Welcome to iGrow News, Your Source for the World of Indoor Vertical Farming
Agri-Tech Startup Granted £566,000 To Develop Growth Chambers
Driven by the need to reduce the environmental impact of agriculture, and to improve the nutritional quality and availability of fresh produce, the vertical farming market is a very exciting place to be for an agri-tech startup-like Grobotic Systems
Innovate UK, the UK’s innovation agency has just awarded Grobotic Systems and their consortium partners a grant worth £566,000 to fund the development of their cutting-edge growth chamber and to support the UK Government’s Industrial Strategy to transform food production.
Agri-tech startup Grobotic Systems believes the best way to deliver this promise is with their latest invention, a new class of plant growth chamber loaded with high-tech sensors and plugged into the internet. This state-of-the-art growth chamber will help vertical farmers identify the best way to grow plants to produce the most nutritious and environmentally-friendly food possible.
Managing director, Dr. Moschopoulos says “Through collaborating with industry leaders in photonics, controlled environment agriculture, and plant physiology, this funding enables Grobotic Systems to recruit additional staff, accelerate product development, and access the rapidly growing global vertical farming market with our innovative growth chamber technologies.”
“Driven by the need to reduce the environmental impact of agriculture, and to improve the nutritional quality and availability of fresh produce, the vertical farming market is a very exciting place to be for an agri-tech startup-like Grobotic Systems. Our novel technologies will help farmers grow healthier food more efficiently - that is better for the environment, better for the farmer, and better for the consumer.”
This project builds on the patent-pending growth chamber technology developed by Grobotic Systems over the past year. Grobotic Systems will lead this project in collaboration with partners from the Fraunhofer Centre for Applied Photonics, Stockbridge Technology Centre, and the University of Sheffield.
Founded in 2018 by Dr Alexis Moschopoulos, a plant geneticist, and Richard Banks, an electronics engineer, Grobotic Systems is a Yorkshire-based startup engaged in the design and manufacture of innovative plant growth chambers for plant science research.
For more information:
Grobotic Systems
Alexis Moschopoulos, managing director
alexis@groboticsystems.com
www.groboticsystems.com
Publication date: Fri 8 Jan 2021
Standardization To Build A Vertical Farming Industry or Building Customized Farms That Keep Cost High?
“Are we thinking about standardization so we can build a vertical farming industry or are we going to build a bunch of customized farms that keep costs unnecessarily high?
There are a lot of new ideas being trialed within the indoor farming space. “One of the hurdles I see is that it’s expected that there are standardized products available that will fit the new vertical farming systems being developed. Many farmers request that manufacturers develop custom components and equipment to meet the specifications of their system and their requirements, assuming that their systems will be the ones adopted by the industry and standardized,” says Chris Higgins, CEO of Hort Americas.”
According to Chris vertical farmers mostly don’t always take into account the required size and scale needed for custom made products. As an example, many of the new farming systems don’t fit the current substrate industry models. And that in itself is ok. Unfortunately, many of these farms aren’t large enough to afford the customizations needed to keep their produce profitable. That then creates additional work for these new farming businesses. Instead of being able to focus on growing, they’re trying to figure out the best way to manage a non-existent supply channel. “Growers keep designing new irrigation models and growing systems without thought of how they are going to source a substrate, consistently and cost-effectively.”
Chris Higgins
Chris says that there is a lot to learn from the Dutch greenhouse industry. Over the years they have built a great model that supports the commercial greenhouse industry really well. Namely, building a commercial vegetable greenhouse around a single crop, with the scale required to manage cost, labor, and the supply channel. “They are focused on reducing labor by using automation and getting as much efficiency out of the system and supply channel as possible. Dutch and other northern European farms grow several vegetable crops in greenhouses that are quite similar to each other. Here in the USA, the vertical farming industry is new. We are still finding ourselves. Defining our plan, and building learning to build out an industry that will support potential growth.”
“Are we thinking about standardization so we can build a vertical farming industry or are we going to build a bunch of customized farms that keep costs unnecessarily high? Factories are all about processes and standardization. Plant factories should be no different.” Chris wonders whether it’s really a problem to treat an indoor farm as a factory when building it. He states that substrates requirements are a simple yet good example of how there has not been much thought to standardization. But, how planning and simple changes could help farmers be more successful sooner.
A second hurdle Chris sees is a desire to become organic. “Building a new farm is challenging enough! Building a successful indoor hydroponic organic farm with new growers is even more challenging.” Indoor and vertical farmers are rightfully focused on food safety issues. Much of a successful food safety program is based on the ability to have tracking, tracing, consistencies and guarantees. This requires growers to need input products that can fit that model. Unfortunately truly organic products do not always fit that mold. Organics inputs can be hard to standardize as they are often not manufactured in a traditional way causing them to be influenced by outside variables in which only mother nature controls.
This can be seen within the peat moss substrate industry. “The vertical farming industry needs organic substrates to be delivered in a customized fashion, timely and in the highest of qualities. However, the peat moss industry has not necessarily evolved over time with this focus in mind. The industry has evolved to provide a very cost-competitive product to ‘large’ greenhouse growers. A smaller footprint farm that needs the highest of quality in a custom package may simply not have the volume needed to interest a supplier. However, many small farms using a similar product can work together to create the volume that will encourage the suppliers to change their strategies and put the energy and effort needed into new product development.”
So how can an industry be formed in such a competitive time where entrepreneurs are fighting for investor dollars? “Simple, focus on the business practices that truly make your new farming business unique. Then leverage the supporting horticulture industries and use what's available to you in a standardized package. This will allow you to grow quickly and focus on what makes you successful.”
For more information:
Hort Americas
Chris Higgins, CEO
chiggins@hortamericas.com
www.hortamericas.com
Publication date: Fri 8 Jan 2021
Author: Rebekka Boekhout
© VerticalFarmDaily.com
"The Push For Urban Farming Solutions Has Only Intensified"
Agritecture offers answers regarding urban farming solutions
With significant population growth and urbanization both underway and projected across the globe, the push for urban farming solutions has only intensified. The search for innovative solutions has generated many questions surrounding best agricultural practices and how to build a sustainable urban farm.
Agricultural consulting company Agritecture was developed to address exactly those questions. Agritecture was founded in 2011 when its CEO Henry Gordon-Smith began blogging about urban agriculture and subsequently received numerous inquiries from entrepreneurs looking to start urban farms. Within a few years, Agritecture began to officially offer consulting services and quickly built a portfolio.
Sustainable urban farming solutions
“With a mission to empower impact-driven organizations to develop sustainable urban farming solutions, Agritecture focuses on turning business ideas into practical realities,” says Agritecture’s media strategist, Briana Zagami. The breadth of services offered by Agritecture allows the company to meet the needs of entrepreneurs at various project stages.
Ask Agritecture is the company’s entry-level service through which entrepreneurs can schedule a 30-minute phone call with a consultant to discuss economic and technological aspects of the project and recommend future steps. The company also offers premium consulting services, which are “backed by several years of operational data and a team of experienced growers, agricultural engineers, sustainability managers, and marketing experts”, according to Briana. Furthermore, Agritecture uses its feasibility tools to help urban farmers and entrepreneurs obtain real-world financial estimates for a greenhouse or vertical farm project in any location.
Education
Agricultural education is another cornerstone of Agritecture’s mission, which the company achieves through its Commercial Urban Farming course, which presents best practices in six comprehensive lessons complete with short video modules and additional resources. Agritecture also provides free educational content in the form of its blog, podcast and videos.
