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Elevate Farms Executes Agreement to Bring Food Security to The Yukon and Other Isolated Northern Territories of Canada
Elevate and North Star have agreed to develop and construct a series of automated large-scale facilities (“CEF Facilities”) dedicated to the mass production of leafy green plants implementing, among other techniques, the use of patented LED lighting, moving grow boxes and controlled growth environments (“CEF Technologies”)
TORONTO, May 12, 2020
(GLOBE NEWSWIRE)
Elevate Farms Inc. (“Elevate” or “Elevate Farms”) is pleased to announce it has entered into an agreement (“Agreement”) for an initial build-out commitment of US $10,000,000 with North Star Agriculture Corp. (“North Star” or “North Star Agriculture”) to bring Elevate’s proprietary vertical farming, and cost-effective production of leafy green vegetables, to the Yukon and other isolated northern territories of Canada. Elevate and North Star have agreed to develop and construct a series of automated large-scale facilities (“CEF Facilities”) dedicated to the mass production of leafy green plants implementing, among other techniques, the use of patented LED lighting, moving to grow boxes and controlled growth environments (“CEF Technologies”).
The Agreement contemplates the development of CEF Facilities for the production and supply of leafy green plants employing financing, as well as operations and retail expertise, from North Star and industrial and technical support of the CEF Technologies from Elevate. Each element of the process of development of the CEF Facilities are conditional upon the completion of supporting documentation including the settlement of definitive agreements including, but not limited to, shareholders’ agreement, reverse vesting agreement, licensing agreement, and supply agreement. Each CEF Facility, once complete and operational, is expected to produce an estimated 10-tons (9,100 kilograms) of leafy green vegetables per week, which is the equivalent to in excess of 1,000,000 pounds (473,200 kilograms) of leafy green vegetables per year.
Amin Jadavji, Elevate Farm’s Founder and CEO, stated “We are extremely excited to partner with North Star to bring food security and nutrition to a particularly isolated and vulnerable region of Canada. This is Elevate Farms’ second Canadian million-pound facility for which Elevate has secured financing commitments - with significantly larger faculties already financed in New Jersey, USA and in Hamilton, New Zealand. Elevate is making excellent progress in executing our plan on creating a global brand in the area of food security and local sustainability.”
Sonny Gray, CEO of North Star, stated: “North Star Agriculture is committed to #FeedtheNorth by developing a variety of food security based projects and initiatives. Our partnership with Elevate perfectly unites with our goal of developing agriculture ‘north of 60’ with the aid of modern technology and sustainable farming practices.”
Travis Kanellos, Elevate Farm’s Chief Strategy Officer stated: “Food security, as defined by the United Nations' Committee on World Food Security, means that all people, at all times, have physical, social, and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food that meets their food preferences and dietary needs for an active and healthy life. As we have become aware, broken links in supply chains, at home and abroad, have become all-too-real as communities implement travel and supply restrictions to combat COVID-19. The underlying causes of food insecurity are not only drought and conflict in faraway lands but also distribution and access concerns in the end user’s locality.”
Amin continued, “Our vertical farming solution provides fresh and healthy leafy green vegetables - the only vegetables that cannot be frozen for later consumption - by securing availability, access, use, and utilization, as well as increased general stability with the potential for years-long self-sufficiency during uncertain times which may include events such as government-mandated quarantine and self-isolation. Elevate’s patented food production solution goes a long way to solve the issues facing the North, and other dependant environments affected as they may be difficult to reach regions or fragile ecosystems. ”
ABOUT ELEVATE FARMS
Elevate Farms Inc., previously operating corporately as Intravision Greens Inc., is a technology-driven vertically-stacked indoor farming enterprise focused on a mass scale and cost-effective operations with patent secured and patent-pending technology as well as over a decade of advanced photobiology research deployed.
Amin Jadavji
ajadavji@elevate.farm
Interview With Eddy Badrina, CEO of Eden Green Technology
One company that is looking to take on the commercial agricultural industry is Eden Green Technology, a company based out of Texas that focuses on sustainability in the food industry
Josiah Motley · April 27, 2020 · Short URL: https://vator.tv/n/5018
A look at the vertical farming platform that uses tech to grow a variety of healthy foods
When we talk about technology, it's easy to focus on things like computers, smartphones, apps, and the growing number of smart gadgets found in our homes.
But technology is far-reaching and can influence and change traditional sectors quickly. One sector that may seem immune to the growing use of technology is the farming industry, but a quick look at what farm equipment is becoming can prove that wrong quickly (even if the transition is proving difficult for some).
One company that is looking to take on the commercial agricultural industry is Eden Green Technology, a company based out of Texas that focuses on sustainability in the food industry.
