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Long Beach, California: Urban-Agriculture Program Accepting Applications From Local Residents
Long Beach, California: Urban-Agriculture Program Accepting Applications From Local Residents
City of Long Beach / December 1, 2017
Long Beach residents can now submit their applications for the Urban Agriculture Incentive Zone (UAIZ) Program, which would allow vacant-lot owners in the city to be eligible for a property-tax reduction by committing their lot to urban agriculture for five years.
Urban-agriculture projects include many types of farming activities, including community and educational gardens, as well as commercial farms with farm stands, which provide economic and educational opportunities to the community, according to the City of Long Beach.
“As a leading city for sustainability, this program is a testament to Long Beach’s commitment to expanding access to green space,” Mayor Robert Garcia said. “This program will activate vacant lots and provide new sources of healthy produce to the community.”
To qualify for the program, vacant lots must:
Be between 0.10 to three acres in size.
Have no habitable structures; all on-site structures must be accessory to agricultural use.
Not have any part of the lot listed on the Department of Toxic Substance Control’s EnviroStor Database.
Be within Long Beach City limits and comply with City zoning codes.
“I encourage all vacant lot owners to take advantage of this rare opportunity,” Vice Mayor Rex Richardson said. “This UAIZ program creates a win-win situation, fostering economic growth in Long Beach while paving way for more locally grown produce.”
On May 10, 2016, the Long Beach City Council requested City staff to explore the feasibility of implementing the UAIZ Program, an item sponsored by Richardson, 1st District Councilmember Lena Gonzalez, 7th District Councilmember Roberto Uranga and former vice mayor Suja Lowenthal.
“This initiative supports sustainability within our community by helping to increase access to healthy foods for residents and reducing emissions from food transportation,” Gonzalez said.
“I am in full support of the UAIZ ordinance, because I want to see a cleaner, healthier Long Beach and this program helps prevent vacant lots becoming eyesores due to issues like illegal dumping,” Uranga said.
The city council passed the UAIZ ordinance last month, creating the program and updating the City zoning code to adopt urban-agriculture uses.
“The program is now open, and we are looking forward to possibly getting our first contract through this year,” said Larry Rich, the City’s sustainability coordinator. “These vacant lots have the potential to provide great community benefits, and we hope to help realize them through urban agriculture.”
Local farmers and gardeners interested in the program can visit longbeach.gov/sustainability/programs/uaiz-program/ or contact the City’s Office of Sustainability at sustainability@longbeach.gov or (562) 570-6396.
Farmers Business Network Raises $110m Series D, IPO Likely in 2-5 Years
FBN is one of just a few farmtech startups that have raised rounds larger than $100 million: vertical farming group Plenty and biological inputs startup Indigo are two recent examples. This latest round brings FBN’s total fundraising to $200 million.
Farmers Business Network Raises $110m Series D, IPO Likely in 2-5 Years
NOVEMBER 30, 2017 | LOUISA BURWOOD-TAYLOR
Farmers Business Network (FBN), a farmer-to-farmer digital network offering data insights, input procurement, and crop marketing services, has raised $110 million in Series D funding.
FBN is one of just a few farmtech startups that have raised rounds larger than $100 million: vertical farming group Plenty and biological inputs startup Indigo are two recent examples. This latest round brings FBN’s total fundraising to $200 million.
The round attracted new, lead investment from two large institutional investors: global asset management firm T. Rowe Price and Singapore state fund Temasek. These lead investors typically invest in later stage, private equity deals, highlighting how far FBN has come since its founding three years ago, argues Charles Baron, co-founder and VP of product.
“These are blue chip investors who are investing in the growth and proven track record FBN has built,” he told AgFunderNews. “We’ve built a phenomenally high-growth business with membership doubling year-on-year to nearly 5,000 farms around the US across 16 million acres, taking on another million acres each month.”
To put this in perspective, there are about 50,000 large-scale farms growing commodity crops like corn and soy in the US where FBN has focused most of its attention.
Existing investors Acre Venture Partners, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, GV (Google Ventures) and DBL Partners also participated in the round.
The company has grown in other ways too: its input procurement business has expanded from selling 170 products initially to over 1,200, it launched a crop marketing business earlier this year, it is expanding into Canada, and its team is now 200-strong, with plans to increase by another 100 in the next 12-18 months.
This growth puts an exit for the founders and investors in FBN in the cards within the next few years, and while most agrifood tech startups plan to exit their businesses through a trade sale to one of the large agrifood corporates, FBN has always planned to remain an independent company, according to Baron.
“We’d like to be a public company that farmers can invest in; that’s the best way for us to realize the vision of an independent company,” he said, adding that a public listing and IPO is likely in the next two to five years.
What is FBN?
FBN started life as an ag data platform with the intention of helping farmers manage their data and gain insights from each other on areas such as seed selection, compare productivity, and benchmark field performance over time. The platform predominantly collects data extracted from farm equipment but also aggregates farmers’ manually recorded data.
It later launched a seed finder app to share seed performance results and research with farmers to help them make better purchasing decisions.
Using data collected and crowdsourced from farmers about their seed and other input purchases, FBN was able to bring transparency to an otherwise opaque input pricing system.
“Prices are rarely listed online, and zone pricing is incredibly common where input suppliers will divide up the country into zones and charge different prices: a farmer in northern Illinois can pay a totally different amount to a farmer in southern Illinois,” said Baron.
FBN has also used its network to crowdsource genetic information about seeds, and revealed that the exact same genetic variety of seed could be sold by as many as 12 different companies under different brand names and at different prices.
“That’s been a total black box for farmers, but we were able to build up a database from thousands of seed label pictures of the exact seed varieties uploaded by our farmers,” said Baron.
An Input Procurement Business
So the natural progression was for FBN to start selling inputs to farmers with this transparent pricing and it now sells over 1,200 seed, pesticide, fertilizer, and other input products from a variety of suppliers including direct from the manufacturers.
“The way to think about FBN Direct is as an open marketplace; we welcome anyone that wants to supply our farmers from the major agrochemical companies to smaller distributors. Many companies have been blocked from reaching farmers as they can’t get into the highly consolidated retail market that works predominantly with the agrochemical majors; we’re creating more competition,” said Baron.
The input procurement business FBN Direct is now an e-commerce platform enabling farmers to discover and purchase supplies completely online — FBN Direct launched as an over-the-phone service initially — which also offers farmers credit on their purchases through flexible payments or loans via third-party providers. This part of the business, that enables farmers to share their farm data with financial providers, could naturally develop into a more general farm loans marketplace in the future, added Baron.
“The farm economy is not set up to meet the needs of farmers, but to meet the needs of the supplier,” said Baron. “FBN puts farmers first in the system and closer to the consumer by helping them to get the benefit of industry aggregation via the network and the scale of e-commerce.”
Industry insiders tell AgFunderNews that FBN’s business model does pose a threat to ag retailers and the large agrochemical companies: “There is enough money and energy behind FBN for it to be something big ag needs to keep an eye on, especially if you look at how other industries have been disrupted,” said one insider from a large agribusiness.
“Any startup that can successfully harness technology to drive network effects is going to be a huge threat to the incumbents,” said Rob Leclerc, CEO of AgFunder. “Like we’ve seen time and time again in other industries, the incumbents usually don’t get it until it’s too late.”
But some insiders are also critical of FBN’s approach and rhetoric around the role of the retailers.
