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5 Microgreen Types Packed With Nutrients You Should Be Eating
Microgreens are known for their nutrient-packed health benefits. But which microgreen types are the most nutritious and healthy to add to our diets? We are going to cover the top nutritious microgreen types and why you should add them to your eating habits now.
Microgreens are known for their nutrient-packed health benefits. But which microgreen types are the most nutritious and healthy to add to our diets? We are going to cover the top nutritious microgreen types and why you should add them to your eating habits now.
Arugula
In microgreen form, arugula has a nutty, peppery, wasabi-like taste. Arugula is one of the microgreen types that is nutrient-dense. It contains high amounts of vitamin C, copper, and iron, which help prevent illnesses like anemia. The phytochemicals also produce glutathione, which is an antioxidant. The combination of these health benefits help prevent and fight off toxins in the body.
Basil
The basil microgreen is a healthy addition to any salad since it has a crisp, citrus-like taste. This microgreen type has polyphenols that reduce oxidation and inflammation to promote gut health. It is high in vitamins such as A, B6, C, E, and it contains calcium, phosphorus, iron, zinc, copper, magnesium, and potassium. Basil is one of the microgreen types that are rich and nutrient-dense and can be a beneficial additive to your diet.
Pea Shoots
Pea shoots are one of the microgreen types that can be eaten raw or cooked. Add them to your salad or cook them in a stir fry to add nutrient-packed vegetables to your food. These microgreens have a plethora of vitamins such as vitamin A and C and folic acid.
Radish
Radish microgreens are known for their spicy flavor profile. You can top off your dishes with the raw radish sprouts to add some heat to any dish. These microgreens are rich in vitamins such as vitamins A, B, C, E, and K. They also contain high amounts of calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and zinc. Radish sprouts contain amino acids and chlorophyll, which helps fight illnesses such as cancer.
Broccoli
Broccoli microgreens is another one of the microgreen types that are delicious and nutrient-packed. These popular microgreens contain a high amount of vitamin C, which helps our immune system fight off sickness. They also contain antioxidants and cancer-fighting compounds.
Want to learn more?
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CombaGroup SA Reveals Rebrand With New Name, Logo, and Products
Last year, the company realized it was time to leverage its unique position in the field of mobile aeroponic growing solutions. This year, they've rebranded to solidify their stance, offering, and direction within the industry
Molondin, Switzerland – 21 October 2020 : CombaGroup SA announced today the company's complete rebranding and launch of its new website.
Last year, the company realized it was time to leverage its unique position in the field of mobile aeroponic growing solutions. This year, they've rebranded to solidify their stance, offering, and direction within the industry.
The new name, CleanGreens, is synonymous with powering clean, sustainable solutions in the agrotech space. It also reflects the company's mission to represent more directly what they are bringing to the table: fresh, healthy, premium quality yields of their customers’ favorite crops.
The rebranding is a response to accelerated company growth and a renewal of its corporate vision, subtly captured by its new logo with the notion of interaction and connectedness. These are core to the capabilities of scalable mobile aeroponic technology platforms that are a priority for both CleanGreens and its clients and partners.
With six years of R&D and technology breakthroughs in mobile irrigation and agronomy expertise, CleanGreens is proud to offer CleanGreens Pro, a system designed to be as simple as A-B-C, with immediate support and maintenance as well as a technical hotline available in addition to the built-in resources.
As a platform, CleanGreens is expanding to welcome new communities of users and has gone even further in solidifying its global position going forward. It has released new product packages and features that allow its clients to build, manage, and deploy custom applications quickly with its own intuitive, integrated, cloud-based operating application, GURU by CleanGreens. The platform gives clients the ability to grow exactly what they want with the support they require whenever they need it.
Based on the experiences and feedback from CleanGreens’ agronomist team and customers, this new app assists in key tasks like sowing, harvesting, and preventive maintenance and also features built-in reminders, alerts, and real-time records. It’s like having your own personal CleanGreens agro-expert assistant at your fingertips.
Currently, there are seven cultivation lines in operation in three locations: Molondin and Geneva in Switzerland, and Châteauneuf-sur-Loire in France. More are in the pipeline for the future. The new improvements have allowed CleanGreens to meet elevated customer demands for more of its innovative products and technologies.
"Our complete solution is different from any system in the market and our re-branding is largely driven by our effort to reflect this for our products, mission, vision, and of course, our customers and consumers,” says Serge Gander, CEO.
He adds: ”We've taken a clean, modern approach to the name, the website's design and the user experience in our new look and rebrand. We purposefully set out to challenge the status quo in all aspects of our business and this redesign reflects that."
Please visit the revamped website www.cleangreens.ch to explore the new website and learn more about the products and services offered.
About CleanGreens
CleanGreens is a Swiss agro-technology company that provides farmers and industrialists with innovative mobile aeroponic farming solutions for growing fresh, environmentally-friendly, nutrient-rich vegetables. A certified B Corp company CleanGreens’ patented technology significantly reduces water consumption and contamination risks while offering maximum productivity per square meter and minimizing environmental impact. Automated irrigation and mechanized spacing system produce clean, quality, pesticide-free salads, aromatic herbs, and medicinal plants all year round, thus providing consumers with healthy, responsible products.
For more information
+41 21 545 99 25
CombaGroup SA, A World Leader In Automated Mobile Aeroponics, Commits to Rigorous Standards of Social and Environmental Performance, Accountability, and Transparency
CombaGroup joins the rapidly growing movement of more than 3,500 B CorpsTM from 150 industries, across 74 countries including companies like Patagonia, Alpro, Alessi, Etsy, Innocent, Too Good To Go, Opaline, and Ben & Jerry’s
Molodin, Switzerland – 17 September 2020 CombaGroup SA today announced that it has officially become a Certified B Corporation®, utilizing the power of business to address society’s greatest social and environmental challenges.
CombaGroup joins the rapidly growing movement of more than 3,500 B CorpsTM from 150 industries, across 74 countries including companies like Patagonia, Alpro, Alessi, Etsy, Innocent, Too Good To Go, Opaline, and Ben & Jerry’s.
CombaGroup has been certified by B Lab as having met the rigorous standards for B Corp Certification that represent its commitment to achieving goals beyond shareholder profit. These include verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose. B Corps are accelerating a global culture shift to redesign success in business and build a more inclusive and sustainable economy.
B Corp certification covers five key impact areas: governance, workers, community, environment, and customers. The certification process is rigorous, requiring a score above 80 and providing evidence of socially and environmentally responsible practices, including energy supply, waste and water use, workers' compensation, diversity, and corporate transparency. To complete certification, the company will legally embed their commitment to a purpose beyond profit in their company articles.