I had the chance to interview Eddy Badrina, CEO of the company, to learn a bit more about what they are doing, how they use technology, and how they envision the future of the agricultural industry.
Check it out below.
Care to introduce yourself and your role with Eden Green?
Sure. I'm Eddy Badrina, and I’m the CEO of Eden Green Technology.
In just a few sentences, what is Eden Green?
Eden Green Technology is a vertical farming platform that grows large quantities of local produce safely, sustainably, and efficiently. We use less land, energy, and water than both traditional farming and other indoor solutions.
Our greenhouses are constructed on small footprints, in urban or suburban areas, to provide stable jobs and produce non-GMO, pesticide-free produce, which goes from farm to table in as little as 48 hours, compared to the 14 days it usually takes under the traditional model.
What inspired the creation of the company?
The founders of Eden Green are brothers Jacques and Eugene van Buuren. They witnessed firsthand the effects of hunger in their native South Africa and thereafter dedicated themselves to helping feed the world.
They came to the US to secure investment, source talent, and experiment with their technological solutions in our diverse climates. They started in Texas, with its own extreme range of environmental considerations, agricultural know-how, and business opportunities, and built from there.
What types of produce can your vertical farms grow?
Our greenhouses can grow 50+ varieties of produce, including herbs, leafy greens like spinach, kale, and arugula, and a sizable array of vegetables, plus other non-produce plants like hemp and research crops.
You call yourself a tech company, can you go into more detail on that?
Absolutely. So, our technical secret sauce consists of a few ingredients, including our patented vertical “vines,” where our produce grows, and the way we create microclimates for each individual plant with temperature-controlled air and nutrient-enriched water.
We also designed and built a proprietary mechanical, electrical, and plumbing solution specifically to automate and remotely monitor all our greenhouses. Because of that hardware and software combination, we like to think of ourselves as a technology company that happens to grow produce.
Eden Green seems extremely relevant right now with coronavirus, are you doing anything to help people and businesses affected by the virus?
We directed our R&D facility to start a unique partnership with a local business that had to pivot from supplying high-end restaurants to starting home deliveries of high-quality poultry, eggs, beef, and produce.
For every pound of our produce they deliver, we are giving one pound away to local food banks, homeless shelters, and other nonprofits. The creative problem-solving of combining how to sell our produce, help another small business grow, and feed the local underserved population all at the same time, was a really valuable experience.
More generally, the coronavirus crisis brings into focus the kinds of problems with traditional farming methods that we help directly address - easy access to local food sources, sustainability, and resiliency.
A more-widespread application of greenhouses like ours would also help defray the market effects of workforce shortages due to sickness, the personal effects of crowded, unsanitary, and otherwise-unsafe work environments, and the problems that come with relying on low-paid seasonal work.
What locations are you currently available in and do you plan on expanding?
We currently have our R&D facility in Texas and are prepping for facilities to be built in two other countries and a number of states.
Through our Texas facility alone, we’ve partnered with local food banks and nonprofit organizations, run pilot tests with two grocery companies, and a research university, with a lot more expansion planned in the coming years.
Do you believe this is the future of farming?
We absolutely believe that this is the future of farming. Not only does our solution make market sense - because global demand for year-round access to a variety of produce is growing, and costs to meet that demand are rising, having a locally-sourced, year-round solution solves for that - it’s also a sort of good on its own.
To be clear, we believe we are reshaping farming, not replacing farmers. We have always believed this will innovate the entire industry and will support farmers in the field to improve their processes and best practices.
The way we grow is more sustainable, environmentally friendly, and efficient (in terms of land, water, energy costs, and chemicals) than traditional farming. It saves time, money, and waste in the transportation of the produce, and it reduces food waste and the decrease in nutritional value incurred by transit as well.
If we can offer an opportunity to develop farms into a more efficient operation that improves not just food security in underserved areas, but also food safety, then we grow our business and help farmers as well.
Anything you'd like to close with?
Without getting too much on my soapbox, I’d just like to say that we have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reassess what’s really important in each of our local communities, to refocus our efforts to care for those around us, and to rethink how businesses can thrive while doing that.
I’m excited to be part of Eden Green at a moment when we can be an example of the potential of the technology itself, and the philosophy underlying it: that we can treat our food, our people, and our environment - locally and globally -with the respect they deserve, and that we can all succeed together.
I'd like to thank Eddy for taking the time to answer some of my questions.
Here's Even More Evidence That Plant Protein Is Better For You Than Animal Protein
One recent study found that those eating the most fruit-and-veg-dense diets had a 31 percent lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease and a roughly 20 percent lower risk of overall mortality than those eating animal-focused diets
Sorry, steak fans.