“You don’t have to demonize the retailer to be still creating value. Retailers provide much more than prices and product sales; they provide a service including consultancy,” said the same source.
He added that the retailer and agrochemical majors are also starting to move some of their sales online in some geographies so will adapt to the online trend FBN is taking advantage of.
A Crop Marketing Platform
FBN last raised funding in March of this year with a $40 million Series C and raised the Series D preemptively “to capitalize on its new businesses, particularly crop marketing,” according to Baron.
The company will use the latest proceeds to build out this crop marketing platform with the intention of enabling buyers from all over the globe to buy directly from US farmers.
“This is where an online, digital network can be so transformational; now a food company from anywhere in the world can work with FBN and the best farms in America to avoid going through multiple middlemen,” said Baron. “It also allows farmers to use data to market their crop better, yield them better prices, but also bring them production contracts in advance so that they can know their price and costs before the season has even started to a much greater level of detail.”
FBN will also provide them with cash advances for working capital, “taking the risk with them” said Baron.
FBN has hundreds of thousands of acres under contract for the 2018 growing season, according to Baron.
Moving into New Territory
FBN serves farmers growing 25 different crops across 42 states. The majority still grow the major commodity crops, corn, soy, and wheat, but the company’s footprint is growing in large specialty crops like lentils, and chickpeas as well as orchard crops and vegetables on the west coast, according to Baron.
The company’s offering is slightly different for these farmers as they aren’t capturing the same data from machinery as the broadacre farmers are; it’s more focused on pricing intelligence and input benchmarking, according to Baron.
FBN will also use the proceeds of this round to expand into Canada where it’s opening offices shortly. New territories globally are also in the pipeline, and with investment from Singapore’s Temasek, it’s likely Asia will be a target in the medium term.
What Blockchain Technology Trial in Tomatoes Could Mean For Produce Industry
What Blockchain Technology Trial in Tomatoes Could Mean For Produce Industry
Intrigued by how blockchain was changing finance, an ex-banker at Wells Fargo & Co. and a former executive at Nasdaq Inc. began looking for other opportunities. They looked at applying the technology to insurance, law, even music. Then they hit on farming.
Raja Ramachandran and Phil Harris met when they were both working on Wall Street, in 2005 after Citigroup Inc. acquired electronic trading company Lava Trading. The pair remained friends for more than a decade, and decided to leave finance to start Ripe.io, which uses blockchain in agriculture, and has big aspirations to weave it through the food supply chain.
“We left financial services to find a more meaningful application of blockchain. We knew it was going to be profound,” said Harris. As Ramachandran put it, they “stumbled on food.”
The next step for Ripe was a pilot project on Ward’s Berry Farm, a 180-acre farm southwest of Boston, where the fields overflow with carrots, baby beets, bok choy, chard, kale, cabbage, sweet potatoes, onions, radishes, fava beans, squash, pumpkins and zinnias, which farmer Jim Ward keeps in rotation because his wife loves it when he brings them home to her in a fresh bouquet.
Added to that lineup this year: blockchain tomatoes. Beginning in August, their ripeness, colour and sugar content were tracked step by step, reducing spoilage and documenting the supply chain.
Controlling Variables
“My job is to gain control of as many variables as I can,” Ward said on a recent blustery fall day on his farm in Sharon, Massachusetts. Standing in a field of vines studded with sensors connected to a solar-powered device that routes information to the cloud, Ward plucked a tomato and popped it into his mouth. “Flavor and quality is what my business is,” he said.
Ripe partnered with farm-to-counter salad franchise Sweetgreen Inc. to show blockchain can be used to track crops, yielding higher-quality produce and putting better information in the hands of farmers, food distributors and restaurants.
The biggest player in the area is International Business Machines Corp., which partnered with food titans including Dole Food Co., Nestle SA, Unilever NV and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. this summer on a pilot to add blockchain to their businesses. IBM says its technology can show where produce came from in seconds. Traditional methods can take up to a week.
The experiment on Ward’s farm this summer was designed to test whether the same principle could work for boutique restaurants committed to knowing the origins of all of their ingredients. Sweetgreen already uses tomatoes grown on Ward’s farm in salads sold at its Prudential Center location in Boston. In their pilot program with Ripe, tomatoes were tracked using Analog Devices Inc. and Blustream Corp. sensors, and some were taste tested against “normal” tomatoes from Ward’s farm.
Light, Humidity
Ripe tracked 200 tomatoes on 20 different plants, in red Sweet 100 and orange Sungold varieties, in both early and late-season fields. Sensors recorded environmental factors including light, humidity and air temperature. In the buckets of tomatoes loaded on to trucks for distribution, another set of sensors logged the humidity where they were stored.
While an easy-to-use database is key to managing a complex supply chain, sceptics say it doesn’t necessarily need blockchain. The technology also requires adaptation. While bitcoin exists only on a blockchain, tomatoes exist in the real world. At most, what Ripe can provide is a detailed record of their qualities and condition at each step of the growing and distribution process.
No Cure-All
For those reasons, blockchain isn’t an immediate cure-all, said Charles Cascarilla, CEO and co-founder of Paxos, a blockchain company that caters to financial institutions.
“It’s a tool, and you have to apply it to the right set of problems,” he said. “What it tends to be very good for is knowing who owns what and when,” Cascarilla added. “It’s not a magic bullet.”
Beyond quality, the sensor and blockchain tracking system can also prove where an agricultural product came from, she said. For instance, if you wanted to know if the grapes used to make your Champagne were really from Champagne, France, or the Vidalia onions you’re sautéing are really from Vidalia, Georgia, a blockchain could prove a product’s authenticity.
“There’s a lot of fraud in food origins, especially now that it’s hot,” Myran said. “People say ‘this is local,’ or ‘this is organic,’ or ‘this is grown using certain practices.’ With this system, you can prove it.”
Back in a cafe near Manhattan’s Union Square, Sweetgreen co-founder Jonathan Neman said the project could potentially apply to all kinds of produce, seasons and farms. Tomatoes were just a test.
“We’re still drawing the maps and laying the foundation,” he said.
Source: bloomberg.com
Publication date: 11/13/2017
Scientists Are Trying to Grow Fruit and Vegetables on Mars
The UAE is launching a probe to Mars from Japan in 2020, making it one of only nine countries attempting to explore the planet. If efforts prove successful, UAE expects that man will set foot on the planet’s soil within the next 100 years.
gmutlu / istockphoto.com
Scientists Are Trying to Grow Fruit and Vegetables on Mars
Nov 16, 2017 | By Taylor Rock Editor
And it’s not to feed the aliens
To answer David Bowie’s burning question from 1971, “Is there life on Mars?” No — but soon, there very well could be. The United States Emerites is spending tons of money — over $5.4 billion — to experiment with growing fruits and vegetables on the red, desolate planet. The oil-rich country has been ambitious about colonizing on Mars and, naturally, people will have to eat when they get there.
The UAE Space Agency is using its location here on Earth as a test site for what could become the agricultural future for Mars. They say it’s not much different than the desert, as they’re both seemingly uninhabitable environments where it’s unlikely for plants to flourish.
"There are similarities between Mars and the desert," UAE Space Agency senior strategic planner Rashid Al Zaabi told the BBC. "The landscape of the UAE, the soil, are similar."
These out-of-this world efforts come in preparation for the end of an era for oil, the region’s biggest money-maker.