The most recent addition to Agritecture’s service offerings is the Agritecture Designer, which was launched in April 2020 and is the world’s first digital platform for the planning of urban farms. According to Briana, “the goal was to take our years of experience as leading industry consultants and translate this into a digital platform to help expedite the planning stage and avoid common pitfalls.”
Future
In 2020, Agritecture’s digital audience is now comprised of 100,000 + users around the world. The team has consulted on over 120 projects spanning more than 26 companies. When asked how Agritecture has responded in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, Briana explained that “Agritecture reinvented itself in the wake of COVID-19 and offered insights from its learnings to other small businesses and advisory firms that are struggling to find new business. We launched several new online initiatives in April and May to better connect with our audience and saw a nearly 3x increase in inbound consulting requests.”
So how does Agritecture envision the development of urban agriculture? According to Briana, “urban agriculture will continue to grow around the world due to the innovative spirit of farmers and the rising demand for fresh, sustainably-grown products.” With the development of supportive policies and standards in key cities, Agritecture expects that urban agriculture will only continue to grow and push past its niche status.
For more information:
Agritecture
www.agritecture.com
Publication date: Wed 6 Jan 2021
Future of Agriculture Grows Under Seoul’s Subway Stations
The Seoul Metropolitan Government, Seoul Metro, and the agriculture company Farm8 have come together for this project
Experts introduce the facility during the opening showcase of Metro Farm at Sangdo Station in September 2019. (Farm8)
Walking down the stairs from exit No. 2 of Sangdo Station in southwestern Seoul, its not easy to miss a white and green signboard that reads “METRO Farm.”
A method of what‘s known as “smart farming,” Metro Farms can create nature-friendly environments while being located inside urban subway stations, using AI and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies.
Sangdo Station’s exit No. 2 was originally left unattended, merely serving its purpose as a meet-up plaza. Since September 2019, the space is now a farm full of sprouts and herbs.
The 394-square-meter cultivation facility is a complex space consisting of an “Auto-Farm,“ where robots manage basic sowing and harvesting, a “Farm Cafe,” which sells fresh salad and juice, made from crops harvested on the same day, and “FarmX,” a zone where visitors can learn about the future of agriculture.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government, Seoul Metro, and the agriculture company Farm8 have come together for this project. In 2004, Farm8 started out as a firm that produced and distributed vegetable salads. Over time, the company shifted gears to conduct research on indoor farming as a method of sustainable agriculture that can operate regardless of weather conditions and has succeeded in developing high-tech distribution centers.
The three organizations worked together to enhance the ecological sensitivity of Seoul as a city, and allow young people living in urban districts to experience agriculture with their own eyes.
Children line up in front of a Metro Farm to experience and learn about agriculture in January 2020.(Farm8)
“We tried our best to make Metro Farms a lively experience, where visitors can get a grasp of its possibilities and to be recognized a place where technology meets nature,” senior manager of Farm8 Yeo Chan-dong told The Korea Herald.
Since the very first showcase of Metro Farm at Dapsimni Station in eastern Seoul in May 2019, Yeo explained that they have made progress in creating urban agricultural jobs and expanded Metro Farms across the city.
An average of 7.5 million people take the subway each day in Seoul, according to Seoul Metro. This means that passersby will naturally encounter Metro Farms on their way to work, home or to meet family and friends.
“Our assignment for the new year is to make Metro Farms more popular and sustainable,” Yeo spoke with confidence, “In other words, not only presenting the experience but eventually making a system for the crops grown to be made a competitive quality to suit the needs of the public.”
By Kim Hae-yeon (hykim@heraldcorp.com)
PODCAST: Harry Duran - 2020 Year End Review
A 2020 wrap up by podcast
Be Sure To Check Out
Harry Duran's
Year-End Review Here!
VERTICAL FARMING PODCAST
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PODCAST: An Interview With Henry Sztul - Chief Science Officer At Bowery Farming
In this episode, Harry and Henry discuss the promise that vertical farming provides to the world and why it resonated so soundly with Henry
Season 2 Episode 18
Join Harry Duran, host of Vertical Farming Podcast, as he welcomes to the show physicist, entrepreneur, and self-proclaimed tinkerer, Henry Sztul. Henry is the Chief Science Officer at Bowery Farming, a modern farming company on an ambitious mission to transform the future of food and change the face of agriculture.
In this episode, Harry and Henry discuss the promise that vertical farming provides to the world and why it resonated so soundly with Henry. Henry shares his personal career journey, his thoughts on the current state of agriculture, and what excites him most about the future of hydroponics and the AgTech industry in general.
Listen & Subscribe
Ready For The Green Revolution? Agrilution Brings The Herb Garden Into The House With The "Plantcube"
The “Plantcube” from Agrilution promises always spring in the kitchen - a fully automated grow cabinet that enables vertical farming even on a small scale
December 20, 2020
The “Plantcube” from Agrilution promises always spring in the kitchen - a fully automated grow cabinet that enables vertical farming even on a small scale. AD spoke with Maximilian Lössl, Co-Founder and CEO, about the first experiments in his parents' cellar, the new features of the 2nd generation “Plantcube” - and about why the basil must never run out in his personal mini-farm.
With your high-tech herb garden in the design closet, you create a closed ecosystem in which it is always spring. What does such a mini vertical farm bring us at home?
As the closed ecosystem mimics the perfect spring conditions every day, herbs, salads and micro-greens grow with a density of up to 30 percent higher nutrients; without any transport routes, cooling chains or plastic waste. The harvest also lands directly on the plate and thus retains the secondary plant substances, vitamins, and minerals that are so important. Thanks to the special light frequency, the controlled climate, and the hydroponic irrigation, optimal ripening conditions exist throughout the year - and without pesticides or seasonal dependencies! Technology and nature go hand in hand.
In 2013, Maximilian Lössl (right) and Philipp Wagner founded “Agrilution” together. (Photo: Agrilution)
You started with the farm-to-table experiments in your parents' basement. How did the idea come about?
The initial spark, the enthusiasm for vertical farming, came from a book by Dr. Dickson Despommier. On the recommendation of the author, I actually went to Den Bosch in the Netherlands to study. But the theory wasn't enough for me, I became impatient and wanted to act. So I took the concept of vertical farming further; the idea of a "mini vertical farm" for your own home was born. Philipp Wagner then came in for the technical implementation. Our friendship goes back to school days, when we played basketball together in a club. We started the experiments in my parents' garage and founded Agrilution together in 2013.
Which salads and herbs exactly grow in the “Plantcube”?
Our portfolio currently includes over 30 different plants - from common kitchen herbs to tatsoi, leaf salads, and mixtures for pesto or stir fry to more unusual microgreens such as bronze fennel and blood sorrel. The selection is based on the needs of the market, but we also want to offer something extraordinary that is not available in the supermarket or organic market. In addition, the speed of growth is decisive so that our customers don't have to wait too long. The harvest time is generally between one and four weeks.
And what needs is the device designed for?
Assuming daily consumption, the capacity ranges from a single person to a small family - depending on how they are planted and planned. Our app provides insight into growth, information about harvesting or maintenance and also enables online orders for new seedbars that carry the seeds.
The target group includes residents of metropolitan areas who still want to harvest fresh, healthy produce. (Photo: The Subdivision)
Doesn't that mean losing some of the feelings of looking after your plants in the field, in the garden or on the balcony?