By Sara Chodosh
It’d be great if a burger-a-day diet was healthy. Don’t get me wrong—it’s not the worst. You’ve got protein in there and hopefully some veggies on top (and on the side), and even some fiber from the roll (you used whole grain, right?).
Unfortunately, study after study shows that meat as a protein source just isn't that healthy. It's far better to get that necessary protein from plants. Generally speaking, diets heavy on plant matter tend to be healthier. One recent study found that those eating the most fruit-and-veg-dense diets had a 31 percent lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease and a roughly 20 percent lower risk of overall mortality than those eating animal-focused diets. That study didn't look specifically at protein, but participants consumed the other main animal-sourced food group, dairy, at about equal rates no matter what, so ultimately this comes down to replacing meat with alternative protein sources.
And yes, these associations are correlations, not causations. But there are some legitimate reasons that plant-based protein sources like beans are a healthier alternative to bacon. The researchers aren’t saying you can’t or shouldn’t indulge in a thick Delmonico or a flame-grilled cheeseburger. Rather that you should enjoy them in moderation. Generally, research shows that less animal meat—most especially red meat—is better than more, in terms of long term health. You don’t have to love tofu, either (it’s not the best plant-based protein anyway), as long as you strive to eat more of your protein from the ground and less from animals.
Here’s a deeper dive into why:
Plant protein has more nutrients and fiber (though not all of the amino acids)
Animal meat is known for its many nutrients. If you eat a variety of animal meats (light and dark, not just beef, as well as various organs), you can take in all the amino acids you need to manufacture your own bodily proteins plus vitamins like B12, niacin, thiamine, B5, B6, B7, and vitamins A and K.
But here's the thing: If you swap all that animal protein for an equally diverse diet of plant-based proteins like nuts, seeds, and beans, you are no worse off. That's because these foods are also packed full of a similar spectrum of nutrients. The biggest difference is vitamin B12, which most plants cannot produce on their own. You can get B12 from edible seaweed and in fortified cereals, though the easiest way is through supplementation or by eating animal products.
Given their equal vitamin profile, Andrea Giancoli, a registered dietitian in California says plant-based proteins are far healthier than their meat counterparts. That’s because, pound-for-pound, they pack more nutrients into fewer calories. They also have one thing that animal proteins completely lack: fiber. (Except for things like tofu, which is processed, Giancoli notes.) Let’s not forget the fiber. Fiber aids in digestion promotes a healthy gut microbiome and is strongly associated with lower cardiovascular disease risk.
People who eat plant proteins in part have healthier habits
Meta-analyses that compared people who eat animal versus plant proteins consistently find that, even after adjusting for other influential factors like socioeconomic class, weight, and exercise habits, those who eat plants tend to live longer, healthier lives. They tend to have less cardiovascular disease and fewer cancer cases, though especially the cancer association tends to drop away once other factors have been controlled for. Despite all that controlling, though, there's still an association with living a longer life with fewer heart problems. There are almost certainly some small factors contributing to the association. People who eat plant proteins may see their doctor more regularly and thus get better preventive care. Maybe they tend to live in quieter, less polluted places.
Since correlations still exist between eating plant proteins and overall health, even after controlling for other factors, meta-analyses have generally concluded that lifestyle factors alone can't account for the correlation. One recent such analysis in the Journal of the American Medical Association noted that "Substitution of plant protein for animal protein, especially from processed red meat, may confer a substantial health benefit" and advised that policies promote plant proteins.
Meat has more saturated fats
Another reason that steak isn’t great for you: the fat that often accompanies it. Fat is part of why steaks and burgers are delicious—it adds mouthfeel and flavor. But it also tends to clog up your heart. “[With plant proteins] you get less saturated fat and no cholesterol,” Giancoli explains, “so you’re getting that benefit as well.”
Saturated fats are those that are solid at room temperature and tend to contribute to cardiovascular disease (though not as much as trans fats) because it drives up your total cholesterol levels. That may, in the long run, tip the scales towards the LDL (low-density lipid) side, which is what clogs up arteries. Foods like nuts, avocados, and fish have far less saturated fats than red and other dark meats. As such, they are dubbed healthy fats.
Processed, red meat is carcinogenic, and grilled meat may be too
You probably heard about the massive World Health Organization (WHO) report a few years ago proclaiming that processed, red meats were carcinogenic. Colorectal cancer in particular has been associated with eating red meat, and so have pancreatic and prostate cancer. Processed meats, like bacon and sausage, also contribute to colorectal cancer. Even grilled meat is known to have some carcinogenic compounds in it (those black char marks are where they mostly lie); seared meat has a similar effect.