“There are 100 million young people in the Arab region. We want them to play a part in the future and take the region to the next level,” project manager Omran Sharaf told the BBC. “It’s about creating a post-oil, knowledge-based, creative-based economy. So it is important we become well-established scientific center. We have created many engineers, but not many scientists. This [Mars project] is purely a scientific mission.”
The UAE is launching a probe to Mars from Japan in 2020, making it one of only nine countries attempting to explore the planet. If efforts prove successful, UAE expects that man will set foot on the planet’s soil within the next 100 years.
Also — country singer Sammy Kershaw may want to change the lyrics to that song he wrote about his unfaithful girlfriend. (When they grow cantaloupes on Mars, I’ll come back to you.) Hang in there, buddy. But hey, speaking of music and places beyond human reach, here are 10 destinations you can’t travel to — because they exist only in song.
Valagro Showcases Innovation at Biostimulants Congress
Valagro Showcases Innovation at Biostimulants Congress
CINDY ZIMMERMAN NOVEMBER 28, 2017
One of the gold sponsors at the 3rd Biostimulants World Congress in Miami this week is industry pioneer Valagro.
“Valegro started in business in 1980…so for the past 30 and more years, we have been developing biostimulants,” said Mario Mastrangelo, Valagro USA country manager. The company is headquartered in Atessa, Italy with a product distribution network covering more than 80 countries. “Our main geography in the USA is California, Florida, and the Midwest.” Valagro is using virtual reality at the Congress to showcase the company’s strong commitment to research and development with a virtual tour through their facilities.
This is the first time the Congress has been hosted in the United States, which Mastrangelo says is significant because the use of biostimulants is growing significantly here. “We are seeing an increase in the adoption rate and U.S. farmers have started asking about biostimulants,” he added. “The North America market is projected to become the biggest market for biostimulants in the near future.”
Learn more about Valagro and the biostimulants congress in this interview. INTERVIEW WITH MARIO MASTRANGELO, VALGRO USA
The 3rd Biostimulants World Congress is being held through November 30th, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Miami with more than 1,200 delegates from around the world expected to participate.
S2G Ventures Wants to Professionalize AgriFood Tech Investing With $180m Fund, New Hires
“It’s amazing that food and agriculture is probably the largest industry in the world but that the amount of capital, innovation, and entrepreneurship is relatively small compared to what we see in other industries; that was my first takeaway on entering this space,” says Aaron Rudberg, the recent high profile hire by S2G Ventures, the agrifood tech venture capital firm.
S2G Ventures Wants to Professionalize AgriFood Tech Investing With $180m Fund, New Hires
NOVEMBER 13, 2017 | LOUISA BURWOOD-TAYLOR
“It’s amazing that food and agriculture is probably the largest industry in the world but that the amount of capital, innovation, and entrepreneurship is relatively small compared to what we see in other industries; that was my first takeaway on entering this space,” says Aaron Rudberg, the recent high profile hire by S2G Ventures, the agrifood tech venture capital firm.
S2G recently closed its second fund on $180 million and is the most active dedicated agrifood tech venture capital firm today with 30 investments under its belt.
Rudberg is S2G’s chief operating officer and joined the Chicago-based firm from the $3.3 billion private equity and venture capital business Baird Capital where he spent nearly 10 years as a partner overseeing global strategy, investor relations, marketing and business development. The agrifood industry is fairly new to Rudberg who says his experience is mostly in technology and software.
Rudberg’s role will focus on building out the firm’s infrastructure so it can continue to scale. This will involve introducing best practices on how to manage funds, providing more structured support to portfolio companies, particularly in hiring talent, structuring their sales processes, and interacting with industry corporates.
“While this sector has not been a focus before, I’m familiar with the business model, characteristics, and best practices that bring both successes and failures, so I hope to bring that experience to bear at S2G,” he says.
AgriFood Tech VCs Behind Operationally
Operationally, Rudberg believes the agrifood tech venture industry has some catching up to do with other startup industries such as healthcare and software.
“I have seen few, if any, [agrifood tech investment] firms that have extensive resources to help portfolio companies on the operating side,” he says. “Looking at our 30 portfolio companies, they are all going through growing pains and often have more opportunity than resources, so that’s an opportunity for us to offer them more support around sales or human capital, performance assessment, and corporate relationships to help accelerate their growth.”
By building this “operational toolkit,” Rudberg hopes S2G will differentiate itself from others, and become a better partner for startups.
“We want to be more than just capital,” he says. “We will provide capital to get into the game, then offer advice and counsel based on pattern recognition and experience.”
S2G will focus on building out support for its portfolio companies in three core areas: sales, human capital, and corporate development.
Key Support: Sales, Human Capital, Corporates
In sales, Rudberg says the firm aims to help companies leverage online channels, digital content, and data to build a sales process that’s repeatable.
For human capital, it’s about building the right culture internally to find the right talent. This is likely to involve S2G making direct recommendations for hires based on the build-out of its own CRM system of top executives. Rudberg references Baird, which had two people working full time to support its portfolio companies in hiring talent.
For corporate development, Rudberg wants S2G to continue to build relationships with strategic industry players; he says half of the firm’s 80 co-investors are strategics.
“All startups are looking for relationships with large corporates; the more we can be engrained in those relationships and bring startups insights from top strategics, the more we can provide better insight on tactics and strategy, as we well as potential exit opportunities,” he says.
Building Virtual Vertical Integration in the Portfolio
S2G invests in startups from farm-to-fork with the aim of assembling a “virtual” vertically-integrated portfolio of agrifood tech companies, Sanjeev Krishnan, managing partner of the firm, tells AgFunderNews.
The firm’s first $125 million
S2G’s portfolio to-date
The firm aims to use this virtual vertical integration to create connections across the supply chain and link consumer trends to decisions made on the farm. Clusters of portfolio companies around certain issues can then form, presenting opportunities for the companies to work together, thereby creating efficiencies in the supply chain.
For example, two portfolio companies — MycoTechnology and Blue Prairie Foods — are working on ingredients (or “inputs”) that reduce sugar use in food products, while another five are producing low-sugar foods — Back to the Roots, Maple Hill Creamery,Froozer, Ripple, and Once Upon a Farm.
“One portfolio company’s issue can be a purchase order for another,” says Krishnan.
The other food system issues these startups are working on include climate change, human health, sugar consumption, food waste, the democratization of organic food, farmer profitability, food access, the future of proteins, nutrition, traceability, water, transparency, and soil health.
What’s Next for Fund II?
Fund II will largely follow a similar strategy to Fund I, investing across the food ecosystem, but may make larger investments, says Krishnan adding that it will invest between $250k and $25 million per company, syndicating larger investments too.
Finding other investors for agrifood tech deals is not without its challenges, however.
“While the US food system is a $1.2 trillion industry, there is not enough dedicated risk capital available to support entrepreneurs during their critical growth stage,” says Krishnan. “We spend significant time syndicating our investments and ensuring that our entrepreneurs work with trusted financial and strategic partners.”
Fund II also attracted commitments from a similar subset of investors — predominantly family offices, some of which are associated with the food industry.
The team will be hiring at least three new members of staff in the near future.
Fund II also attracted commitments from a similar subset of investors — predominantly family offices, some of which are associated with the food industry.
The team will be hiring at least three new members of staff in the near future.
AfDB President Lauds Agric Minister For Reviving Agricultural Sector In Ghana
The Agricultural sector in Ghana has over the past ten months been at the forefront of Ghana's economy after witnessing eight years of decline.
