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A Manufacturer and a Food Caterer Among New Players Feeding Singapore’s Urban Farming Boom
In a small room tucked away on the second floor of a precision engineering factory in Tuas, pots of kale and lettuce stacked in vertical racks grow under the glow of pink-purple lights.
August 10, 2021
SINGAPORE: In a small room tucked away on the second floor of a precision engineering factory in Tuas, pots of kale and lettuce stacked in vertical racks grow under the glow of pink-purple lights.
These light-emitting diode (LED) lights have been designed to shine at a customised spectrum that will help crops grow better. Smart sensors also keep tabs on temperature and humidity in the room, while a special water treatment system reduces bacteria growth.
In here, the goal is to find the best way to farm vegetables indoors, all with the use of technology.
“You can control everything, even how much nutrients or water is being used for each plant,” said Mr Nelson Lim, co-founder of I.F.F.I, which stands for Indoor Farm Factory Innovation.
“We want to bring indoor farming into something more precise, where you calculate the least input for the best output. That is precision farming,” he told CNA.
Mr Lim is also the chief executive of precision engineering firm TranZplus Engineering, which is the parent company of I.F.F.I. TranZplus’ two-storey office in Tuas now houses both a manufacturing facility for semiconductor components and a farming showroom.
“A lot of people ask me: ‘Nelson, are you crazy? You’re in engineering, why suddenly do farming?’ Actually, the two are not unrelated. We can put our engineering skills to good use in indoor farming,” Mr Lim said, while demonstrating the farming racks that can be adjusted according to height and size.
Robotics is another expertise that the company has incorporated into its farming solutions to not just improve the yield and quality of crops, but also workflow efficiencies.
For instance, automated machines that can perform seeding, transplanting, potting and harvesting tasks will be put to work at I.F.F.I’s mega indoor farm when ready at the end of this year.
(Left to right) I.F.F.I's general manager Veronica Lee, chief operating officer Kelvin Ng and co-founder Nelson Lim. (Photo: Tang See Kit)
SEEDING A DIVERSIFICATION
TranZplus’ venture into agriculture was first seeded in 2016 when it became one of the vendors for Panasonic’s indoor farm in Singapore.
“Initially, they just wanted to have a rack. Then we thought why not have racks that can be customised, why not put in an irrigation system and other types of automation?” Mr Lim recalled. “We worked out a prototype and they were impressed.”
The company kept on with research and development after that, while being involved in setting up three other small-scale farms. In 2019, it decided it had gained enough experience to give it a shot.
Mr Lim said the decision to venture into indoor farming was driven by “strong business potential”, partly on the back of Singapore’s “30 by 30” goal to produce 30 per cent of the country's nutritional needs locally by 2030.
The COVID-19 pandemic has accentuated the potential, with global disruptions to the harvesting, shipping and sale of food making it even more important for the country to have its own resources. Indoor farms can be the solution, he added.
Last September, I.F.F.I. became one of the nine urban farms to secure grants totalling S$39.4 million from the Singapore Food Agency.
Its 38,000 sq ft indoor farm, which remains under development at the JTC Space @ Tuas, will be using a soil-based cultivation method that allows more vegetable varieties to be planted.
When operational, the mega farm will be able to produce 800 to 1,000kg of vegetables, like nai bai and spinach, per day, said Mr Lim.
Another new player on the field is food caterer Kitchen Haus, which co-founded “farm-to-table” concept brand Frux Earth a few months ago.
With its core business facing a slow recovery amid the pandemic, the company has been diversifying actively in search of new opportunities over the past year.
Agriculture is “not unrelated territory”, chief executive Patrick Chan said. “It’s still part of the food ecosystem so when the opportunity came, I agreed instantly.”
It teamed up with home-grown urban farming company Metro Farm for the new venture. With the latter’s expertise, the farms under Frux Earth – three sites spanning 60,000 sq ft – are powered by an aquaponics system that converts fish waste into nutrients for the vegetables.
For instance, its 12,000 sq ft rooftop farm atop an industrial building in Bendemeer has eight fish tanks with red tilapia and jade perch. These fishes were chosen for their hardiness and ability “to produce more waste”, said Metro Farm’s director Chris Toh.
“We have a filter to separate the fish waste, which is then broken down by bacteria. Our system will then keep the nutrients flowing to the vegetables 24/7,” said the farm’s other director Brandon Toh, who added that the system is “self-sustainable” and keeps costs low.
The Bendemeer farm, with its 720 vertical plant towers, can harvest more than 30,000 stalks of vegetables, including purple lettuce and kale, a month. The fish will also be sold once they reach table size.
Mr Chan said: “This is a breath of fresh air for us and we pivoted because we want to jump on the trend of food sustainability.
“I think Metro Farm sees the value in us having the know-how of food preparing, catering and retail. And we partner them because it’s not easy to set up a farm and they are the experts.”
Metro Farm’s director Chris Toh (left) and Kitchen Haus' chief executive officer Patrick Chan (right) joined hands to form a new urban farming company Frux Earth. (Photo: Tang See Kit)
OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES
Metro Farm, which started its first farm in Kranji almost nine years ago, noted that the local agriculture sector has become “much more vibrant”.
While the presence of new and bigger players means greater competition, the increased attention has also made it easier for businesses to secure farming sites in land-scarce Singapore, including vacant rooftops on both public and private buildings.
“In the past, we have to explain what is a rooftop farm and what we are doing but now, more landlords are opening up to the idea,” said Mr Brandon Toh, although he noted that not all rooftops are suitable given the need to take into consideration the additional loads of farming.
Frux Earth has plans to open three more urban farms over the next few months.
Its “farm-to-table” menu is in the works as it ramps up its crop production, while it is also gauging the interest for a weekly vegetable subscription service, said Mr Chan.
These “culture boxes”, as they are called, will be filled with 1 to 2kg worth of freshly harvested organic vegetables and delivered to the doorsteps of customers every week. For now, it has started supplying a few restaurants located near its farm at the Marina Country Club.
Frux Earth is planning to launch a weekly vegetable box subscription service. (Photo: Frux Earth)
Over at I.F.F.I, the protracted pandemic and its impact on labour and supplies of raw materials have caused some delays at its mega indoor farm which was initially scheduled to open in the middle of this year.
“We are catching up and hopefully we can have everything ready soon,” said Mr Lim. “Certainly, costs have also gone up with the increase in raw material prices, but we are managing that."
Meanwhile, the company is working on opening an “indoor farm pro-shop”.
“There will be a mini-farm set up for visitors to understand and raise awareness about indoor farming,” said I.F.F.I chief operating officer Kelvin Ng.
“If they like what they see and want to start their home cultivation system, they will also be able to purchase everything they need at the shop. We will even have consultants ready to guide you. It will be a one-stop shop about indoor farming.”
I.F.F.I. also sees opportunities beyond Singapore where they can serve as consultants or designers to those looking to set up indoor farms. For instance, in Russia where crop production is a challenge due to the cold climate.
Its technologies can also be deployed in “bite sizes” even in traditional food-producing countries as solutions to specific problems, such as water pollution.
Mr Ng said: “There are many opportunities emerging in the space of indoor farming, and we want to be bold and seize them.”
Lead Photo: I.F.F.I, an affiliate of precision engineering firm TranZplus Engineering, is looking to open its mega indoor farm in Tuas by the end of this year. (Photo: Tang See Kit)
A Manufacturer And A Food Caterer Among New Players Feeding Singapore’s Urban Farming Boom
“We want to bring indoor farming into something more precise, where you calculate the least input for the best output. That is precision farming,”
Tang See Kit
@SeeKitCNA
11 Aug 2021
SINGAPORE: In a small room tucked away on the second floor of a precision engineering factory in Tuas, pots of kale and lettuce stacked in vertical racks grow under the glow of pink-purple lights.
These light-emitting diode (LED) lights have been designed to shine at a customized spectrum that will help crops grow better. Smart sensors also keep tabs on temperature and humidity in the room, while a special water treatment system reduces bacteria growth.
In here, the goal is to find the best way to farm vegetables indoors, all with the use of technology.
“You can control everything, even how much nutrients or water is being used for each plant,” said Mr. Nelson Lim, co-founder of I.F.F.I, which stands for Indoor Farm Factory Innovation.
“We want to bring indoor farming into something more precise, where you calculate the least input for the best output. That is precision farming,” he told CNA.
Mr. Lim is also the chief executive of precision engineering firm TranZplus Engineering, which is the parent company of I.F.F.I. TranZplus’ two-story office in Tuas now houses both a manufacturing facility for semiconductor components and a farming showroom.
“A lot of people ask me: ‘Nelson, are you crazy? You’re in engineering, why suddenly do farming?’ Actually, the two are not unrelated. We can put our engineering skills to good use in indoor farming,” Mr. Lim said while demonstrating the farming racks that can be adjusted according to height and size.
Robotics is another expertise that the company has incorporated into its farming solutions to not just improve the yield and quality of crops, but also workflow efficiencies.
For instance, automated machines that can perform seeding, transplanting, potting and harvesting tasks will be put to work at I.F.F.I’s mega indoor farm when ready at the end of this year.
(Left to right) I.F.F.I's general manager Veronica Lee, chief operating officer Kelvin Ng, and co-founder Nelson Lim. (Photo: Tang See Kit)
SEEDING A DIVERSIFICATION
TranZplus’ venture into agriculture was first seeded in 2016 when it became one of the vendors for Panasonic’s indoor farm in Singapore.
“Initially, they just wanted to have a rack. Then we thought why not have racks that can be customized, why not put in an irrigation system and other types of automation?” Mr Lim recalled. “We worked out a prototype and they were impressed.”
The company kept on with research and development after that, while being involved in setting up three other small-scale farms. In 2019, it decided it had gained enough experience to give it a shot.
Mr. Lim said the decision to venture into indoor farming was driven by “strong business potential”, partly on the back of Singapore’s “30 by 30” goal to produce 30 percent of the country's nutritional needs locally by 2030.
The COVID-19 pandemic has accentuated the potential, with global disruptions to the harvesting, shipping, and sale of food making it even more important for the country to have its own resources. Indoor farms can be the solution, he added.