The recent focus on the agro-technology industry has made CombaGroup’s B Corp Certification a milestone and underlines a shift towards greater responsibility and transparency in the sector.
"B Lab is delighted to welcome CombaGroup to the B Corp community,” said Jonathan Normand, Director of B Lab Switzerland. “CombaGroup has been a pioneer in the field of mobile aeroponic growing solutions. CombaGroup has also been acknowledged as one of Solar Impulse’s 1000 Efficient Solutions for its ability to grow crops with minimal environmental impact for maximum profitability. I look forward to seeing CombaGroup inspire other companies to join the B Corp community and use business as a force for good.”
Serge Gander, CEO of CombaGroup stated: “We are proud to be part of the B Corp community with aligned values and ways to change the world through conscious business decisions. By certifying as a B Corp, we have met the highest levels of verified social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability.
“This certification reconfirms our commitment to use our unique automated high-performance culture systems to bring efficiency, consistency, and profitability in the food supply chain with the least possible resources and minimum environmental impact.”
About B Lab
B Lab is a non-profit organization that serves as part of a global movement to redefine the notion of success in business so that one day all companies compete not only to be the best in the world, but also the best for the world.
Located on five continents, B Lab advocates for systemic change by providing a standard and tools to create a community of B Corporation certified companies.
About B Lab Switzerland
B Lab Switzerland is the Swiss branch of a global non-profit organization that supports a community of people using business as a force for good.
About CombaGroup
CombaGroup is a Swiss agro-technology company that provides farmers and industrialists with innovative mobile aeroponic farming solutions for growing fresh, environmentally- friendly, nutrient-rich vegetables.
CombaGroup’s patented technology significantly reduces water consumption and contamination risks while offering maximum productivity per square meter and minimizing environmental impact. Mechanized irrigation and spacing systems produce clean, quality, pesticide-free salads, cabbages, and aromatic plants all year round, thus providing consumers with healthy, responsible products.
For more information
contact@combagroup.com +41 21 545 99 25 www.combagroup.com
Media information online
Media information and images can be downloaded directly from combagroup.com Journalists can subscribe to our media mailings to receive information on CombaGroup’s aeroponic solutions and technology.
For the latest updates on CombaGroup, visit combagroup.com or follow on Instagram @combagroup_sa, Twitter @SmartLettuce, Pinterest, and LinkedIn
GERMANY: "Dry-Fog is The Next Generation of Aeroponics"
Lite+Fog can replace heavy steel racks with unique fabric, which separates the root zone from the growing zone and allows farmers to grow with any substrate
Lite+Fog, a Berlin-based company, started focusing on dry-fog systems as they noticed many benefits from it. "Dry-fog is the next generation of aeroponics. I started working on indoor farms for more than ten years. Because I did a lot of mushroom farming, I began to work with dry-fog and realized that it is a great way to feed plants. So we are now able to ultimately reduce the typical costs of Vertical Farming by around 80% and even triple the energy efficiency", states Martin Peter, Co-founder, and CEO of Lite+Fog.
Lite+Fog can replace heavy steel racks with unique fabric, which separates the root zone from the growing zone and allows farmers to grow with any substrate. "The system is a realization of work that originally started with urban farming projects, where I built many prototypes and tested a lot of approaches, especially vertical column-based farming technologies. The system as we plan it right now, however, has been developed over the last year."
Efficiency There is a lot of interest from farmers based in Israel, India, and the UK, all with different purposes. Compared to other systems, the Lite+Fog system dramatically reduces the costs in production, maintenance, and labour. The company is planning to have a pilot farm constructed by next year. "We are still on the lookout for potential pilot partners, strategic investors, and research institutes which are interested in joining this new generation of Vertical Farming. Bringing the efficiency up and lowering the costs is the most important thing to transform this vital technology into the mass-market application it has to be", says Martin.
Standardized farms
"We want to become a core technology supplier for indoor farms. As the technique has proven to be successful, we are now upscaling, and engineering the larger versions of our prototype farms. So we're connecting with suppliers and core industries in Germany and elsewhere, to create an important industrial network, able to satisfy the demand we expect in the future.
We plan on delivering at least 60 bigger farms per year during the next five years. Very simply put, we create a big box where seeds enter at one end and plants come out at the other. Eventually, we want to focus on standardizing these farms, as this would significantly improve cost efficiency and comparability. These are both essential factors for research and marketability", Martin states.
The concept design of Lite+Fog's 1000m2 footprint farm creating more than 45.000 m2 of growing surface for greens and berries
Benefits
"Dry-fog enables plants to be better nourished and improves growth by up to 20%. This way of growing is also practically weightless, so you can completely reimagine the architecture of farms - which we make great use of. Improving the efficiency of indoor farms is about how many square meters of growing space you generate in a given volume. Our approach is focusing on that primarily.
In addition to that, with no clogging nozzles, less maintenance, and easier central production, dry-fog is the next step of indoor farming. And that's why we are so much more cost-efficient than other approaches which are not vertical but multilayer horizontal farms anyway. We develop a true vertical "food-reactor".
The state-of-the-art spray nozzles typically used in vertical farms, which directly spray water on the plant roots, are bound to clog up as they are using a salty solution. These now outdated systems need to be cleaned and maintained all the time - and are reliably unreliable in the long run. However, dry-fog does barely weigh anything, doesn't need nozzles, and is therefore much cheaper and easy to use. "
Challenges
However, "fogponics" also has its challenges. As there is no growing medium, you have to be extra aware of the temperature of the root zone and on the complex system delivering the fog to the roots. Also, the droplet size has to be adjusted for bigger nutrients that are essential for some crops. But "these 'difficulties' can easily be mitigated if you adapt a bit - and that's what we are researching currently," says Martin.
For more information:
Lite+Fog GmbH
Martin Peter, Co-Founder, and CEO
Marienburger Str. 8
10405 Berlin
martin.peter@liteandfog.com
www.liteandfog.com
Publication date: Fri 17 Jul 2020
Author: Rebekka Boekhout
© HortiDaily.com
Could Three Bristol Graduate’s LettUs Grow Sow The Seeds For a Second Green Revolution?
LettUs Grow, a Bristol-based company, founded in 2015 by Charlie Guy, Jack Farmer and Ben Crowther, utilizes a unique ‘aeroponic’ irrigation system, which may hold the key to solving the global food crisis
July 25, 2020
By Hana Azuma, Third Year, Biology
LettUs Grow, a Bristol-based company, founded in 2015 by Charlie Guy, Jack Farmer, and Ben Crowther, utilizes a unique ‘aeroponic’ irrigation system, which may hold the key to solving the global food crisis. The three University of Bristol graduates hope to tackle core issues surrounding food security, along with decreasing CO2 emissions and ecosystem collapse in the process.