AfDB President Lauds Agric Minister For Reviving Agricultural Sector In Ghana
Ridwan Issah Alhassan | November 21, 2017
Hon. Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto
The Agricultural sector in Ghana has over the past ten months been at the forefront of Ghana's economy after witnessing eight years of decline.
After consistent decline, the agricultural sector recorded a massive growth of 4.3% this year, according to the 2018 Budget Statement presented to Parliament on Wednesday by the Finance Minister, Mr. Ken Ofori Atta.
This significant achievement of the sector has largely been attributed to the roll out of the Government's flagship Planting for Food and Jobs campaign.
The campaign was envisioned by the President, His Excellency, Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo Addo and initiated by the Sector Minister, Hon. Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, to support smallholder farmers by providing them with subsidized inputs such as improved seeds, fertilizers, free extension services and ready markets for their produce.
Not only has the programme generated interest from domestic but it has also received international commendations from leading figures, with the latest coming from the President of the African Development Bank(AfDB) Dr. Akinwumi Adesina.
The President of the AfDB, who was delivering his first major public speech after receiving "The World Food Prize Award" in October this year, singled out the Minister of Food and Agriculture of Ghana, Hon. Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, for commendation.
Dr. Adesina was addressing participants including Food and Agriculture Ministers from selected countries during the 2017 edition of the SARA Exhibition held in the Ivorian, Abidjan.
The President of the AfDB whose speech highlighted the need for African to adopt technology and mechanization to ensure food security commended the Food and Agriculture Minister of Ghana for his commitment towards tackling food security and improving the socio-economic condition of farmers through the PFJ programme.
According to him, the commitment and dexterity exhibited by the Minister towards arresting the declining fortunes of agriculture in Ghana, deserves to be commended.
"We have gathered here today discussing how to improve the fortunes of agriculture in Ghana and I must commend the Food and Agriculture Minister of Ghana who is here with us," He noted, adding that Hon. Dr. Afriyie Akoto was doing wonderfully well to revive his country's Agriculture with the laudable Planting for Food and Jobs(PFJ) campaign.
As a brainchild of the Minister, the PFJ campaign hinges on five main pillars; provision of improved seeds, fertilizer, extension services, access to marketing and application of ICT in the implementation of the programme.
A successful implementation of the pilot phase of the programme saw a little over 200,000 farmers across the 216 districts benefiting from the huge subsidy offered by government.
Apart from the increase in food production which is likely to reduce the huge bills accrued every year as a result of the importation of basic food items, nearly 800,000 jobs have also been created through direct production and along the value chain
Meanwhile, adequate provision has been made in the 2018 budget to cover half a million as the Ministry seeks to expand the campaign in the coming crop season.
Amongst the strategy, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture is encouraging the participation of Chiefs (One Chief, One Farm), educational institutions (Food Farms for Schools), Corporate bodies and the general public through urban and peri-urban farming.
The expansion also forms part of moves by the Ministry to explore fertile and arable lands in the Afram Plains and Fufulso- Sawla Valleys.
Additionally, the Ministry is also set to implement the ambitious Marshall Plan, a comprehensive strategy that seeks address challenges confronting the agricultural sector such as infrastructure, agric financing, agro-processing, agribusiness amongst others.
Edible Solution Doubles Shelf Life of Fresh Produce
Edible Solution Doubles Shelf Life of Fresh Produce
“We’ve developed a way to leverage the parts of produce left behind on the farm to dramatically extend the shelf life of fresh produce,” says James Rogers with Apeel Sciences. “Our edible formulation slows down the rate that fruit and vegetables deteriorate helping them maintain a healthy state longer.”
Generally, produce can be dipped in the formulation or the formulation can be sprayed onto the produce items. Made entirely from food, Apeel’s products, InvisipeelTM for pre-harvest application and EdipeelTM for post-harvest application, unlock new opportunities to capture more economic value by increasing the marketable quality of fresh food.
Up to five times shelf life extension
Shelf life of fresh produce is limited due to oxidation and water loss, and Apeel’s product is able to slow down both processes. “Our product doesn’t have an active ingredient,” explained Rogers. “We blend up unused plant material, and from the blends we select a specific subset of food molecules and create the formulation.”
Although Apeel's products are invisible and undetectable, produce treated with the formulation will taste more fresh, according to Rogers. When fresh produce is dipped into the formulation, it leaves an invisible protective film when dried.
The sooner the product is applied after harvest, the better. As a result, Apeel primarily works with grower-shippers currently. “Recently, retailers have started to show interest for our product, as they would like to pause the ripening behavior of bananas,” shared Rogers. “Potentially, our product will be applied at the distribution center level of certain retail partners as well.”
Stops mold growth
In addition to oxidation and water loss, many grower-shippers have problems with mold. To reduce water loss, fresh produce is often stored in a high-humidity atmosphere. However, this creates a perfect environment for mold growth. The use of Edipeel allows grower-shippers to store their product at a lower relative humidity, stopping mold growth without fungicides.
Applicable to a broad range of global varieties
Apeel’s edible formulations can be applied to most fresh produce varieties. "It has been tested on more than two dozen varieties," said Rogers and works well on every type of produce tested so far. For some produce varieties, Apeel's application can extend shelf-life 5 times. Examples are citrus varieties such as oranges, lemons and limes. With avocados, Edipeel extends the normal shelf-life 1.5 times, and the application doubles shelf life of strawberries and blueberries as well as blackberries.
Removing refrigeration limitations in developing countries
Until now, Apeel’s products have been applied to produce in the US, Mexico, Chile, Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa. In African countries, it has been demonstrated to be effective as an alternative to refrigeration. “Keeping produce cold is a challenge in many regions of the world,” Rogers said. “By using our product, growers in developing countries are able to maintain marketable quality produce and increase their economic opportunity.” In Africa, the product serves as a mobile refrigerator. Due to the support of the Bill Gates Foundation, Apeel Sciences has been able to offer the product in Africa at low cost.
James Rogers will be attending Fruit Logistica in Berlin from February 8-10. For more information or to set up a meeting at Fruit Logistica Berlin, contact:
James Rogers
Apeel Sciences
Publication date: 2/1/2017
Author: Pieter Boekhout
Copyright: www.freshplaza.com
Electrical Experiments With Plants That Count And Communicate
Electrical Experiments With Plants That Count And Communicate
Neuroscientist Greg Gage takes sophisticated equipment used to study the brain out of graduate-level labs and brings them to middle- and high-school classrooms (and, sometimes, to the TED stage.) Prepare to be amazed as he hooks up the Mimosa pudica, a plant whose leaves close when touched, and the Venus flytrap to an EKG to show us how plants use electrical signals to convey information, prompt movement and even count.
This talk was presented at an official TED conference, and was featured by our editors on the home page.
High Schoolers Spawn Fish, Grow Lettuce on NYC School Rooftop
Philson Warner leads a tour through the hydroponics greenhouse and aquaculture facility at the Food and Finance High School in New York City.
High Schoolers Spawn Fish, Grow Lettuce on NYC School Rooftop
By Jon Craig
October 27, 2017
Jason Koski/University Photography
Philson Warner works with Teishawn W. Florostal Kevelier, a 2012 graduate of Food and Finance High School. Kevelier is now a 4H youth development associate and 4H research assistant.
Atop a roof overlooking Manhattan’s skyline at sundown Oct. 25, more than 300 public officials and proud parents of Food and Finance High School students toured a first-of-its-kind aquaponics greenhouse.