Last September, I.F.F.I. became one of the nine urban farms to secure grants totaling S$39.4 million from the Singapore Food Agency.
Its 38,000 sq ft indoor farm, which remains under development at the JTC Space @ Tuas, will be using a soil-based cultivation method that allows more vegetable varieties to be planted.
When operational, the mega farm will be able to produce 800 to 1,000kg of vegetables, like nai bai and spinach, per day, said Mr Lim.
Another new player on the field is food caterer Kitchen Haus, which co-founded “farm-to-table” concept brand Frux Earth a few months ago.
With its core business facing a slow recovery amid the pandemic, the company has been diversifying actively in search of new opportunities over the past year.
Agriculture is “not unrelated territory”, chief executive Patrick Chan said. “It’s still part of the food ecosystem so when the opportunity came, I agreed instantly.”
It teamed up with home-grown urban farming company Metro Farm for the new venture. With the latter’s expertise, the farms under Frux Earth – three sites spanning 60,000 sq ft – are powered by an aquaponics system that converts fish waste into nutrients for the vegetables.
For instance, its 12,000 sq ft rooftop farm atop an industrial building in Bendemeer has eight fish tanks with red tilapia and jade perch. These fishes were chosen for their hardiness and ability “to produce more waste”, said Metro Farm’s director Chris Toh.
“We have a filter to separate the fish waste, which is then broken down by bacteria. Our system will then keep the nutrients flowing to the vegetables 24/7,” said the farm’s other director Brandon Toh, who added that the system is “self-sustainable” and keeps costs low.
The Bendemeer farm, with its 720 vertical plant towers, can harvest more than 30,000 stalks of vegetables, including purple lettuce and kale, a month. The fish will also be sold once they reach table size.
Mr. Chan said: “This is a breath of fresh air for us and we pivoted because we want to jump on the trend of food sustainability.
“I think Metro Farm sees the value in us having the know-how of food preparing, catering, and retail. And we partner them because it’s not easy to set up a farm and they are the experts.”
Metro Farm’s director Chris Toh (left) and Kitchen Haus' chief executive officer Patrick Chan (right) joined hands to form a new urban farming company Frux Earth. (Photo: Tang See Kit)
OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES
Metro Farm, which started its first farm in Kranji almost nine years ago, noted that the local agriculture sector has become “much more vibrant”.
While the presence of new and bigger players means greater competition, the increased attention has also made it easier for businesses to secure farming sites in land-scarce Singapore, including vacant rooftops on both public and private buildings.
“In the past, we have to explain what is a rooftop farm and what we are doing but now, more landlords are opening up to the idea,” said Mr. Brandon Toh, although he noted that not all rooftops are suitable given the need to take into consideration the additional loads of farming.
Frux Earth has plans to open three more urban farms over the next few months.
Its “farm-to-table” menu is in the works as it ramps up its crop production, while it is also gauging the interest for a weekly vegetable subscription service, said Mr. Chan.
These “culture boxes”, as they are called, will be filled with 1 to 2kg worth of freshly harvested organic vegetables and delivered to the doorsteps of customers every week. For now, it has started supplying a few restaurants located near its farm at the Marina Country Club.
Frux Earth is planning to launch a weekly vegetable box subscription service. (Photo: Frux Earth)
Over at I.F.F.I, the protracted pandemic and its impact on labour and supplies of raw materials have caused some delays at its mega indoor farm which was initially scheduled to open in the middle of this year.
“We are catching up and hopefully we can have everything ready soon,” said Mr. Lim. “Certainly, costs have also gone up with the increase in raw material prices, but we are managing that."
Meanwhile, the company is working on opening an “indoor farm pro-shop”.
“There will be a mini-farm set up for visitors to understand and raise awareness about indoor farming,” said I.F.F.I chief operating officer Kelvin Ng.
“If they like what they see and want to start their home cultivation system, they will also be able to purchase everything they need at the shop. We will even have consultants ready to guide you. It will be a one-stop shop about indoor farming.”
I.F.F.I. also sees opportunities beyond Singapore where they can serve as consultants or designers to those looking to set up indoor farms. For instance, in Russia where crop production is a challenge due to the cold climate.
Its technologies can also be deployed in “bite sizes” even in traditional food-producing countries as solutions to specific problems, such as water pollution.
Mr. Ng said: “There are many opportunities emerging in the space of indoor farming, and we want to be bold and seize them.”
Source: CNA/sk(cy)
Lead Photo: I.F.F.I, an affiliate of precision engineering firm TranZplus Engineering, is looking to open its mega indoor farm in Tuas by the end of this year. (Photo: Tang See Kit)
Gigrow Urban Farms Invests $13 Million To Build Its First Farm
Gigrow Urban Farms, a new Québec company specializing in sustainable agriculture, announced an investment of $13 million for the construction of its first urban farm.
By Maryam Fang
August 6, 2021
Gigrow Urban Farms, a new Québec company specializing in sustainable agriculture, announced an investment of $13 million for the construction of its first urban farm.
Located in the Varennes industrial park, this initial 24,000-square-feet facility will become one of Québec’s largest urban agriculture projects.
“Horizontal rotary cultivation is one of the most sustainable solutions for the future of agriculture,” said André Tremblay, President, Gigrow Urban Farms. “We are proud to offer a greener alternative with a carbon footprint as much as five times smaller than other farming methods! Our farms will be operated in a controlled environment that is available 365 days a year. This means we are not dependent on the seasons or the weather. This is a significant step towards Québec’s food autonomy.”
Using their partner Gigrow’s innovative Québec-developed technology, called horizontal rotary garden, Gigrow Urban Farms will eventually produce up to four million heads of lettuce a year, and other plant products, with a system that reduces water use and produces a year-round, contaminant-free and stable crop.
“The City of Varennes wants to become a benchmark for sustainable development in Québec,” said Martin Damphousse, Varennes Mayor. “We are very pleased to welcome a company like Gigrow Urban Farms, whose mission is perfectly in tune with our city’s values.”
World’s Largest Urban Coffee Farm Tucked Away Amid Sao Paulo’s Skyscrapers
Brazil’s most heavily populated metropolis also is home to the world’s largest urban coffee farm, a 10,000-square-meter (2.5-acre) plantation that is nestled amid skyscrapers and hearkens back to the city’s origins
By Alba Santandreu
August 6, 2021
Sao Paulo, (EFE).- Brazil’s most heavily populated metropolis also is home to the world’s largest urban coffee farm, a 10,000-square-meter (2.5-acre) plantation that is nestled amid skyscrapers and hearkens back to the city’s origins.
Although it is situated just a few meters from the famed Ibirapuera Park in the heart of Sao Paulo, that oasis of around 2,000 coffee shrubs is unknown to most inhabitants of Latin America’s biggest urban center.
The plantation has an annual production of 600 kilos (1,321 pounds) of arabica coffee, primarily the catuai and “mundo novo” varieties, which are harvested over a short stint between late May and early June.
Once they are collected, the beans are dried on a net, ground into smaller particles and later donated to a social solidarity fund, the project’s coordinator, agronomist Harumi Hojo, said in an interview with Efe.
“The plantation has already served for research (purposes), and the proposal now is to produce coffee in a sustainable manner. Starting this year, we’ll be renovating the coffee plantation, bringing in other coffees to monitor the behavior of other varieties in the same conditions,” she added.
The coffee farm has been in operation since 1950 at the nearly century-old Instituto Biologico agricultural research hub, an institution founded during the early 20th-century heyday of Sao Paulo state’s coffee sector with the purpose of combating the coffee borer beetle, a harmful pest that was threatening the region’s plantations at that time.
The plantation today is one of the few remaining vestiges of Sao Paulo’s golden coffee era, when so-called coffee barons used the profits from their farms in the state’s interior to erect luxurious mansions in the city.
Among the last of these decaying mansions is one located on the city’s iconic downtown Paulista Avenue, a major thoroughfare where thousands of people and vehicles come and go every day.
An 850-square-meter (9,140-square-foot) building constructed on 2,000 square meters of land, that mansion built in 1905 is conspicuous amid a sea of modern glass office towers and may be converted into a culinary museum.
Coffee was synonymous with progress and wealth for decades in Sao Paulo, a one-time poor and isolated village that ended up overtaking Brazil’s former capital, Rio de Janeiro, as the country’s leading industrial hub. That crop also was primarily responsible for the modernization, urbanization and development of what today is the South American nation’s wealthiest and most-populated state.
Arriving from Central America in 1760, coffee was the main basis of Brazil’s economy between the mid-1800s and mid-1900s and at one time accounted for 80 percent of the nation’s exports.
Despite its subsequent decline and the rise of other crops such as soybeans, Brazil remains the world’s leading coffee producer and exporter and the second-biggest consumer of that beverage after the United States.
Brazil’s “economic, social and cultural development was financed by coffee, as were its big infrastructure and public works projects, including railway lines. Even Sao Paulo’s financial system, which had been very precarious” thrived due to coffee-industry profits, Marcos Matos, director of the Council of Coffee Exporters of Brazil (Cecafe), which represents and promotes the development of that sector, said in a telephone interview with Efe.
“Coffee was Brazil and Brazil was coffee,” he said. EFE
The Farmory: Is Indoor Fish Farming A Viable Way of Tackling Declining Fish Populations?
The Farmory, an urban farming nonprofit, is the only indoor fish hatchery in Wisconsin. The nonprofit focuses on sustainable growing practices for both greens and gills
By John McCracken
August 6, 2021
For decades, Green Bay Wisconsin National Guardsmen stored munitions and trained new recruits in a stucco-clad, Chicago Street building built in 1918.
Now, the building is home to hundreds of fish babies.
The Farmory, an urban farming nonprofit, is the only indoor fish hatchery in Wisconsin. The nonprofit focuses on sustainable growing practices for both greens and gills. When it was founded in 2016, the focus was on growing produce indoors using aquaponic systems to both teach and provide a new source of food in the state’s harsh winters. As the program grew, they introduced percids such as yellow perch, walleye and sauger into their arsenal.
Executive director Claire Thompson said most aquaponic operations use tilapia because of its cheap price point due to massive global exports.