By 2050, the global population is predicted to reach 10 billion. In order to ensure sustainable and nutritious diets for everyone, we must increase food production by 70%. This proves to be a difficult challenge as, along with the rapid, exponential population growth, agricultural land and resources worldwide are decreasing.
Since the first drop in crop production during the 1950s, followed by the onset of the first ‘Green Revolution’, we are in the midst of another major halt in the growth of food production.
Fortunately, despite the omnipresence of food insecurity and waste, we are currently producing enough food to feed the world. The main challenge is the unequal geographic distribution of adequate agricultural land.
LettUs Grow was founded in 2015 by three Bristol University graduates: Charlie Guy, Jack Farmer and Ben Crowther | Jack Wiseall
Nearly 80% of fertile land has some extent of soil erosion. Due to the changing climate, extreme weather events are predicted to occur more frequently and intensely. Together with population growth, it will be extremely tough to meet the global demand with the current practice.
LettUs Grow hopes to help farmers who are in such situations, to be able to grow their food regardless of the environmental conditions, feeding themselves and earning stable income all-year-around in the process
LettUs Grow were able to reduce water usage by 95%, whilst boosting the crop production by 70%
LettUs Grow has developed aeroponic irrigation systems for indoor vertical farming, which are not only easy to install in cities, but also use zero soil and little water. Crops are grown on a rack, where their roots are exposed to nutrient-rich mist and water spray.
When compared to hydroponics (another soil-free agricultural system), LettUs Grow were able to reduce water usage by 95%, whilst boosting the crop production by 70%. Additionally, neither pesticides nor fertilizers are needed and the whole growth condition is automated by LettUs Grow’s own management software, Ostara.
In June 2020, LettUs Grow, the University of Bristol, and John Innes Centre collaborated on a paper published to the New Phytologist Trust. It revealed the high efficacies of aeroponics and identified the key knowledge gaps that must be explored to accelerate further development. Moreover, the senior author and the former staff at the University of Bristol, Dr. Antony Dodd, mentioned the possibility of using this new system in space.
‘Vertical systems allow us to extend the latitude range on which crops can be grown on the planet, from the deserts of Dubai to the 4-hour winter days of Iceland. In fact, if you were growing crops on Mars you would need to use this kind of technology because there is no soil’, said Dr Dodd.
Aeroponic farming has proved to produce high-quality salads, pak choi, herbs, and more. LettUs Grow is now tackling more challenging crops, such as strawberries and potatoes, as well as the propagation of trees for both fruits and forestry.
It is thrilling to see how this award-winning aeroponic system is evolving as an efficient and sustainable candidate to combat food security. Could this be the start of the Second Green Revolution?
Featured: Jack Wiseall / LettUs Grow
Living Greens Farm Hires New CEO
George Pastrana brings 30 years of successfully managing iconic consumer brands
George Pastrana Brings 30 Years of Successfully
Managing Iconic Consumer Brands
Source: Living Greens Farm
July 15, 2020
Living Greens Farm CEO George Pastrana
New president, CEO, and board member George Pastrana joins Living Greens Farm, one of the largest indoor aeroponic farms in the U.S.
FARIBAULT, Minn., July 15, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NetworkWire – Living Greens Farm (LGF), one of the largest vertical, indoor aeroponic farms in the United States, which provides year-round fresh salad greens, exclusive bagged salad kits, microgreens, and herbs, announces the arrival of George Pastrana as its new president, chief executive officer, and board member.
Pastrana is a commercial leader with a successful record of managing iconic consumer brands for innovation and profitable growth at leading, growth-oriented, market-driven companies. His marketing and operational experience includes Fortune 100 multinational companies as well as smaller entrepreneurial organizations, where he was successful in growing sales, profit, and market share.
Pastrana will reside in Minneapolis and will bring nearly 30 years of commercial and innovation leadership at consumer-packaged goods companies to contribute to LGF’s success in the coming years. He will be leading a talented, experienced team of leaders to establish LGF as a premier brand in the fast-growing bagged and clam-shelled salads and salad kits industry. He also has plans for LGF’s national rapid expansion.
“I am excited about the opportunity to lead LGF’s passionate coworkers as we embark on scaling up our proven, breakthrough aeroponic farming system and to provide our healthy, nutritious, and flavorful greens and herbs to customers with discerning eating habits nationwide,” says Pastrana. “LGF’s patented aeroponic farming systems are a cost-effective way to deliver flavorful, better-than-organic farm fresh greens and herbs. We have a proven model, and we are ready for national expansion with a talented team of leaders.”
Prior to joining LGF, Pastrana was president and COO of Dogfish Head Brewery in Milton, Delaware. He holds a biomedical engineering degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and an MBA from Cornell University's Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management, and he completed the advanced management program at INSEAD Business School.
ABOUT LIVING GREENS FARM
Living Greens Farm (LGF) operates one of the largest indoor aeroponic farms in the United States. Aeroponics and specifically LGF’s proprietary grow systems, have been described as the next generation of ag-tech and a solution to the world’s food challenges.
Headquartered in Minnesota, Living Greens Farm is Earth-friendly using 95 percent less water and 98 percent less land compared to traditional farming and can grow safely, consistently, and locally year-round. All products are considered better than organic because they’re grown in a controlled environment without the use of pesticides, herbicides or other harsh chemicals and are non-GMO. Living Greens Farm has a full product line that includes bagged and clamshell salad greens, premium microgreens, and delicious herbs available to customers throughout the Midwest.
For more information, please visit http://www.livinggreensfarm.com.
Aeroponics: ‘Getting To The Roots’ of a Soil-Free Vertical Farming System
A UK study detailing the environmental benefits of vertical farming – and in particular, aeroponics – has listed ‘strategic areas of future research’ to underpin the system’s productivity and sustainability.
Pic: GettyImages/shansekalaIn hydroponics farming, plant roots are either partially or completely immersed in a nutrient solution.
A UK study detailing the environmental benefits of vertical farming – and in particular, aeroponics – has listed ‘strategic areas of future research’ to underpin the system’s productivity and sustainability.
According to new research out of the John Innes Centre, the University of Bristol, and technology provider LettUs Grow, there is a growing environmental and economic case for vertical farms.
Yet key knowledge gaps remain. In a recently published study, six authors layout future research areas they say could accelerate the ‘sustainable intensification’ of vertical farming, using aeroponic systems.
Allocating resources to these research areas could help transform food production on a larger scale, suggested Dr. Antony Dodd, a group leader at the John Innes Centre and senior author of the study.
“By bringing fundamental biological insights into the context of the physics of growing plants in an aerosol, we can help the vertical farming business become more productive more quickly while producing healthier food with less environmental impact.”