We do not see ourselves as competition to people who garden on a large scale and want to grow their own plants. We tend to address big city dwellers who do not have a balcony or garden in metropolitan areas, are seasonally restricted due to their location or who simply lack the green thumb. Of course, we are currently focusing on vegetarians, vegans, and flexitarians, but also culinary connoisseurs who are looking for that special aroma. And technology-savvy early adopters who want to equip their smart homes well!
You recently launched the second edition of the “Plantcube”. What exactly has been changed, improved here?
What is new about the optimized “Plantcube”, in addition to its elegant black design, is the revised drawer system, which can now be equipped with nine seed bars on two levels. This offers a much greater variety for the planting, and the new, portion-appropriate seedbars are even more geared towards daily needs, the daily harvest. We have also expanded our plant portfolio and divided it into three categories so that our customers can get a particularly quick overview: Dailies, Essentials, and Chefs. In addition, the substrate of the seed bars is now 100 percent biodegradable thanks to the use of natural materials.
In the living room, the “Plantcube” can also be set to quiet and dark for up to two hours. (Photo: The Subdivision)
There is also a so-called "cinema mode". What can we imagine by that?
The cinema mode is also one of the most recent adjustments - it was created through valuable customer feedback and enables the greenhouse to be set to quiet and dark for up to two hours. Some users position the “Plantcube” as a design statement directly in the living room. Its light can be perceived as annoying when watching a film, for example, which is why we added this option.
Surely you live with a “Plantcube” yourself. What do you like to harvest from there and why?
The “Plantcube” in our private apartment is always well planted. We eat our greens every day. Since I love Asian cuisine, there is always fresh coriander for salads or as a topping for avocado bread. Our regular range also includes Tatsoi and Wasabina leaf mustard - nice and spicy! And don't forget basil! My girlfriend is Italian.
Good harvest! The greens from the new “Chefs Line” from “Agrilution” are beautiful (and) delicious. (Photo: Agrilution)
Are there any cooking recipes specially made with plants from the Plantcube?
We are constantly developing recipes with the greens from the “Plantcube”. Our website provides inspiration, as does the app. We also regularly cook together in our office, which is currently only possible to a limited extent. Otherwise, recommendable creations are always created. We also cooperate with KptnCook and chefs who use the “Plantcube” themselves. My favorite dish is “Asian Pak Choi Stir Fry”, which I modify according to my mood.
How does the lockdown affect interest in your Plantcubes? Fresh green from your own four walls sounds like a tempting option right now!
The paragraph has actually made a leap; because you always have something fresh and healthy in the house, and probably because it is becoming very clear to all of us for the first time that local cultivation cannot always meet the demand for natural products and that we sometimes find ourselves in front of empty vegetable shelves. And otherwise, a more conscious, healthier life is moving more and more into focus.
Over 30 different types of plants can be grown in the “Plantcube”. (Photo: The Subdivision)
Could AI-Controlled Vertical Farms Be The Answer To Feeding The Growing Population?
Vertical farms are becoming a trend these past few years in various countries, like in the US, the UK, and Dubai. Vertical farming makes farming possible even with a scarce land area because it is producing food on vertically inclined surfaces instead of a field or greenhouse
Erika P.
Dec 31, 2020
Scientists said that the Earth had lost one-third of its arable lands in the last 40 years. That means, lesser land to grow crops that will provide food for humanity. But these days, vertical farms have slowly become a trend in cities, growing leafy vegetables inside a controlled room.
In the next 30 years, it is estimated that the world's population will grow to 9.7 billion people, which poses many challenges, such as producing food for everyone. Agricultural lands are slowly vanishing in some countries due to industrial development and urbanization that turn rural areas into cities.
Vertical Farming
Vertical farms are becoming a trend these past few years in various countries, like in the US, the UK, and Dubai. Vertical farming makes farming possible even with a scarce land area because it is producing food on vertically inclined surfaces instead of a field or greenhouse.
In vertical farming, produce is vertically stacked in layers commonly integrated into the other structures, such as a skyscraper, shipping container, and repurposed warehouse or night clubs.
This modern idea of indoor farming uses the Controlled Environment Agriculture technology that controls the room's temperature, light, humidity, and gases. Vertical farming is somewhat similar to greenhouses that use metal reflectors and artificial lighting to augment natural sunlight.
Ultimately, vertical farming's primary goal is maximizing crops in a limited space and providing more food for the whole population.
ALSO READ: Dubai's Green Revolution Starts at Its Vertical Farms in the Middle of the Desert
AI-Controlled Vertical Farms Promise A Revolution in Food Production
Nate Storey, who co-founded the San Francisco agricultural-technical startup called Plenty, uses vertical farming to answer the increasing food demands of the growing population.
His company has constructed climate-controlled vertical farms that have drawn over $400 million funding from Soft Bank, Amazon's Jeff Bezos, and former Google Chairman Eric Schmidt, TechXplore reported.
His vertical farms only use about two acres, yet it can produce 720 acres worth of fruit and vegetables. He uses AI-controlled robots to control the lighting, temperature, and watering. Meanwhile, LED panels to serve as the sunlight, which means that food is grown 24/7 inside his vertical farms, and water is recycled because the evaporated water is recaptured so that there is no waste.
Plenty's vertical farms are so efficient that it uses 99% less land and 95% less water than conventional farming practices. Also, the rows of hanging plants produce 400 times more food per acre. Indeed, a revolution in food production.
The AI-controlled robots monitor the plant growth and constantly adjust the environmental factors to ensure more efficient and economic output.
Vertical farming looks more promising, especially in times like the pandemic when food production is disrupted. In Dubai, their food supply was not affected so much during the pandemic's early days because of their vertical farms. The San Francisco-based company's approach to farming also plays a similar role in the stability of the food chain.
"Free agriculture from the constraints of weather, seasons, time, distance, pests, natural disasters, and climate," Plenty's website reads.
READ MORE: Hydroponics Farming Is the Next-Gen Food Production Technology
VIDEO: AI-Controlled Vertical Farms Promise Revolution In Food Production
These upright farms take up only 2 acres yet produce 720 acres worth of fruit and vegetables. Lighting, temperature and watering are controlled by AI-controlled robots
DECEMBER 30, 2020
by Peter Grad, Tech Xplore
When you think about it, early civilizations had a rough time when it came to dinnertime. With no supermarkets, McDonald's, or Cheesecake Factories, you pretty much had to find and prepare your own meal every day. And since Uber would not be invented for another 14,000 years, primitive peoples around 12,000 BC had to walk, sometimes for miles, and learn to hunt, fish, gather and cook for their daily meals. In the rain. Even on Sundays.
Farming evolved quite a bit since then. But with a world population hurtling towards 8 billion, we face a problem. As the 18th-century economist Thomas Malthus observed, the human population increases geometrically, while food production increases only arithmetically. That means the more civilization grows and thrives, the more likely it will be unable to keep up with demands for food.
While advances in food technology have helped forestall Malthus' dire predictions, there remains a great concern for the future of food production as the Earth's population soars on a planet with shrinking farming real estate. National Geographic recently predicted that by 2050, there will be more than two billion additional mouths to feed while the Earth's irrigable land remains essentially the same.
A San Francisco agricultural-technical startup thinks it might just have an answer. Nate Storey, who co-founded the appropriately named Plenty, wants to reinvent farming.
To do so, he has constructed climate-controlled vertical farms that are so promising, they have drawn $400 million in funding from former Google Chairman Eric Schmidt, Amazon's Jeff Bezos, and SoftBank.