“There’s also some perceptions about (tilapia) here, especially in the Midwest, that it’s not as good of a fish,” said Thompson.
The Farmory settled on growing yellow perch to complement their vegetable production because of its beloved place on Wisconsin plates and its volatile population over the years.
They soon discovered a problem. No one was growing perch indoors yet.
“That led us down the road toward ‘more research needs to be done,’” said Thompson. “We need to be able to set up our own hatchery to produce a steady and consistent supply of year-round, feed-trained fingerlings that are grown from the egg in an indoor environment.”
In the bottom level of The Farmory, budding fish are separated by a bio-secure room and health protocols. Volunteers and entrepreneurial and technician students take turns monitoring temperatures in the complex hatchery. Each separate tank mirrors life cycles and seasons of growing yellow perch and their walleye cousins. During a late June visit, an insulated tank is sealed shut and a quick peak inside shows adolescent perch huddled together for warmth. The fish don’t know about the humid Midwest summer outside because their faux-winter hovers around a chilly 30 degrees Fahrenheit.
The Farmory (Photo Credit: John McCracken for Great Lakes Now)
Schools in session
Being a nonprofit allows The Farmory to not have to worry about mass production or profit margins as much as for-profit hatcheries that already exist on slim margins. Instead, they worry about being a stepping-stone for future fish farmers.
The Farmory offers 12-week technical programs that provide hands-on trainings and lectures from researchers and ichthyologists. Since The Farmory launched both pathway programs in 2020, they have had 34 graduating students.
Thompson said that for students interested in aquaculture there are only two options in the state. Students can go to a four-year program at either University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point or UW-Milwaukee.
For the students coming through The Farmory’s doors—who range from recent high school graduates to retirees—fish-wrangling fares better than test-taking in the growing industry.
“There’s a lot of jobs in the aquaculture industry that don’t require a four-year degree,” Thompson said. “You have to have people with basic technical skills.”
The Farmory’s students are much like their customers. Their interest and aspiration range from basement or backyard hobby farming to scalable commercial production. The Farmory grows fingerling perch until they are between 2 to 4 inches and then customers take them to grow them to adult size for spawning or frying.
In 2020, they had 60 customers and sold fish across state lines to Michigan, Ohio and Minnesota. Thompson said most customers bought between 100 and 500 fish, but a handful purchased thousands of perch pounds to fuel their own commercial fishery endeavors.
“We want to be able to secure a local food supply. We also want to teach people about aquaculture as a viable business opportunity,” said Thompson.
The Farmory (Photo Credit: John McCracken for Great Lakes Now)
Problems come with being new
Being the only indoor perch hatchery comes with its challenges though.
The COVID-19 pandemic hindered The Farmory’s first hatching year. They weren’t able to get brood stock up to full capacity due to supply-chain complications. The urban farm is working on getting their population to a sustainable level.
Additionally, Thompson said that there is a lack of research and applied standards when it comes to growing perch indoors.
“It’s not like any other agricultural commodity product like dairy or chickens,” said Thompson.
Thompson said yellow perch have an innate biology barrier, where survival is harder to come by—something that is important for an organization focused on producing and spreading young perch. Perch also don’t have a set diet. As of now, The Farmory feeds their perch a trout diet, which Thompson said is slightly fattier.
“We have to find a way to get enough people into the business of (indoor fisheries) to we can work with feed companies to be able to develop affordable feed,” said Thompson.
On the other end of the process chain, Thompson said a decline in the perch population since the booming years of yore has led to a lack of skilled fish processers and sustainable operations.
“Because of the decline of Great Lakes commercial fishing, we’ve also seen a decline in processors to clean and process fish,” said Thompson.
Smaller, sustainable scale
Sharon Moen echoed a lot of Thompson’s observations of the industry at large.
Moen is an outreach specialist with Wisconsin Sea Grant— a statewide research and stewardship program dedicated to the resources of Great Lakes—in charge of the Eat Wisconsin Fish Initiative. Eat Wisconsin Fish was established in 2013 to become a hub for information and resources for the state’s fish producers and consumers.
Moen said the many people in the industry believe the future of fish farming is heading indoors because of the effects of climate change on the industry, its habitats and the fish themselves.
“Algae blooms and invasive species can’t get into the water,” Moen said of indoor, contained aquaculture systems.
Moen also said that the way consumers and producers import and export massive numbers of commodities has a continued effect on the planet due to gas emission.
“We have to stop carting things around the globe in order to really truly cut down on carbon emissions,” said Moen. “We need to learn to eat and grow our food more locally.”
In the past year, Moen observed how breaks in the supply chain—caused by global catastrophe such as the COVID-19 pandemic—make everyone and every supplier vulnerable. Just as the majority of The Farmory’s students are scaling down, many suppliers are focused on local, small-scale consumption.
“I think most (fisheries) are very modest people raising for their local community consumption,” said Moen.
Moen said to alleviate stress on perch’s floundering population and high price point – which she observed at upwards of $20 a pound last year – consumers could switch to a more abundant species like whitefish.
Both Moen and Thompson pointed out that adjusting to problems in the industry, whether you’re growing fish in a bedroom tank or in cavernous outdoor ponds, takes agility and a love for fish.
“It’s like gardening,” Moen said. “You have to have a knack for it and take care of what you’re growing.”
Vertical Gardening: A Modern Farming Method
Many of our communities are transforming into industrial and urban centres as the earth’s population increases. This growth, coupled with climate change, poses new challenges to the human populace to produce enough food as farmland acreage decreases and consumers’ demands increase.
July 25, 2021
Many of our communities are transforming into industrial and urban centres as the earth’s population increases. This growth, coupled with climate change, poses new challenges to the human populace to produce enough food as farmland acreage decreases and consumers’ demands increase.
Over the past decade, scientists and agronomists have been developing methods to produce double or triple the amount of food, using the same scale of land or less a farmer may cultivate. One of these approaches currently gaining much attention and adaptation is the vertical gardening or farming method.
NAREI staff harvesting and inspecting various crops planted in the vertical stack stand model, using PVC gutters
The notion of farming indoors is not strange to us, since greenhouse agricultural systems have been widely adopted for some time now. These houses have been used for years, providing conditions for numerous commercial crops (such as tomatoes, strawberries, peppers, and cucumbers) to thrive at its maximum production index. Cultivating under shaded facilities compared to outdoor farming fields can aid in year-round production, but few or none of these greenhouses have been constructed as multi-storey facilities.
Vertical farming is a method that uses vertically inclined surfaces to produce food, instead of the traditional method of growing vegetables on a single level in a greenhouse or open field. The National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) is currently evaluating the cost and productivity of various vertical-farming models. The experiment is being conducted at NAREI’s compound, Mon Repos, ECD.
NAREI staff harvesting and inspecting various crops planted in the vertical stack stand model, using PVC gutters
The vertical models installed under the tunnel house are: vertical stack stand using PVC gutters, vertical trellis made of nylon, barrel model using recycled plastic drums, and vertical wall using recycled plastic bottles.
Using vertical farming techniques have numerous advantages, such as: year-round production; reducing soil erosion and runoffs; maximising the use of abandoned structures or unused spaces; minimising crop failures due to harsh weather conditions and reduces the use of fossil fuels, since less farm mechanisation is needed. It also creates new urban employment openings; adds energy back to the grid via methane generation; returns farmlands to nature, aiding in restoring ecosystem functions; reduces pest and disease indices; reduces the need for abundant use of pesticides and herbicides, and offers the possibility of a sustainable food-production engine for our communities.
The experiment is being done to ascertain yields of a wide variety of crops needed to sustain large populations, without exhausting existing resources. With the success of this study, local households in Guyana can better utilise yard space to produce their foods at a cheaper cost and local farmers can increase productivity to reach consumer demand. In addition to that, this method can be utilised to combat major challenges faced due to climate variation in Guyana, such as flooding.
15 of The Coolest Urban Farms Around The World
But many cities have amazing urban farms within their city borders. They not only offer an amazing break from busy city life, but they’re also often really sustainable!
July 23, 2021
When we think of farms, we usually think of the countryside. But many cities have amazing urban farms within their city borders. They not only offer an amazing break from busy city life, but they’re also often really sustainable! On top of that, it’s also a powerful tool against world hunger. We have listed our favorite Urban farm that our spotter wrote about from around the world down below.
Amsterdam – Amsteltuin
Workshop at the vineyard (by RTVA)
Amsteltuin is a vineyard in Amsterdam! Okay, a vineyard is not exactly a farm, but plants still grow and the grapes can still be harvested. They offer a little vacation right out of the city center. They sell picnic baskets with local products that you can enjoy in between the vines! How cute is that?
Berlin – Charlottenburger Ziegenhof
Goats at Charlottenburger Ziegenhof (by Rainer Jensen)
Charlottenburger Ziegenhof is located in a backyard in Berlin. They are a community-based farm that wants to motivate anyone who is interested to take care of the animals and produce on the little farm. They teach people about sustainability through their work on the farm and host workshops for those who don’t want to get their hands dirty.
Florence – Orti Dipinti
The beds in which the crops are grown at Orti Dipinti (by Laura Pirovano)
Orti Dipinti is located in Florence and one of the smallest urban farms on this list. It’s located on an old running track so they had to bring the soil in. The crops are grown in wooden crates by the volunteers from the neighborhood. But their work doesn’t stop at planting and harvesting! They also have a mission to educate about nutrition, sustainability, and the role that urban farming can play in those subjects. If you don’t have the green fingers you can always check out their little shop to buy fresh products.
Glasgow – North Kelvin Meadow
Children building a treehouse at North Kelvin Meadow (by North Kelvin Meadow)
North Kelvin Meadow is a beautiful communal green space in Glasgow. It used to be a football field! Today they have fruit trees, over 30 raised beds that people can rent to grow their own crops, 2 honey beehives, and 6 bumblebee homes. The space is used by the whole community almost daily.
London – Mudchute Farm
Sheep at Mudchute Farm with a view of London (by Helen Graves)
Mudchute Farm is London’s biggest urban farm. They have plenty of animals you would expect at a farm (pigs, sheep, chickens) and some you might not (hello llamas). They spin their own wool and your kids can cuddle with the animals! Interested in finding out more about keeping chickens, laying hedges, spinning wool, or other countryside activities? They offer courses on all of them!