Source: New Phytologist
‘Getting to the roots of aeroponic indoor farming’
Published: 24 June 2020
RELATED TOPICS: Market Trends, Food Tech, Sustainability, Start-ups and disruptors, Digitalisation, Fruit, vegetable, nut ingredients
Vertical Farming With Hydroponics
In recent years, urban farming using vertical hydroponic systems has gained a lot of attention. Using the latest technology, these hydroponic farms are able to optimize plant growth, providing fresh, local produce, while minimizing water usage, space, transport, and pesticides
In recent years, urban farming using vertical hydroponic systems has gained a lot of attention. Using the latest technology, these hydroponic farms are able to optimize plant growth, providing fresh, local produce, while minimizing water usage, space, transport, and pesticides. However, whether hydroponic farms are superior to traditional farming methods and whether they can replace them has been subject to controversy.
AeroFarms vertical farming facility source: https://time.com/collection/best-inventions-2019/5733085/aerofarms/
What is a hydroponic system?
Hydroponics refers to the soilless techniques used to grow plants. There are a number of varieties of hydroponic systems, including aquaponics where live fish are used to provide fertilizer for the plants, traditional hydroponics which involves adding chemical solutions of the required nutrients, and aeroponics which uses a nutrient-infused mist. Hydroponic systems can be grown in a greenhouse using natural light, or more commonly in a vertical system using LED lights, to save space.
Aerofarms aeroponic system uses a nutrient infused mist. Source: https://aerofarms.com/technology/
Advantages of hydroponics
1. No soil
The earth has a finite coverage of arable land on which crops can be grown. Climate change and destructive farming practices cause loss of this soil. Soil erosion is one of the greatest threats to food security. As a result there is a growing demand for alternative, innovative approaches to provide food for the growing population. Hydroponics is one of these, providing a soilless system that can be used anywhere, particularly suited to cities.
2. Transport
As previously mentioned, hydroponic systems offer the advantage of the ability to be grow anywhere, even in the middle of a soilless city. As a result, fresh produce can be made available locally, sold in restaurants and farmers markets with minimal transport. This helps minimise greenhouse gas emissions as well as minimise nutrient loss and damage of produce, as leafy greens are quick to lose their nutritional content once harvested. Better yet, many hydroponic farms allow transport of the live produce to the market, providing the freshest possible option.
3. Reduced water usage
Hydroponic systems can use up to 10 times less water compared to traditional soil-based cultivation due to the recirculation of the water used. This offers a huge advantage as water shortage is of great concern, with field-based agriculture being one of the greatest consumers of freshwater sources - up to 80% of ground and surface waters in the U.S. Therefore, hydroponics offers a sustainable option for crop cultivation, with the growing population causing an increasing demand for food and water.
4. Controlled environment
Growing indoors allows better control of temperature, light, air composition and pests. As a result, crop growth rates, quality and yield can be maximised and can also be grown year-round. Therefore, these indoor farms can play an important role in filling the market gap, providing fresh produce in all seasons.
5. Less space
Indoor hydroponic farms are typically grown vertically, with LED lights for each layer of crops, this allows maximum usage of small spaces making it a viable option for growing crops in the city homes, in a spare room or basement. Moreover, in hydroponic systems plant roots don’t spread out as much in the search for nutrients like when grown in soil, as the roots are suspended directly in nutrient-rich solution. As a result, it is possible to grow crops much closer together, saving space.
6. Less need for herbicides and pesticides
Due to the controlled, soilless environment, pests and disease are minimised. As a result there is little need for use of chemical herbicides and pesticides which is a big bonus for health and food safety, with often no need to even wash the harvested crops.
Disadvantages and challenges of hydroponics
1. Organics debate
It has been subject to debate whether hydroponic systems should be permitted organic certification. Standard hydroponics typically uses a chemical nutrient solution, which are often not organically sourced. Moreover, it is controversial whether the absence of the soil microbiome may effect the food quality, with unknown impacts on the human microbiome, as increasing evidence suggests that the microbes we obtain from food may be an important contribution to our health.
2. limited crop variety
Due to the high light demands of fruiting plants, often requiring a wider light spectrum with a longer growth period, hydroponic technology is currently mostly limited to leafy greens due to costs. Therefore, hydroponics can in no way be seen as a complete replacement for traditional farming methods. Despite this, technological advancements are constantly improving hydroponic growth, possibly making it a viable option for a wider range of crops in the future.
3. Technical knowledge and difficulties
Understanding of the technical set-up of the hydroponics system and plant growth requirements is essential for preventing system failures. Leakages can occur and different crop types may require vastly different nutrient, temperature and lighting conditions. In addition, the close proximity of water and electrics poses risk and careful, regular monitoring of the system is required.
4. initial expenses
Although setting up a hydroponic system can be done on a budget with minimal costs, on a commercial scale, the specialist equipment required can be expensive. After the initial set up costs will be limited mainly to electricity and nutrient costs, the increased plant growth rates and yield often outweigh these added costs.
Concluding remarks
Despite the number of challenges and limitations associated with vertical farming with hydroponic systems, it still offers great potential to contribute to a more sustainable future of farming. It is important to emphasize that vertical farming and hydroponics is in no way a viable replacement for traditional farming practices but an alternative option, particularly suited to cities to help support the demand for fresh, locally-sourced healthy greens, with the growing population. Technological advancements are expected to further improve the costs and efficiency of plant growth in hydroponic systems, giving it high hopes for the future.
The First DigiConference of the MENA Food Security Forum Series Will Focus On The Latest Trends And Innovations in Agriculture - June 29-30, 2020
The first DigiConference of the MENA Food Security Forum series will focus on the latest trends and innovations in agriculture and the opportunities in improving the quality and quantity of domestic produce
Event Overview
In recent years, governments across the Middle East have developed a robust food security strategy for their nation to ensure access to safe, nutritious, and sufficient food all year round. Improving the local produce has been one of the top priorities for these authorities and this has been complemented by the innovations in the agritech space that have helped farms to improve their products in the arid environment.
The current lockdown due to COVID-19 has increased the need for the MENA region to be self-dependent and is rapidly reforming food security readiness.
This has fast-tracked the move by the agriculture sector towards implementing technologies such as vertical farms, hydroponics, aeroponics, automation, artificial intelligence, and other agritech innovations to ensure faster harvest cycles, reduced usage of water and fertilizers and improve effective space to yield ratio.
With this said, authorities across the MENA region are offering incentives on all aspects of agriculture to encourage farmers, operators, and food producers to adopt innovations that contribute to the nation's food security strategies.
The first DigiConference of the MENA Food Security Forum series will focus on the latest trends and innovations in agriculture and the opportunities in improving the quality and quantity of domestic produce.