These upright farms take up only 2 acres yet produce 720 acres worth of fruit and vegetables. Lighting, temperature and watering are controlled by AI-controlled robots. Sunlight is emulated by LED panels, so food is grown in optimal conditions 24/7. And water is recycled and evaporated water recaptured so there is virtually no waste.
The operation is so efficient it uses 99 percent less land and 95 percent less water than normal farming operations.
"Imagine a 1,500-acre farm," Storey says. "Now, imagine that fitting inside your favorite grocery store, growing up to 350 times more. That's efficient."
It is so efficient that these rows of hanging plants produce 400 times more food per acre than a traditional farm.
AI monitors growth patterns and constantly adjusts environmental factors such as temperature, water, and light patterns to ensure ever-more efficient and economical output.
In an era that has seen food production lines disrupted by a pandemic, wildfires, and hurricanes, Plenty's approach will play a key role in ensuring future stability in the food chain.
Plenty's website explains vertical farming "free agriculture from the constraints of weather, seasons, time, distance, pests, natural disasters, and climate."
Also noteworthy is that the crops are grown "GMO-free" and use no pesticides or herbicides, according to Plenty.
Plenty will soon supply more than 400 stores in California with its produce. The company says its packaging is specially designed to keep produce fresh longer and is 100 percent recyclable.
In October, Driscoll's, a leading producer of fresh berries, reached an agreement with Plenty to produce strawberries year-round in its Laramie, Wyoming-based farming operation, currently the largest privately-owned vertical farming and research facility in the world.
The Plenty website lists several products currently offered in stores, including lettuce, arugula, bok choy, mizuna and kale.
If the first civilizations to invent farming back around 12,000 BC only had the convenience of vertical farming, maybe they could have saved 8,000 or so years by spending more time working on inventing the wheel. And ear pods.
Explore further
The yield potential of wheat grown in controlled-environment vertical farms
Lead photo: Credit: Plenty
PODCAST: Hydroponic Growing System
Learn facts about hydroponic growing systems built out of plastic and metal, it runs on a couple of water pumps and some timers
Learn facts about hydroponic growing systems built out of plastic and metal, it runs on a couple of water pumps and some timers.
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Nature Fresh Farms Spreads Holiday Cheer With Their 2020 Holiday Giveaway
This has been the fourth consecutive year Nature Fresh Farms has carried out their company Holiday Giveaway
Leamington, ON (December 24, 2020) – Nature Fresh Farms continues to give back to their community this holiday season through their various fundraisers and donations.
On December 23rd, as part of their Holiday Giveaway initiative, Nature Fresh Farms distributed gift baskets to a total of 44 families in need: 34 in Windsor/Essex and 10 families in Fulton County Ohio, providing each of them with $200 in groceries and a $500 gift card. This has been the fourth consecutive year Nature Fresh Farms has carried out their company Holiday Giveaway.
In addition to the Giveaway, the cross-company food drive took place over a two- week period where South Essex Fabricating, Sunens, and Nature Fresh Farms employee donations led to a total of 2,279 dry goods collected. The three companies brought the non-perishable food items to the local Salvation Army in Leamington with Nature Fresh Farms Ohio donating to The Open Door in Delta, Ohio, and the Nature Fresh Farms Laredo team donating to the South Texas Food Bank. Both initiatives were extremely successful providing families with some much-needed cheer this season.
“There have been difficult times had by all this year so we weren’t sure how much our teams would be able to raise for our holiday programs,” shared Vice President of Nature Fresh Farms, John Ketler. “Once again, the incredible generosity and kindness of the members at Nature Fresh Farms, Sunens, and South Essex Fabricating continues to surprise us. They have so much love for their community and it is truly inspiring to see how everyone is so eager to give back to people in need in such a meaningful way.”
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About Nature Fresh Farms -
Continuously expanding, Nature Fresh Farms has become one of the largest independent, vertically integrated greenhouse vegetable farms in North America. As a year-round grower with farms in Leamington, ON, Delta, OH, and Mexico, Nature Fresh Farms prides itself on consistently delivering exceptional flavor and quality to key retailers throughout North America, while continuing to innovate and introduce more viable and sustainable growing and packaging solutions.
Russia Invents New Way To Grow Vegetables In SPACE
How do you grow something in space when there's no gravity, electromagnetic field or sunlight? For more than 50 years, scientists from different countries have been trying their best to solve the problem. Some experiments were even somewhat successful
RBTH
26 Dec 2020
Space wheat, peas, onions, and lettuce... dreams of planting your own food in space have taken a huge leap forward. And it's all thanks to a small step by a clever new system.
How do you grow something in space when there's no gravity, electromagnetic field or sunlight? For more than 50 years, scientists from different countries have been trying their best to solve the problem. Some experiments were even somewhat successful. But now, for the first time, we have a way to grow a large amount of vegetables in space at once.
It's all in the tubes
"A vitamin space greenhouse" is how they refer to 'Vitacikl-T' - a titanium tube setup that allows a conveyor-belt system to grow vegetables aboard the International Space Station. It was developed after Russia lost it’s own 'Lada' greenhouse in 2016: its modified version then made it into orbit, before blowing up together with the Progress spacecraft.
The construction consists of a spinning drum with six root modules. Planting takes place in the first module, followed by another in four days, and so on. In 24 days, you get a harvest in the first module, which gets collected, before the module is refilled with new seeds. The operations are performed in a cycle, one taking place every 44-66 days and, for the time being, this type of setup has been able to produce bigger and better results than any other foreign-made space gardens.
'Vitacikl-T' - Institute of Biomedical Problems (IBMP) RAS
Another invention here is the titanium porous tube system, which penetrates the artificial soil the way arteries do, in order to carry water.
"You can't just water plants in space: the stream turns into drops, flying in all directions. And if you use a capillary tube structure, the water slowly seeps through the pores, straight to the roots of the plants," says Maksim Sheverdyayev, head of the department for special non-nuclear materials at Rosatom.
Cosmonaut Sergei Volkov and the "Lada" - IBMP / Roskosmos
When there's a lack of enough moisture in the soil replacement system, a discharge occurs, which is measured by pressure sensors. When the soil becomes too dry, the computer sends more water.
For now, the plan is to only grow lettuce - whose purpose is also to add variety to the cosmonauts' space diet. But the idea for a space greenhouse should become indispensable in the future, during a potential space colonization, when the need for an autonomous closed ecosystem with water and oxygen is predicted to become especially high.
Space farm?
In actuality, Russian cosmonauts already managed to grow a lot of plants in orbit. The first cultures were sent there way back in 1960, with the second 'Sputnik' ship, together with Belka and Strelka - the two famous dogs. How did the seeds react to microgravity? Was the harvest safe for consumption? Did it affect the plants' DNA? All of these questions (and more) have led to the types of experiments today that should give us the high-tech autonomous system we'll no doubt require in the future.
'Trapezium' - Memorial Museum of Cosmonautics
The growing itself, for the time being, happens in quite a compact setup - as the one in the American segment of the ISS and - until recently - the Russian one. Talk of a mass-scale greenhouse is still just talk at this point.
"There are two ways growing can happen in zero gravity. The plants either attach to a surface, winding around it, or they tend toward some light source - it all depends on their type," cosmonaut Sergey Prokopyev explains. "The plants are grown hydroponically. Horizontally attached receptacles with artificial substrate receive seeds and conditions are created for air to penetrate the greenhouse through the capsule."
