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Nature Fresh Farms Celebrates 20th Anniversary
On November 8th, 2019, Nature Fresh Farms celebrated its 20 years of growing with an anniversary event that marked a major milestone for the company along with the announcement of an exciting addition of a Group Retirement Plan to their existing benefits plan
On November 8th, 2019, Nature Fresh Farms celebrated its 20 years of growing with an anniversary event that marked a major milestone for the company along with the announcement of an exciting addition of a Group Retirement Plan to their existing benefits plan.
The special event was organized at their Phase 3 facility where 270 employees were present to commemorate the company’s 20 years of success. With everyone in high spirits and enjoying the afternoon event, General Manager, John Ketler, and CEO Peter Quiring, took the opportunity to extend their gratitude to all Nature Fresh Farm employees for their hard work and dedication over the last 20 years followed by the announcement that Nature Fresh Farms will be offering their employees a Group Retirement Plan.
The Group Retirement Plan allows employees to conveniently contribute to the plan through payroll deductions before tax is calculated. The amount is then matched by Nature Fresh Farms allowing employees to save more for their retirement and receive immediate tax relief from those savings. Nature Fresh Farms hopes this new benefit will help existing employees plan for their future but also act as an incentive attracting new hires since this benefit is uncommon within the industry.
“The 20th anniversary celebration gave us the perfect opportunity to express our appreciation to our employees by announcing the extension of their current benefits plan which now includes the Group Retirement Plan,” shared John Ketler, “Nature Fresh Farms most valuable asset is its employees and we want to help provide for our amazing team.”
Beginning as a buy and sell project in 1999, Nature Fresh Farms has transitioned into a large independent greenhouse produce growers in Canada. Within their 20 years of innovation and growth, Nature Fresh Farms has had many accomplishments including their recent 32-acre expansion bringing their total family-owned facilities to 200 acres advancing their operations to year-round growing in Leamington. They have taken significant steps to further integrate sustainability within their operations exemplified this year by the successful introduction of their new compostable cucumber trays.
Gotham Greens Opens Urban Ag Center In Chicago
Gotham Greens today opened its largest greenhouse in Chicago. The expansion enables Gotham Greens to deliver consumers a year-round supply of fresh produce to keep up with increasing demand from retail, restaurant and foodservice customers across the Midwest
100,000 sq.ft. greenhouse
Gotham Greens today opened its largest greenhouse in Chicago. The expansion enables Gotham Greens to deliver consumers a year-round supply of fresh produce to keep up with increasing demand from retail, restaurant and foodservice customers across the Midwest.
Reimagining a portion of the former Ryerson Steel Mill being repurposed by Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives, the new 100,000 square foot, state-of-the-art greenhouse is Gotham Greens’ second greenhouse in the Historic Pullman Neighborhood of Chicago and sixth greenhouse nationwide. The greenhouse more than doubles the company’s Midwest production to 11 million heads of lettuce annually.
“Gotham Greens’ expansion in Chicago demonstrates its continued commitment to the city, state, and region by creating new jobs and using its high-tech greenhouses to grow high-quality produce, even during the coldest winter months,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Agriculture is a vital component of our state’s economy, and I’m pleased to see opportunities for urban agriculture – like this greenhouse expansion. Investing in innovative solutions will keep Illinois at the forefront for decades to come and help create good jobs that can support a family.”
The company’s local cultivation and regional distribution network enable delivery of products quickly after being harvested at their peak to ensure they are fresh tasting, nutritionally dense and long-lasting. This includes Gotham Greens regional favorites such as Pullman Green Leaf and Windy City Crunch.
“Since 2009, we’ve worked to transform how and where fresh produce is grown to provide more people with access to local, sustainably-grown produce that is as delicious as it is nutritious,” said Viraj Puri, Co-Founder & CEO of Gotham Greens. “After opening our first greenhouse in Chicago in 2015, we have received tremendous support from retailers, restaurants and shoppers alike who love that we can provide a reliable, year-round supply of fresh produce that’s grown locally. We’re thrilled to open our second greenhouse in Chicago to expand our production and distribution in the Midwest and bring our delicious leafy greens, herbs and fresh food products to even more people.”
“Thanks to the efforts of Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives, the community and the city over the past years, we’ve been able to garner investments of more than $400 million for new businesses like Gotham Greens’ two greenhouses, new homes, recreational facilities, schools and national monuments that signal Pullman’s renaissance. New jobs and opportunities are improving the quality of life of its residents and building a better city for everyone,” said 9th Ward Alderman Anthony Beale.
Gotham Greens will double its workforce to approximately 100 full-time employees in Chicago and 300 nationwide.
“Gotham Greens’ expansion and doubling-down on Pullman demonstrates that our community has become a destination where people are choosing to go to live, to visit and to do business,” said David Doig, President of CNI, which developed the land sold to Gotham Greens. “The community’s assets, including its proximity to transportation, major markets and the availability of open land – in addition to its architecture, history and amenities – will continue attracting more people, more amenities and more businesses that will create a vibrant, sustainable community.”
Gotham Greens leafy greens, herbs, salad dressings and pesto dips are available at a variety of national and local grocery retailers across the Midwest, including Whole Foods Market, Jewel-Osco, Target, Heinen’s Grocery Store, Sunset Foods, Pete’s Fresh Market and Peapod. In addition, the company partners with various Chicago institutions, including the Greater Chicago Food Depository, Greater Roseland West Pullman Food Network, Pilot Light and the Chicago Botanical Garden’s Windy City Harvest.
For more information:
Gotham Greens
US (CO): Ultra Local Denver Farm Grows Using Aeroponics
Fifty-six-year-old Sally Herbert, co-founder, and CEO of Altius, walks through her fields, pausing often to pluck baby kale leaves or fronds of pink-tipped lollo rosso lettuce for sampling
At the intersection of 25th and Lawrence streets in Curtis Park, on the second story of a building—high above the millennials zipping around on electric scooters and the yoga warriors exiting a nearby studio—sits Altius Farms, an 8,000-square-foot aeroponic greenhouse. Inside, small fans whoosh gently overhead and the temperature is always somewhere between 65 and 80 degrees. There’s a slight, almost pleasant humidity to the air and the fresh, clean mineral smell of lettuce. The clear polycarbonate roof diffuses and softens the Colorado sunlight, and glass walls make you feel like you’re surrounded by open sky.
Completing the urban Garden of Eden picture is Altius’ version of fields: 340 columns, each eight feet tall, from which sprout floppy green rosettes of butter lettuce, neon mustard frills, ruffles of baby red Russian kale, and lily-pad-like nasturtium leaves. The plants blanket the white, food-grade-plastic columns so thickly they look like edible topiaries.
Fifty-six-year-old Sally Herbert, co-founder, and CEO of Altius, walks through her fields, pausing often to pluck baby kale leaves or fronds of pink-tipped lollo rosso lettuce for sampling. The kale is mild and tender, the lettuce juicy and crisp. Nearby, a smiling intern snips baby arugula leaves into bins while farm manager Ethan Page and other staffers wash, dry, and package the day’s harvest. Assistant grower and account manager Brian Adams will soon deliver bags of the greens to Altius’ growing list of clients, which include Uchi (the farm’s downstairs neighbor), Il Posto, Butcher’s Bistro, and Marczyk Fine Foods.
Publication date: Thu 7 Nov 2019
The Rise of Urban Farming
Urban farming, or urban agriculture, can be described as the growing of plants and raising of animals in and around towns, cities and urban environments
Urban farming is big news. You may not have heard too much about it but according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (UNFAO), urban agriculture is something that is practised by 800 million people worldwide, over one-tenth of the global population. So what exactly is it and how is it changing how we produce and distribute food?
What is urban farming?
Urban farming, or urban agriculture, can be described as the growing of plants and raising of animals in and around towns, cities and urban environments. Until recently, farming has been a largely rural activity. But the development of technology, together with a pressing need to find more sustainable ways of production and consumption, has led to the adaptation of farming techniques in more built up environments.
There are several different types of urban farms of varying scales that exist in different parts of the world, including commercial city farms, community gardens, community orchards, indoor vertical farms, hydroponic greenhouses, rooftop gardens, urban aquaponic farms (or fish farms), urban beehives and small-scale homestead farms. They produce a range of goods for local consumption or retail, such as grains, vegetables, fruit, meat, poultry, fish, herbs, honey and dairy products.
Urban farms can be small, medium or large-scale commercial enterprises, cooperatives run by community groups or residents, or even individual set ups. The farms have proliferated in both developed and developing countries in recent years, serving slightly different purposes in general in each. Farms in wealthier industrialized nations have largely been in response to the challenge to find more sustainable methods of agricultural production, along with moves towards more localized economies. In poorer countries, they have come about through multi-stakeholder efforts to combat food insecurity and hunger levels.
Why has urban farming become popular?
Urban farming has grown in popularity over the last 10–15 years. In the developing world, it has largely been driven by the rapid urbanization of developing regions. The urban population across the developing world has grown by around 500 million in the last decade and it is predicted that, by 2025, more than half of the developing world will live in urban areas. The main drivers of urban growth in these countries are high birth rates and an influx of rural people trying to escape poverty. Unlike countries where urbanization has been driven by industrialization, in low-income areas it is often accompanied by high levels of poverty, unemployment, and food insecurity. Urban farming has been seen as a way to combat all three of these problems.
In richer nations, the growth of urban agriculture has been in tandem with a return to localism, the growth of localized businesses, social entrepreneurialism and ethically-minded startups. Social good and environmental sustainability are high on the agenda with new businesses, with one study finding that 90% of today’s CEOs and 88% of business students believe that sustainability is an important part of commercial success. Finding new and improved agricultural methods is an important area of sustainability. Studies have found that agriculture uses 38% of the world’s land area and is responsible for over 70% of global freshwater consumption. With more people concentrated in urban areas, farms can be more productive without using up the same level of resources. Warmer urban conditions are also conducive to the growing of crops.
Not all urban farming practices, however, are for a commercial profit. There are many such as community gardens and community orchards that are run by charities, community groups or resident cooperatives and exist for more social purposes such as sharing food, providing for poorer sections of the community, or bringing parts of the community together.
What are the impacts of urban farming?