Philson A.A. Warner, founding director of the Cornell Cooperative Extension – New York City (CUCE-NYC) Hydroponics, Aquaculture, Aquaponics Learning Lab, offered lively, personal tours of the newly opened greenhouse. The structure is used to grow lettuce and fish through a natural process that conserves energy and the environment.
“The youngsters learn to do more with the sciences,” Warner said of his teenage students, whom he called “Cornell colleagues.”
Eight computers monitor “the weather situation above us,” to help control indoor temperatures, moisture and ideal humidity for growing vegetables, Warner said.
“This is what we call a green, green, green greenhouse,” he said, noting it produces “clean, safe, fresh foods. ... Nothing goes to waste.”
Even its solar panels are producing surplus energy that is fed into the grid.
Heads of lettuce that can take up to 10 weeks to grow outdoors are cultivated in just three weeks at the school on West 50th Street. About 8,000 pounds of tasty fish spawned monthly are another benefit of the scientific project.
As part of the greenhouse’s grand opening ceremony, dozens of high school students greeted guests and served crab cakes, vegan meatballs, fancy desserts and other hors d’oeuvres that they cooked in the school’s kitchens.
Jennifer Tiffany, Ph.D. ’04, executive director of CUCE-NYC, heaped praise on everyone who helped produce the hands-on learning environment and thanked the “brilliant students” who served as caterers and provided warm hospitality for the event.
“What an amazing, amazing community of young people,” Tiffany said during the ceremony.
Warner designed the 1,664-square-foot greenhouse, which is now part of the New York City Department of Education’s Park West Educational Campus. The project was financed through private donations, the New York City Council and the Manhattan Borough President’s Office.
Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer said she was very proud to have been instrumental in approving and helping secure public and private funding for the project. “You are training people for the future,” she said.
“You could be in the Bronx and they are talking about the fish” produced at the Manhattan high school, Brewer gushed. “Without Cornell, this would not have been possible. This is a very exciting project.”
The Food Education Fund, a nonprofit foundation, also has been a key partner in developing and sustaining the learning labs. Nan Shipley, chair of the board of the Food Education Fund, proudly pointed out that the Food and Finance High School has a 91 percent graduation rate, with most of its students advancing to college or full employment in related fields.
About 400 students are enrolled at Food and Finance High School. The school’s curriculum includes paid internships at restaurants and other food service businesses. The opening of the greenhouse marked the latest expansion of ongoing learning lab programs in a long-standing partnership with Cornell University.
Jon Craig ’80 is a writer based in New York City.
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Organic Board Decides Hydroponic Can Be Certified Organic
Organic Board Decides Hydroponic Can Be Certified Organic
National Organic Standards Board votes on whether to change federal organic standards to allow for hydroponically produced products.
Jacqui Fatka 1 | Nov 03, 2017
At the semi-annual meeting of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Organic Standards Board (NOSB), front and center was the debate about whether to change the federal organic standards to allow organic produce grown hydroponically.
In a series of 8-7 votes, the NOSB voted that hydroponic and aquaponic growers can continue to market certified organic products.
The action is a recommendation from the NOSB to USDA. The National Organic Standards Board voted on four separate proposals related to soil-less production in organic:
A motion to prohibit aeroponics in organic passed 14 yes, 1 abstention.
· A motion to prohibit aquaponics in organic did not pass, with a majority voting against the motion.
· A motion to restrict how and when nitrogen can be introduced to organic container production did not pass, with a majority voting against the motion.
· A motion to prohibit hydroponics, which was defined as any container system that didn't meet the proposed requirements for organic container system did not pass, with a majority voting against the motion. However the vote was 7 in favor and 8 against.
The practice of growing fruits and vegetables in inert mediums that depend on liquid fertilizers, rather than in rich organically managed soil, has been intensely controversial. The Organic Trade Assn. actually opposes aeroponics in organic, and supports the board recommendation to prohibit this in organic.
OTA does not support a system that is entirely water-based and believes it should be prohibited in organic, but OTA did not support the recommendation as written because the Crops Subcommittee had revised the definition for hydroponics by coupling it with proposed production standards for organic container production. OTA would have supported a motion to prohibit hydroponics had NOSB retained the previously accepted definition for hydroponics.
OTA said it supports container production in organic with clear, meaningful standards, but OTA did not support the recommendation as written before the board, because it did not meet the bar for a clear consensus-based recommendation for the Agriculture Secretary.
NewFoodEconomy said when the federal government first began to explore codifying organic standards into law, soil was an important focus of their efforts.
NewFoodEconomy reported that Fred Kirschenmann, a longtime leader in sustainable agriculture, distinguished fellow at Iowa State University’s Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, and president of Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture in Pocantico Hills, New York, said, “Several of us on the board felt that soil health should be part of the requirement for certification. We had a lot of debates about that, but finally the board became convinced that this was an important part of the future of organic certification, and we made that recommendation to the National Organic Standards Board.”
The news source said attorneys at USDA pushed back, according to Kirschenmann.
“They threw it out,” they reported Kirschenmann saying . “In the report they gave back to us, they said that regulations have to be answered with a yes or a no, and requiring soil health is too complex an issue.”
As such USDA insisted on an input-oriented system certification and requires that a farmer use only fertilizers on the approved list, and avoid completely any chemical on the banned list.
Ag Tech Investor Conference - Des Moines, IA - November 9, 2017
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Ag Tech Conference Featuring Keynote Speaker
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Prairie Crest Capital invites you to its Agricultural Technology Investor Conference, to be held Thursday, November 9, in Hy-Vee Hall at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines, Iowa. The conference will highlight the opportunities, challenges and successful deployment methods in investment in emerging companies in the Ag Tech sector.
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Urban Agriculture Advocates Flock to NYC City Hall in Support of Groundbreaking Legislation
URBAN AGRICULTURE ADVOCATES FLOCK TO NYC CITY HALL IN SUPPORT OF GROUNDBREAKING LEGISLATION
New York City, NY, October 26 – Supporters of new legislation to create a comprehensive plan for urban agriculture in NYC packed today’s public hearing at City Hall. The turnout to endorse Intro No. 1661, introduced by Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams and Council Member Rafael Espinal Jr., is a testament to the significance of Urban Agriculture in the lives of the city’s workers, residents and business owners.
The global urban farming industry has an estimated valuation of $5.8 billion in the next five years, and NYC boasts the largest existing Urban Agriculture system in the country. NYC urban farmers expressed that the city’s lack of cohesive regulation and oversight has stifled the local marketplace, while other cities like Atlanta and Boston have gained a competitive edge. The legislation aims to address this concern by developing NYC’s first Urban Agriculture plan, which includes a feasibility assessment for creating an office of Urban Agriculture.
“Today's hearing was a success”, said Council Member Rafael Espinal. “Urban Agriculture has endless potential to grow local, fresh food, increase access to healthy produce for low-income New Yorkers, create jobs, and support our environment. With more frequent floods and droughts ravaging our planet, including the recent devastating hurricanes we have seen first-hand, we must do everything we can to reduce climate change. Urban farming uses the technology of our day to reduce our carbon footprint, use less water than traditional farm systems and cultivate nutrient-rich food. NYC must come into the 21st century and create a plan to harness the great potential of this industry.”
Among the 46 individuals who offered testimony in support of the bill were private sector CEOs, university professors, chefs, nonprofit leaders, environmental advocates, tech entrepreneurs, farmers, job seekers and local food supporters. The lone opposition came from the Department of City Planning, which would be charged with developing the plan if the legislation passes.