In the grand scheme of cancer, meat isn't the biggest player. Recent estimates by the Global Burden of Disease Project, a subset of the WHO, put the number of annual cancer cases from red meat at 50,000. That's compared to 200,000 from air pollution, 600,000 from alcohol, and one million from tobacco. But it's not nothing.
If we’re taking an exclusively long-range, zoomed-out, big picture view it’s fairly undeniable that getting your protein from plants would be healthier overall. But dietitians like Giancoli are also adamant about one other important thing: Food should be enjoyable. We shouldn’t spend our lives gorging only on ice cream and pizza, but if you love burgers you should have them. Not every night—just sometimes. The key to a successful diet, as many dietitians will tell you, is balance and moderation. And beans.
Lead Photo: Yum, looks like a brain! Pixabay
The Best Growing Mediums For Microgreens
Growing microgreens is an easy and sustainable process that you can do from the comfort of your home. You can grow all kinds of nutritious microgreens that will enhance the flavor of your foods
Growing microgreens is an easy and sustainable process that you can do from the comfort of your home. You can grow all kinds of nutritious microgreens that will enhance the flavor of your foods. These special vegetable-like plants grow from 1-3 inches and are vibrant additions to your foods. They are also jam-packed with vitamins and antioxidants. We're going to discuss the different growing mediums you can use for your microgreens.
Soil
Using soil as your growing medium is a popular and effective choice. Soil will provide you with the best yields over any other medium. We believe the Sunshine #4 by Sunshine Aggregate is the best, and the Black Gold Potting Mix is a close second. Each of these soils are extremely sterile, which is ideal for indoor growing. While these soils can cost more (about $1 per 10x20 tray), they provide the best results. But, don't worry. You can compost and sterilize your soil to re-use it for future grows.
Burlap
Burlap is another popular growing medium because it's cheap. For .25 cents a tray, you can't beat the price. It is made from the jute plant, which is used to make nets and ropes. But burlap is an incredibly difficult growing medium to use. The perfect growing conditions for burlap include 72 degrees Fahrenheit, 65% humidity, and a good micro-dose fertigation plan (fertilizer + irrigation). If you can populate these results, then you can achieve yields and results that match soil mixes.
But be mindful that this takes a lot of practice and time, which is why using burlap is better for expert growers. If you don't get the growing conditions right, then your yields will suffer. We recommend using larger seeds like Pea Shoots and Wheatgrass when using burlap. These seeds will thrive with a burlap growing medium, and you will get bountiful results.
Coco Coir
This growing medium comes from coconut fiber. It's perfect for holding in moisture and is difficult to over-water. It is cheaper than soil (about .60 cents a tray), but it's just as messy. Coco coir has a better yield average than burlap, about a 25% to 30% better average. You will find this growing medium in dehydrated blocks. When you add water, they will expand way past their original size. You can use coco coir with an ebb and flow hydroponic method.
Jute Pads
This growing medium is derived from jute fiber. It's able to transport water evenly through your microgreens and maintain a near-perfect water/air ratio. It holds in water very well, which means you'll have to feed your microgreens less. Kale and broccoli grow especially well in jute pads.
What's the Best Growing Medium?
This entirely depends on your growing intentions. What are you planning to grow and how much effort are you willing to put in? We're going to cover the main questions you should ask yourself that will help you make this decision.
Feeding Your Plants: If you want to water your plants by hand, then we recommend soil and coco coir. But if you're able to feed your plants on a timer, then go for burlap or jute pads. It can be a better option because it's cost-effective and can still get the job done.
Choosing Your Seeds: What kind of microgreens do you plan to grow? If you're growing broccoli or kale, then we recommend buying jute pads. Do you want to grow a wide variety of seeds? Then choose soil or coco coir as your growing medium.
Messy Vs. Clean: Do you hate cleaning up messes? Then it's best to steer clear of soil and coco coir. Go with jute pads since they're easy to handle and clean.
Choosing your growing medium ultimately boils down to what you're planning on growing and how much effort you want to exert. We hope this list helped you understand what kinds of growing mediums there are and how they can help you yield the best results.
We are the microgreen growing experts. We're even working with NASA to help figure out how to get microgreens safely into space for astronauts to use! We meet once a month to discuss a variety of topics about microgreens. So, keep reading our blogs and watching our informative YouTube videos. There will always be exciting news coming your way.