This DigiConference will bring together C-suite executives from government, non-government organizations, private sector and consumers across the Middle East and North Africa along with global tech players involved in the development and adoption of AgriTech innovation to engage in thought-provoking discussions and share latest best practices, challenges and thought leadership on ways to improve the domestic agriculture produce.
Register Here
Growing Up: The Rise of Vertical Food Production
Vertical farming is a novel food production system that doesn’t require arable land, but instead makes use of derelict spaces in an urban environment. Instead of growing crops the traditional way, in fields, utilizing the sun or greenhouses, vertical farming grows crops by stacking them vertically, in cities, utilizing UV lights
Today the population of the world is approximately 7.8 billion, and it is predicted to grow by another 2 billion people by 2050. Arable land is continuously lost due to industrial development and urbanization, and as such the increasing food demand of the growing population alongside the decreasing of arable land is an enormous challenge. There is thus a need for realistic strategies for implementing novel food production systems around the world. Could the answer lie in vertical farming?
What is Vertical Farming?
Vertical farming is a novel food production system that doesn’t require arable land, but instead makes use of derelict spaces in an urban environment. Instead of growing crops the traditional way, in fields, utilizing the sun or greenhouses, vertical farming grows crops by stacking them vertically, in cities, utilizing UV lights. This method of indoor farming meets all seventeen requirements of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. These goals are a plan to attain a better and more sustainable future for the world’s population and address current global challenges. Furthermore, vertical farming also incorporates all of the Urban Future program’s ten tracks, who believe that cities are key to a sustainable future for our planet.
Furthermore, it has been proposed that rooftop greenhouses be developed in schools in Barcelona, Spain. It is believed that schools can play an important role in environmental sustainability and the Institute of Environmental Sciences and Technology in Barcelona has developed a procedure to install rooftop greenhouses in compact cities. The implementation of urban agriculture proposals supports the development of novel methods for environmental sustainability in our ever-growing world.
How Does it Work?
There are three main models for vertical farming:
Hydroponics, where plants are grown in a nutrient-rich basin of water.
Aeroponics, where crops’ roots are periodically sprayed with a mist containing water and nutrients.
Aquaponics, which involves breeding fish to help cultivate bacteria that is used for plant nutrients.
Aeroponics uses less water overall but is technically more complicated. Interestingly, the water used in hydroponics can be recycled several times after it has evaporated from the plant and recaptured from the humid air.
Pros and Cons of Vertical Farming
Vertical farming is able to yield more crops per square meter than traditional farming or greenhouses can. Furthermore, vertical farming is not weather or season dependent, and as such year-round crop production is possible. Vertical farming also uses 70-95% less water than traditional methods and as the crops are produced in a well-controlled indoor environment it is possible to eliminate the use of chemical pesticides and grow organic crops with a faster harvesting method. This is key, as one of the biggest problems with fresh vegetables is the time it takes between harvest and consumption. A faster harvesting times could mean that more vitamins and nutrients are also maintained within the produce.
Vertical farming is a relatively new venture and as such, the financial and economic feasibility remains uncertain. Yet several vertical farming companies have been set up in the past decade utilizing old warehouses and disused factories with structures to grow vegetables and herbs. One certain disadvantage is the initial cost of real estate in cities, which could impede the viability of urban locations. In addition, labor costs in cities tend to be higher. Although, maybe most impeding is the total dependence on power for lighting, maintenance of temperature, and humidity, and as such the loss of power for just one day could see a significant loss in production.
Conclusion
Vertical farming has the ability to provide fresh and safe food in sufficient quantities, independent of climate and location. Today, we are well aware of climate change and the immediate need to change our current way of life, as such vertical farming and food production has the potential to become a necessary solution in global food production.
References
The United Nations. Sustainable Development Goals. https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/
Urban Future Programme’s Ten Tracks. https://www.urban-future.org/about/
What You Should Know About Vertical Farming. https://www.thebalancesmb.com/what-you-should-know-about-vertical-farming-4144786
Association for Vertical Farming. https://vertical-farming.net/
How Vertical Farming Reinvents Agriculture. http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20170405-how-vertical-farming-reinvents-agriculture
Nadal A et al. (2018) Rooftop greenhouses in educational centers: A sustainability assessment of urban agriculture in compact cities. Science of The Total Environment. Jun 1;626:1319-1331
Farms of The Future: The Paris Rooftops At The Heart of an Urban Revolution
A bumblebee zig-zags through rows of lettuce, over a healthy patch of red peppers and lingers next to a juicy strawberry, before buzzing away and off the rooftop of a six-story building in central Paris. Based on the top floor of a municipal swimming pool in the busy Marais district, this thriving city farm is at the heart of an urban food revolution in the French capital
Words by Peter Yeung
June 3, 2020
The world's largest urban farm is opening in the French capital and will soon produce around 1,000kg of organic produce every day
A bumblebee zig-zags through rows of lettuce, over a healthy patch of red peppers and lingers next to a juicy strawberry, before buzzing away and off the rooftop of a six-story building in central Paris.
Based on the top floor of a municipal swimming pool in the busy Marais district, this thriving city farm is at the heart of an urban food revolution in the French capital.
Opened in 2017 by Agripolis, it is part of a series of City Hall-led projects, called Parisculteurs, which will see 100 hectares of vegetation planted across Paris by the end of the year. Agripolis alone has 10 farms running or in planning around the city.
The farm’s vertical system is closed-loop, doesn’t waste any water, and doesn’t use pesticides. In season, it produces some 20-30,000 portions of fruit, salad, and vegetables. It has come to be a blueprint for changing how the city eats.
“We don’t throw anything away,” says Pascal Hardy, an agronomist and the founder of Agripolis, who only entered the world of urban farming in 2015 by growing vegetables on the roof of his Parisian apartment.
“My principal motivation has always been environmental. Our farms are great for biodiversity and efficiency, and they have a very low carbon footprint.”
Agripolis is also set to unveil a 14,000sq m farm atop the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, an exhibition center in the south-west of the city. The project was due to open in April but this had to be delayed because of the lockdown in France in response to the pandemic. When it opens at the end of June, it will be the largest urban rooftop farm in the world – and the largest urban farm of any kind in Europe. With more than 30 different plant species, the Porte de Versailles site will produce around 1,000kg of goods every day in high season. The first harvest of greens is expected after a month.
Visitors will be able to eat at a 300-cover on-site restaurant, attend educational tours and even lease small vegetable plots of their own. The all-organic produce, cultivated by around 20 gardeners, will be grown using aeroponic vertical farming methods.
We don’t throw anything away
“Our produce will be available across the whole of the city in a variety of shops, restaurants, and schemes,” adds Hardy.
There’s evidence that Hardy’s urban farms will be a success. “We’ve had a huge demand for their products, with customers asking specifically for Agripolis produce,” says Jeremy, an assistant at a nearby shop that has been stocking food from the Marais farm for six months. “We just need to cross the road to get the products.”