“Urban Agriculture has many applications and potential impacts. Thus, it can be easily labeled as ‘complicated’ by the DCP and other city agencies,” said Henry Gordon-Smith, founder of Agritecture Consulting and member of the NYC Agriculture Collective. “However, this is not a reason to oppose the development of a plan. In fact, this is the exact reason why I support Intro No. 1661, to develop a clear plan to foster urban agriculture in all its variation, sustainably in NYC.”
Numerous members of the NYC Agriculture Collective were in attendance to speak as proponents for the bill. Members discussed the wide-ranging benefits to NYC of nurturing the Urban Agriculture marketplace, including job creation, economic development, food security, community involvement and environmental impact.
Liz Vaknin, founder of Our Name Is Farm, and also a member of the NYC Agricultural Collective added, “It’s a shame that no one is looking at this as a means to growing the City from numerous socio-economical perspectives. Yes, access to local food is the top priority, but if that’s not good enough, the DCP should be motivated by the influx of capital, the infrastructural growth, the added jobs, the growing agri-tourism, etc. that developments in Urban Agriculture will undoubtedly bring to this City”.
About the NYC Agriculture Collective
The NYC Agriculture Collective is a coalition of stakeholders devoted to achieving an ambitious vision for New York City agriculture. We do this through several activities: regular events where you can experience urban farms, taste our produce and meet members; advocating for the right policy at a city, state and federal level to support urban agriculture; making it easy for interested people to get involved through volunteering, or finding jobs in urban agriculture in NYC; providing data and information about NYC’s urban agriculture. We also run the annual weeklong event: NYC AgTech Week. Get to know us better at www.farming.nyc.
Can Food Still Be Organic If It's Grown Without Soil?
Can Food Still Be Organic If It's Grown Without Soil?
'Dirt first' traditionalists are fighting with supporters of soil-less agriculture over the ‘organics’ label. Climate and sustainability are central to the debate.
NOV 1, 2017
Both sides of the debate argue that their methods of organic farming have an increasingly important role to play in protecting the climate and building sustainability. Credit: Valcenteau/CC-BY-SA-2.0
A crucial battle in a long-brewing conflict over organic farming could come Wednesday as an influential government panel meets to discuss whether soil is an essential element of organic farming.
On one side: "Dirt first" traditionalists who say that fruits and vegetables must, by definition, be grown in soil to qualify as organic.
On the other: Agri-technophiles who say "controlled environment" methods like hydroponics and aeroponics are just as deserving, dirt or no dirt.
The debate over who deserves the U.S. Department of Agriculture's lucrative organic label comes amid broader challenges over the best way to feed a growing population on a warming, resource-challenged planet where most of the arable land is already used for agriculture.
Both sides are making forceful arguments that organic farming, with its focus on using natural substances and eschewing synthetics, has an increasingly important role to play in protecting the climate. Though vegetables grown in soil may look and taste like those grown in controlled environments—with their roots bathed in liquid solutions or stacked in towers—they may have very different carbon footprints.
"You're farming in a smaller space and with less resources and reduced shipping and refrigeration," said Marianne Cufone, executive director of the Recirculating Farms Coalition, which represents hydroponic and aquaponic farmers. "It seems to me it's one of the best ways to improve our situation when it comes to climate change and agriculture. To consolidate and grow up is smart."
But for traditional organic farmers, shifting resources and research dollars to soil-less forms of agriculture ignores the carbon-storing potential of soil-based agriculture and the energy footprint of growing crops indoors.
"By changing the way we farm the soil, we can improve the sequestration potential of the soil," said Jeff Moyer, executive director of the Rodale Institute, which has long advocated organic farming methods. "We know, globally, as we look at climate change solutions, the soil plays a huge role. Going indoors is not the solution."
Since the launch of the National Organic Program in 2000, the Agriculture Department has allowed hydroponics and other forms of soil-less or container-based agriculture under the organic label. But in recent years, organic farmers have pushed the National Organic Standards Board—the body that decides what practices are permitted under the organic label—to make an official decision on whether these agri-tech approaches count as organic.
The board's crops subcommittee is scheduled to meet Wednesday afternoon to discuss it, and the full board could vote soon after.
Investment Pours in for Novel Techniques
The debate, which has festered for years, has become increasingly bitter over the last 12 months as more investment and interest has centered on these novel farming techniques, including a $200 million investment in the San Francisco-based start-up Plenty by tech-investment firm SoftBank Vision Fund. Plenty plans to build indoor vertical farms, where produce is grown in stacks under artificial light, outside 500 cities around the world, using technologies including remote sensing to gage growing conditions and artificial intelligence experts to translate data from the plants.
"We've seen a lot of new money coming into this," said Katelyn McCullock, an economist with the American Farm Bureau Federation, American agriculture's largest trade group. "There's a lot of interest in this area and not from the sources we're used to seeing it from."
According to AgFunder, a start-up funder that also tracks investments in agriculture, investors have committed $285 million so far this year—including the Plenty investment—dwarfing investment last year, which saw $70 million, and 2015, which saw $53 million.
Meanwhile, sales of organics are booming, reaching a record $47 billion in the U.S. last year, and demand for organics is outstripping supply.
"Organic is obviously super popular, but there's gaining traction in other clean methods of farming," said Louisa-Burwood Taylor, a spokesperson for AgFunder. "When these companies can price their produce cheaper than organic and offer pesticide-free and clean, then I think you've got an interesting dynamic and competition to organic."
Who's More Climate-Friendly?
Traditional, soil-based organic farmers say that the competition shouldn't be allowed in the first place, noting that soil-less agriculture isn't permitted under the organic label in other countries, including Mexico, one of the U.S.'s biggest agricultural trading partners.
At rallies across the county, pro-soil advocates have demonstrated, with farmers holding homemade signs reading "Don't Water Down Organics with Hydroponics" and "Real Farmers Do it in the Dirt."
"There will be no sign warning the customers that this fauxganic food was grown without soil," the Keep the Soil in Organics coalition said in an appeal to supporters on its website. "And so we are in a final battle for the soul of the organic label."
Critics of controlled agriculture systems point out that, in order to simulate the sun, indoor farms consume huge amounts of electricity, negating possible climate benefits.
Even supporters acknowledge the high electricity demand is a downside. "It is an issue," conceded Sally Rockey, executive director of the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research, which recently gave a $2 million grant to New Jersey-based AeroFarms, the country's largest vertical farm operator. "When you use electricity the way you have to in controlled environments, you want to take a look at what that means as far as your carbon footprint."
But, Rockey said, there are some appealing trade-offs. "Oftentimes we don't use pesticides because plants aren't exposed to air," she said, "and generally we use a lot less water."
Controlled environment farms can also be constructed near cities, potentially cutting down on emissions connected to transportation.
The pro-soil growers say, however, that the climate benefits, to the extent that there are any currently, are being overplayed by tech interests with deep pockets.
"We can mitigate emissions. We know that," said Moyer, who is a former head of the standards board. "They're using the story of climate change, but that's not the reason for their existence."
The other side, meanwhile, accuses the pro-soil camp of slinging mud to protect their lucrative market.
"If you have a method of growing that reduces stress on resources—like water, like space, like energy—that can produce healthy, good-quality food, maybe in more abundance and with more efficiency, why wouldn't you support that?" Cufone said. "The only reason I can think of is money."
What Does the Research Say?