Milan – Cascina Cuccagna
People at the bar of Cascina Cuccagna (by Radio Mamma)
Cascina Cuccagna is a true hidden gem in Milan. It’s a whole concept that features way more than just an urban farm. You’ll find a very good restaurant, a self-service bar with homemade bakery snacks, a wonderful garden growing vegetables, a hostel, bike and wood workshops, a wine shop, a farmer’s market offering selected local produce, and various events. It’s the perfect spot to leave the hustle and bustle of the city behind.
Oslo – Losæter
Losaeter creative greenhouse (by Monica Løvdahl)
Losæter is located in Oslo. It all started in 2011 as an art project and has since grown into a lush green mix of Oslo’s unique urban farm, a cultural meeting point, a knowledge exchange platform, and a funky wild park. They literally brought soil into the city and have been thriving ever since then.
Rome – CoBrAgOr
People eating at the restaurant of CoBrAgOr (by CoBrAgOr)
CoBrAgOr in Rome combines an amazing restaurant with an urban farm. The acronym means ‘Cooperativa braccianti agricoli organizzati’, a cooperative of the farmers who cultivate the 40-hectare area surrounding this agritourism in the Insugherata Natural Reservation on Monte Mario, the highest hill in Rome. They also have a shop where you can shop their fresh products daily.
Rotterdam – Op Het Dak
Yoga class at Op Het Dak (by Gianni Tahamata)
Rotterdam is a pioneer when it comes to urban farming. Op het dak is one of many urban farms in the city. Op het dak means on the rooftop in Dutch. And that’s exactly where this farm is located! The rooftop is filled with flowers and plants, organic vegetables, edible flowers, and herbs. They are all used in the dishes that their little restaurant serves. They also have beehives that produce honey on a yearly basis!
The Hague – Pluk! & De Heemtuin
Plants for sale at Pluk! (by Sanne Verhoef)
Pluk! De Heemtuin is a small farm located a little out of the city center of The Hague. They combine the small farm with a café and the Heemtuin where kids (and adults) can run around freely. Their animals all found their home at Pluk after being abandoned by their previous owners. You can come and pick your own fruit and vegetables, your kids can learn more about food and the animals or you can just enjoy a coffee on their terrace.
Toronto – Riverdale Farm
Riverdale Farm entrance (by Mother Goose)
The Riverdale Farm is located in Toronto, smack in the middle of downtown. The small farm is open year-round and it specializes in pioneer breeds of farm animals like horses, cows, goats, and sheep that are hard to find on commercial farms. Y0u can also find the oldest building in the city here!
Vancouver – Southlands Heritage Farm
A rider is getting her horse ready at the Southlands Heritage Farm (by Art Zaratsyan)
Southlands Heritage Farm is located within the border of Vancouver. this farm has made it their mission to guide us all into making healthier, more sustainable choices. Take a stroll through their gardens, hand-feed their chickens and goats, walk through the barn to greet the ponies and horses, and stop by their farmer’s market on the way out for some fresh produce, eggs, honey, and jams. They also offer several programs to educate on the topic of urban farming and nutrition.
Zurich – Frau Gerolds Garten
The bar at Frau Gerolds Garten (by Dimitri Burkhard)
Frau Gerolds Garten is more than just an urban farm. It’s a whole concept of a community located in Zurich. It’s a restaurant, bar, shopping area, and urban gardening project all in one. The food for the restaurant is partly grown on-site, with the rest being organic and locally sourced. There is a community thread running throughout, and locals are invited to grow their own veg on site.
Growth Industry: Libertyville Man Plants Urban Farm in Old Shipping Container
The canvas is the side of an old shipping container. Like the mural, which pictures the hands of Nobel Peace Prize winner Norman Borlaug surrounded by greens, the location of Zach Paronto's urban farm inside the converted container is unexpected.
By Mick Zawislak
July 26, 2021
At the 5.5-mile mark of the North Shore Bike Path, east of Milwaukee Avenue in Libertyville, a mural depicting microgreens has emerged as a calling card for a new business.
The canvas is the side of an old shipping container. Like the mural, which pictures the hands of Nobel Peace Prize winner Norman Borlaug surrounded by greens, the location of Zach Paronto's urban farm inside the converted container is unexpected.
Sheet metal shelves hold racks of tiny plants -- like daikon radishes and tendril peas -- grown hydroponically and in various stages of development. Paronto framed and insulated the interior, ran vents, and installed plumbing and electric to create a sterile, climate-controlled environment to regulate the gourmet garnish crops.
The two-month build-out was a curiosity for some neighbors.
"A lot of people thought I was a homeless guy living out of there," Paronto said.
He launched Achaia Greens in Libertyville early this year to grow and sell microgreens, edible flowers and vegetables. Microgreens are highly nutritional and intensely flavorful seedlings of edible vegetables and herbs used in a variety of ways, from juices and salads to decorative garnishes.
Since its launch, the company has secured six businesses, some with multiple locations, as customers. They include Conscious Cup Coffee Roasters, Mainstreet Social and Timothy O'Toole's restaurants, and Real Clean Paleo, a pre-order meal service. Microgreen mixes also are sold and delivered to residential customers. Everything is harvested and delivered -- usually by bike, weather permitting -- the same day.
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Michael Shipley, managing partner of Conscious Cup, uses Achaia Greens as a sustainable option for tendril peas. The venue has four locations including downtown Libertyville and is planning to open a fifth this fall in Palatine.
"Places like ours are always faced with these decisions to buy something that may be organic, but it's packaged and shipped from across the country or farther," Shipley said.
"When we can make these hyperlocal purchases and still maintain this really high-quality, it's a no-brainer."
Paronto grew up in Gages Lake with a passion for gardening and plants. While maintaining that intense interest in horticulture and native species, he made his living as a tradesman in various capacities.
After an unpaid internship in a microgreen business in Chicago, he founded Achaia Greens in Charleston, South Carolina. Within three years, the business had a local base and was growing, he said. But Charleston never felt like home, so Paronto and his wife, Geddy, moved to Libertyville last summer.
An attempt to launch the business in another Lake County town didn't work out, but Paronto noticed three nearly hidden shipping containers on the property behind the couple's rented home on Route 176 (Park Avenue) and had an idea.
Overgrown by invasive species and filled with scrap metal and debris, the area was a catchall for a neighboring heating and cooling company.
"You couldn't even walk through here," Paronto said.
After seeing his work on the container, Paronto's landlord, who also owns the heating and cooling business, offered him a job with a flexible schedule that allowed him to work on starting Achaia Greens.
Once the area was cleared and outdoor gardens planted, Paronto envisioned a mural to beautify the spot. His cousin, Jenny Gentry, a mural artist from Colorado, finished the piece July 16.
Microgreens are the focus of the mural, but the two hands of Borlaug, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970, also are depicted. A microbiologist and plant geneticist, Borlaug developed a high-yield, disease resistant wheat. He put the new strains into extensive production to feed the hungry of the world and is regarded as a central figure in the "green revolution."
The mural shows Borlaug holding a wheat plant in one hand and a microgreen in another, Paronto said. It represents the progression from reliance solely on staple crops, he added.
To start, Paronto connected with Ellen Williams, program and marketing director for the Adler Arts Center, which operates under the auspices of the village.
Williams connected Paronto and the artist with partners at Rust-Oleum to help with paint, prep and materials. Though not a village project, it's part of Adler's plans to create and support public art initiatives, Williams said.
"We hope to continue to help create more public art in this community both on village and private properties," she said.
Paronto plans to expand.
"This is what I want to do for the rest of my life," he said. "There are thousands of varieties (of microgreens). My plan is to keep growing."
Lead Photo: Libertyville resident Zach Paronto's urban farm is in a converted shipping container behind his house. He grows microgreens inside his urban farm and edible flowers and veggies outside for fresh delivery to businesses and other customers. Paul Valade | Staff Photographer
Converting Urban Areas Into Indoor Pesticide-Free Farms For Year-Round Food
Indoor farming addresses the concern of limited arable land and water wastage. In vertical farming, the need for land can be reduced by a hundred-fold, and by recirculating and reusing water, an average of 95% less water is required for growing the same crops when compared to outdoor farming
By Li Yap
July 14, 2021
Concerns With Traditional Farming
Traditional farms typically rely on herbicides, pesticides and fertilizers to grow crops, which can pollute the environment if used in excess. Up to 98% of a chemical spray will bounce off a crop instead of staying on the plant, resulting in chemicals accumulating in the soil and, eventually, waterways.
Biodiversity loss is another concern of conventional farming as the conversion of wild spaces to farmland has resulted in less space for wild plants and animals to live in. With the global population predicted to reach 9.7 billion by 2050, the agriculture industry is under pressure to scale up to meet these demands, which could potentially affect the natural environment further if nothing is done to rethink current farming practices.
With 40% of available global land already occupied by fields of crops and pastures for animals, it would be difficult to completely eliminate the impact that farms have on the natural environment. However, part of the answer could lie in indoor farming where growing conditions can be better managed, reducing the environmental impact of growing produce.
Indoor Farming Technology Market
The indoor farming technology market was valued at $14.5 billion in 2020 and is projected to reach $24.8 billion by 2026.
The contained facilities used in indoor farming allow farmers to better control and optimize growing conditions. This results in higher yields compared to traditional farming methods whilst using less land area. For example, the average yield of tomatoes grown using traditional methods was reported in 2016 to be 1.85 pounds per square foot, while the average yield of tomatoes grown from greenhouse hydroponics was 10.59 pounds per square foot. By increasing the growing area by stacking additional planting layers, the overall crop yield can be increased.
Indoor farming addresses the concern of limited arable land and water wastage. In vertical farming, the need for land can be reduced by a hundred-fold, and by recirculating and reusing water, an average of 95% less water is required for growing the same crops when compared to outdoor farming.
Vertical farming is one of the techniques used to grow crops within indoor environments. By using artificial light and vertical growing systems such as aeroponics, aquaponics and hydroponics, crops such as kale, lettuce, strawberries and herbs can be grown within a clinically clean indoor system without the need for soil, sunlight and pesticides. This technology allows vertical farms to be set up close to populous areas or urban hubs, where harvests can be distributed locally.