Oasis - Journal of Technology-Youth, 1983
The water and nutrients are fed automatically, although, until now, some astronauts perform the procedure manually, using a syringe and tubes, straight into the substrate. The path to doing it this way was a thorny one, however.
In 1974, aboard the 'Salut-4' orbital station, there was a hydroponics setup called 'Oasis'. Cosmonaut Georgy Grechko was trying to grow peas this way. There was no soil and the peas had to grow through a soaked net. Soon after work began, huge water droplets would begin leaking from the system, with Grechko having to chase them with napkins. He ended up cutting the hose and watering manually.
Oasis-1 - Memorial Museum of Cosmonautics
However, this wasn't the only issue. In his book, 'Cosmonaut no.34', he confessed that his hatred of biology in school almost cost him the entire experiment. He thought the sprouts were getting trapped in the cloth and growing incorrectly and freed them from the net. Turned out he confused the roots with the stems.
Tsiolkovsky's space greenhouse - Memorial Museum of Cosmonautics
Despite this, the experiment was concluded successfully. The peas began their cycle - from seed to stem. But of the 36 seeds, only three grew successfully. Why? Well, the scientists thought it was down to the genetic characteristics, which depended on the Earth's orientation - geotropics: the sprout always tends toward the light and the stem in the opposite direction.
Imitating the Earth
After that factor was taken into account, the setup was modified and new seeds were sent into orbit, with success all around. But the plants wouldn't bloom - just as it happened in 1980, with orchids that had been blooming before departure to space. In several days, the flowers would fall, despite new leaves continuing to grow, as it happened with the roots. A theory then merged that the Earth's magnetic field was at play.
Oleg Artemiev / Roscosmos
The father of cosmonautics, Konstantin Tsyolkovsky, described a solution to the problem. He developed a plan to create an artificial gravitational field, involving growing the plants in a centrifuge. The practical solution already existed in 1933. The centrifuge did help: the sprouts turned according to the vector of the centrifugal force. The experiment successfully grew Arabidopsis and rockcress.
Oleg Artemiev / Roscosmos
Following the success, cosmonauts continued to take seeds into space, successfully growing onions, wheat, lettuce, cabbage and other cultures - as well as doing so in open space. In 2007-2008, there was the 'Biorisk' experiment, which involved mustard seeds, rice, tomatoes, radish, yeast, rockcress and nicandra growing for 13 months in a container aboard the ISS. The tomatoes were the only ones to perish - others made it back to Earth, preserving their freshness.
Roscosmos
Eating space-grown cultures has been allowed by law since the 1980s, when scientists first determined their safety, upon studying the effects of such a process of cultivation.
This Modular Hydroponics System Will Give You Fresh Vegetables Year-Round
If you want to enjoy fresh home-grown produce while also adding some greenery to your home, then consider the hydroponics system made by Rise Gardens
Rise Gardens Makes Growing Food
Easy With Its simple Setup And Handy App.
December 18, 2020
Hank Adams (Rise Gardens)
If you want to enjoy fresh home-grown produce while also adding some greenery to your home, then consider the hydroponics system made by Rise Gardens. This clever system grows more than 60 types of vegetables and herbs, including beets, eggplant, peas, green beans, celery, cucumbers, different variations of peppers and tomatoes, as well as rooted plants and microgreens. These can be grown anywhere in a home, thanks to built-in LED lights.
This is the only modular system on the market, which means you can buy whatever size you want and keep adding to it if you need more room to grow food. It can be built up to three tiers high, and those tiers can be set at different heights to accommodate plants of different sizes. A smaller countertop-sized Personal Garden is available for those who don't want to take up floor space with the Family Gardens.
Each of the levels holds a lot of plants. A company representative told Treehugger, "The single unit can hold up to 36 plants, and the largest unit can hold up to 108 (compared to competitors that can only hold a maximum of 30 plants). The Personal Garden can even hold up to 12 plants on its own."
Hydroponics may be a fancy-sounding word, but Rise Gardens has made the process incredibly simple. It takes only 45 minutes to assemble your garden (which is made of coated wood, not plastic, and makes for a much nicer aesthetic in the home), then you use the WiFi-enabled function to connect to an app on your smartphone that will tell you exactly what your plants need. (This step is optional.) Plant the seed pods provided by Rise Gardens by putting them into holes in the tray, then add water and plug in the system. Eventually, you'll add liquid nutrients, as well.
Hank Adams (Rise Gardens)
Rise Gardens assures that the plants will flourish in water. Through hydroponics, plants can grow larger than in soil because "they don’t have to work as hard to obtain nutrients. The plant doesn’t require an extensive root system, allowing more growth above ground." They also grow 25-30% faster, thanks to that direct contact with nutrients, and they require less water due to reduced evaporation and runoff.
While Rise Gardens does admit that soil-grown produce is more nutritious ("There is no way to compete with the power of sunlight and good soil, it's just the best"), keep in mind that the produce you buy at a store is usually picked unripe and transported from far away, which causes it to lose nutrients anyway. It could also be sprayed with pesticides, so you are still ahead by growing your own hydroponically. Plus, it's beautiful and convenient to have these vegetables flourishing in your own home.
Hank Adams (Rise Gardens)
The app is an interesting added feature, telling you exactly what your plants need at any given moment – whether they're low on water, how far along their growth is, if you should tweak their nutrient plan, etc. It also lets you set a schedule for the lights.
Rise Gardens is worth checking out for anyone interested in gardening. It's too late now for Christmas ordering, but units will deliver in early January – a little something to brighten a long, dark winter and add a satisfying crunch to your salad plate.
VIDEO: A Wind-Powered Vertical Farm: Giant Urban Farm Opens In Denmark
Inside a warehouse in an industrial zone in Copenhagen vast stacks of plants soar almost to the ceiling. In time, this newly opened vertical farm will be one of the largest in Europe, while power from Denmark's windfarms will ensure it is carbon-neutral, according to the company behind it
07/12/2020 | Text by: FRANCE 24 | Video by: Sam BALL
Inside a warehouse in an industrial zone in Copenhagen vast stacks of plants soar almost to the ceiling. In time, this newly opened vertical farm will be one of the largest in Europe, while power from Denmark's windfarms will ensure it is carbon-neutral, according to the company behind it.
Though they will never see daylight or soil, hundreds of tonnes of lettuce, herbs and kale will be harvested over the coming months from the vast farm, run by Danish start-up Nordic Harvest.
"We have only an output of about 200 tonnes per year but we have built the support facility to support a production of 1,000 tonnes per year," CEO Anders Riemann told AFP.
The futuristic farm uses 20,000 specialised LEDs to provide the plants with light, while robots deliver trays of seeds from aisle to aisle across the 7,000-square-metre hangar.
Vertical farming, in which plants are grown in racks to maximise space, has been touted as a way to use urban spaces to help meet the world's growing food demand and produce food locally.
But indoor vertical farms have faced criticism over the vast amount of electricity needed to provide artificial light.
Nordic Harvest, though, says its facility is powered entirely by renewable energy from Denmark's extensive wind farms, which produce around 40 percent of the country's electricity.
"A vertical farm is characterised by not harming the environment by recycling all the water and nutrition or fertiliser and in our case we use 100 percent energy from windmills which makes us CO2 neutral," said Riemann.
"Our vision is that it can actually be done: Take some of the food production back into the cities where you can grow in a much smaller land and space optimised in the height."