Impact on businesses and the economy
Urban farming can have many positive effects on the local economy. As well as presenting green-fingered entrepreneurs with opportunities to start new local businesses, it also creates job opportunities for local people. Furthermore, farms can often provide local shops, supermarkets and restaurants with cheaper and fresher produce which has knock-on positive effects. One study has estimated that urban farms have the potential to provide around 10% of global vegetable crops, which could translate into big savings for local economies worldwide. Start up costs, however, are still high. Those involved in urban farming typically work longer than average hours, lose more food than rural farmers due to urban pests, and struggle to find skilled and experienced staff.
Impact on the environment
Urban farming has been championed as a way of improving agricultural environmental sustainability, but in truth it can have both positive and negative effects and it comes down to the way that farms operate and are regulated. Farms can provide a more efficient way of meeting local demand. If operated sustainably, they can reduce both the agricultural energy footprint (through eliminating the need to store and transport imported products) and the water footprint (through sustainable irrigation and water recycling). They can also transform wasteland into productive green space and stop it from becoming polluted. Vertical farms, which are set up inside multi-storey buildings and warehouses, also have the benefit of saving on space.
But studies have shown that urban farms can also increase energy and water use. Indoor farms, such as vertical farms, use energy-intensive artificial lighting and climate control systems. Many farms use the municipal water supply rather than a recycled water system for irrigation. There are also distinct health and safety risks with urban farming. Urban land can be contaminated with pollutants, while wastewater if not treated properly can contain human pathogens. This can compromise food safety if strict regulations are not in place.
Impact on communities
There are a number of positive social impacts associated with urban farming, such as:
improving food security and reducing poverty among the poorest by providing cheaper and more easily available food;
health benefits of providing affordable nutritious fruit, vegetables and organically produced meat;
greater social inclusion by providing local job opportunities and, in the case of community projects, bringing communities together;
educational opportunities for children, e.g. school trips to city farms and community gardens where pupils can learn more about where food comes from
However, urban farming has attracted some criticism in places such as Europe for becoming monopolized by the middle-classes and excluding lower income groups.
Who are the main players in urban farming?
Europe
Urban farming in Europe is not a new phenomenon. In fact, several countries encouraged the production of food in urban environments during both the First and Second World Wars in the 20th century. Today, start up urban agriculture enterprises are cropping up across the continent. At governmental level, individual governments have had limited involvement but the EU-funded Urban Agriculture Europe, a network of over 120 researchers, have been looking into ways in which urban farming can play a key role in future EU agricultural policy. Berlin-based start up InFarm has become the European urban farming leader with over 100 indoor and outdoor city farms in Germany, France and Switzerland. Among the largest urban farms in Europe are Space&Matter in the Netherlands, the Jones Food Company vertical farm in the UK, and the BIGH rooftop farm in Belgium.
America
There has been a growth in urban farming across the American continent in recent decades. In the US, policies and initiatives vary between states but projects ranging from vertical hydroponic enterprises to community gardens flourish across the country. A 2012 study by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) identified over 300 urban farms in the US. This includes one of the world’s largest urban farms located across nearly two acres in Chicago. In Canada, there has been more state-level involvement. Toronto in particular has been proactive, setting up a Food Policy Council which has drawn up a GrowTO Urban Agriculture Action Plan. In south and central America, where poverty and food insecurity are big issues in several countries, the UNFAO has been involved in kick-starting urban micro-gardens projects in countries including Bolivia, Colombia, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Venezuela.
Asia
Several Asian countries have invested significant amounts in urban farming technologies as a way of dealing with population growth and combating food insecurity. China, which has industrialized at a rapid pace in recent decades, has become a world leader in indoor vertical farming thanks to state investment. Similarly, Thailand has a community-supported agriculture initiative, led by the Thailand Environment Institute, that has helped create rooftop farms and indoor vertical farms across Bangkok. In India, another country that has urbanized at a pace, urban farming is now being seen as a sustainable food production method. Methods such as rooftop farming have taken off in cities such as Kerala.
Africa
The African continent has also seen wide-scale urbanization in recent years. Urban farming methods in the poorest countries have largely centred around setting up micro-gardening and community gardening projects, overseen by UNFAO, equipping urban locals with skills and resources to produce sustainable and feed the local community. Methods such as vertical farming are starting to take hold in some African countries. Johannesburg has hosted two Urban Agri Africa Summits to date, looking into possibilities of developing urban farming technologies across the continent.
Urban farming is unlikely to replace traditional agriculture any time soon but it will have a vital role to play in addressing challenges such as environmental sustainability and food insecurity in the coming years. As the world continues to urbanize and new technologies emerge, we can expect to see increasing governmental and inter-governmental involvement as urban farming becomes more mainstream. The key stakeholders will need to make sure that business models stay alert to environmental, social and economic challenges so that the farming of the future is a sustainable benefit for all.
Miigle+ is redefining consumerism by using technology to impact consumer behaviors for the benefit of all mankind and the future of our planet. To learn more, visit www.miigle.com
How Urban Farmers Are Learning To Grow Food Without Soil or Natural Light
Growing food in cities became popular in Europe and North America during and immediately after World War II. Urban farming provided citizens with food, at a time when resources were desperately scarce
Mandy Zammit/Grow Up, Author provided
Silvio Caputo, University of Portsmouth
February 13, 2018
Growing food in cities became popular in Europe and North America during and immediately after World War II. Urban farming provided citizens with food, at a time when resources were desperately scarce. In the decades that followed, parcels of land which had been given over to allotments and city farms were gradually taken up for urban development. But recently, there has been a renewed interest in urban farming – albeit for very different reasons than before.
As part of a recent research project investigating how urban farming is evolving across Europe, I found that in countries where growing food was embedded in the national culture, many people have started new food production projects. There was less uptake in countries such as Greece and Slovenia, where there was no tradition of urban farming. Yet a few community projects had recently been started in those places too.
Today’s urban farmers don’t just grow food to eat; they also see urban agriculture as a way of increasing the diversity of plants and animals in the city, bringing people from different backgrounds and age groups together, improving mental and physical health and regenerating derelict neighborhoods.
Many new urban farming projects still struggle to find suitable green spaces. But people are finding inventive solutions; growing food in skips or on rooftops, on sites that are only temporarily free, or on raised beds in abandoned industrial yards. Growers are even using technologies such as hydroponics, aquaculture, and aquaponics to make the most of unoccupied spaces.
Something fishy
Hydroponic systems were engineered as a highly space and resource-efficient form of farming. Today, they represent a considerable source of industrially grown produce; one estimate suggests that, in 2016, the hydroponic vegetable market was worth about US$6.9 billion worldwide.
Hydroponics enable people to grow food without soil and natural light, using blocks of porous material where the plants’ roots grow, and artificial lighting such as low-energy LED. A study on lettuce production found that although hydroponic crops require significantly more energy than conventionally grown food, they also use less water and have considerably higher yields.
Growing hydroponic crops usually requires sophisticated technology, specialist skills and expensive equipment. But simplified versions can be affordable and easy to use.
They grow up so fast. Mandy Zammit/Grow Up
Hemmaodlat is an organization based in Malmö, in a neighborhood primarily occupied by low-income groups and immigrants. The area is densely built, and there’s no green space available to grow food locally. Plus, the Swedish summer is short and not always ideal for growing crops. Instead, the organization aims to promote hydroponic systems among local communities, as a way to grow fresh food using low-cost equipment.
The Bristol Fish Project is a community-supported aquaponics farm, which breeds fish and uses the organic waste they produce to fertilize plants grown hydroponically. GrowUp is another aquaponics venture located in an East London warehouse – they grow food and farm fish using only artificial light. Similarly, Growing Underground is an enterprise that produces crops in tunnels, which were originally built as air-raid shelters during World War II in London.
The next big thing?
The potential to grow food in small spaces, under any environmental conditions, are certainly big advantages in an urban context. But these technologies also mean that the time spent outdoors, weathering the natural cycles of the seasons, is lost. Also, hydroponic systems require nutrients that are often synthesized chemically – although organic nutrients are now becoming available. Many urban farmers grow their food following organic principles, partly because the excessive use of chemical fertilizers is damaging soil fertility and polluting groundwater.
To see whether these drawbacks would put urban growers off using hydroponic systems, my colleagues and I conducted a pilot study in Portsmouth. We installed small hydroponic units in two local community gardens and interviewed volunteers and visitors to the gardens. Many of the people we spoke to were well informed about hydroponic technology and knew that some of the vegetables sold in supermarkets today are produced with this system.
A simplified hydroponic frame in Portsmouth. Silvio Caputo/University of Portsmouth
Many were fascinated by the idea of growing food without soil within their community projects, but at the same time reluctant to consume the produce because of the chemical nutrients used. A few interviewees were also uncomfortable with the idea that the food was not grown naturally. We intend to repeat this experiment in the near future, to see how public opinion changes over time.
And while we don’t think hydroponic systems can replace the enjoyment that growing food in soil can offer, they can save water and produce safe food, either indoors or outdoors, in a world with increasingly scarce resources. Learning to use these new technologies, and integrating them into existing projects, can only help to grow even more sustainable food.
As with many technological advancements, it could be that a period of slow acceptance will be followed by rapid, widespread uptake. Perhaps the fact that IKEA is selling portable hydroponic units, while hydroponic cabinets are on the market as components of kitchen systems, is a sign that this technology is primed to enter mainstream use.
Silvio Caputo
Senior Lecturer, University of Portsmouth
Silvio Caputo does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
University of Portsmouth provides funding as a member of The Conversation UK.
Urban Agriculture
The urbanization of the planet is drawing agriculture and small farms into city centers in both low-income and industrialized economies. Catering to this trend requires more effective use of space, urban-waste recycling and in some cases sophisticated technology, such as that used in vertical farming
The urbanization of the planet is drawing agriculture and small farms into city centers in both low-income and industrialized economies. Catering to this trend requires more effective use of space, urban-waste recycling and in some cases sophisticated technology, such as that used in vertical farming.
Urban agriculture is nothing new. Travelers arriving in Babylon at the beginning of the second millennium B.C.E. described the orchards, vegetable gardens and cultivated fields in the suburbs of the immense Mesopotamian city. Overhead there were the “hanging gardens”, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, producing fruit for the court of Nebuchadnezzar and offerings for the gods.