For now, Hardy’s main challenge is reducing the relatively premium cost of city-grown food, although advances in technology mean it continues to become cheaper. Coupled with low emissions and almost no “food miles”, the few extra cents could be a small price to pay.
Main image: Agripolis
Coronavirus: Betting On Aeroponics To Increase Food Security
As the COVID-19 pandemic upends farming and food supply chains and raises concern of widespread shortages and price increases, aeroponics players are hoping their new food production innovations can help strengthen food security
By Oliver Morrison | Food Navigator | May 12, 2020
PODCAST: Honolulu's First Vertical Farm: MetroGrow Hawaii
They produce specialty crops, like herbs, corn shoots, butter lettuce, and an extra-salty ice plant, using hydroponics and aeroponics
We interview Kerry Kakazu, a plant scientist who started MetroGrow Hawaii.
They produce specialty crops, like herbs, corn shoots, butter lettuce, and an extra-salty ice plant, using hydroponics and aeroponics. Learn why chefs love their produce and what some of the challenges are when building a vertical farm in Hawaii.
LISTEN TO PODCAST
March 2020
Coalition For Sustainable Organics Disappointed in Latest Attempts Center For Food Safety To Restrict Supplies Organic Foods through Lawsuit
Lee Frankel, the executive director of the CSO stated, “It is disappointing to see groups target pioneering organic farmers that use the most appropriate organic growing methods adapted to their site-specific conditions on their farms to meet the needs of consumers
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA March 3, 2020 – The Coalition for Sustainable Organics (CSO) is saddened by the latest attempts by the Center for Food Safety and their allies to limit fair competition and organic supplies in the market through legal action.
Lee Frankel, the executive director of the CSO stated, “It is disappointing to see groups target pioneering organic farmers that use the most appropriate organic growing methods adapted to their site-specific conditions on their farms to meet the needs of consumers. The members of the CSO are strongly committed to the integrity of organic standards and the organic label. The groups behind the lawsuit failed to convince the members of the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) to prohibit container and hydroponic production methods after significant industry debate and submission of public comments. Instead of unifying the industry after the decision made by representatives of the organic community at the NOSB, the CFS is seeking to eliminate public input to achieve their goals of restricting competition to drive up the price of organics for organic consumers to allow favored producers to increase their profit margins.”
Frankel continued, “Growers using containers adhere to the U.S. Department of Agriculture organic standards under the National Organic Program (NOP) and have been allowed to grow certified organic produce since the initiation of the NOP more than 25 years ago. After extensive study in 2010, the USDA through the NOP opted not to change these high standards for certifying organic produce – and affirmed that organic produce can be grown through containerized methods. After additional review in 2015-2017, the National Organic Standards Board voted to reject a proposed prohibition on container and hydroponic systems.”
Karen Archipley of Archi’s Acres of Escondido, California added “Our production systems are managed in accordance with the federal organic law. We chose to incorporate hydro-organic methods at our operations since it is the most appropriate way to promote ecological balance by drastically reducing our water use, conserve biological diversity by preserving valuable habitat while still incorporating the microbial processes described by organic pioneers to recycle nutrients to nourish our crops. Every choice we make and every input we use must be audited and approved by USDA-accredited certifying agents like any other Organic Farmer.”
Archipley continued “Changing the rules now would limit the amount of organic produce available to the public – just as the public is demanding more organic produce. This is not an issue that should be settled in the courts or politicized. If a grower meets USDA standards for organic certification, they should be able to market organic produce, whether they grow in soil or any other sustainable, certified organic growing media.
Framlab Proposes Modular Vertical Farms For Brooklyn Neighbourhoods
Creative agency Framlab has proposed building modular vertical farms in Brooklyn to provide low-income neighborhoods with access to fresh produce
Creative agency Framlab has proposed building modular vertical farms in Brooklyn to provide low-income neighborhoods with access to fresh produce.
The conceptual Glasir project comprises a stack of greenhouse-like modules that could be built in various locations across the New York borough, where Framlab's research has found that 20 percent of the population are food-insecure.
A Glasir farm would be constructed on top of a stand with an area of just four square feet (0.37 square metres). It is designed to be installed in a wide variety of places, including alongside sidewalks, in backyards or public parks.
Three types of modules called Production Module, Growth Module and Occupation Module would feature in each structure. Each unit would be framed with cross-laminated timber and could be stacked in different configurations depending on the space or the area's circumstances.
The Production Modules would be where the vegetables are grown. They would be topped with a solar panel and fronted with polycarbonate and aluminum mullions.
The system would use aeroponics, a process for cultivating plants in which crops are grown in mist environments rather than soil. In addition to being water-efficient, this system would also allow faster growth and enable plants to absorb more nutrients, according to Framlab.
"These systems are extremely water-efficient — requiring less than 10 percent of the water necessitated by traditional, geoponic cultivation, while allowing the use of fertilizers and pesticides to be drastically reduced," Framlab said.
"In addition, aeroponic growth environments enable plant roots to absorb much higher levels of minerals and vitamins, which yield vegetables that pack a stronger nutritional punch."
Each unit features an aeroponic tray, water feeder line, and water trunk line. Plants would be watered through mist nozzles attached inside each Production Module.
Water would be pumped through the structure's irrigation system, a closed-loop network made up of Growth Module components that act like trunks, branches, and feeders, to the misters.
"Glasir is a project that seeks to utilize a tree's adaptable growth processes as a dynamic framework for high-yield, vertical farming," said Framlab.
"Through the elevation and distribution of production modules, the system enables high-yield, local production of greens and vegetables, while engaging with the streetscape as a distinct new urban figure."
In addition to the Production Module and the Growth Module, the Occupation Module would provide platforms and pathways for people to move through the structure.
Framlab imagines that each Glasir would be fitted with artificial intelligence (AI) sensors that would be used to monitor plant growth and environmental conditions. Eventually, the AI would be used to inform how to grow each structure.
The modules would be stacked by crane-equipped trucks but the team also has plans to implement drone transit that would eventually both build and deliver modules, when the technology is proven viable.
It also imagines that in the future drones would also be used to deliver food to local residents.
In addition to its function as a source for harvesting food, Glasir could also serve as a social space for people offering shade and shelter during the day and illuminating its surroundings at night.
Framlab was founded by Norwegian designer Andreas Tjeldflaat, and has offices in Bergen, Norway, and New York.
In 2017, the studio proposed adding clusters of honeycomb-like pods to the sides of buildings to address New York City's growing homeless population.
Other vertical farming proposals include a modular housing complex by Precht in which residents produce their own food, a multi-storey bamboo-framed structure by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners and a conceptual skyscraper by Pawe l Lipiński and Mateusz Frankowski envisioned for locations across sub-Saharan Africa.