Tags: FARMING FOOD AGRICULTURE ENVIRONMENT
Babylon Microfarms Bets On Automation For The Future of Vertical Farming
What started as a humble tabletop farm at the University of Virginia has since evolved into a major company to watch in the vertical farming space, particularly when it comes to the software piece of the process
What started as a humble tabletop farm at the University of Virginia has since evolved into a major company to watch in the vertical farming space, particularly when it comes to the software piece of the process. Babylon Microfarms has over the last few years garnered quite a bit of attention for its controlled-environment farms the company now licenses to hospitals, cafeterias, and other other foodservice operations.
Based in Charlottesville, Virginia (though soon moving HQ to Richmond, VA) Babylon makes a “plug-and-play” system for hydroponic farming that automates much of the grow process and makes controlled-environment farming more accessible. The company raised a $2.3 million seed round in January of this year and, its current product is a standalone farming unit that grows leafy greens.
Of late, however, the bulk of founders Alexander Olesen and Graham Smith’s focus is on software: namely, using it to automate the growing process, which removes the more complicated aspects of vertical farming that would be off-putting to the average user.
“Growing is a cumbersome experience for many,” Olesen explained to me over the phone this week. “Removing the friction of the user experience and combining that will some of the remote management [will make] smaller forms of vertical farming possible.”
Were the average person to try and build their own high-tech grow system, it would require significant expertise in horticulture, hardware infrastructure, and software development. To name just a few examples, that would include calculating one’s one LED light recipe (which takes the place of sunlight in controlled-environment ag), controlling the temperature of the farm, and understanding how much nutrient to feed each crop and when to do that. Everyday would require a certain amount of trial and error for every plant variety.
All of this makes for prohibitively high costs when it comes to commercial greenhouse production. Olesen noted that for controlled-environment farming to go mainstream, it has to be less technically complicated for the user.
Babylon’s software is one solution addressing those complications. The company’s “seed-to-sale” system automatically dispenses the right amount of nutrients, light, and water for each crop, simultaneously collecting data on the plants so that the system can make adjustments as needed. The entire system can be controlled remotely via a mobile app.
Up to now, the company has drawn comparisons to the likes of Farmshelf, Farm.One, and InFarm, all companies that license a hardware-software farming combination out to foodservice and hospitality operations.
But Babylon’s founders told me they aren’t necessarily interested in the hardware aspect going forward. Smith says they would prefer something like teaming up with a hardware manufacturer that wants to make vertical farms but perhaps needs more expertise in software to complement their hardware capabilities.
Such a scenario is actually on its way to becoming a reality. At CES this past year, hardware giant LG announced plans for a smart-farming appliance for the consumer kitchen. At the same time, GE Appliances showcased its Home Grown concept, which featured grow systems using hydroponics and soil-based methods. Prior to CES, Miele acquired Agrilution in another play for smart farms in the appliance space.
All of these hardware developments suggest great opportunity for the accompanying software. While many companies in the vertical farming space try to do both right now, Babylon’s future focus on being “an enabling company” that offers software and services may prove a wiser bid for the long term. Besides building out distribution of its own farms, Babylon is currently interested in working with other businesses, particularly those making hardware, that want to enter the vertical farming space.
There will be no one product that wins, Olesen said, adding that instead, it will be a combination of tools working together to make vertical farming more accessible to everyone.
FILED UNDER: AG TECH BUSINESS OF FOOD EDUCATION & DISCOVERY FEATURED FOODTECH
MODERN FARMER VERTICAL FARMING
Want To Eat Healthy? Try Growing Lettuce On Your Kitchen Counter
After years of trying to grow vegetables in my shady backyard, I have finally given up. Feeling the need once again to grow veggies, I invested in a small hydroponic system for my kitchen
BY SHEAH RARBACK
SPECIAL TO THE MIAMI HERALD
NOVEMBER 20, 2020
After years of trying to grow vegetables in my shady backyard, I have finally given up. Feeling the need once again to grow veggies, I invested in a small hydroponic system for my kitchen.
The results are rewarding. It is small but there are edibles there. In addition to herbs, I have a robust little lettuce garden. People often think of lettuce as a low-nutrient food. And that would be wrong.
I am growing Parris Island lettuce, which is in the same family as romaine lettuce. One ounce of this lettuce provides 11% daily requirement of immunity-boosting vitamin C. Romaine also has 10% of the daily requirement of folate, which can help heart health and allergic responses to name just two benefits.
And that one ounce of romaine has 5 calories and 49% of vitamin A requirement. Romaine is for more than just a Caesar salad.
I am also growing Marvel of Four Seasons Lettuce. This is from the family of butter lettuce, also called Boston or Bibb lettuce. The flavor is soft and sweet. Vitamin A is the most abundant nutrient in this type of lettuce. In addition to vitamins and minerals, all varieties of lettuce have phytonutrients.
As a general rule, the darker the color of the lettuce, the greater the nutrition. So romaine contains more nutrients than iceberg. I have had so many clients tell me they don’t eat vegetables but when I would ask if they eat salad, they said yes.
For many people, salads might be the easiest way to reach the goal of 5 cups of vegetables and fruits each day. A spring mix blend provides a variety of greens and nutrients and the ability to easily make an interesting salad. Salad is a terrific base for nutritious add-ons. Throw on pumpkin seeds for fiber and magnesium, quinoa for added protein, or sunflower seeds for a hit of vitamin E.
Lead photo: Sheah Rarback’s small hydroponic system in her kitchen grows beautiful lettuce and herbs. SHEAH RARBACK
Sheah Rarback MS, RDN is a registered dietitian nutritionist in private practice in Miami.
US - WISCONSIN: Appleton International Airport: Introduces New Hydroponic Farming System
Leading as the first and only airport in Wisconsin to have its own system, Flex Farm provides higher quality and fresher tasting options for travelers
APPLETON, Wis. (October 21, 2020) — Appleton International Airport (ATW) is now growing its own fresh greens with its new on-site Flex Farm, a hydroponic farming system. Leading as the first and only airport in Wisconsin to have its own system, Flex Farm provides higher quality and fresher tasting options for travelers.
“Eating healthy on the go can be difficult with a lack of fresh, nourishing food,” said Abe Weber, Airport Director. “We have worked closely with our health partner, ThedaCare, to introduce this on-site Flex Farm to meet those desires.”
As a health partner with ATW, ThedaCare has worked with the airport’s restaurant, The Fox Cities Eatery, to provide more healthy menu selections and incorporate Flex Farm’s fresh greens into meals such as sandwiches and burgers. This effort is in tandem with ATW’s ‘Making Healthy Connections Fly’ initiative, a forward-thinking program to ensure each traveler has an excellent experience at the airport.
To make the Flex Farm hydroponic system a reality, ATW is proud to work with Fork Farms, a local social enterprise in Green Bay. Fork Farms is an indoor agriculture technology company that partners with communities to make the process of producing healthy food accessible to the world. Their hydroponic unit uses only water, air, nutrients, and LED lighting to grow 300 pounds of fresh greens annually, and eliminates the need for soil, pesticides, and herbicides. These fresh greens produced by the unit will be harvested just steps away from ATW’s Fox Cities Eatery restaurant.
“We are glad we could have local support with this project and would also like to thank Fork Farm, the creators of the Flex Farm, for their help in making this possible,” said Weber. “While eating at The Fox Cities Eatery, our ticketed passengers can see the Flex Farm hard at work – producing fresh greens just a few feet away!”