In more recent times, the industrial revolution brought about the creation of “allotments”, first in England, then in continental Europe. These often carried with them a certain moral aspect, encouraging the working class to maintain rural and family values in the heart of the city with its many temptations.
Today, innovation and research on agriculture in urban environments are being spurred by the global population growth and rapid urbanization expected over the next decades. Ideas range from micro-gardening targeting the most disadvantaged populations in Africa and South America to highly futuristic vertical farming operations in Japan and North America1.
A Reality in Developing Economies
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (F.A.O.) defines urban and peri‑urban agriculture (UPA) as the growing of plants and the raising of animals within and around cities2. UPA already provides for the needs of a quarter of the world’s city-dwellers. Further development of UPA is essential given the growing urban population, which has increased at a rate almost twice that of the overall population in only ten years. According to the F.A.O., more than half of all inhabitants of developing economies, or 3.5 billion people, will be concentrated in cities by 2025.
To feed these new residents, it will be necessary to maintain agricultural zones in peri-urban areas to slow down deforestation and reduce energy costs incurred by the cold chain and transportation from producer to consumer regions. The F.A.O. funds programs that encourage disadvantaged urban populations to grow micro-gardens for their own consumption and also as a source of extra income. With the right care, a one-square-meter micro-garden in a tropical climate can produce either 30 kilograms of tomatoes per year, 36 heads of lettuce every 60 days, 10 cabbages every 90 days or 100 onions every 120 days. This same square meter requires three liters of water per day, which, in certain climates, can be supplied by collecting and storing rainwater off a ten-square-meter roof. According to the F.A.O., kitchen gardens can be up to 15 times more productive than rural farms.
Of course, urban agriculture has obstacles to overcome, such as poor soil quality, air pollution, inappropriate use of pesticides and fertilizers that contaminate water, and biodiversity management.
25: The number of lettuce harvests per year in a high-tech vertical farm.
New Vertical Farms
In high-income economies, two methods have emerged for bringing agricultural production closer to cities. The simpler of the two is to use building rooftops and streamline collection and recycling of household waste. The second and more sophisticated method, deployed in countries such as Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the United States, and Canada, is soil-free vertical farming, which requires much less space.
There are two main forms of soil-free farming:
Hydroponics, the older of the two techniques, in which plants take root in an inert substrate, such as pumice, and are watered with a liquid nutrient solution containing mineral salts rich in nitrogen, phosphates, and potassium.
Aeroponics, in which plants are grown in plastic structures with their roots hanging in the air and exposed to vaporized nutrient solutions.
A variety of systems ensure closed-circuit water use, constant ventilation and exposure to natural or artificial light. The ability to control humidity and temperature ensures that plants grow four- to six times faster than they would using conventional farming techniques.
In the U.S. state of New Jersey, AeroFarms has developed farms where a head of lettuce can be grown in two weeks. Water recycling means the company consumes 95% less of the resource than field farms. Vegetables are grown without the use of any pesticides or herbicides, watched over by employees in cleanroom suits.
In Singapore, where limited space means that almost all food products must be imported, hundreds of nine-meter-high aluminum frames have been installed, around which plants rotate up toward the light, then down into troughs of rainwater.
Urban and peri-urban agriculture already provides for the needs of a quarter of the world’s urban population.
In Japan, which has six-times less farmland than France but double the population, large industrial companies are investing in vertical farming. For example, Toshiba has started a farm near Tokyo that produces 3 million bags of lettuce and spinach a year. The success of this type of agriculture is partly due to the Fukushima nuclear disaster, which led to concerns about vegetables being exposed to radiation. Some restaurants even offer greens grown before the customer’s eyes in miniature greenhouses.
Vertical farming has two drawbacks. First, because plants are grown on vertical shelves, there is an emphasis on smaller species, with grain farming excluded at this stage. Second, energy costs are high due to investment, equipment operations, and lighting.
365 Days of Lettuce Growing In Belton, Texas
A new 50,000 square feet greenhouse will be realized in Belton, Texas, by hydroponic lettuce producer TrueHarvest Farms. The greenhouse is equipped with growing automation technology from Green Automation
TrueHarvest Farms Goes For It
A new 50,000 square feet greenhouse will be realized in Belton, Texas, by hydroponic lettuce producer TrueHarvest Farms. The greenhouse is equipped with growing automation technology from Green Automation. Riding on the steadily increasing demand for locally grown produce, TrueHarvest Farms will grow fresh and pesticide-free head lettuce locally in the controlled environment of a greenhouse 365 days a year.
Family farm
Founded in 2017, TrueHarvest Farms is the evolution of a family hay and pecan farm now 40 years old. The company is strategically located in the “Texaplex Triangle”, which is formed between the cities Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio, and Austin. With a population of around 20 million people and having 80% of the state’s population growth since 2000 as well as generating up to 70% of the Texas economy, this area is the ideal location for new, innovative and sustainable production of leafy greens.
“The climate here in Texas makes year-round field growing of leafy greens impossible and the area has so far, as the rest of the USA, relied heavily on having lettuce trucked into the state from California and Arizona for a substantial part of the year”, says Marshall McDaniel, Managing Member at TrueHarvest Farms. “We will be distributing truly fresh, nutritious, safe and locally grown lettuce to stores within a 250-mile radius of our operations. The lettuce will be available to the customer in less than 24 hours of harvesting”.
TrueHarvest Farms, rooted in Belton, TX, is ready to supply fresh, nutritious and safe leafy greens to the Texaplex Triangle.
Increased interest in clean lettuce
Recent food safety scares in the lettuce industry have led to an increased interest in and call for safe and clean lettuce produced in a controlled environment. The greenhouse is a closed system, controlling what comes into the greenhouse, making it possible to not only keep the lettuce clean but also to grow them without using any chemical pesticides. The irrigation water, the air, and the growing medium are controlled, monitored and clean - keeping consumers safe and the environment protected.
“There is an enormous demand for locally grown and safe lettuce today”, confirms Jason Maks, Managing Member, and Grower at TrueHarvest Farms. “Our facility is in the final stage of obtaining PrimusGFS certification and we are dedicated to meeting the highest safety standards in the food industry. TrueHarvest Farms will be a reliable source for locally grown and safe produce for the Texas markets. We are ramping up our production right now and expect to reach full capacity in January 2020. At the moment we are growing Butterhead, Crisp and Romaine varieties”, explains Maks.
TrueHarvest Farms is using the automated growing system optimized for head lettuce production. “When growing leafy greens in tough climates it is imperative to operate the greenhouse with the highest efficiency and to generate the highest yields per square foot, therefore TrueHarvest Farms decided to use the automated growing system from Green Automation”, says Patrik Borenius, CEO, Green Automation Americas. “Throughout the entire growing process maximal space efficiency is achieved through automatic movement and adjustment of gutters, giving the plants as much space as needed, but as little as possible”.
Maximizing yield
In addition to maximizing yield through space efficiency, labor efficiency is an essential key component in a profitable operation. The system has a highly automated and versatile medium filling and seeding line arrangement using stackable trays and supporting both net pots as well as Ellepots. After seeding and germination, the plants are placed onto the automatic growing system, featuring adjustable and movable growing lines, where they will soak up the natural sunlight. As the plants grow, they are moved automatically through the greenhouse toward the harvesting station.
TrueHarvest Farms did multiple trips to reference operators in Europe, including to such remote locations as Joensuu, Finland, before making a decision. “It is a proven system and on par with our earth-conscious commitment. We are looking forward to growing and providing the Texas market with the highest quality lettuce”, says Marshall McDaniel. “This is only the beginning, we have room to grow and our head house as well as the irrigation system are designed for future expansions,” McDaniel explains.
Contact:
Patrik J. Borenius
Green Automation Americas LLC
13833 Wellington Trace, Suite #E4-203
Wellington, Florida 33414
www.greenautomation.com
Publication date: Thu 31 Oct 2019
These 5 Start-Ups Are Revolutionizing The Concept Of Urban Farming In India
Growing urbanization has pushed farms out of the towns to the peripheries. But a new breed of farmers is taking farming by storm by helping us harvest superfoods sans chemicals and pesticides in our kitchen. Meet some of the urban farmers from around the country who ensure that these tiny shoots or microgreens provide a palate full of health, wealth and goodness.
Growing urbanization has pushed farms out of the towns to the peripheries. But a new breed of farmers is taking farming by storm by helping us harvest superfoods sans chemicals and pesticides in our kitchen. Meet some of the urban farmers from around the country who ensure that these tiny shoots or microgreens provide a palate full of health, wealth and goodness.
Image credit: Entrepreneur India
Junior Feature Writer
October 21, 2019
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.
Hamsa V and Nithin Sagi broke away from their lucrative IT jobs with Infosys to pursue their dreams. Sagi had earlier taken up food photography and later partnered with Hamsa to open Growing Greens. The company is a business-to-business venture that sells microgreens, edible flowers, salad leaves, sprouts and herbs to five-star hotels, high-end restaurants and cafes in Bengaluru. “When we had started back in 2012, hotels would import microgreens from other countries due to the lack of local produce,” shares Hamsa.
Microgreens are young, small-sized, approximately one to three inched, tall vegetable greens with an aromatic flavor that chefs mostly use to decorate and dress food. These young plants are said to have concentrated nutrient levels that can go 40 times higher than the normal size produce.
Sagi and Hamsa did thorough market research before starting Growing Greens. They interacted with various chefs to understand their requirements and, in the process, were introduced to microgreens. Hamsa recalls, “Chef Manu Chandra helped us immensely in our journey. He was also our first client.” Growing Greens has grown gradually and consistently over the years. Sagi shares, “We started from a small terrace and today we are farming in four acres of land. We plan to take it up to 10 acres in the next two to three years.”
Hamsa V and Nitin Sagi, Founders, Growing Greens
Soil-less Cultivation for Urban Dwellers
The impediment to farming in a city is the lack of availability of space. But technology, with all its wonders, has made farming possible in small spaces through urban vertical farming and hydroponics. Instead of soil, a nutrient-rich water solution is used to grow the plant in hydroponics or soil-less farming. Urban vertical farming is a method in which such hydroponic or other technology used planted plants are grown vertically, one over the other in a small space. As there is no soil, the weight on the wall or a roof is significantly reduced and there is no structural damage caused to the building.