80 Acres Farms
80 Acres Farms operates vertical farms in eight locations across four states. Its farms produce crops using zero pesticides and consume 97% less water compared to traditional farms.
Using 100% renewable energy and being completely indoors, 80 Acres’ operation is capable of producing various crop varieties all year without the need to rely on favorable weather.
Sophisticated technologies, including AI sensors, are incorporated into its operation to ensure that growth environments are optimized according to the plants’ genetics and that harvests are at the peak of ripeness. By relying on a smaller delivery radius, customers are able to access the produce within a day of picking.
“80 Acres' farms are, on average, 300 to 400 times more productive than field farming”, says co-founder Mike Zelkind. This is due to the vertical structures used for growing produce, which allows room for more crops in less space as well as faster-growing produce.
Current Limitations of Indoor Farming
Apart from the high energy costs associated with operating vertical farms, there are also high investment costs for urban land and for the technologies and devices needed to carefully control and monitor the growing environment – these include aspects such as temperature, lighting, and pollination.
The high initial investment compared with traditional farming is a drawback for indoor farms, but this also invites the opportunity for innovation and the development of more cost-effective technologies.
Transforming Agriculture for the Future
Transforming farming in a way that does not affect the natural environment will be no small task, given the sheer scale of the world’s agriculture. With a growing demand for food, there is an ever-increasing pressure for high-yielding and sustainable farming techniques.
In addition to being a great use of spaces not traditionally utilized for agriculture, the high yields of pesticide-free indoor farms show great promise. Although indoor farming is unlikely to completely replace traditional field farming right now, it still has the potential to answer, at least in part, the question about food security in the years to come.
Lead Photo: With the ever-growing demand for food placing increased pressure on the Earth’s resources, innovators are re-examining the fundamentals of farming to create a new and sustainable food system. With the hopes of potentially transforming global food systems, many emerging start-ups have identified urban indoor farming as a viable alternative to conventional farming.
mage Credit: Nikolay_E/Shutterstock.com
Video Credit: 80 Acres Farms/YouTube.com
USA - VIRGINIA - Urban Farm In Newport News Aims To Reduce Food Insecurity. It’s Not A ‘Handout,’ It’s A ‘Hand Up.’
Graham was gardening on a recent Saturday morning in a farm run by Hampton Roads Urban Agriculture, which wants to create a healthy, sustainable food system in the neighborhood. The farm is a partnership between the church and the Newport News-based nonprofit, which is working to reduce food insecurity through farming and educational programming.
By Sonia Rao
July 20, 2021
NEWPORT NEWS — Judge Graham knelt over a row of bare soil and the occasional yellow marigold, planting seeds. In a little over a month, he hopes, the bed near Zion Baptist Church will be bursting with ripe tomatoes. The tomatoes, and the rest of the food Graham and other volunteers are growing, will go to the surrounding community.
Graham was gardening on a recent Saturday morning in a farm run by Hampton Roads Urban Agriculture, which wants to create a healthy, sustainable food system in the neighborhood. The farm is a partnership between the church and the Newport News-based nonprofit, which is working to reduce food insecurity through farming and educational programming.
On Aug. 14, the farm will open its first farmers market, which will take EBT and SNAP payments.
“The ones that can afford to pay, fine, but I’m not gonna turn anybody away,” said Graham, who helped start the group. “Anybody that shows up is gonna go home with some groceries.”
The area around Zion Baptist is a food desert, said Renee Foster, founder of Hampton Roads Urban Agriculture. It has only one grocery store, a Piggly Wiggly, and many residents are low-income and don’t have transportation to drive elsewhere.
The garden has been around for four years and Hampton Roads Urban Agriculture has managed it for two. All of its workers are volunteers, including high school students, veterans and service members. This year, the farm is expected to grow about 3,500 pounds of produce. Graham and Foster also deliver food to older adults who can’t come out because of health concerns or a lack of transportation.
Graham said the farm is also a teaching garden, so he treats it as a place for visitors and volunteers to get hands-on experience.
On June 25, a group from the Coast Guard came to volunteer. This was the first time Petty Officer 2nd Class Stacey Maine gardened. But by the end of the hour, she was explaining how to weed and cut asparagus.
Coast Guard Petty Officer 2nd Class Stacey Maine weeds a vegetable bed in the urban garden near the intersection of Jefferson Avenue and 21st Street in Newport News. (Kaitlin McKeown/Virginia Media)
Some people drive from Norfolk, Chesapeake or Virginia Beach to volunteer.
On the left of the 34-by-100-foot garden is an orchard of peach, plum, apple, fig, pear, cherry and nectarine trees. Next to the orchard are rows of tomatoes, butternut squash, strawberries, asparagus and radishes, and a garden of herbs with basil, sage, lemongrass and stevia. At the back is a collection of chili, tabasco, habanero and ghost peppers. A sign says “Judge’s ’HOT Pepper Zone’ ” with an image of a skull and crossbones to warn children away. Children, Graham said, often mistake the peppers for strawberries.
Interspersed between the crops are bright pink, purple, red and yellow flowers. They bring in pollinators like bees and hummingbirds, Graham said.
The farm also has more than eight types of sweet potatoes, all donated by Clifton Slade, who owns Slade Farms in Surry. Slade donated 270 slips of sweet potatoes. Other donors include The Virginia Small Farm Resource Center, Tidewater Community College’s horticultural program and the Hampton Roads Agricultural Research and Extension Center. The farm gets the rest of its supplies from Norfolk Feed and Seed or Slade Farms. Everything the garden grows is organic, Graham said.
Foster said she’s excited to start hosting more events now that more people are vaccinated and pandemic restrictions have been lifted. The farm has been having movie nights when children can come to have fun and learn about the garden.
She hopes the market will turn enough of a profit so that she can put more food back into the ground. She’s also raising $10,000 to start a “Drones in Agriculture” program to introduce children to careers in agriculture, science, technology, engineering and math. Children will learn how to code and fly drones, which will be used for agriculture scanning — mapping out the layout of the garden and recording plant health.
Foster hopes eventually to raise enough money to hire a part-time farm manager and create more urban farms across Hampton Roads. She and the other board members of her group work full-time jobs, so managing even one is difficult.
“It takes many, many hands,” she said.
At the end of the day, the goal is to empower food-insecure communities to create and maintain access to healthy food.
“We don’t want to give them a handout,” Graham said. “We want to give them a hand up.”
Lead Photo: Volunteers weed a vegetable bed in a garden on Friday, June 25, 2021, near the intersection of Jefferson Avenue and 21st Street in Newport News, Va. The garden is a partnership between Hampton Roads Urban Agriculture and Zion Baptist Church. (Kaitlin McKeown/Virginia Media)
USA - MARYLAND: Local Farmers Work Together To Sell Produce With Online Ordering And Delivery
“The goal of Garrett Growers is to feed our community, help our farmers and protect agricultural land in the county,” said Hannah Frazee, one of the coordinators for Garrett Growers
OAKLAND — Local fresh produce from a variety of local farms is now available for purchase online through the Garrett Growers Online Ordering System.
Individuals can order from the website and pick up at one of several locations throughout the county.
The online local fresh produce ordering system is one of the services provided by Garrett Growers to connect participating local agricultural farms with consumers.
Garrett Growers is a farmer’s cooperative located in Garrett County.
Currently participating farms include DeBerry Farm Fresh Produce, A.L.L. Produce, Naaman Miller Farm, Fawn Valley Farm, Whistle Pig Farm, Fred Petersheim Farm, Yoder’s Tomatoes, Lynndale Produce, Philip Schrock Farm, Jay Maust Farm, Backbone Food Farm, David & Martha Yoder Farm, Punky’s Place, Simon Yoder Eggs and Stemple Brothers Farm.
“The goal of Garrett Growers is to feed our community, help our farmers and protect agricultural land in the county,” said Hannah Frazee, one of the coordinators for Garrett Growers. “By opening up an online store, we can give individuals the convenience of being able to purchase fresh, local produce from our area farms anytime through their computer or mobile phone. This is extremely important for individuals who find it difficult to get to a produce market or who may be avoiding crowds due to COVID.”
Pickup is available on Thursday afternoons each week throughout the summer. Individuals can order online any time up until 3 p.m. on Wednesday for that Thursday’s pick-up.
Pickup locations include: University of Maryland Extension Office in Mtn. Lake Park; Deep Creek Pharmacy in McHenry; Firefly Farms Creamery & Market in Accident; and High Country Creamery and Market in Grantsville.
Other services offered by Garrett Growers include an ordering and delivery service of local produce for restaurants, grocery stores, caterers and institutions along with a weekly Veggie Box program.
According to Frazee, individuals who would prefer home delivery can purchase a Veggie Box on the same online ordering system.
Veggie Boxes can be home delivered as long as the residence is within the delivery radius. Residents can check to see if they live on the delivery route by emailing Garrett Growers at garrettgrowers@gmail.com.
“Some of the same challenges that have affected other industries because of the pandemic have also affected local farm sales, so it is more important than ever to support local agriculture,” said Frazee. “Fresh produce is often healthier because of the shorter time between picking and purchase, so the vegetables and fruits retain more nutrients. Plus, the one thing I generally hear is how much better local, fresh produce tastes. But something else that does not receive as much focus is the fact that local food production strengthens the local economy and helps to protect our local agricultural land. There are just so many benefits to purchasing local produce.”
For more information about Garrett Growers and the online ordering system, individuals can visit the co-op website at www.garrettgrowers.com or email garrettgrowers@gmail.com.
For information about other farms selling local products or to find a farm to visit, check out www.GarrettFarms.org.
Lead photo: Jacob “Jake” Hauser, delivery driver for Garrett Growers, stands in front of one of the delivery vehicles. Photo by Hannah Frazee
The Philippines: Simple Is The best
Our investment is returned to us TEN TIMES PLUS in increased local participation in our FREE training programs and peaceful sleep knowing people are NOT going to bed hungry
I was motivated to develop our farm, Kitakitz Natural Farm, when I saw local children were suffering development issues. Kids of the same age in my hometown of Bloomsburg Pennsylvania are Significantly healthier. When we first retired to the Philippines in 2010 I was shocked when I discovered kids that were of similar ages to our 9-year-old were actually several years OLDER! They were short, lightweight, boney, and had numerous development issues including poor skin, hair, and dental health.