So far, studies suggest that indoor agriculture consumes more energy than traditional soil-based farms. Researchers at Cornell University have examined the carbon footprint of an indoor hydroponics farm, operated in New York state, and compared its energy use to an outdoor farm in California. Factoring in the energy used to transport the produce from California to the East Coast, they found that the hydroponics operation used twice the energy.
"At least from an energy or carbon footprint standpoint, growing these produce items in our northerly climate, where we use a lot of light and fossil fuel for heating, you use twice the energy inputs versus field-grown. But that was the status quo technology for 2008," said Neil Mattson of Cornell's School of Integrative Plant Science. "We feel there's the ability to improve that by producers adopting more energy-efficient lighting and using renewable energy systems."
Beyond Cornell's research, studies comparing the climate benefits of traditional farming systems and controlled environments remain pretty thin. But the climate impacts of various farming methods are a growing conversation within the organics industry, and more research is underway.
"We're starting to get concerned that an assumption's being made that if you're not growing in the outer crust of the earth, there's no way you can sequester carbon or mitigate climate change," said Nate Lewis, a farm policy director for the Organic Trade Association, the organic industry's largest trade group. "Those are assumptions. I haven't seen anyone compare the full life cycle of a tomato grown in one [system] versus the other. There are so many factors."
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Georgina Gustin
Georgina Gustin is a Washington-based reporter who has covered food policy, farming and the environment for more than a decade. She started her journalism career at The Day in New London, Conn., then moved to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, where she launched the "food beat," covering agriculture, biotech giant Monsanto and the growing "good food" movement. At CQ Roll Call, she covered food, farm and drug policy and the intersections between federal regulatory agencies and Congress. Her work has also appeared in The New York Times, Washington Post and National Geographic's The Plate, among others.
Here’s Why Technology Could Be a Double-Edged Sword for Agriculture
MUCH HAS BEEN MADE of the impact of technology and its capability to drive high growth and amazing results in short periods of time, but there’s a big question mark as to whether or not everyone should be jumping in to incorporate the latest and greatest technologies promising the sun and the moon for their bottom lines.
By Samantha Cheh | 13 October, 2017
MUCH HAS BEEN MADE of the impact of technology and its capability to drive high growth and amazing results in short periods of time, but there’s a big question mark as to whether or not everyone should be jumping in to incorporate the latest and greatest technologies promising the sun and the moon for their bottom lines.
This was especially true when you think about some pretty expensive systems, such as machine learning and automation programs meant to take off the slack on human employees. These are great systems that can have a real monetary cost to them that might not necessarily be beneficial to the company if it results in driving up costs.
Executives and decision makers in companies need to really focus on what tech will work positively for their companies, especially if there isn’t any significant ROI to speak of.
A farm in Singapore drew particular focus on the issue, as the owners battle with whether or not to bring in technologies that could potentially benefit their business. The Jurong Frog Farm, the only place in Singapore that breeds American bullfrogs, is weighing the wisdom of integrating a new recirculating aquaculture system that could help them continue their business should they be moved off their current land when their lease ends.
The problem at the heart of it is that the Singaporean government is implementing a new policy that would weight farmers’ adoption of sustainable and productivity-boosting technologies as a factor in the land-lease bidding process.
Some farms in Norway and overseas are experimenting with indoor farming. Source: Shutterstock
A tender released in August will evaluate bids partly on the basis of these farmers’ ability to harness innovation and sustain production, a challenge for many small, independent farms that may not be able to afford such investments.
According to the farm directors, the aquaculture system – which relies on a single stock of water that is repeatedly treated and recycled – could cost hundreds of thousands of Singaporean dollars as it’ll need to be refitted to suit the needs of a frog farm. Estimates and initial sums indicate that the small farm would not be able to afford such an investment, and it could actually set them back, according to Chelsea Wan who is the director of Jurong Frog Farm.
“Even with government subsidies at implementation, the running cost of such a system might force us to eventually pass on costs to customers, who may simply turn to other farms in the region, which have plenty of land and water,” she said to the Straits Times.
As the only American bullfrog suppliers in Singapore, the loss of Jurong Farm could affect sources of live frogs and frog meat to consumers in the nation state. Wan said that she was looking into other low-tech solutions, including relying on sources in other countries with the necessary land and resources.
Regardless, her story is emblematic of a little-discussed problem: what happens when tech doesn’t work?
Let’s set the record straight first: technology can make a huge difference for many players in many industries. It’s worked wonders for the financial industry, as well as those in logistics. However, not all industries are made the same, and agriculture is a particularly sensitive one especially since it deals with food sources.
However, as with the Jurong Frog Farm example, the swift introduction of technology into an important and fragile industry could prove dangerous especially since outcomes have significant impacts on livelihoods and welfare. For instance, the introduction of new production management systems or new fishing cages may have affected fish supplies.
According to Singapore’s Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA), local fish stocks fell from 5,272 tonnes in 2015 to 4,851 in 2016.
All things considered though, technology could still bring massive improvements to agricultural output in the long run. AVA said that the fish farms will likely see improved results in the future once snags in the system have been smoothed out.
A spokesperson for the agency said that the new technology could see the implementation of sensors and robotics that will be able to automate menials tasks such as net cleaning, which will boost efforts to increase fish farming system threefold sometime down the line.
The integration of technology into farming may also not be a matter of personal choice anymore, though, as climates globally shift, thus creating havoc in our natural ecosystems and disrupting agricultural production.
“Agriculture is sensitive to weather conditions. Climate change may impact food supplies,” said climate scientist Benjamin Grandey to tge Straits Times. Heworks at the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology.
Technology may be a way to fend off the harsher effects of climate change on our food sources. Farms in countries like Norway are already introducing new best practices such as closed containment systems and indoor farming systems the mimic natural environments without the dangers of being exposed to extreme weather.
“We cannot control the weather. But we can control how we want to manage the risks,” said a senior minister for National Development, Dr. Koh Poh Koon, in a Facebook post.
“I urge all our farmers to work together with government agencies to transform our farming sector into a more resilient and productive one. Your long-term viability and our food security are intertwined.”
Kappa Farms to Open Loudoun Aquaponics Facility
Kappa Farms
Kappa Farms to Open Loudoun Aquaponics Facility
Urban farming company Kappa Farms will invest $865,000 and hire 21 people to open an aquaponics operation in Sterling.
According to the office of Governor Terry McAuliffe, the company will build a closed-loop nutrient cycle aquaponics facility which will produce certified organic baby lettuces and arugula using water and nutrients derived from fish waste. The company will produce more than $7 million worth Virginia-grown lettuces over the next three years, which it will then sell to customers and restaurants in the Washington, DC, metro area.
“It is an incredibly exciting time to be involved in agricultural technology,” stated Schuyler Milton, who co-founded Kappa Farms with Keith Born. “Environmental challenges, changes in economics, and advances in materials and technology have all come to a point at which supplying locally grown and organic produce is both more vital and more feasible than ever before. We’re very privileged to have been born and raised in Virginia, and we’re very happy to be able to help bring this new industry to Virginia, in no small part thanks to Governor McAuliffe and Loudoun County.”
The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services worked with Loudoun County and Chrysalis Vineyards to land the business. McAuliffe approved a $40,000 grant from the Governor’s Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development Fund, which the Loudoun government will match.