Urban farming also ensures more control over the way food is produced. Hamsa shares, “We do not use any pesticide or chemicals on our food. We also provide live microgreens to hotels and restaurants, i.e., microgreens that are not cut but with their roots intact.”
Mumbai-based banker turned farmer Linesh Pillai was introduced to urban farming in 2010 when he was in Poland. Disturbed by the high levels of contamination in food here upon his return, Pillai decided to grow his own vegetables. He started Terra Farms in 2012 and later renamed it as Urban Fate Farms or UGF Farming. He divides the operations of his company into four verticles broadly—Education, Dead Space Activation, Retailing and Zero Carbon Food Project. Under education, UGF visits schools and organizations to teach people how they can easily grow their own vegetables in the city. The Dead Space Activation is done for big hotel chains and high-end restaurants where UGF sets up a hydroponic plant and handholds them through the entire process until they learn to do it themselves. Some of their clients are Hyatt Moscow, Hyatt Delhi, Olive Bar and Kitchen Mumbai. Under retailing, UGF sells their live microgreens and leafy greens at Hypercity, BigBasket and Big Bazaar.
Zero Carbon Food Project tries to minimize carbon emissions created by our food habits. Pillai shares, “We have created a greenhouse at Don Bosco School, Manori. Growing the food where it is consumed reduces the carbon emission otherwise caused in logistics and cold storage.” UGF currently operates in Mumbai, Bengaluru and USA. The company plans to expand and open its office in Dubai by June 2020.
Linesh Pillai, Founder, UGF Farming
Start Your Kitchen Garden
Homecrop, founded by four graduates from Vellore Institute of Technology Manvitha Reddy, Sharmila Reddy, Sai Krishna and Krishna Reddy, brings urban farming to your backyards, terraces and balconies. The company sets up edible farms for urban households who want to grow their own vegetables. Manvitha feels that “people can become more empathetic and understand a farmer’s challenges by growing one’s own vegetables.”
Homecrop’s journey has not been an easy ride. Manvitha divulges, “It was very hard to convince people to pay someone to set up a kitchen garden for them.” The organisation now has a dedicated set of clients in Hyderabad. It also sells its DIY farming kits online pan-India through its website as well as through Amazon. Manvitha is grateful that she and her co-founders who have no background in farming are incubated at a-IDEA (Association for Innovation Development of Entrepreneurship in Agriculture), the technology business incubator hosted by ICAR-NAARM (Indian Council of Agricultural Research; National Academy of Agricultural Research Management) in Hyderabad.
“The incubation gave us the levy to experiment and learn. There was a lot of trial and error but we are lucky to have received solid mentoring,” claims Manvitha. However, in terms of funding an urban farming enterprise, things are still bleak in India. Homecrop not only sets up customized edible farms for its clients but also provides impeccable maintenance services. For the first two months, it regularly pays visits to the client’s garden who can later opt for ad hoc visits.
Krishna Reddy and Sharmila Reddy, Co-founders, Homecrop
Home-grower of Hydroponic Produce
Somveer Singh Anand, much like Pillai, is also a banker turned farmer. Upon his return to India from New York where he was working as a banker, he again like Pillai, found it impossible to source organic and uncontaminated food. Using his knowledge to develop indoor hydroponic technology suitable for Indian climatic conditions, Anand started Pindfresh in 2016. Anand confesses, “Selling mutual funds and insurance policies as a banker in the US was dreadful. I did not enjoy what I was doing.”
Pindfresh sets up indoor and outdoor hydroponic plants for people who want to farm using the technology. Anand’s knowledge of hydroponic did come in handy but there were other obstacles to overcome before coming out with the perfect technology. “The climatic conditions in the US and in India are completely different. What worked there did not work here. So, I had to control lighting, humidity and temperature. It is all science and once I got it right, the first feat was achieved,” professes Anand.
Pindfresh manufactures the pipes, lights and all the other equipments required to set up a hydroponic plant. The company earlier would outsource these components for the plant but were dissatisfied with the quality. Anand shares, “The quality of individual components would affect the overall quality of the plant. So we started manufacturing everything in-house to provide top quality to our customers. It gave us better quality control.”
Pindfresh is headquartered in Chandigarh but that doesn’t stop the company from being available to its customers across India. “We get on a video call and guide our clients accordingly. We are also just a call away for any query. We believe if the client has invested their money in something, they should get the maximum value out of it,” he declares.
Somveer Singh Anand, Founder, Pindfresh
Ensuring Food Traceability
Akash K Sajith, Founder, Living Food Company started the business after a personal tragedy befell him when both his parents were diagnosed with cancer. Taking charge of things, he informs, “There are 1.5 million cancer deaths in our country and only one-fourth of them are caused due to tobacco while the remaining three-fourth are due to contaminated food.”
Sajith, who has worked for Myntra and Lookup in the past, had a fair understanding of how start-ups function. With his knowledge, he gave his heart and soul to his new venture Living Food Company. The company is the largest B2C player selling microgreens to households. He shares, “We didn’t want to sell microgreens to just five-star hotels and big chefs as my main aim was to deliver healthy, organic and quality food to Indian households.”
80 per cent of Living Food Company clients are B2C consumers. Sajith started Living Food Company by selling microgreens and then later expanded it by selling fresh oven to table sour bread, spreads, probiotic drinks, among other products. Sajith wants to bring the missing transparency in the food sector. “Currently, no vendor gives you the traceability on where your food is coming from, where it is grown, and under what conditions they are grown. With Living Food, I want to bring about a change in the system,” he declares.
From his wide experience of working with start-ups, Sajith has learnt to never give up even in the face of adversity. He shares, “In the first six months, Living Food had 500 consumers which in the next six months had risen to 4,500. We are consistently growing.” He is happy that Living Food Company is changing the food sector in India, even though in a small way. The company has its own farms where it grows fresh microgreens and vegetables.
Akash K Sajith, Founder, Living Food Company
To Heart’s Delight
They might have traded away their lucrative careers but none of them are regretful about it. A common thread that binds all these urban farming entrepreneurs is the high degree of job satisfaction. Anand who relocated from Mumbai to New York to Chandigarh, says, “I’ve realised you don’t need much in life. I am happy that my small business is able to generate employment and give something worthwhile back to society.”
Pillai has a retirement plan chalked out for himself. “I am working towards building my retirement abode. It will be a self-sustaining house with no electricity and power connection. I will generate my own electricity through solar panels and engage myself in rainwater harvesting,” he mentions.
Taking pride over the best decision of her life, Hamsa confesses that farming has made her more content and happy. But her journey as an urban farmer has been riddled with challenges. “Farming is a difficult profession that requires a lot of patience and perseverance. There are many things that are not in your control like natural calamities. We have had forest fires in our farm and our crops have been spoilt because of heavy rains but I do not ever regret getting involved in farming,” she happily shares.
Benefits of Hydroponic or Soilless Farming
80 per cent less water used than regular farming.
Minimum 20 per cent faster plant growth.
Allows indoor, terrace, roof and farming in small spaces.
Better space optimization.
The plant is protected from all the contamination and toxins that can enter it through the soil.
Bootstrap Farmer Announces The Urban Farm Academy in NYC
Online Platform for Business & Workforce
Development is Evolving Local Food & Agriculture
New York, NY, September 23, 2019 -- Bootstrap Farmer, a company known for supplying small and medium-sized farms, announced the launch of the Urban Farm Academy during the NYC Agtech Week, a collaboration with entrepreneurs across food and agriculture.
The collaboration consists of entrepreneurs, teachers, and farmers rebuilding local food systems through the business they’ve created. The classes teach frameworks for developing, running & scaling a business or career inside of the hyperlocal food economy using their own businesses as the proof of concept.
“We’re people who came from other careers,” said Brandon Youst, a co-founder. “But we didn’t want to be commodity farmers. We wanted to leverage our past experiences to do something different within food & ag.”
This isn’t a typical academy with a typical curriculum. “These are self-guided courses for creating within a hyperlocal food economy. That means zero-waste supply chains, businesses built on relationships and lean-startup principles” said Youst.
There are future classes in development for addressing food deserts, teaching STEM through aquaponics and urban farm manager training.
The goal of this collaboration is to provide a low-cost education option outside of the traditional educational system. With higher education becoming increasingly expensive and less relevant in many areas, the Urban Farm Academy looks to provide an online option for those not needing a degree for the business they want to start, or the job they seek to get.
“As a business owner, I’d rather see what someone has accomplished rather than seeing what school they went to before I work with them. It’s just a better filter” said Jeff Bednar, co-founder, and owner of Profound Microfarms. “Through this academy, we want to help those who want to join the local food movement in a more practical way, and it doesn’t involve sitting in a classroom.”
The first courses are available through the website
www.urbanfarmacademy.com.
For all inquiries, please contact admin@urbanfarmacademy.com.
Urban Agriculture Group Seeking Farm At Amazon’s HQ2
The Arlington Friends of Urban Agriculture (FOUA) have formally submitted a request for less than 2% (or 1,000 square feet) of the upcoming HQ2 campus to become an urban farm space
September 11, 2019
An urban agriculture group wants in on one of the most elusive spaces in town: Amazon’s new headquarters in Pentagon City.
The Arlington Friends of Urban Agriculture (FOUA) have formally submitted a request for less than 2% (or 1,000 square feet) of the upcoming HQ2 campus to become an urban farm space.
“We believe Arlington is poised to become a national leader for urban agriculture, and the Metropolitan Park project offers an opportunity to showcase Amazon’s and Arlington’s commitment to sustainable, biophilic (integrating the natural world into the built environment) development,” the FOUA board wrote in a letter to HQ2 stakeholders this month.
FOUA said in exchange for dedicating space for the farm, Amazon and the community will reap the rewards of:
Aesthetically appealing, biophilic focal point event space for movie nights, public or private receptions, exercise classes, etc.STEM plant lab for K-12 researchPublic demonstrations of growing sustainable techniques & methodsAt-scale food production for distribution to local food banks.Incubator for urban agriculture-focused startupsEncourage public interaction with local food systems.
Amazon did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
There has been growing interest in urban agriculture in Arlington, advocates say, and Amazon could help spread it to an area where there is little land available for growing fruits and vegetables.