So I decided growing food for my own use was NOT ENOUGH!
Everything we do is 100% Organic and we do NOT use Chemical pesticides or fertilizers. Our Vegetables, Fruit, Flowers, Various Plants, Bamboo, trees & scrubs, cuttings & Seeds are grown in compost and vermiculture created soil.
We are also developing HYDROPONIC SYSTEMS USING HANGING VERTICLE BAMBOO POLES.
Throughout the farm, we apply NO TILL agriculture and permaculture food forest techniques similar to the Cuban Urban ORGANOPONICO & CONSULTORIO. We also provide FREE training to those who want to duplicate our programs and provide fresh produce, seeds, & Tools in ADDITION to wages for those who work on the farm. We also SELL fruits and Vegetables through our vendors at BELOW market prices. Our goal is NOT to make $$ but to help people to become 100% food Self Sufficient.
We have friends in the USA who help us sponsor families here. Our programs create Long term solutions for food Security. We are totally Unlike Government Give-away programs. State-sponsored programs are weak at best and only provide short-term solutions with minimal disbursement amounts of rice and processed food sufficient for only a few meals.
In nearly 100% of our cases, our PLAN is providing long-term solutions. For less than $100 per family, we set them up with over 150 lbs of food like Rice, Oats, Flour, Fruit juices, peanut butter, canned meat & fish, and of course SEEDS. Plus we provide EDUCATION on Nutrition & Meal planning, how to save seed, and growing sprouts and vegetables in limited space and sunlight. When they follow the PLAN within a few days our recipients are growing and eating their own FRESH food. Additionally, within a few weeks they can also be harvesting fast-growing crops like 50 DAY Radish, & 30 to 40 DAY Pakchoi, Spinach & lettuce. (See photos below of our standard Seed, Food & Sprouts Family plan)
Our investment is returned to us TEN TIMES PLUS in increased local participation in our FREE training programs and peaceful sleep knowing people are NOT going to bed hungry.
Large-Scale Automated Vertical Farm Near Tokyo by Spread And ENEOS Partnership
Techno Farm Narita is Spread’s first partnership project and the first to be located in Eastern Japan
July 14, 2021, Spread Co., Ltd. (HQ: Kyoto, Japan; CEO: Shinji Inada, hereinafter “Spread”)’s partner, and a member of ENEOS Group, J Leaf Corporation (HQ: Chiba, Japan; President: Jun Uehara, hereinafter “J Leaf”) started operating the automated vertical farm “Techno Farm Narita” (Chiba, Japan) on 30th of June.
Spread’s Large-Scale Vertical Farming Partnership with ENEOS Group’s J Leaf Starts Operations near Tokyo
Spread owns and operates two vertical farms in Western Japan (Kyoto), the Kameoka Plant and Techno Farm Keihanna. Techno Farm Narita is Spread’s first partnership project, and the first to be located in Eastern Japan. The most significant feature of Techno Farm Narita is the increased efficiency in the use of land. This has been achieved by increasing the number of cultivation racks levels to 28, double that of Techno Farm Keihanna. Techno Farm Narita will produce 30,000 heads of lettuce daily, building on the know-how accumulated through the operation of Techno Farm Keihanna to deliver increasingly sustainable food production.
Unique Features of Techno Farm Narita
Even more efficient land saving through 28-level cultivation rack system (roughly 2 times more efficient than Techno Farm Keihanna)
Located in the Greater Tokyo Area, allowing for local production and consumption
Transforming idle land to efficient and sustainable agriculture ・
The utilization of renewable energy generated from solar panels
Techno Farm Narita also retains other features of Spread’s next-generation food production system, Techno Farm™, including pesticide-free, stable cultivation, integrated automation, specialized LED lighting, and Spread’s proprietary IoT-based cultivation management system, Techno Farm Cloud.
Techno Farm Narita’s Cultivation Room Opening Ceremony
About the Partners
ENEOS Group is one of Japan's leading corporate groups, with revenue in excess of 10 trillion yen. *1
The Group has the largest market share in oil refinery and petrochemicals distribution in Japan and is centered around ENEOS Holdings.
Spread’s vision is to create a sustainable society where future generations can live with peace of mind. On the way to this objective, Spread plans to reach a total production capacity of 100 tons per day domestically by 2030, through the expansion of its Techno Farm™. With the collaboration at Techno Farm Narita as a foundation, both parties are considering further partnership projects. The green business market is expected to continue growing, and Spread strives to become a leading vertical farming company globally.
Spread will continue to pursue further business opportunities through technological innovation both in Japan and overseas. Spread aims to provide solutions for the global problems of climate change and food security and the delivery of a truly sustainable society.
*1 FY2019 results (announced on May 20, 2020)
*2 ENEOS Techno Materials Corporation is a member of ENEOS Group
Hong Kong's Urban Farms Sprout Gardens In The Sky
Invisible to those below, a sprawling garden of radishes, carrots and rhubarb is flourishing at the top of the 150-metre tall Bank of America tower, a stark and colourful contrast to the monotone shades of concrete, steel and glass of the city's financial district.
By Celia Cazale
July 9, 2021
With their heads in the clouds and their hands in the soil, a group of office workers are busy harvesting the fruits of their labour on the roof of a Hong Kong skyscraper.
Invisible to those below, a sprawling garden of radishes, carrots and rhubarb is flourishing at the top of the 150-metre tall Bank of America tower, a stark and colourful contrast to the monotone shades of concrete, steel and glass of the city's financial district.
The farm is among more than 60 that have sprouted across the space-starved city since 2015—on decommissioned helipads, shopping mall rooftops and public terraces—thanks to initiatives like Rooftop Republic, a local social enterprise which promotes urban farming.
Cofounder Andrew Tsui sees the rooftop farms as a way for people to reconnect with how sustainable food can be produced in what he calls the current "instant-noodle city lifestyle" that sees so much waste.
"What we are looking at is really how to identify underutilised spaces among the city and mobilise the citizens, the people, to learn about food," the 43-year-old told AFP during a blustery site inspection of the skyscraper's garden.
Tsui believes Hong Kongers need to re-establish a relationship with what they eat that has been broken "since we started outsourcing our food and relying so much on industrialised production."
Andrew Tsui of Rooftop Republic sees the farms as a way for people to reconnect with how sustainable food can be produced in what he calls the current "instant-noodle city lifestyle" that produces so much waste.
Piles of food waste
According to government statistics, Hong Kong throws out some 3,500 tonnes of food waste a day—the equivalent weight of 250 double-decker buses. Less than a quarter is recycled.
And around 90 percent of the food eaten by the city's 7.5 million inhabitants is imported, mostly from mainland China.
But while Hong Kong is one of the most densely packed places on earth, there is still considerable space to grow food locally.
Tsui said some seven million square metres of farmable area is currently cultivated. But more than six million square metres on the city's rooftops remain unused.
"So we could have the potential of doubling the supply of land for growing food," he said.
"The challenge for us is to design urban farming as a lifestyle to integrate into our daily life," he added. "And the first step for that, of course, is to be accessible."
Tsui believes Hong Kongers need to re-establish a relationship with what they eat that has been broken "since we started outsourcing our food and relying so much on industrialised production"
To incorporate urban farms into the blueprints for office buildings, Rooftop Republic closely collaborates with architects, developers and property managers.
Major companies are signing up.
As well as the Bank of America garden, financed by property consultancy giant JLL, Singaporean banking giant DBS has partnered with Rooftop Republic to set up an academy that runs workshops for beginners as well as professional courses.
"In Hong Kong, most of the people focus on the commercial value of the properties. But we want to promote the concept of sustainability," said Eric Lau, the group's senior director of property management.
New skills
Urban farmers say the projects also help build community spirit among those who cultivate the crops.
After retiring from the public service, Lai Yee-man said she turned to farming to connect with nature and her neighbours.
Around 90 percent of the food eaten by Hong Kong's 7.5 million inhabitants is imported, mostly from mainland China.
Hong Kong throws out some 3,500 tonnes of food waste a day—the equivalent weight of 250 double-decker buses.
While Hong Kong is one of the most densely packed places on earth, there is still considerable space to grow food locally.
Urban farmers say their projects help build community spirit among those who cultivate the crops.
The 60-year-old initially learned techniques and tricks from professionals to develop her farming plot in the New Territories region of Hong Kong—a rural area close to the border with mainland China.
But now she is passing on her knowledge to fellow residents working the Sky Garden, a 1,200 square-metre facility on top of a mall.
There residents cultivate edible flowers and fruit trees and can attend lifestyle classes like mindful gardening.
"People attach greater importance to their health now, they will buy organic food," said Lai.
"Here, we teach them not to waste... and to cherish their food," she explained, adding that the majority of what the mall farm grows goes to local food banks.
Tsui recognises that few young Hong Kongers currently have an interest in learning how to grow food.
But younger people are often concerned about the environment and climate change, so the opportunity to generate enthusiasm is there for the taking.
"If coding is the skill set to learn for the 21st century, growing your own food is a necessary new skill that we all need to learn to ensure a regenerative and green planet," he said.
Lead Photo: More than 60 urban farms have sprouted across space-starved Hong Kong since 2015—on decommissioned helipads, shopping mall rooftops and public terraces—thanks to initiatives like Rooftop Republic.
Solar Firm To Convert Shipping Containers To Urban Greenhouses
CEO James DiPrima said: “We also felt that inner city urban areas also needed a way to get fresh fruits and vegetables grown right in their own neighborhood. Reimagining old shipping/cargo containers as the structural framework for our soar technology would greatly reduce the costs of building greenhouses
July 9, 2021
New York, New York, July 09, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Green Stream Holdings Inc. (OTC PINK: GSFI) (“the Company”) (http://www.GreenRainSolar.com), an emerging leader in the solar utility and finance space, which had previously announced that it would be entering the rapidly growing urban gardening sector with solar greenhouses dedicated primarily to rooftop farming, today announced that it is also moving forward with its previously announced project to convert old shipping/cargo containers into inexpensive greenhouses for urban and inner city neighborhoods.