Congress Funds Office of Urban & Innovative Agriculture
The Mission of the Office is to encourage and promote urban, indoor, and other emerging agricultural practices
By Brian Filipowich
The new Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production created by the 2018 Farm Bill had been sitting in limbo for the past year. The USDA declined to establish it without dedicated funding from Congress.
On December 20, 2019, the President signed into law H.R. 1865, The Further Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2020. The Law includes $5 million for the Office.
The Mission of the Office is to encourage and promote urban, indoor, and other emerging agricultural practices, including:
community gardens and farms located in urban areas, suburbs, and urban clusters;
rooftop farms, outdoor vertical production, and green walls;
indoor farms, greenhouses, and high-tech vertical technology farms; and
hydroponic, aeroponic, and aquaponic farm facilities.
The Office will disburse $10 million in grants before 2023 intended to “facilitate urban agricultural production, harvesting, transportation, and marketing.”
Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) was the main sponsor of the new Office and was responsible for adding it to the 2018 Farm Bill. This past Fall, Senator Stabenow introduced an amendment to appropriate the $5 million to fund it.
The next step is to establish the Advisory Committee that will guide the establishment of the Office. The Committee is to be composed of 12 individuals from various sectors of the urban and innovative ag field.
The Farm Bill directed the establishment of the advisory committee by Summer, 2019. The USDA missed the target date because of the lack of funding and the USDA’s major relocation project from Washington, DC to Kansas City, MO, which “has resulted in catastrophic attrition at USDA’s top research agencies.”
Hopefully, with the new funding, the USDA can establish the Office soon.
Lettuce Scare Spurs Sales At Superior's Bay Produce
Recent outbreaks of foodborne illnesses have generally been bad news for lettuce growers nationwide, but one greenhouse operation in snowy Superior reports its sales actually have been bolstered as consumers search for healthy alternatives to field-grown greens
Written By: Peter Passi | Dec 21st, 2019
Greenhouse with a mission delivers safe greens to the local market.
Rich Fisher, Bay Produce's head grower, checks the pH level of the water in flats growing butterhead lettuce at Bay Produce in Superior. (Clint Austin / caustin@duluthnews.com)
Recent outbreaks of foodborne illnesses have generally been bad news for lettuce growers nationwide, but one greenhouse operation in snowy Superior reports its sales actually have been bolstered as consumers search for healthy alternatives to field-grown greens.
Bay Produce, located next door to the Mariner Retail and Business Center, has found a strong market for the red and green butterhead lettuces it grows in the wake of a national lettuce scare.
"It seems like any time there's a lettuce recall, our sales go up," said Don Gitz, a specialist for Bay Produce.
Most recently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned consumers to avoid eating romaine lettuce harvested in California's Salinas Valley — a prolific agricultural region often referred to as the nation's salad bowl. This latest E. coli outbreak resulted in more than 100 reported cases of illness in 23 states. But regulators advised people that there was no reason to avoid hydroponic and greenhouse-grown lettuce.
8 / 8
The silver tube at the center of the photo houses a high-intensity ultraviolet light used to kill pathogens in the water at Bay Produce in Superior. (Clint Austin / caustin@duluthnews.com)
Bay Produce fits that bill to a T. It grows lettuce, basil, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and eggplant inside a 1 1/2-acre greenhouse equipped with hydroponics.
Rich Fisher, Bay Produce's head grower, said the greenhouse uses Superior city water that has been treated with ultraviolet light, rendering it "99.9% microbe-free."
He contrasted the sterile greenhouse setting at Bay Produce to farm fields where lettuce is often grown on plots adjacent to livestock "where they really have almost no control over runoff."
In addition to producing a consistently safe and tasty product, Bay Produce also has a story to sell. The greenhouse is operated by Challenge Center Inc., an organization established by Catholic Charities 50 years ago to serve children and adults with developmental disabilities. The greenhouse is staffed with 10 Challenge Center staff members and up to about 40 clients at any given time.
Challenge Center Director Mark Kroll said the greenhouse provides a sheltered work setting that can accommodate clients' unique needs, whether that's a short two-hour shift or one accompanied by a job coach.
"We provide sheltered employment for folks with disabilities," Kroll said. "It's an amazing program we have here. So, we already have a lot of local folks looking for our projects anyway, because they support our mission. But this provides a little extra push for us. It's one more reason for folks to look for Bay Produce products."
Bay Produce has enjoyed a safety edge over larger growers in regard to other products, too. For instance, earlier this summer people across the nation were sickened with cyclosporiasis from contaminated basil grown in Mexico. Again, Bay Produce offered a safe alternative.
"It's amazing how things that happen on a national scale that make the national news can really affect local growers," Kroll said.
Bay Produce distributes its products exclusively in the Northland through grocers and restaurants as far north as Grand Marais and as far east as Ashland. Because its produce isn't traveling great distances, Kroll said they are able to deliver a product that's ripe and ready to eat the moment it hits the shelves or lands on a restaurant's sandwich.
AEssenseGrows Adds Business Management To Cruise Control Aeroponics
The Guardian Cloud Intelligence central management system brings cloud-based data analysis and visualization of complete grow operations to AEssenseGrows’ advanced software platform for automated aeroponic plant growth
Guardian Cloud Intelligence Visualizes Complete Grow Operations with Cloud-Based Analysis, Accelerating Business Decisions
SUNNYVALE, Calif., Nov. 13, 2019 -- AEssenseGrows, an AgTech company specializing in precision automated aeroponic platforms for consistent high-yield plant production, today introduced a new set of business management features that deliver dramatically greater insight to cultivators. The Guardian Cloud Intelligence central management system brings cloud-based data analysis and visualization of complete grow operations to AEssenseGrows’ advanced software platform for automated aeroponic plant growth.
Adding to “cruise control” grow recipes, the new features help cultivators analyze the costs and revenue of various strain performance—easing the comparison of historic, current grows, and future planning—to determine the most profitable paths in the context of the latest market pricing.
“We’re really excited about the ability to run reports on our grows and cross those with our harvest yields and pricing expectations to determine the big-picture issues we can optimize over time,” said master grower Matthew Willinger, whose operation in Oakland, Calif., uses the AEssenseGrows AEtrium system. “And being able to evaluate the operational cost of a grow-- water, nutrients, labor, electricity--combined with selling prices is a great tool for analyzing the profitability of different grow rooms and strains.”
The AEssenseGrows award-winning AEtrium system delivers sensor-driven cruise-control automation to simplify aeroponics and amplify its inherent benefits. The Guardian Grow Manager central management software executes the exact grow recipe and environmental conditions set by the master cultivator. Once created, dozens of sensors in every machine report on performance and direct adjustments 24/7 and 365 days per year without hesitation, rest, or fatigue. Key variables are automatically tuned such as lighting, nutrients, HVAC, and environmental control to maintain the optimal conditions as defined in the master cultivator’s grow recipe.