“We really think Amazon’s commitment to creating an environmentally-sound campus provides an opportunity to create a public amenity that would benefit everyone,” said Matt McKinstry, a FOUA board member.
FOUA wrote the proposal in light of the upcoming Site Plan Review Committee meeting for HQ2 on Monday, September 23.
CANADA: NatureFresh Farms Celebrates Strong Start To Season For Newly-Developed 32-Acre Greenhouse In Leamington, ON
After nine months of construction, the fully completed facility measures 32 acres in total area and, to the gutter, is 7.3 meters tall. With ample space to grow hundreds of thousands of pounds of Tomato varieties for every season to come
NatureFresh Farms is celebrating a 20-year growing milestone with a strong start to the first season at their newly-developed 32-acre greenhouse in Leamington, ON.
After nine months of construction, the fully completed facility measures 32 acres in total area and, to the gutter, is 7.3 meters tall. With ample space to grow hundreds of thousands of pounds of Tomato varieties for every season to come, NatureFresh Farms is growing just over 15 acres of Tomatoes-on-the-Vine and over 15 acres of a diverse range of Specialty Tomato varieties, including Red Cherry, Red Grape, and Cocktail Tomatoes.
For their first crop, NatureFresh Farms successfully planted 235,000 Tomato plants in May 2019. With it only taking 8-9 weeks from planting to reach the first harvest of Tomatoes, their team started picking Tomatoes in June 2019 and will continue until late next Spring. A crew of 80 team members will be working every day to pick, pack, and ship their Tomato products, with the Growers, Scouts, and Crop workers attending the plants, offering their expertise for a seamless growing season.
Matt Quiring
Executive Retail Sales Accounts Manager Matt Quiring isn’t surprised by the great success of this new facility to meet demands for fresh local produce that is available year-round: “NatureFresh Farms made a major commitment to year-round consistency in supply, quality, and flavor five years ago when we built our greenhouse in Ohio for winter production. This allowed us to offset the typical growing season for Canada and it has been a tremendous success for our retail partners – and consumers have shown support for the USA-grown program from the start,” said Matt. “That demand continues to grow each year. We are excited to be able to offer retailers and consumers in Ontario and Canada that same consistency in supply, quality, and flavor that local products offer!”
This state-of-the-art greenhouse is also equipped with innovative technology, creating the best growing environment possible. The use of self-driving cart systems, High-Pressure Sodium supplemental lighting fixtures, and Vertical Circulation Fans are just a few examples of the innovative technology being used in this cutting-edge facility – all of which will help the NatureFresh Farms Tomato crop grow during the winter months and produce high-quality food on a consistent basis.
The completion of this greenhouse brings NatureFresh Farms to over 200 acres of family-owned facilities. With 20 years of providing quality greenhouse-grown vegetables all year-round, NatureFresh Farms looks forward to the future – with continued advancements in sustainable technology and product innovation on the horizon.
Bruce Carman, CEF: "Urban Farming Is Getting More And More Recognition"
"CEF’s mission is to engineer, construct and operate agricultural facilities that contain the optimum growing environment for the cultivation of locally grown fresh fruit, vegetables, herbs, shrimp and fish year-round", says Bruce Carman, owner of CEF
"CEF’s mission is to engineer, construct and operate agricultural facilities that contain the optimum growing environment for the cultivation of locally grown fresh fruit, vegetables, herbs, shrimp and fish year-round", says Bruce Carman, owner of CEF.
They intend to address the demand for locally grown, nutritious, quality food at competitive and consistent pricing through the construction of new, patent-pending, organic food production facilities. Each facility, engineered as a kit, can be replicated anywhere geographically and permits the cultivation of a wide range of organically cultivated products.
CEF facilities contain IP cultivation concepts, including software development, that will integrate the most critical aspect of closed-loop aquaponics: nutrient water purification and oxygenation. Product cultivation occurs through a closed-loop, aquaponics water flow system that uses the fish waste to provide nutrients for plant growth. The fish waste is cycled through mechanical and microbial filtering equipment, eventually being dissolved within the nutrient water system. The ability to consolidate and intensify this process, within the controlled environment facility, provides for sustainable water conservation and enhanced cultivation. The facilities are engineered to operate successfully by producing nutritious, quality consistent product, and consistent quantities with affordable pricing, year-round.
Licensing
CEF will License facilities to those who wish to own and operate a CEF facility. License applications are approved on a case by case basis and take into consideration: Financial Capacity, Knowledge of CEF Methods and Systems, Knowledge of Aquaponics, Marketing and Distribution Capacity, Site Location, Demographic Analysis, Human Resource Capacity, and Employee Education.
CEF will work for the owner(s) to develop the facility in the same way it would if it was a CEF facility. This includes demographics, economic analysis, product diversity/demand, distribution, and future expansion capacity. Licensing includes on-going outreach/support with webinars as needed on improvements within the methods and systems, employee education, R&D on products and equipment and market trends. Outreach/support programs are for five years and are renewable.
Currently, SBA 504 and USDA Business & Industry loan programs are available.
Tucson facility progress
CEF's proposed Urban Farm in Tucson, AZ took a step forward with the acceptance of a Purchase Agreement, by both parties, for the land. The proposed facility will be located in downtown Tucson, on E 22nd Street, and will have a footprint of approximately 40K SF.
Internal operations will consist of a closed-loop aquaponics nutrient system that will support the germination, cultivation, harvesting, processing, packaging, and distribution of locally grown fruit, vegetables, herbs, shrimp and fish. Recognition of the need for locally grown food and the Urban Farming Regulations within the City of Tucson made the location possible.
The preliminary schedule is to finish financing and engineering over the next 4 to 5 months and start construction early next year. Food production operations should be starting in late 2020 with product availability in early 2021.
"Placement of Indoor Ag facilities within the city limits of a municipality, Urban Farming, is getting more and more recognition," said Bruce Carman. "It definitely provides greater freshness and affordability to the residents of the local community. That provides tangible value to the area."
Click here for the site plan of the Tucson facility.
For more information:
CEF
218.370.2005
conenvfarm@gmail.com
Agriscience Program Teaches Urban Farming, Plant Biotechnology To High Schoolers
Agriscience is a new addition this year. The program, housed in a former manufacturing plant on Portland Road, doesn’t have garden beds or outdoor space. Instead, Valenzuela plans to teach students how to use aeroponic systems, growing everything from lettuce to herbs in a tower where plants get water and LED light
By Rachel Alexander – Salem Reporter September 6, 2019
Agriscience teacher Luis Valenzuela shows the aeroponic towers where students will grow plants at Salem-Keizer's Career Technical Education Center. (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter)
Salem-Keizer's new program has aeroponic towers and a tissue culture lab. Now, they're looking for a few more students.
Running an agriculture program with no soil is a challenge, but Luis Valenzuela is up to the task.
Valenzuela teaches agriscience at Salem-Keizer’s Career Technical Education Center, a hub where juniors and seniors from across the district take in-depth classes on careers from cosmetology to video game design.
Agriscience is a new addition this year. The program, housed in a former manufacturing plant on Portland Road, doesn’t have garden beds or outdoor space. Instead, Valenzuela plans to teach students how to use aeroponic systems, growing everything from lettuce to herbs in a tower where plants get water and LED light.
“We can grow almost any type of plant,” he said.
The career center started in 2015 as a partnership between the district and Mountain West Investment Corporation, which bought the building and worked with staff to develop programs.
The first offerings were residential construction and commercial manufacturing, and district staff rolled out two new programs each year. With the new agriscience and culinary arts programs, there are a total of 10.
Only 14 Salem-Keizer students had enrolled in the program by the first day of school, and Valenzuela wants more. Most other programs are near their capacity of 60 to 70 students.
That’s in part due to the program’s newness, but staff think it’s also because prospective students and their parents may not realize what’s being taught.
“When you hear ag science — our community doesn’t know what that is,” said James Weber, assistant principal at the career technical education center.
Valenzuela said his curriculum is inspired by urban agriculture and the role plants increasingly play in urban design. As more people look to grow food inside cities, using rooftop gardens or empty buildings, he wanted to focus on the possibilities of indoor agriculture.
“I think there is a stigma with agriculture,” he said. Many people perceive it as only running or working on farms, Valenzuela said, but with his background in horticulture, he’s interested in expanding that view.
Dakota Poehler, a junior at McKay High School, was among the students to sign up. After just one day of class, he proclaimed the program “definitely better than regular school” because of the hands-on aspect and chance to socialize with students with similar interests.
Poehler said he loves nature and wanted to learn more about it. He grew up on his grandparents’ farm in Newberg, where they raise sheep and chickens, and is interested in going into the environmental industry.
In the program, students will work in a tissue culture lab to propagate plants, grow food for a cafe operated by culinary students and have opportunities to partner with manufacturing students to design things like wall hangings with living plants.
First-year students will take courses in ecology, food safety and science, and sustainable plant propagation. Second-year students will study plant biotechnology, learning about genetics to breed and engineer plants.
“The sky’s the limit,” Valenzuela said.
Reporter Rachel Alexander: 503-575-1241, rachel@salemreporter.com
New Jersey: Riker Danzig Digs In At Urban Farm
Grow It Green Morristown is an earth-friendly community organization with a mission to create sustainable farms and gardens. Its goal is to provide access to fresh, local food and educate communities through programs focused on healthy eating and environmental stewardship
From left are Silva Dechoyan, Meagan Buckle, Collette Vassallo, Hayley Meigh, A.J. Banks, Anne Shulman, Rita Janson, Lynn Madden, Iryna Kastsiuk, Nora Juzefyk, Benjamin Gehlbach and Richelle Delavan of the law firm Riker Danzig Scherer Hyland & Perretti. The law firm pitched in to help Grow It Green Morristown to prepare for the fall season
September 15, 2019
MORRISTOWN - The Morristown-based law firm Riker Danzig Scherer Hyland & Perretti teamed up with Grow It Green Morristown for a volunteer event at the Urban Farm on Hazel Street on Tuesday, Sept 10.
Riker Danzig employees were given the afternoon off to assist with preparations for the fall growing season. The Urban Farm is New Jersey’s largest public school garden and is managed by a small staff, part-time interns and community volunteers.
Riker Danzig partner Jeffrey M. Beyer, an insurance litigator and board member of Grow it Green Morristown, coordinated the volunteer day at the Urban Farm in Morristown.