Last year, on October 6, 2020, the Company previously announced that it had entered into a non-binding agreement with Aoki Group Inc. (“Aoki”) and famed restauranter, Kevin Aoki, who wanted to ship his famous mushrooms to his various sites around the world. The mushrooms would grow inside the container while being shipped to their destination.
Blondie’s specializes in custom urban landscapes including roof decks, terraces, courtyards and entry gardens, and is now utilizing that expertise in designing the irrigation systems for our Cargo container Solar Greenhouses. Blondie’s transforms concept and vision into realized functional design.
Blondie’s is experienced in specifying, installing, renovating and maintaining green wall systems. They are famous for their interior and outside Green Walls.
For more information go to: https://blondiestreehouse.com.
CEO James DiPrima said: “We also felt that inner city urban areas also needed a way to get fresh fruits and vegetables grown right in their own neighborhood. Reimagining old shipping/cargo containers as the structural framework for our soar technology would greatly reduce the costs of building greenhouses. Less room, less labor and less panels was a marriage made in heaven for underserved communities. Communities can get one, ten or 100 containers… whatever amount of land is available… and since each container has a small footprint, there is a lot of flex flexibility for each situation.
Using solar energy has two main benefits: Solar energy systems do not produce air pollutants or carbon dioxide, and Solar energy systems on buildings have minimal effects on the environment… OUR Solar Greenhouses combine the two creating a physical structure that produce electricity, with the ability to capture the sun from many different angles.”
About Green Stream Finance, Inc.
Green Stream Finance, Inc., a solar utility and finance company with satellite offices in Malibu, CA and New York, NY, is focused on exploiting currently unmet markets in the solar energy space, and is currently licensed in California, Nevada, Arizona, Washington, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, New Mexico, Colorado, Hawaii, and Canada. The Company’s next-generation solar greenhouses constructed and managed by Green Rain Solar, LLC, a Nevada-based division, utilize proprietary greenhouse technology and trademarked design developed by world-renowned architect Mr. Antony Morali. The Company is currently targeting high-growth solar market segments for its advanced solar greenhouse and advanced solar battery products. The Company has a growing footprint in the significantly underserved solar market in New York City where it is targeting 50,000 to 100,000 square feet of rooftop space for the installation of its solar panels. Green Stream is looking to forge key partnership with major investment groups, brokers, and private investors in order to capitalize on a variety of unique investment opportunities in the commercial solar energy markets. The Company is dedicated to becoming a major player in this critical space. Through its innovative solar product offerings and industry partnerships, the Company is well-positioned to become a significant player in the solar space.
SOURCE: Green Stream Holdings Inc.
Tagged indoor farming
Farm.One Cuts The Ribbon on New Urban Farm In Prospect Heights
Farm.One, a pioneer in New York City’s urban farming scene, opened the doors on its first neighborhood farm in Prospect Heights last Thursday. Located in a 10,000 square foot warehouse space on Bergen Street, the new farm will grow a wide variety of species including many microgreens, herbs and flowers available for purchase
By Jackson Ferrari Ibelle
June 29, 2021
Farm.One, a pioneer in New York City’s urban farming scene, opened the doors on its first neighborhood farm in Prospect Heights last Thursday.
Located in a 10,000 square foot warehouse space on Bergen Street, the new farm will grow a wide variety of species including many microgreens, herbs and flowers available for purchase.
The crops are grown using vertical farming techniques, where plants grow indoors, under artificial light, using water-based methods such as hydroponics. These practices allow for a controlled environment conducive to an urban setting, and have skyrocketed in popularity in recent years.
Scenes from Thursday’s ribbon cutting. Photos: Farm.One.
“When we started, vertical farming was really new,” Rob Laing, founder of Farm.One told BK Reader. “Nobody really knew if it was going to actually be a thing.”
Still, he isn’t all that surprised by the industry’s growth. “New York has acres of rooftop space, thousands of unused basement spaces. We have a lot of resources here and a lot of smart people — I think it’s inevitable that we have become a hub for urban agriculture,” he said.
In addition to the new farm, there is also an event space with a glass wall, allowing for a full viewing experience of the crops. This space will be used for tasting tours where over 100 unique plants can be sampled, as well as lectures on food and agriculture. There are also talks of a cocktail menu and daytime cafe service.
This ambitious undertaking was born out of changes made within Farm.One out of necessity during COVID-19. Originally founded in 2016 to grow rare and unusual plants for chefs at high end restaurants looking to locally source their menus, Farm.One saw its operations slow when the restaurant industry shut down in March 2020. As a result, last summer it began growing for consumers.
“Obviously it’s more difficult and time consuming, but it was something we really believed in,” Laing said.
He was particularly concerned about making operations even more sustainable than they already were. In October the team began selling plant products in reusable containers, which were delivered by bike and then picked up to be repackaged again. They sold out before the end of the month.
Greens are now being sold in reusable containers. Photo: Farm.One.
This left Laing and his team with a growing waitlist and a need for new farm space. They settled in Prospect Heights where they hope to establish themselves in the community and offer good paying jobs to people interested in careers in agriculture. Farm.One even recently hired a young person who had been trained by Teens for Food Justice (TFFJ), an organization that teaches kids hydroponic farming techniques in local schools.
Laing said he hoped to continue these types of connections with Brooklyn organizations, perhaps even formalizing the connection between TFFJ and Farm.One.
A rendering of the new farm. Image: Farm.One.
And TFFJ is right there for it.
“TFFJ looks forward to its continuing partnership with Farm.One as it brings good food and good urban agriculture jobs to New York City’s residents and creates a workforce pipeline for students who complete the TFFJ program at their schools,” Katherine Soll, founder of TFFJ, said.
Soll, along with Latoya Meaders, CEO of Brownsville’s Collective Fare, spoke at Thursday’s ribbon cutting, signalling the communal nature of urban farming.
“We are trying to make New York City a place where urban agriculture is really happening and is thriving and is helping people get access to good food,” Laing said. “It’s obviously not just one organization that can do that. It takes a bunch of different voices.”
Farm.One will begin planting seeds at the Brooklyn farm in the coming weeks, with the first deliveries going out in August.
Lead Photo: The 10,000 square foot Bergen Street farm marks another addition to Brooklyn's growing urban agriculture scene.
Farmers At Growing Underground Launch Fresh Branding As They Announce B Corp Status And Growth Plans
Since 2015, Growing Underground crops have been generating proprietary data, improving technology and methods to increase yields and reduce resources to create a net carbon negative growing system
Growing Underground announces its status as a B Corp brand, making it the first B Corp salad brand available in mainstream UK supermarkets. Meanwhile, owner Zero Carbon Farms (ZCF) is the first certified B Corp vertical or controlled environment farm in the UK and Europe. B Corporations are businesses that meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose. Growing Underground boasts a fully net carbon negative growing system, meaning that it off- sets more carbon than it emits.
Target-busting investment shows industry and individual support for the vertical farming movement
Since 2015, Growing Underground crops have been generating proprietary data, improving technology and methods to increase yields and reduce resources to create a net carbon negative growing system. Now the AgTech brand has formed a strategic partnership with one of the leading fresh fruit and veg suppliers to the UK, Reynolds, allowing the brand to distribute nationally.
To scale up its innovative farming mode even further, ZCF is currently undertaking a share offering. The financing has met with strong industry interest and investor endorsement and included a deliberately targeted crowdfunding campaign that hit its target in less than 24 hours. The offering has been over-subscribed and in total over £4 million has been raised, which will be used to expand into a second site in North London this summer.
“Growing Underground continues to grow in every sense,” comments Richard Ballard, Co-Founder & Farmer-in-Chief, Growing Underground. “We’re looking forward to translating our carefully crafted model and sustainability credentials into an industrial-scale distribution network, accelerating the world’s transition to carbon negative farming and continuing to transform the future of sustainable food production in the UK.”
Read the complete article at: Fresh Plaza
For more information:
Growing Underground
www.growing-underground.com
9 July 2021
The Future of Agritech: Inside Singapore’s Vision For Food Security
Local farms are turning to tech to increase food production. Melvin Chow, Senior Director, Food Infrastructure Development & Management Division at Singapore Food Agency (SFA), shares how that’s bolstering the city-state’s food security
Melvin Chow, Senior Director, Food Infrastructure
Development & Management Division,
Singapore Food Agency Discusses The
Role of High-Tech Urban Farms.
By Justin Tan
9 JULY 2021
Early last year, Covid-19 restrictions led to hordes storming supermarkets. Eggs, butter, and even toilet paper were flying off the shelves.
As a small city-state with limited resources, Singapore is especially vulnerable to such disruptions. It imports over 90 percent of its food from other countries, and only one percent of its land is set aside for agricultural use. How can it ensure its food supply remains stable amid today’s volatile world?
Local farms are turning to tech to increase food production. Melvin Chow, Senior Director, Food Infrastructure Development & Management Division at Singapore Food Agency (SFA), shares how that’s bolstering the city-state’s food security.
Stacking production
Singapore aims to produce 30 percent of local nutritional needs by 2030. To reach the goal, the country will increase local production of commonly consumed food such as fish, eggs and vegetables. These are also more perishable and vulnerable to supply disruptions, Chow says.
With limited land spaces and resources, the nation needs to optimize the limited land resources they have through “intensifying each unit area”, he adds.
A local farm, Sustenir Agriculture is using tech to optimize farming spaces. It uses LED lighting to grow vegetables indoors across multiple floors. Their system is designed to fit into existing multi-story buildings such as industrial areas, eliminating the need for specialized new compounds to be built.
Sustenir Agriculture is a high-tech indoor farm that taps on hydroponics and a controlled environment agricultural system to grow crops such as kale and lettuce.
These indoor farms will be more “resilient to some of the impacts of climate change”, Chow says. Urban farmers can incorporate sensors that will help to ensure factors like air quality, light, and water are optimally balanced.
Apollo Aquaculture Group is another local innovator that is maximizing production with eight floors of vertical fish farms.