US - FLORIDA: Orlando Vertical Farming Firm Kalera Eyes Funding Deal To Fuel More Growth
Kalera plans to list up to 31 million shares on the Merkur Market, a trading platform for small and medium companies that’s part of the Oslo Stock Exchange
Staff Writer, Orlando Business Journal
Oct 23, 2020
Like The Produce It Grows, Kalera Inc.’s
Growth Trajectory Is Going Vertical.
The Orlando-based vertical farming company is working with Oslo-based investment firms ABG Sundal Collier and Artic Securities AS to complete a private offering of company stock that would raise Kalera up to $100 million. That money would be used to accelerate the growth of Kalera, which has recently expanded its local workforce and entered new markets.
Corporate growth
Kalera plans to list up to 31 million shares on the Merkur Market, a trading platform for small and medium companies that’s part of the Oslo Stock Exchange. The first day of trading is anticipated to be Oct. 28, the company announced Oct. 21. The deal is a private placement, a sale of shares to pre-selected investors and firms.
Kalera will use the funds to build new vertical farming facilities in both the U.S. and abroad. The firm operates two indoor growing facilities in Orlando, and Kalera expects to grow its corporate workforce in Orlando, CEO Daniel Malechuk told Orlando Business Journal.
To see inside Kalera's HyCube in Orlando, check out the slideshow above.
"Our Orlando [growing] facilities are fully-staffed and hired out,” Malechuk said. “Our corporate office is where we’re going to see a lot of growth.”
Companies may raise capital through a private placement deal in order to fund operations and planned growth, Michael Okaty, an Orlando-based business attorney and partner at Foley & Lardner LLP, told OBJ. Companies using a private placement deal to raise money face less regulatory scrutiny than an initial public offering (IPO), when stocks are offered on an open market, Okaty added.
Aggressive expansion
This is another step in Kalera’s rapid expansion since it was founded in 2010. The company’s vertical agriculture facilities grow quality-controlled produce year-round. Kalera in 2021 will open its newest facility, a roughly 75,000-square-foot building in Denver, and expand the company’s reach to four U.S. markets. The company employs about 75 people, mostly in Central Florida, but will grow its workforce to more than 300 companywide by the end of next year, Malechuk said.
Many of Kalera’s customers, such as restaurants, hotels and Universal Orlando Resort, have seen a drop in business due to the pandemic. Still, Kalera was helped by striking a partnership with Publix Supermarkets Inc. earlier this year. Plus, it’s targeting new customers, such as school systems, Malechuk added.
The global vertical farming industry has big potential, and it’s expected to be worth nearly $12.77 billion by 2026, according to industry analysis site Report Buyer. Plus, the food grown this way is less susceptible to bacteria and disease, and it boasts a longer shelf life, Malechuk previously said.
Kalera anticipates to soon take on more growth in Orlando, across the U.S. and internationally, Malechuk said. “We’ve got a lot more aggressively coming.”
Can Vertical Farming Grow Beyond Herbs And Leaves?
Vertical farming divorces crops from the land entirely, which is in many cases more sustainable than traditional farming and allows previously dead areas to be repurposed for growing food
20 OCTOBER 2020
In the early 20th century German-Jewish scientist Fritz Haber and his colleague Carl Bosch worked out a way to synthesise ammonia, making it possible to create industrial amounts of fertiliser for the first time. It’s said that two out of five humans on the planet today owe their existence to the discovery, which led to an explosion in the amount of food the world could produce.
Today there is a new revolution going on in agriculture.
Vertical farming divorces crops from the land entirely, which is in many cases more sustainable than traditional farming and allows previously dead areas to be repurposed for growing food. All across the world, disused underground bunkers and empty shipping containers are being jazzed up with high-tech equipment — like flashy pink LEDs and environmental control sensors — to grow a new style of crop on stacked trays indoors.
This alternative process has gained a lot of attention — and money — in recent years. The global vertical farming market is expected to reach a promising $12.77bn by 2026, up from $2.23bn in 2018. Prominent European VC investors like Atomico and in the US the Footprint Coalition (Robert Downey Jr’s sustainability initiative) have jumped on the vertical farming train.
Many European startups are leading the way. Berlin-based Infarm, which builds and installs vertical farming systems for crops in supermarkets, raised $170m last month. Earlier this year, Finnish startup iFarm, which has developed a vertical farming SaaS solution, bagged a $4m funding round.
Retailers also seem enthusiastic, with online grocery supermarket Ocado recently increasing its stake in the UK vertical farming startup Jones Food Company.
There is just one problem with the vertical farming “revolution”, however. Unlike the Haber-Bosch process of fixing nitrogen to allow all crops to grow bigger and faster, vertical farming at the moment only really makes sense for a small number of expensive crops (like basil and parsley) — and that’s hardly going to feed the world.
So the battle is now on to expand what vertical farming can do. Can the vertical farming pioneers pull it off? And what is getting in their way?
Why do people like vertical farming at all?
A vertical farm uses high-tech LEDs as an alternative light source to grow crops. Credit: diephotodesigner.de
Consumer demand for organic produce has shot up in recent years, with total retail sales hitting €40.7bn in 2018, up from €26.3bn four years before. The idea of vertical farming is appealing for many who have become increasingly conscious about buying products that are sustainably produced.
So far, the usage of water, pesticides, fertilisers and herbicides have been drastically reduced in vertical farming.
Professor Leo Marcelis, the head of horticulture and product physiology at Wageningen University, and an expert in vertical farming, points out the vast water reduction capabilities of the system. “When growing tomatoes in the Mediterranean climate, you would do a very good job using 60 litres of water per kilogram of tomatoes. In the Netherlands, a regular greenhouse grower would use around 15-17 litres of water and in a vertical farm around 2-4 litres,” he tells Sifted. The European agriculture sector alone accounts for more than 50% of Europe’s total water usage.
What’s more, European startups operating vertical farms are drastically reducing resource usage. Guy Galonska, cofounder of Infarm says: “Compared to outdoor agriculture, our water usage is 90-95% more efficient, we use 70-75% less fertiliser and no pesticides, fungicides or herbicides at all.”
“This is not a VC trend. “[Vertical farming] is going to have an actual impact.”
On top of resource savings, vertical farming has also been recognised as a way to simplify the global food supply chain, by growing crops in urban settings. This allows products to travel a considerably shorter distance to reach supermarkets, restaurants, distribution centres and people’s homes, increasing freshness and reducing transport emissions.
And while it’s been a hotspot for investors in recent years, Galonska believes that it’s more than that: “This is not a VC trend. “[Vertical farming] is going to have an actual impact,” he tells Sifted.
The future of vertical farming seems pleasant, but there’s a catch. Some elements — like cost and energy — are weighing down the sector and threatening its chance to scale further.
Grown with expensive taste
The problem is that, to date, the majority of vertical farms have cracked how to make money off growing and selling a range of herbs and leaves like basil and parsley, rosemary and thyme, and… well, that’s about it.
Marcelis points out that it’s not because growing other crops like potatoes and carrots is tricky. Instead, the high operational costs of running a vertical farm forces a lot of cheaper crops to become unprofitable. “Technically, we can grow any crop very well in a vertical farm. The question is how can we do it in an economically feasible way?” he says.
“[Vertical farming startups] are invariably forced into growing only high-margin, niche products to survive.”
Jamie Burrows, chief executive of London-based vertical farming startup Vertical Future says that a common factor blocking startups from optimising their vertical farms is a lack of capital access. “Ultimately, the key for the future of vertical farming will come through full automation, data, fair pricing and a focus on the lifetime performance of the project. One reason some vertical farms fail is that they have inadequate capital to build an installation that will allow this. They are invariably forced into growing only high-margin, niche products to survive,” he says.