A group of 12 Riker Danzig volunteers comprising attorneys, paralegals, and administrative staff weeded and cleared garden beds and compost, weighed and bundled fresh radishes, harvested hops, and even fed the chickens, all under the direction of Grow It Green’s Director of Agriculture and Education, Shaun Ananko, and Assistant Farmer, Megan Phelan, otherwise known as “Farmer Shaun” and “Farmer Megan.”
Grow It Green Morristown is an earth-friendly community organization with a mission to create sustainable farms and gardens. Its goal is to provide access to fresh, local food and educate communities through programs focused on healthy eating and environmental stewardship.
For more information on Grow it Green Morristown, go to growitgreenmorristown.org.
Urban Farms Are Sprouting Up All Over NYC
You might be thinking that farms and New York City go together like good pizza and rural Iowa. But the city’s farm history dates to its founding. Orchard Street was once an actual orchard and in the 17th century, the Bowery was called Bouwerij, the Dutch word for farm. Today, farming in the Big Apple is making a big comeback
Adam Walker, programs coordinator at The Battery Conservancy, hits the dirt at Battery Urban Farm. Tamara Beckwith/NY Post
By Tim Donnelly
September 6, 2019 | 5:19pm
September has hit New York, and that means the air is getting cooler, the subways are getting slightly less sweaty and we can all resume arguing whether pumpkin-flavored things are good. It’s the time of year that makes us start thinking of farm life, getting the flannel out of the closet and hitting a hayride.
You might be thinking that farms and New York City go together like good pizza and rural Iowa. But the city’s farm history dates to its founding. Orchard Street was once an actual orchard and in the 17th century, the Bowery was called Bouwerij, the Dutch word for farm. Today, farming in the Big Apple is making a big comeback.
You just have to look around a little — or sometimes, look up — to find it. A new wave of urban farms are inviting city dwellers to get back to their roots, literally, this fall, and teach all of us why vibrant green space is so necessary in the growing city. Here’s how New Yorkers can get dirty — in a good way — and get some hyper local produce without leaving the five boroughs.
Battery Urban Farm
Tamara Beckwith/NY Post
The farmers on this patch of parkland nestled in the southern tip of Manhattan have to deal with something even their most seasoned rural counterparts don’t encounter: shadows from skyscrapers. The hidden little garden hosts about 40 rows of plant beds, sprouting tomatoes, peas, kale, radishes, carrots, herbs, sweet peppers and more. The farm opened in 2011 and is tended weekly by a team of volunteers, but its open gates welcome in lots of tourists on their way to catch the ferry to the Statue of Liberty.
Mary Beth Rogan started volunteering at the farm last year after moving from, appropriately, Garden City, LI, to Tribeca and realizing she missed her home garden. She’s retired and finds peace at the space, even when she’s just pulling weeds out of one of the vegetable beds as noisy tour buses roar by the park.
“I love being in the dirt,” she says. “There’s a sense of tranquility, of being connected to the earth, to the world.”
The site is also a teaching garden for city students; a few get their own patch of land to tend in the park. The veggies grown here are served to kids, and donated to local charities. State Street and Battery Place, open every day; check Web site for volunteer opportunities
Brooklyn Grange Sunset Park
Colin Mixson
Brooklyn Grange has been leading the way in turning New York rooftops into lush farmlands over the past decade. Its newest outpost, which opened in Sunset Park last month, is now the largest rooftop farm in the city. The site is an oasis on top of a building that contains a Bed Bath & Beyond and other stores, with 140,000 square feet of tomatoes, peppers, kale and more, marked with colorful bursts of sunflowers and other flowers. The effect is so transformative it’s easy to forget you’re in NYC, until you look up and see crops perfectly framing the Statue of Liberty in the distance.
Bring your date: It’s a perfect mix of the urban and rural, especially John Epifanio, 44, who grew up in suburban Connecticut and says he occasionally hits a “tipping point” where he needs to escape the claustrophobic city. His girlfriend, Niki Roger, surprised him with a date to the farm on a recent sunny Sunday.
“Just having the backdrop of the city with that kind of contrast between agriculture and then the most defined urban background you could possibly see, I thought it was really stunning,” he tells The Post.
The new site uses 4 million pounds of soil; in total, Brooklyn Grange’s three farms yield 80,000 pounds of produce a year to sell to local restaurants and at farmers markets. At the weekly open houses on Sundays, you can take a guided tour of the space ($18) or visit for free and buy produce from the rooftop market. The new farm is expecting to host more events in the spring, but in the meantime, you can check out its other locations in Long Island City and at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, which host rooftop yoga, dinner parties, workshops and more.
What’s in season? The end-of-summer bounty at the market includes tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, kale, eggplant and custom-made hot sauce. 850 Third Ave., Brooklyn; open to the public Sundays through the end of October, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Queens County Farm Museum
Courtesy of Queens County Farm Museum
The Queens County Farm Museum’s famous Halloween-season corn maze is far more fun, and easier to solve, than the underground labyrinth of Penn Station. But the site also sits on the largest remaining tract of undisturbed farmland in the city, with 47 acres of farming history dating to the 17th century.
It’s a great spot for a family-friendly outing this fall, with the Queens County Fair and pumpkin picking kicking off later this month. But you can also tour the premises to see the farming, livestock and machinery up close, and enjoy the fruits of the land at its farmstand.
What’s in season? The fall harvest here includes kale, lettuce, sweet potatoes, watermelon, squash, radishes and more. And this year, the maze will be crafted in a familiar shape: the famed Unisphere from the World’s Fair site. 73-50 Little Neck Parkway, Queens; open daily, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Randall’s Island Urban Farm
Matt Mead
The farm on the island, sandwiched between East Harlem and Astoria, feels like a true oasis away from the city. It has 100 raised beds growing veggies and flowers. The farm also grows specialized items to get kids excited about farming, including a cucamelon: a tiny cucumber that looks like a little watermelon.
“Exposing young people and adults to this shows that it is possible to have this type of experience in New York,” farm manager Ciara Sidell says. “It opens people’s minds to what they could be doing in their own lives.”
Worth the trip: On Sunday, the park is hosting an urban farming bike tour, which will roll through the NYC Parks 5-Borough Green Roof, a 45,000-square-foot garden on the island, and the Randall’s Island Urban Farm itself. It’s free; just BYO bike. Wards Meadow Loop, Randall’s Island. Visit during the open house from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, with “Art on the Farm” activities from 2 to 4 p.m., through mid-October
Hellgate Farm
Rachel Mukon/Hellgate Farm
Hellgate may be the most badass name for a farm in the city, but it’s actually not one site, it’s a whole network of rooftop and residential gardens across Astoria and other parts of Queens. Founded in 2011, the project turns underutilized plots into environmentally friendly green spaces and productive gardens, selling produce at local markets and through a subscription service. Converting concrete to green space is something environmentalists say is key to capturing carbon dioxide in the city and absorbing rain, which helps keep the waterways clean.
Get your hands dirty: Hellgate Farm offers to teach you the ins and outs of rooftop farming through classes, an apprenticeship program and volunteer days. Check the Web site for more info before the growing season ends in October; various addresses in Queens
FILED UNDER FARMING , FARMS , NEW YORK CITY , OUTDOOR ACTIVITY
Combining Artificial Intelligence With Urban Farming Can Be A Game Changer For Developing Countries
An Israeli agtech company called Seedo might have the solution for the challenges of urban agriculture in vulnerable areas such as the Caribbean, that struggle with environmental and climate factors that lead to crop loss
September 1, 2019
Daphne Ewing-Chow Contributor
An Israeli agtech company called Seedo might have the solution for the challenges of urban agriculture in vulnerable areas such as the Caribbean, that struggle with environmental and climate factors that lead to crop loss.
A Seedo container is the size of a small fridge. SEEDO
Latin and America and the Caribbean is the most urbanised region in the world with up to 80% of the region’s population residing in cities (UN-Habitat 2012). While urbanization is an important element of economic growth and modernization, the diminishing ratio of food producers to food consumers in urban settings negatively impacts local food systems, causing populations to be more susceptible to non-communicable diseases, obesity and undernourishment.
Urban farming practices such as rooftop gardens, community greenhouses and vertical farms have provided an alternative to rural agriculture, but given the high cost of urban land, space and size limitations, non-conducive environmental conditions and limited human resources, these methods have not been without their challenges.
Vertical farming’s “closed and controlled” approach has been successful in eliminating the risk of insects, pests and diseases that are prevalent in traditional agricultural systems but the infrastructure required has typically been cost-prohibitive and highly reliant on fossil fuels (solar power is typically not enough).
Seedo is the world's first fully-automated and controlled indoor-growing technology for the "at-home" market— the self-driving car of agriculture. Compact commercial containers that resemble small refrigerators utilize AI algorithms to produce optimal water and light conditions— essentially controlling the weather— through a hybrid system of hydroponics and aeroponics.
Seedo can grow fruits, vegetables, flowers and herbs— up to five species at a time per system, and has become extremely popular within the cannabis industry.
“The advantage of Seedo technology is that you can grow a wide range of crops in any climate and any season with no knowledge of how to grow and still achieve high-quality crops,” says Seedo’s CEO, Zohar Levy. “Seedo’s AI algorithm makes life easy for growers and of course, it is pesticide-free. You can enjoy fresh and tasty food year-round.”
The team at Seedo has recognized the relevance of their technology for environmentally vulnerable communities. In May 2019, the company qualified as a registered vendor for the United Nations Global Marketplace and intends to establish pilot programs in countries suffering from extreme climates. In a nod to its applicability to sustainable and climate-smart development, Dr. Jendayi Frazer, the former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs and one of the United States’ leading voices in international policy, has joined Seedo’s Board of Directors.
“Making AI technology such as Seedo accessible and affordable at the grassroots level will enable food systems to be localised without soil exploitation, deforestation or exposure to climate risk,” says Levy.
At the time of publication, a Seedo system retailed for a mere $2,400— a small fraction of the cost of typical vertical farming systems. The price includes the Seedo box, filters (water, air), starting nutrients and access to the Seedo app, which allows users to receive notifications about growth, health and harvest time. But the real savings are in the diminished risk of crop loss and the elimination of labour requirements. According to Levy, Seedo can do away with the estimated 40% of annual farm costs that are funnelled into wages, salaries and contract labour expenses.