Apollo Aquaculture Group’s indoor multi-story fish farm utilizes Recirculating Aquaculture System which treats and recycles water to reduce waste.
Each floor will be equipped with a tank system that will purify, monitor, and recirculate water within the farm. Only five percent of the water will need to be replaced when contaminated by fish waste. That reduces water wastage compared to traditional farms that regularly clean out whole tanks, reported Smithsonian Magazine.
Such innovative farms help to produce up to 10 to 15 times more food product per hectare as compared to traditional farms, Chow says.
To overcome land constraints, SFA is also looking to use alternative spaces for farming. The rooftops of multi-story car parks have been used to grow vegetables. Citiponics, one such farm in the Ang Mo Kio neighborhood, sells pesticide-free vegetables and provides job and training opportunities for senior residents.
These community farms will help to raise public awareness and support for local produce, Chow told CNA.
Sustainable farming
To encourage more sustainable farming methods, the SFA recently launched a new agricultural standard for local farms. This will ensure farms are using resources efficiently and recycling waste. Non-edible crop waste, for instance, can be used for composting before it is disposed of.
Singapore currently incinerates up to 95 percent of food waste, which is a “waste of resource”, Dr. Per Christer Lund, Science and Technology Counsellor at Innovation Norway told GovInsider.
Food waste can be converted into animal feed – recycling nutrients back into the food production loop, Chow says. SFA is looking to improve the efficiency of tech that can convert food waste into animal feed, Chow says.
The National Environment Agency is moving to support this, as large restaurants and food factories will have to segregate their food waste for treatment from 2024.
Singapore is also hoping to encourage “green citizenry” that consumes and wastes less, Chow says. Singapore’s Green Plan 2030 – a nationwide agenda to advance sustainable development – plans to educate youths on sustainable living habits, reported CNA.
Support for the industry
SFA is providing funding for the adoption of innovative tech. Last year, the organization launched a “30×30 Express” grant which offered SG$39.4 million (US$29.1 million) to nine high-tech farms to boost local food production.
One of the farms, I.F.F.I, will set up an indoor vegetable farm that uses AI to monitor the growth of produce. It will also set up a water treatment system that reduces the amount of bacteria and extends the shelf life of crops, reported by The Straits Times.
SFA’s SG$60 million (US$44.4 million) Agri-Food Cluster Transformation fund also encourages farms to adopt tech-enabled and sustainable farming practices, Chow says.
As the farming industry transforms, the workforce will need to be trained. Young people must also be attracted to join the industry. “By 2030, we expect about 4,700 jobs to be created and upskilled in the agri and aqua-tech food industry,” Chow says.
On this, the agency is working with local farms and institutes of higher learning to roll out internship programs and diploma courses. 20 students studying aquaculture at local polytechnics have been placed in internships at ten local fish farms, SFA reports.
Existing workers in the sector or workers looking to make a switch can take the SkillsFuture Continuing Education and Training courses, Chow says. The courses include part-time diplomas in aquaculture and agriculture technology.
The turbulence of the past year has underscored the need for governments to bolster food security. Innovative and sustainable farms will help Singapore reduce its reliance on food imports.
Images by the Singapore Food Agency
Forums And Online Toolkit || Urban Edible Spaces: Growing Food And Happiness In Sustainable Community
HKU Edible Spaces (港大可食空間) has developed an Online Toolkit about urban farming and we hope that it would help those who are interested to start an urban community garden/farm
HKU Edible Spaces (港大可食空間) has developed an Online Toolkit about urban farming and we hope that it would help those who are interested to start an urban community garden/farm. In addition, two forums discussing the positive impacts of edible spaces are now put online (English and Chinese subtitles will be available soon)
Celeste Shai, Senior Programme Officer - General Education
CEDARS, The University of Hong Kong
For any enquiry, please feel free to contact me at cymshai@hku.hk.
USA: Wisconsin’s Largest Indoor Farm Soon Will Operate In Ripon
Ernessi Farms has come a long way since its 2013 origins as a small hydroponic garden in business owner Bryan Ernst’s basement
July 7, 2021
Ernessi Farms owner Bryan Ernst looks over some of the plants growing inside the farm’s new location at 111 East Fond du Lac St. Joe Schulz photo
Ernessi Farms has come a long way since its 2013 origins as a small hydroponic garden in business owner Bryan Ernst’s basement.
The business is continuing to blossom downtown and will be moving operations to a new location in the coming weeks, which, when fully operational, will be the biggest vertical farm in the state.
Ernessi Farms is finalizing the transformation of the former Market Fresh Foods building at 111 East Fond du Lac St. into an indoor farm in the heart of Ripon’s historic downtown.
In addition, the relocation will more than quadruple Ernessi Farms’ production capacity.
The move and building renovation were made possible by a Community Development Investment (CDI) Grant from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp.
Ernst and his staff recently began transplanting seedlings into a new robotic system and are expecting their first harvest at the new location in about five weeks.
In approximately two weeks, Ernst says employees will work primarily in the facility on East Fond du Lac Street, rather than Ernessi Farms’ location in the basement of 325 Watson St., which eventually will be closed.
“As soon as we are able to be here full time, we’ll start a slow transition where we’re breaking the racks down and sterilizing everything before we bring it over here,” Ernst said. “Once everything’s out of that building, we will be done in that location; [111 East Fond du Lac St.] will just be our only location.”
Ernessi Farms combines hydroponics with vertical organic farming. Plants grow without soil on shelves, utilizing mineral nutrient solutions and lights.
Because the farm uses a controlled environment, it can change the level of nutrients and lighting that plants receive to enhance smell, taste and other characteristics.
Plants grow inside Ernessi Farms’ new facility at 111 East Fond du Lac St. Ernessi Farms utilizes a combination of hydroponics and vertical farming. Joe Schulz photo
For example, manipulating the wavelength of light basil plants receive enhances leaf size and reduces stem size, Ernst noted.
“We’re able to control every aspect down to levels of nitrogen, air movement, wavelengths of light to give the plant the optimum growing conditions possible,” he said. “That gives us larger yields and faster turnover of crops. And we guarantee that everything is delivered within 24 hours of harvest.”
Years before operating a farm in the heart of downtown Ripon, Ernst’s passion for hydroponic and vertical farming originated during his time in the Marines.
“When you’re deployed to a lot of impoverished areas around the world, you see how hard of a time people have getting access to clean water and food,” Ernst said. “That really got me thinking, ‘There’s got to be a better way to grow food closer to urban centers, where we’re not transporting it cross country, and you can grow year round.’”
Plants grow inside Ernessi Farms’ new facility at 111 East Fond du Lac St. Ernessi Farms utilizes a combination of hydroponics and vertical farming. Joe Schulz photo
Soon after, Ernst had the idea to start experimenting with hydroponics and vertical farming
As a geologist by trade, Ernst first had the idea to grow plants in his basement utilizing hydroponics. He worked with fellow geologist Tim Alessi to start Ernessi Farms in 2013.
“We designed water treatment systems for groundwater pollution and experimented with different types of wavelengths of light and varying levels of nutrients for plants,” Ernst said of the early days.
At the time, both men quit their jobs and started the company in Green Bay because Alessi lived in Door County and Ernst in Ripon.
About six months later, Ernst bought Alessi out of the company. Ripon Main Street Inc. Executive Director Craig Tebon connected Ernst with the owners of 325 Watson St., who were interested in renting the basement.
As a result, Ernessi Farms moved operations to Ripon, where it has been for roughly the last six and a half years.
In 2019, he caught wind that local entrepreneur John Maczuzak was interested in selling 111 East Fond du Lac St.
Ernessi Farms owner Bryan Ernst looks at the mushroom incubation area, which was once the grocery’s stores former meat area. Joe Schulz photo
As Ernessi Farms worked to research it’s financing options, Tebon informed Ernst that Ernessi could be eligible for the CDI grant, which ultimately helped fund renovation costs and asbestos remediation.
In applying for the grant, Ernst said the farm received help from Tebon, Envision Greater Fond du Lac, as well as Tom and Mary Avery of Ripon College.
“Had it not been for Ripon Main Street and Craig Tebon, there’s no way we would have gotten the CDI grant,” he said.
Ernessi Farms’ facility in the basement of 325 Watson St. has about 6,000 square feet, with fewer than 3,000 square feet for the grow area.
Meanwhile, the building on East Fond du Lac is about 21,000 square feet, enabling the shelving for plants to go from four to seven shelves high.
Ernst says the move quadruples production for plants and sextuples mushroom production.
The move comes at an opportune time as vertical farming is starting to boom with big money figures like Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Goldman Sachs investing in the industry, Ernst noted.
He says Ernessi Farms’ latest expansion won’t be the last for the business. Ernst plans to build another location in western Wisconsin in the next year or two.
“The industry is definitely here to stay; the last report that I read said that by 2050 the industry should be worth over $30 billion,” he said. “We’re seeing a lot of growth in the industry, and you always have to stay one step ahead. That’s why we’re expanding.”
Ernessi Farms supplies products locally to Webster’s Marketplace and Crossroads Market. Its products also are in 27 Festival Foods and the Wisconsin Food Hub Cooperative.
Ernessi Farms recently began transplanting seedlings into a new robotic system and are expecting its first harvest at the new location in about five weeks. Joe Schulz photo
Ernst said the business is in talks with other grocery store chains, as well as with food distributors.
To help meet an increasing demand, he says the new facility will implement robotics and automation equipment that utilize machine learning.
“The more efficient we can make the system, the more competitive we can be with traditional agriculture,” Ernst said. “That’s why we’re really investing a lot of time and resources into automation and artificial intelligence.”
Lead photo: Ernessi Farms owner Bryan Ernst looks over some of the plants growing inside the farm’s new location at 111 East Fond du Lac St. Joe Schulz photo
Tags Bryan Ernst Ernessi Farms Company Economics Commerce Agriculture Industry Finance
Written By
Joe Schulz
Joe Schulz served as the reporter of the Green Laker in 2019 and 2020, before being hired as a reporter for the Commonwealth in October 2020. He is from Oshkosh and graduated from UW-Oshkosh in December with a bachelor's degree in journalism.