Galonska says Infarm plans to roll out more products, such as chillies and tomatoes, soon. “[At Infarm], we’re investing a lot in innovation and growing new crops and root vegetables. We are going to release some of those products very soon, first in Berlin and then scaling out to other locations.”
The idea is to grow — and price — products that ‘normal’ people can afford. “We are aiming for it to be accessible to average consumers. We don’t want it to be elite,” says Galonska.
Marcelis, on the other hand, thinks that it’s imperative that operational costs drop before cheaper products can be grown and sold at prices for the everyday consumer. “I don’t expect that cheaper products that can be easily stored will be grown in vertical farms… it will be for herbs and leafy products, for strawberries and perhaps cucumbers and tomatoes,” he says.
A huge factor causing these mammoth operating costs comes from the vicious energy usage that comes from technology powering the farms — like LEDs and climate control technology — but there are some vertical farming startups with a few tricks up their sleeves in an effort to tackle this problem.
Going greener
Jamie Burrows, chief executive and founder of Vertical Future
Vertical Future claims that it’s up to 60% more energy efficient compared to other vertical farms, which make its economics more attractive as well.
Burrows says that this is made possible by its unique approach to LED lighting, which he tells Sifted is tackled “through geometry and some very clever engineering. Also, our growing patterns allow for a flatter distribution of energy across any given day and fewer peaks.”
Climatisation control technology, which monitors a vast array of elements in vertical farms to optimise the growth of crops — such as CO2 emissions and temperature — is also proving to be a good option. &ever, a German startup which has a vertical farm running in Kuwait, says that its methods allow up to 40% more energy efficiency in comparison to its counterparts, due to its unique approach to climate cells (the stacked trays in which the crops grow).
Its farms are highly automated with little manual labour involved, meaning that the vertical farms are smaller, allowing more control and concentration for crops. But what does this do for energy efficiency? “Due to &ever’s high level of automation, there are no walkways needed at all and climatisation [heating, venting, air conditioning] takes place in the grow space only,” the startup’s chief executive Henner Schwarz tells Sifted.
Galonska also mentions that Infarm is working on strategies to improve the energy problem in vertical farming. “We are investing a lot into making farms more efficient, both on a hardware level with things like LEDs and on a software level with growing recipes by optimising quality and yield while looking at exactly how much light each plant needs,” he says. Currently, 90% of its network is powered by renewables.
Room for improvement
Despite vertical farming’s challenges, there’s still a lot of enthusiasm around improving the sector. But what needs to be done for it to reach the next level?
“The real question is how can we scale cheap clean renewable energy? That’s what the industry needs,” says Galonska. A potential game changer, according to the cofounder, that could be cheaper and more efficient is solar energy. “If you look at the demand and supply curve of solar panels, they supply energy in the day, but energy demand is in the night. That’s a place where vertical farming could go quite nicely.”
“LEDs will become more efficient in converting electricity into light.”
Marcelis agrees that improved efficiency with LED lights is needed and he predicts that “LEDs will become more efficient in converting electricity into light.”
There are big bets on data being a vital component to steer the sector down the right path in the future. Marcelis, Burrows and Galonska believe that data collected from the AI sensors monitoring and controlling the treatment of plants in vertical farms will help provide valuable information on how to improve the system dramatically in the future. “This data is going to be useful in building AI and machine learning models that can predict growth, quality, and in turn can be also used to optimise other crops,” Galonska tells Sifted.
Looking decades into the future, if vertical farming can break through these barriers, supply chains might look much smaller and automated, thinks Marcelis. “It’s hard to predict what the sector will become in the next few decades, but I think that chains will get smaller due to systems like vertical farming where production becomes increasingly localised.”
“Computers will control farms globally, and manual labour will be reduced, mainly to monitor and maintain these farms remotely from control rooms,” he adds.
Progress is being made to push the sector to new heights while improving elements like cost, energy, technology and sustainability, but startups will have to get through quite a few growing pains to get there first.
Connor Bilboe is Sifted’s editorial assistant. He tweets from @connorbilboe
Five Reasons To Go Vertical
The rapidly increasing global population means you can be sure of two things: there’s a never-ending demand for food and a rapid reduction in the availability of land on which you can grow it
The rapidly increasing global population means you can be sure of two things: there’s a never-ending demand for food and a rapid reduction in the availability of land on which you can grow it.
The UN has predicted that the global population will surpass the 9 billion mark by 2050 which leaves government officials and scientists scratching their heads as to how we’ll provide for this colossal amount of mouths to feed. Enter vertical farming. Vertical farming presents itself as one of the answers to our population growth, which in short allows plants, fruit, and veg to grow upwards rather than outwards.
With a booming culinary industry gracing the bustling global hubs such as London, New York, and Tokyo, urban farms provide a controlled and automated climate to grow more delicate niche fruit and veg, as well as mass producing heavily demanded greens and herbs on that were once upon a time confined to their natural habitats.
Although, when it comes to vertical farming the question is not “what you can grow?”, it’s “what should you grow?”. Extensive R&D shows that leafy greens and herbs remain the most profitable and sustainable crops to mass-produce at present. Vertical farming will become a huge part of the agricultural sector in the very near future, but why is it taking off so quickly? Here are 5 reasons why:
Increase your crops per m²
Although it may look smaller than your average outdoor farm, a vertical system can equate to 4-6 X more growth surface than your standard glasshouse or polytunnel area. 1 acre of vertical farm on average produces 4-6 acres depending on the crop density and cycle duration.
Protection from the elements
Vertical farming allows the grower to exploit the advantages of growing in a fully controllable climate, safe from the natural elements such as wind, rain, and frost, meaning post-harvest spoiling and crop wastage becomes significantly less of a problem. Additionally, the secure environment results in zero pests and invasive bacteria, which allows the grower to provide organic pesticide-free produce.
Reduce water consumption
Vertical farming systems allow produce to grow with 70-95% less water required for normal plant cultivation. Taking lettuce as an example: open-field production requires 250L/kg of lettuce and greenhouse systems consume 20L/kg. However, vertical systems come in at a minimal 1L/kg of lettuce, with the only water extracted during the growth cycle being that of the plant’s consumption, with any leftover water being recycled back through the filtering system and reintroduced to the irrigation.
Standardized crop growth and yields
With vertical farming technology constantly improving, the ease of creating a completely controlled environment is increasing by the day. The use of bespoke LED spectrums, automated irrigation, and climate control allows the farm to standardize each growth cycle, producing the same amount, quality and size crop, which in turn results in standardized yields.
Local production
Being a controlled environment, vertical farms can settle wherever they choose, with climates and weather patterns becoming obsolete. Local production means a positive impact on local communities, resulting in an influx of jobs and contribution to smaller economies. Its local production and harvesting of crops reduce the amount of ‘food miles’, meaning a decrease in the global carbon footprint. Research has found that vertical farms lower overall CO2 emissions by 67-92% when compared with greenhouses.
Bridge Vertical Farming partners with Urban Crop Solutions to provide high-tech automated container farms, research facilities, and bespoke vertical farming solutions.
For more information:
Bridge Vertical Farming
Keynor Lane
Chalk Lane
Chichester
PO20 7LL
bridgeverticalfarming.co.uk
bridge@urbancropsolutions.co.uk
01243 641789
Publication date: Tue 31 Mar 2020