Levy, in a recent report to shareholders, indicated that the combined capabilities of artificial intelligence, big data, robotics, and remote grow technologies makes Seedo and optimal solution for farmers “in a variety of "at-risk" markets. Stackable containers afford dramatic savings in land-use, water consumption and human labor needs… independent of climate conditions.”
According to the International Data Corporation, global spending on artificial intelligence will grow to around $58 billion by 2021. The agriculture sector has been particularly responsive to these technologies, particularly in environmentally vulnerable contexts. In the context of the Dominican Republic, artificial intelligence has enabled the growth of the agricultural sector to 14% of GDP.
Seedo could be a huge advance for small island economies that disproportionately struggle with climate change impacts, food insecurity, knowledge gaps and limited capital or farming technology.
I’m an environmental writer with a focus on food and agriculture, and commute between the Southern Caribbean (Barbados) and the Northern Caribbean (Cayman Islands). I have a Master’s Degree in International Economic Policy from Columbia University and am passionate about Caribbean social, economic and environmental issues. I am intrigued by the resilience of the Small Island Developing States of the region as well as the opportunities for sustainable and regenerative growth through agriculture. I recently headed up communications for a climate change in fisheries project (CC4FISH) at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and have worked in development banking, environmental not-for-profits, and in the venture capital industry. My work has appeared in wide cross-section of Caribbean newspapers and magazines, the Sunday Times (of London), Elite Daily, Elephant Journal and other publications. Follow me on Twitter at @daphneewingchow.
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Hydroponics: Pros And Cons of Hydroponic Gardening
Hydroponic farming is one of the most misrepresented farming methods around the world. I mean, it sounds like an alien if not a futuristic concept growing food without a single grain of soil
Guest post by Dan Chabert
Ben Eagle
Hydroponic farming is one of the most misrepresented farming methods around the world. I mean, it sounds like an alien if not a futuristic concept growing food without a single grain of soil.
One of the major reasons hydroponics has been gaining a foothold is because studies have shown that this farming type may soon overtake conventional field farming. For example, it has recently emerged that hydroponically grown plants are of high quality, require less space and are not as resource-intense as their field counterparts. Goes without saying that urban and indoor gardening has witnessed new horizons with no sight of the ending.
What is hydroponics?
Hydroponics is a soilless farming method where planting takes place in a controlled aquatic-based environment. To many, the concept of soilless plant growing may seem like a smack to the plant’s nutritional needs. However, they actually do exceptionally well as they are sufficiently supplied with water and nutrients, which are essential for any plants to thrive.
To provide these nutrients, a nutrient solution is fed to the plants through the roots resulting in normal and healthy plants. With that said, there are multiple hydroponics systems and others don’t necessarily require substrates.
How does it work?
There are different hydroponics systems although the basics are the same. The systems allow the roots of the plants to directly come into contact with nutrients and oxygen without factoring in the soil. As a replacement for the soil, the system uses clay pebbles, stonewool, coco coir, or vermiculite to support the roots.
For the nutrients, there is a water-based solution that’s rich in nutrients delivered directly to the plants through the roots. As a solution to the light which is essential for growth, some hydroponic systems utilize natural lighting while others solely rely on artificial lighting.
Most often people tend to mostly focus on the bias which essentially overshadows the positive characteristics. However, just like any other culture system out there, it has its good side and its ugly side.
Initially, it can prove extremely difficult to kick-start and maintain hydroponic gardens but once you have honed the skills the pros outweighs the cons.
What are the pros and cons of hydroponic gardening?
Pros
One of the most outstanding benefits of hydroponic gardening is the fact that it happens indoors. As such, planting can be done irrespective of the season and production can take place all year round. Additionally, the plants yield double compared to the soil-based farming thanks to the constant growth cycle.
With increasing concern of the food security around the world, public and private sectors are looking for farming methods that can outperform traditional farming methods. Although water and water-based solutions play an important role in producing better yields, hydroponics systems use less water as its possible to re-use and recycle.
In addition to using less water, the system doesn’t produce run-off which can destroy and degrade the environment. Even better, hydroponic farms don’t require deep wallets for upkeep and maintenance compared to traditional farms. For example, since it’s done in controlled environments susceptibility to soil-borne diseases and pests is limited.
Thanks to the compact spaces, hydroponics gardening is ridiculously cheap in terms of labor as a few individuals can harvest and replant in a snap.
Cons of hydroponic gardening
Although hydroponics farming comes with a bit of disadvantages, the advantages far outweigh the bad side. One of the major letdowns of hydroponic farming is the high initial set-up costs.While most small-scale farmers can buy or build relatively cheap equipment, large-scale farms require specialized equipment that comes with a steep price tag that can run into millions.
The second letdown although not a deal breaker is that the farms require constant monitoring and supervision. These large farms are like toddlers who need pampering in terms of constantly keeping track of the lighting, nutrient solution, and oxygen levels. We have to agree in unison that such a modern farm is prone to unusual factors that aren’t common in traditional farms. For example, a power outage in a single day could lead to untellable losses.
The take home
As it appears, hydroponics has clear advantages and some disadvantages. However, I think that the benefits outweigh the demerits since it is a great alternative for food production in areas with poor soil. It’s also a hallmark of other great characteristics like efficiency, it is less costly, and more economical in space.
About Dan:
Dan Chabert – Dan is an entrepreneur, husband and ultramarathon distance runner. He spends most of his time co-managing home sites like Contractor culture, That Sweet Gift, Borncute, health sites such as Runnerclick, Nicer Shoes and The Gear Hunt. He has also been featured on runner blogs all over the world.
Solar Power Farms Continue To Spread Across The Globe
Sungrow, the global leading inverter solution supplier for renewables, announced that a 100.1 MWp solar plant utilizing the Company’s 1500Vdc central inverter solutions came online in Cafayate, Salta Province, Argentina, demonstrating the Company’s dedicated contribution to the largest solar plant in one of LATAM’s most booming solar energy region
By Ivy Heffernan on August 19, 2019
Sungrow, the global leading inverter solution supplier for renewables, announced that a 100.1 MWp solar plant utilizing the Company’s 1500Vdc central inverter solutions came online in Cafayate, Salta Province, Argentina, demonstrating the Company’s dedicated contribution to the largest solar plant in one of LATAM’s most booming solar energy regions.
(Not Argentinian solar farm. In place to express how large the solar power farming industry is becoming).
The project is located in Cafayate, a region optimized for solar energy due to a high-volume of sunny days, while frequented by sandstorms, putting solar project equipment susceptible to significant wear-and-tear. Embedded with a high protection level and smart forced air-cooling technology, the 6.25 MW turnkey solution with Sungrow central inverter SG3125HV for 1500Vdc system can perform efficiently and stably even in harsh environments, making it the ideal match for the plant.
Optimized for large-scale utility PV plant, the solution enables high yields with maximum inverter efficiency of 99% and DC/AC ratio up to 1.5 while at the same time ensures low transportation and installation cost due to standard container design. Early this May, Sungrow secured deal for 400 MW solar park in Chile, utilizing the solution as well.
The solar park was selected by Argentinean government in the second round (Ronda 1.5) of the country’s RenovAr auction program for large-scale renewable energy plants. It is expected to supply approximately 240 GWh of clean power to the Argentinean power system per year and bring hundreds of job creations for local communities, contributing to the national renewable ambition of the emerging solar hub.
“We are delighted to partner with Sungrow to build the landmark project in this country with vital solar resource and look forward to collaborating on more ventures in the near future in line with the extension of ‘the Belt and Road’ initiative,” said an executive from PowerChina, the EPC of the solar plant.
“We are very proud to be a part of this monumental 100.1 MWp project which will provide thousands of Argentinians with clean energy,” said James Wu, Vice President of Sungrow. “This will have positive effects on local economy–tap the potential of renewable energy further and diversify the energy mix,” he added.
Since entering the Latin American market in late 2010s, Sungrow team has been establishing itself as the comprehensive technical, service and sales platform. Currently, the Company’s shipment in the region approaches 1 GW. Furthermore, a wide range of product portfolio will be showcased in the upcoming solar function, Intersolar South America 2019 (27-29, August, Booth D36), representing its commitment to technical innovation and concerns for local demand.
About Sungrow
Sungrow Power Supply Co., Ltd (“Sungrow”) is a global leading inverter solution supplier for renewables with over 87 GW installed worldwide as of June 2019. Founded in 1997 by University Professor Cao Renxian, Sungrow is a leader in the research and development of solar inverters, with the largest dedicated R&D team in the industry and a broad product portfolio offering PV inverter solutions and energy storage systems for utility-scale, commercial, and residential applications, as well as internationally recognized floating PV plant solutions. With a strong 22-year track record in the PV space, Sungrow products power installations in over 60 countries, maintaining a worldwide market share of over 15%.
Argentina, farming, green energy, renewable energy, solar, solar power, Sungrow
Solar Power Farms Continue To Spread Across The Globe added by Ivy Heffernan on August 19, 2019
View all posts by Ivy Heffernan →
Ivy Heffernan, student of Economics at Buckingham University. Junior Analyst at HeffX and experienced marketing director.and experienced marketing director.
Growing Up: Inside Infarm’s Plans To Feed The World
It is projected that by 2050 two-thirds of humanity – or 6.5 billion people – will be living in urban spaces. The challenge will be building and managing urban spaces to sustain such a massive population. In theory, industrial agricultural produces enough food to feed the world as a whole, but the current model is unsustainable
September 3, 2019
Infarm founders Osnat Michaelli and Erez and Guy Galonska
Editor’s note: This is the first installment of a series focusing on social impact startups. Stay tuned for more.
It is projected that by 2050 two-thirds of humanity – or 6.5 billion people – will be living in urban spaces. The challenge will be building and managing urban spaces to sustain such a massive population. In theory, industrial agricultural produces enough food to feed the world as a whole, but the current model is unsustainable.
Large-scale agriculture has led to deforestation on a mass scale – as we are currently seeing in the Amazon – along with soil degradation, water waste, and plant diseases that require the use of pesticides (and are constantly mutating). Moreover, due to energy use and lengthy transportation routes, the CO2 footprint of food currently represents 17% of total global emissions. Climate change will, in turn, have an increasing impact on agriculture – with changes in rainfall, rising temperatures, an increase in pests, and extreme events such as heatwaves, droughts, storms, and floods affecting our ability to provide food for a growing global population.