Guardian Cloud Intelligence now extends the master cultivator’s knowledge with limitless cloud storage and analysis, leading to better decisions at the fingertips of the master cultivator from any convenient location at any time of day.
Key analysis and features in the Guardian Cloud Intelligence system include:
Room-level aggregated reporting for unlimited sized rooms. Sensor data can be displayed and reported per harvest by the minute, hour, day, week, quarter or year.
The availability of unlimited financial data on nutrient usage, water usage, CO2 usage, labor, maintenance, and electrical usage.
The integration of collected data with the Calendar, enabling all employees and managers to share to-do lists and action items. Users can manage labor operations for their entire facility through an easy to use calendar dashboard. Visually analyze sensor patterns over the days of the calendar. Adjust your work assignments on the fly and have those tie directly back to user assignments.
Workflow integration and dynamic form extension connect business processes, like reporting and documentation, directly to the operator’s daily activities so it is seamless and easy to follow. Every employee starts their shift with a complete list of their required activities for the day, and this is dynamically updated with changes as required. Completion of the events are all stored and integrated in the analysis in the cloud.
Market pricing and financial impact reports based on facility metrics and labor integration, produce profitability forecasts based on real-time and projected data.
AEssenseGrows Receives CE Marking For Its Automated Aeroponics Systems
The CE Marking covers both the AEssenseGrows AEtrium-2.1 and AEtrium-4 grow platforms. Last year, the company received similar certification from Underwriters Laboratories (UL), the largest not-for-profit testing laboratory in the world
The Markings Confirm That the Company’s AEtrium Grow Systems Meet
the Health, Safety and Environmental Standards Required in Europe
SUNNYVALE, Calif., Nov. 13, 2019 -- AEssenseGrows, an AgTech company specializing in precision automated aeroponic platforms for consistent high-yield plant production, announced today that its AEtrium grow systems have received Europe’s CE Marking, ensuring they meet the health, safety and environmental protection standards for products sold within the European Economic Area.
The CE Marking covers both the AEssenseGrows AEtrium-2.1 and AEtrium-4 grow platforms. Last year, the company received similar certification from Underwriters Laboratories (UL), the largest not-for-profit testing laboratory in the world. And the company’s compact high-intensity AErix LED bloom light last year received an Electrical Testing Laboratories (ETL) safety listing, exceeding or surpassing all standards for safety published by UL and other standards bodies.
The AEssenseGrows award-winning AEtrium system delivers sensor-driven cruise-control automation to simplify aeroponics and amplify its inherent benefits.
“The only thing more important to AEssenseGrows than its customers’ success is its customers’ safety,” said Phil Gibson, the company’s vice president of Marketing. “Our team has worked hard to ensure our equipment meets and exceeds all relevant regulatory standards so our customers can focus on winning in the marketplace without having to worry about safety issues”
Also today, AEssenseGrows introduced a new set of business management features that deliver dramatically greater insight to cultivators. The new Guardian Cloud Intelligence central management system brings cloud-based data analysis and visualization of complete grow operations to AEssenseGrows’ advanced software platform for automated aeroponic plant growth.
The AEtrium system hardware and software will be on display at the AEssenseGrows booth, C5308, at the MJBizCon show in Las Vegas Dec. 11-13.
More information on the products is available at www.aessensegrows.com.
About AEssenseGrows
AEssenseGrows (pronounced "essence grows"), founded in 2014, is a precision AgTech company based in Sunnyvale, Calif. A recipient of the Red Herring 2019 Top 100 North America award, AEssenseGrows provides accelerated plant growth SmartFarm platforms and software automation delivering pure, zero pesticides, year-round, enriched growth to fresh produce and medicinal plant producers globally.
With AEssenseGrows, growers can precisely control their production operations at your fingertips from anywhere in the world.
Ag Firm Signs Electric Works Lease Muncie Business Uses Fish Waste As Plant Fertilizer
This is the second tenant announcement for Electric Works featuring an agricultural technology company in two weeks. Last week, the developers announced that Sweetwater Urban Farms had signed a lease agreement. Sweetwater Urban Farms uses aeroponic technology to produce nutrient-rich greens and herbs
SHERRY SLATER | The Journal Gazette
A Muncie company that uses fish waste as plant fertilizer has signed a lease for space in Electric Works, officials announced Monday.
Balance Holdings Inc. is a commercial regenerative agriculture technology company that uses 1% of the water needed for traditional farming and less than 20% used in hydroponics, a process of growing plants without soil, officials said.
The company will grow fish and crayfish in tanks. The waste-filled water, which is full of nutrients, is channeled to plants that produce fruits and vegetables. The plants filter the water, which is then cycled back to the fish tanks, creating a closed-loop system with no waste.
Glynn Barber, the company's founder, said that “growing better food is more than just putting a better tomato into the grocery store – it's about growing a better future” for the next generation.
“We believe healthier food produces healthier people, which produce healthier communities – and we see an exciting and unique opportunity for ECSIA to make a profound impact on this community, partnering with healthcare providers and higher education institutions at Electric Works,” Barber said in a statement.
More than 300 varieties of fruits and vegetables have been grown using the company's patented system in Indiana, Texas, and Haiti.
Balance Holdings plans to sell fish, fruits, and vegetables to restaurants in the region and directly to the public at an on-site store in Electric Works.
Jeff Kingsbury, a partner in Electric Works developer RTM Ventures, said the new tenant checks a lot of boxes for the type of businesses RTM is trying to attract.
RTM Ventures, he said in a statement, is looking for “firms that are exploring new technologies and market-based solutions through strategic alliances and creative partnerships with other businesses, as well as healthcare and education institutions.”
“At the same time, (the company's) impact will be felt in the neighborhoods surrounding Electric Works – areas of the city that have struggled with access to healthy food in the past,” Kingsbury added.
This is the second tenant announcement for Electric Works featuring an agricultural technology company in two weeks. Last week, the developers announced that Sweetwater Urban Farms had signed a lease agreement.
Sweetwater Urban Farms uses aeroponic technology to produce nutrient-rich greens and herbs.
Aeroponic systems nourish plants with nothing more than nutrient-laden mist, according to the Modern Farmer website.
Electric Works is a mixed-use district of innovation, energy, and culture, developed as a public/private partnership between RTM Ventures and the city of Fort Wayne. The 39-acre campus just south of downtown is the former location of General Electric.
RTM Ventures plans to convert 1.2 million square feet in 18 historic buildings into space for office, educational, innovation, retail, residential, hotel, and entertainment uses.