“The success of Virginia’s agriculture industry is a testament to the diversity and quality of our products, as well as our outstanding reputation in the global economy,” McAuliffe stated. “… We will continue to support projects and products that diversify our agriculture industry, build the new Virginia economy and contribute to the Commonwealth’s reputation as the best place to do business around the world.”
Virginia is the nation’s third largest seafood producer and the largest on America’s Atlantic coast, according to the governor’s office. Virginia is ranked 10th nationally in aquaculture production. Virginia’s watermen harvest 50 commercially valuable species from 620,000 acres of water, including sea scallops, blue crabs, striped bass, summer flounder, croaker, spot, clams and oysters. The Virginia Institute of Marine Science reported the annual economic impact of Virginia’s seafood industry to be over half a billion dollars.
“Aquaculture production represents an opportunity for Virginia to capitalize on the need to feed a growing population with limited resources,” said Virginia Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Basil Gooden. “We are lucky to have an innovative company like Kappa Farms as a member of the agriculture community in Virginia.”
“We’re proud to welcome Kappa’s expansion into Loudoun County,” said Loudoun Economic Development Executive Director Buddy Rizer. “Theirs is the type of unique, science-based innovation that sets Loudoun businesses apart.”
“I applaud Kappa Farms for their investment and expansion in Sterling,” said Sen. Jennifer Wexton (D-33). “Loudoun’s agricultural community will be elevated by Kappa’s innovative agricultural technology and I look forward to seeing their products in the homes and restaurants in the 33rd District and beyond.”
U of M Secures $2.5 Million Grant to Improve Quality of Life in Cities
U of M Secures $2.5 Million Grant to Improve Quality of Life in Cities
October 12, 2017
The National Science Foundation (NSF) announced today that it has awarded a $2.5 million grant to a multi-disciplinary team of researchers led by the University of Minnesota for a new project to advance access, wellbeing, health, and sustainability in cities. The project will focus on multiple “smart” infrastructure sectors—water, energy, food, shelter, transportation, waste management—that converge in cities.
The grant is part of the NSF’s Smart and Connected Communities initiative, which is investing $19.5 million nationwide to develop interdisciplinary and community-engaged research to revolutionize the nation’s cities and communities with more responsive and adaptive infrastructures, technologies and services.
The research effort will be co-directed by lead investigator Professor Shashi Shekhar, a computer science and engineering professor in the University of Minnesota’s College of Science and Engineering, and co-investigator Professor Anu Ramaswami, a professor in the University of Minnesota Humphrey School of Public Affairs. The project spans four academic institutions and includes co-investigators Florida State University Professor Rick Feiock, University of Washington Professor Julian Marshall, and Purdue University Professor Venkatesh Merwade.
With transformative new infrastructures coming on the horizon—such as autonomous vehicles, smart and distributed energy systems, novel green infrastructure, and urban farms—the physical fabric of our future cities will be very different from what exists today. The research team will provide new insight on how the future spatial deployment of these new infrastructures in cities will shape access, wellbeing, health, and environmental sustainability in different neighborhoods in the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minn., as well as Tallahassee, Fla.
The new project will advance basic research in multiple disciplines including environmental and civil engineering, computer science, urban planning and public policy. It will create a unique public database, establish citizen science protocols, and advance the science of smart sustainable urban systems through knowledge co-production with cities engaged in infrastructure planning.
“Infrastructure is one of the pillars of our economy—and sustainable, smart infrastructure systems allow our cities, towns, and communities to thrive as 21st century hubs of innovation and prosperity,” Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) said in a news release about the NSF grant.
He was joined by other members of Minnesota’s congressional delegation, including Senator Amy Klobuchar and Representatives Keith Ellison and Betty McCollum, in adding their political support behind the goals of the initiative.
The research team will also engage K-12 students, university researchers, and citizen scientists to develop the first comprehensive public database on infrastructure, environment, health, and wellbeing at the neighborhood level in cities. They will use innovative techniques such as crowdsourcing campaigns using low-cost sensors to characterize air pollution and flooding risks, K-12 engagement in mapping well-being and infrastructure satisfaction at the neighborhood level, and the development of related cyber-infrastructure.
The rich database then will be analyzed to identify novel, interesting, and useful spatial patterns and to develop urban models. Researchers will work with city partners to help better plan future cities considering emerging smart grid, smart mobility, and smart food system transitions.
The project’s educational activities will also connect graduate students from the fields of engineering, urban planning, policy, and sustainability with K-12 teachers and students, with particular attention to underserved populations. Research insights will be broadly disseminated to U.S. cities through partnerships with ICLEI-USA, the National League of Cities, and the MetroLab Network, a city-university collaborative, and through the National Science Foundation’s Sustainable Healthy Cities Network.
“Minnesota leads the nation in STEAM education that integrates the creativity of the arts with science, technology, engineering and math to address our critical infrastructure needs,” Rep. McCollum said. “This grant reflects the excellence of the University of Minnesota in educating the next generation to meet these challenges.”
Additional collaborators at the University of Minnesota include professor Julie Brown of the College of Education and Human Development, Diana Dalbotten of the College of Science and Engineering’s St. Anthony Falls Laboratory, Len Kne of U-Spatial, along with professor Jason Cao and senior fellows Frank Douma and Robert Johns of the Humphrey School of Public Affairs.
NSF’s Smart and Connected Communities initiative is part of a multipronged strategy for investing in foundational research and education on smart and connected communities. For more information about NSF’s Smart and Connected Communities, visit the NSF website.
This Tiny Country Feeds the World
This Tiny Country Feeds the World
The Netherlands has become an agricultural giant by showing what the future of farming could look like.
10/10/2017
In a potato field near the Netherlands’ border with Belgium, Dutch farmer Jacob van den Borne is seated in the cabin of an immense harvester before an instrument panel worthy of the starship Enterprise.
From his perch 10 feet above the ground, he’s monitoring two drones—a driverless tractor roaming the fields and a quadcopter in the air—that provide detailed readings on soil chemistry, water content, nutrients, and growth, measuring the progress of every plant down to the individual potato. Van den Borne’s production numbers testify to the power of this “precision farming,” as it’s known. The global average yield of potatoes per acre is about nine tons. Van den Borne’s fields reliably produce more than 20.
That copious output is made all the more remarkable by the other side of the balance sheet: inputs. Almost two decades ago, the Dutch made a national commitment to sustainable agriculture under the rallying cry “Twice as much food using half as many resources.” Since 2000, van den Borne and many of his fellow farmers have reduced dependence on water for key crops by as much as 90 percent. They’ve almost completely eliminated the use of chemical pesticides on plants in greenhouses, and since 2009 Dutch poultry and livestock producers have cut their use of antibiotics by as much as 60 percent.
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Keynote Speaker Steve Forbes and Governor Kim Reynolds
Keynote Speaker Steve Forbes and Governor Kim Reynolds
This conference will highlight the opportunities, challenges, and successful deployment methods in investment in emerging companies in the Ag Tech sector.
About Prairie Crest Capital
Prairie Crest Capital is a venture capital firm in Des Moines focused on early-stage investments in promising agricultural and breakthrough technology firms. Leveraging their experience and Midwest location, Prairie Crest Capital connects investors to underserved and compelling opportunities in the Ag Tech sector in order to deliver superior returns.
- Although the Midwest is home to approximately 20 percent of the US population, top research universities, entrepreneurial talent, and research and development spending, the region receives less than 5 percent of venture capital investment.
- Investment activity in agriculture technology is anticipated to grow from $1.2 billion to approximately $7 billion over the next several years.