These challenges have been the driving force behind the global agtech movement. For two straight years, agtech startups have received $2 billion in funding and 2019 is set to be another banner year for agtech.
Leading the pack in Europe is Berlin-based agtech startup Infarm, which recently closed an €88 million Series B investment led by Atomico.
From concept to reality
Founded in 2013 by Osnat Michaelli and brothers Erez and Guy Galonska, Infarm pioneered putting ‘indoor vertical farms’ in city locations such as supermarkets, shopping malls, restaurants, schools, hospitals and similar spaces where the produce can directly reach the end customer.
“My two co-founders and I came together around the idea that being close to the land and particularly its produce is vital to our health and creativity as a society. And from the beginning we began to explore – through travel, growing and experimentation – ways to bring natural vitality of the local farm into the city and the freshness and flavour back into our lives,” explained Infarm CEO and co-founder Erez Galonska.
“We also realised that our current food system’s biggest deficiency is that it is too far removed from the people it is trying to feed. At infarm, rather than asking ourselves how to fix these deficiencies in the current supply chain, we looked to redefining the entire chain from start to finish; Instead of building large-scale farms outside of the city, optimising on a specific yield, and then distributing the produce, we decided it would be more effective to distribute the farms themselves throughout the city.
“In 2013 we converted a 1955 Airstream trailer into our first vertical farm in one of Berlin’s most well-known urban farm spaces, ‘Prinzessinengarten’. This trailer became a hub for our early experimentation, where visitors could harvest herbs and microgreens and we could welcome a vibrant community of urban planners, designers, food activists, bio-dynamic farmers, architects, chefs, biologists, and hackers to explore the diverse challenges behind making urban farming a reality. This research station and lab would form the beginnings of what we today call Infarm.”
Today, ‘infarms’ can be stacked to fit any space and size, and are designed to easily plug into the city’s existing infrastructure. Infarm controls the farms remotely using sensors and a centralised, cloud-based platform that adjusts and improves itself continuously, so each plant grows better than the one before – providing plant seedlings with an ideal combination of light spectrums, temperature, pH, and nutrients for optimal growth.
The concept was further refined with inputs from biologists and cooks. The startup’s farms use no pesticides, 95% less water than traditional farms, and reduce transportation by 90%. Infarm’s largest module can grow up to 680,000 plants each year on only 25 square metres, making it 420x more efficient than soil-based agriculture.
In 2016, Infarm received a grant of €2 million from Horizon 2020, Europe’s biggest research and innovation programme. The grant was awarded on the basis of Infarm providing sustainable agriculture using hydroponics, proprietary lighting algorithms combined with indoor vertical farming, along with its patented modular ‘growth trays’ to create an incredibly efficient growing environment. The same year Infarm partnered with Metro Group, one of Europe’s biggest wholesalers, and in 2017, the startup received an early VC investment of €4 million.
2018 was a banner year for Infarm – both in terms of increased presence and funding. It secured a partnership with supermarket chains EDEKA and REWE in addition to partnering with several restaurants including Tim Raue and Good Bank. It also raised a Series A funding round of €20 million led by Balderton Capital. By mid-2018, Infarm was present in more than 50 customer-facing locations and launched its first Infarm in France via Metro Nanterre in November 2018.
Infarm has been rapidly growing and scaling since, and with its impressive €88 million round. Today, Infarm has over 200 in-store farms, over 150 farms in distribution centres and harvests more than 150,000 plants every month. In addition to its early partners Metro and Edeka, Infarm has partnered with major food retailers including Migros, Casino, Intermarche, Auchan, Selgros, and Amazon Fresh in Germany, Switzerland, and France.
Infarm’s team has grown from 40 people in 2016, to 150 in 2018, and the startup now employs over 250 people in several locations across Germany, as well as in Denmark, France, Switzerland, UK, and the US.
Today the total market for fruit and vegetables is €2.2 trillion worldwide, with an average of 10 kilos of salad per year, per person. This market is expected to grow to €5 trillion by 2030 as people’s diets are shifting to healthier and fresher food.
With this growing market size, Infarm sees a great opportunity for expansion while filling a societal need. The startup is planning to land in the UK this month, and is setting its sights on foreign markets; the startup is already in advanced discussions with retailers in the US and Japan. Its ultimate vision is to feed the 10 billion people living in urban centers by 2050.
Agriculture-as-a-Service
What makes Infarm attractive to supermarkets and other similar establishments is its ‘Agriculture-as-a-Service’ business model. The modular ‘farms’ themselves remain the property of Infarm, which receives income per harvested plant. Infarm coordinates with retailers and takes care of the farm including installation, cultivation, harvesting, and maintenance. Its farm unit becomes part of the retailer’s vegetable department. Aside from the regular visits by a service personnel to plant new plants, the farms are controlled remotely. This modular, data-driven and distributed approach — a combination of big data, IoT, and cloud analytics — sets Infarm apart from competitors.
From a price point, Infarm is attractive for supermarkets, which get a better product at the same price. In addition, the plants, especially herbs, are harvested fresh; preserving color, smell, flavour, and nutrients.
Sustainable cities with responsible production
Before there was agtech and its cousin foodtech, it was all under one banner: agrifood tech. This vertical is now split in two: upstream or agtech is closer to the farmer, while downstream is foodtech, closer to the consumer. Infarm sits perfectly at the intersection, innovating in farming while at the same time drastically reducing or even eliminating the farm to market supply chain and bringing its produce directly to consumers. In effect, Infarm addresses two United Nations sustainable development goals: impacting both building sustainable cities (SDG #11) and communities and responsible production (SDG #12).
Infarm is redesigning the entire food supply chain from start to finish by distributing the ‘farms’; farming directly where people live and eat. It claims to be 400x more efficient than traditional agriculture.
The impact of its instore farms is best illustrated by the following numbers:
2 square metres of instore farms is equivalent to 400 square metres of traditional farmland
Only 0.5% space usage for each instore farm
95% less water than traditional agriculture
90% less transportation
75% less fertilizers, 0 pesticides
150,000+ plants per month harvested
The future of farming
Infarm’s goal for the future is to gain an even deeper understanding of the optimal conditions for plants, and for supermarkets to source all their needs for herbs from Infarm alone. With its data collected from sensors that measure and control plant growth, Infarm possess a unique plant database and may well be on track to achieving this goal.
Although experts agree that feeding a rapidly burgeoning urban population cannot be solved by vertical urban farming alone, Infarm and similar agtech startups are hailed as trailblazers. They form part of the solution, while appealing to people who care about what they eat and where it comes from.
The signs are clear that in the near future, Infarm and similar companies will become the norm and not a novelty.
Maricel Sanchez has over 10 years of experience in various fields including trading, supply chain management, logistics and manufacturing. As well as helping startups to raise funds, she is an award-winning public speaker and the current President of Toastmasters Nice, a bilingual club that promotes public speaking and leadership.
INDIA: Growing Crops Without Soil: Here’s How Hydroponics Works
At HMA Greens Hydro Farm there are over 14 varieties of greens being grown at any given point using hydroponics. Launched in early 2018 by 30-year-old Akil Murthi, the farm started with three varieties of lettuce before scaling up to its present stage
AUGUST 05, 2019
We head to HMA Greens Hydro Farm to understand how hydroponics works
The air in the polyhouse is thick with the fragrance of basil. A variety of lettuce, baby spinach, arugula, mustard greens, kale, mint and the aforementioned basil thrive in little net pots, nestled in troughs with varying levels of water.
Workers are busy checking the roots and shoots of the plants before deciding whether to move them to the next stage. All one can hear is the gentle whirring of fans, constantly running to maintain a conducive temperature inside the polyhouse. It is hard to believe that bustling OMR is just 500 metres away from these lush surroundings.
Meeting market demand
At HMA Greens Hydro Farm there are over 14 varieties of greens being grown at any given point using hydroponics. Launched in early 2018 by 30-year-old Akil Murthi, the farm started with three varieties of lettuce before scaling up to its present stage.
“I first came across hydroponics when I was doing my MBA in Singapore. I wanted to replicate it since we didn’t have anything of the sort here then. Land is becoming premium and you can do so much more with hydroponics: better quality control, more yield in a smaller patch of land and lower water usage as well,” he says, adding, “It took about eight months to get the project moving.”
Akil explains how hydroponics allows one to tailor crops as per market demand. “There was a report by the World Economic Forum that stated that a lot of Southeast Asian countries grow crops that are not really required in the market at that point of time. This leads to wasted produce,” he says. He adds, “With hydroponics we can change that, since harvesting times are a lot shorter than in traditional farming.”
In hydroponics it takes an average of 45 days to harvest crops like lettuce, basil and baby spinach. The same would take around 90 days when grown the traditional way. Water consumed to grow these crops is 90% less. “A nutrient solution is mixed into the water in the control room. From here it is pumped into troughs which house the net pots with the crops. Since the water directly reaches the roots, it is absorbed much better and you need much less water as well since nothing is lost in soil absorption,” says Akil.
Less water, good yield
Typically, HMA Greens farm uses around 700-800 litres of water a day. In winter that consumption goes down to 500 litres. This is why his farm has managed to consistently produce good yield despite the water scarcity in the city this year.
No chemicals are used in the farm and only natural ingredients such as neem oil are used to keep away pests. “We also use sticky pads and a solar powered insect trap,” says Akil.
They also use the Nutrient Filled Technique (NFT) system, which Akil says is ideal to grow crops like salad greens. The polyhouse also uses the pad and fan technology — cooling pads line the wall on one side, while on the opposite wall are fans — to maintain temperature and humidity levels inside. “Since this was a pilot project we did not get into vertical farming. If we decide to, it’d mean changing our entire system and bringing in LED lights for the plants.”
On an average the HMA farm produces a total yield of 2,500 kilograms during summer and in the cooler months manages to churn out as much as 4,000 kilograms. Excess produce is turned into compost. HMA farm delivers to customers’ doorsteps for a fixed charge. Alternatively, customers can pick up their orders from the office at HMA Land, Thapar house, 37, Montieth Road, Egmore. 28553550.