supported by EIRA, a collaborative project funded by Research England that connects businesses in the East of England with academic expertise, specialist facilities and funding opportunities.

Dr Anya Perera, WUC’s Head of School for Sustainable Environments & Design, said: “We are proud to be working in collaboration with Liberty Produce and EIRA. Our three introductory webinars will focus on challenges faced by growers at a national and international level. We are delighted by the positive response from key members of the sector and look forward to sharing vital topics with our expert panellists.”

Benita Rajania, Product Director at Liberty Produce, said: “We are delighted to be teaming with WUC to bring together stakeholders from across our community for this new webinar series. Collaboration is a vital component in tackling the challenges our sector is facing, and we look forward to meeting virtually with our colleagues from across industry and academia to discuss latest developments, share knowledge and strengthen relationships at an industry level.”

Topics include: the modernisation of agriculture through technological advancement; examining food production systems and identifying skills gaps; how to create a fit-for-purpose workforce in a sustainable economy.

Each subject will be discussed by an expert panel, featuring guests including Dr Susan McCallum from the James Hutton Institute and Belinda Clarke, Director of Agri-TechE.

Since its foundation in 2018, Liberty Produce has been dedicated to the development of sustainable agricultural practices. The farming technology company was created in response to the global food security crisis. Liberty Produce develops leading-edge technology that enables the growth of local produce year-round, using fully-controlled indoor vertical farming systems. 

WUC recently became the first UK university to offer degrees in regenerative agriculture. WUC been teaching land-based courses since 1893 and, in 2020, was ranked top university-sector institution in England for overall student satisfaction by the National Student Survey. Its small class sizes and specialist courses offer students a personalised approach that combines practical skills with cutting-edge theory.

2021’s webinar series reflects WUC and Liberty Produces’ collective dedication to the creation of long-term sustainable food production at a time of climate crisis and the disruption of global supply chains.

Click the links below to book your free webinar place:

January 27th: The modernisation of agriculture through technological advancement

https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/6675999720069964303

February 24th: Examining food production systems and identifying skills gaps

https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/7622331785910917132

March 24th: How to create a fit-for-purpose workforce in a sustainable economy

https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/8843380130486408204

About Liberty Produce

Liberty Produce is a farming technology company founded in 2018 to drive innovations that will enable us to meet our global crop requirements over the next century, without harming the planet. As experts in the development of technology (from advanced lighting systems to machine learning for integrated control systems) for the breadth of indoor agriculture (from glasshouses to Totally Controlled Environment Agriculture systems), Liberty delivers research and products that consistently push boundaries. Liberty Produce develops and builds systems that reduce operational costs with enhanced resource efficiency, improve yields and increase sustainability for greater food security through the growth of local produce year-round. www.liberty-produce.com

Further images available here.

Media enquiries: Claire Apthorp media@liberty-produce.com +44 (0) 7920403068

General enquiries: info@liberty-produce.com; +44 (0)20 7193 2933

About Writtle University College (WUC)

Writtle University College (WUC) has been at the forefront of the agrifood sector since 1893. In 2020, it was named the highest rated university-sector institution in England for student satisfaction by the National Student Survey, also receiving 100% satisfaction for its horticulture course. Industry-focused programmes offer the skills, expert theory and qualifications required to enter a fast-moving sector. WUC recently launched a degree in regenerative agriculture, which is the first of its kind in the UK. https://writtle.ac.uk/

Media enquires: Sara Cork  press@writtle.ac.uk

About EIRA

EIRA is a collaborative project between seven universities and colleges in the East of England. Driving economic growth in the region, EIRA connects businesses with academic expertise, consultancy, facilities and funding opportunities. Led by the University of Essex, EIRA is also supported by the University of East Anglia and the University of Kent. Backed by £4.7 million of Research England’s Connecting Capability Fund, EIRA delivers activities across three themes: digital creative, artificial intelligence and biotechnology. EIRA has opportunities to work with businesses of all sizes through Innovation Vouchers, Research and Development Grants, i-Teams, Hothouse events, Start-up Microfinance and Innovation Internships. eira.ac.uk

General enquiries: eira@essex.ac.uk

Twitter: @EIRA_eARC

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/eira-enabling-innovation-research-to-application/mycompany/?viewAsMember=true

View fullsize