#growing #medium #growingmedium #growingmedia #microgreeneducation #microgreensfarmer #microgreens #microgreen #bestmediatogrow #SmartNaturals #growmedia #growmedium #growingmicrogreens
Is Indoor Farming A Solution? UF/IFAS Scientists Explain
As an industry in the early stages, experts indicate that the market has seen more start-ups fail than succeed. Nonetheless, proponents of indoor vertical farming continue to tout it as a food production method with multiple added environmental and social benefits which drives technology in favor of its existence
At one time, the concept of vegetables growing inside a temperature-controlled facility where LED lights and advanced technology set the pace for year-round harvesting, promoted photosynthesis and water use efficiency, and required no pesticides, was considered a scene from the future.
Today, the concept of indoor vertical farming is increasingly becoming a reality. As an industry in early stages, experts indicate that the market has seen more start-ups fail than succeed. Nonetheless, proponents of indoor vertical farming continue to tout it as a food production method with multiple added environmental and social benefits which drives technology in favor of its existence.
Jiangxiao Qiu is an assistant professor of landscape ecology at FLREC
In the latest EDIS publication entitled ‘Indoor Vertical Farming Systems for Food Security and Resource Sustainability’, UF/IFAS scientists give consumers an inside look at the current status of the industry globally.
“The publication explains what we have learned so far about indoor vertical farming, the different techniques and innovations available, as well as the benefits, limitations, and challenges with this young industry,” said Jiangxiao Qiu, Assistant Professor of landscape ecology at UF/IFAS Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center. “As we seek ways to curb food insecurity and advance sustainability, we also look at the current state of the methods for their economic, environmental, and social viability.”
Indoor vertical farming is the practice of producing food on vertically inclined surfaces. Instead of farming vegetables on a single level, such as in a field or a greenhouse, this method produces vegetables in vertical layers inside structures including skyscrapers, shipping containers, repurposed warehouses just to name a few. The method relies on artificially controlling temperature, light, humidity, and nutrients to promote the growth of food, and uses much less space. Examples of production methods include hydroponics, aeroponics, aquaponics, vegetable towers, modular container systems, and cubic production systems.
“The primary goal of indoor vertical farming is to maximize crop output of healthy organic food in a limited space such as an urban environment, while promoting water and nutrient use efficiencies, eliminating chemicals, and ultimately reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions through reducing reliance on external food transports,” he said. “One of its goals is to enhance the connection of local food production to consumption.”
The other side of the message for indoor vertical farming systems is that in urban food production, it can be an important piece of the puzzle to finding solutions for global food insecurity and environmental challenges like climate change and sea-level rise, notes Qiu.
“The methods can serve to promote sustainability and community resilience in the face of situations like COVID-19, hurricanes, and environmental crisis,” he adds.
Now that consumers have experienced first-hand the vulnerability of a supply chain when confronted by natural and man-made disasters like hurricanes and COVID-19, Jiangxiao noted, consumers are starting to ask about the potentials of this method. Meanwhile, UF/IFAS Extension office statewide reports an increase in consumer requests for information, webinars, and videos on how to set up indoor gardens.
Contributing scientists to the publication provides some insight into the constraints and challenges that vertical indoor farming currently experiences. For example, production methods limit the range of crops suitable for growing in vertical indoor farms. Those crops include lettuce, tomato, strawberries, peppers, and microgreens. Staple crops, such as corn, soybean, and rice, at least with the current technology, are not ideal for indoor production at present. Costs related to start-up along with a lack of pervasive incentive or policy initiatives, and technical training for workforce development that can facilitate the adoption of vertical indoor farming at a large scale are also barriers to promoting success in the industry.
However, for residents interested in learning about vertical indoor farming, a series of Sustainable Urban Agriculture Workshops is in the works for August at the Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center. The program, now in its second year, is organized by Qiu, in partnership with UF/IFAS Extensions in Broward and Collier counties. The series covers a variety of sustainable practices through informational and hands-on training on how to establish indoor farming on a small-scale. More information will be forthcoming in the next few weeks as executive orders continue to lift facility lockdowns throughout the state.
Meanwhile, the publication cites environmental and social benefits. For example, indoor farming serves as an enterprise that can create jobs, it can also create a sense of community by providing a variety of urban environments with local places to obtain healthy food.
“This reduces the social inequality among communities targeting food desserts. Having a farm in an urban center revives some of the less developed and neglected neighbors by transforming abandoned warehouses, buildings, and vacant lots into a source of food production and while creating jobs and revenues,” added Qiu. “Ultimately, if the industry gains momentum it will eventually create jobs in sectors of engineering, biotechnology construction, and research and development.”
Publication date: Thu 14 May 2020
Swedish Startup Receives Funding For AI-Run 'NeighbourFood' project
A newly established innovation cluster will develop the groundbreaking service-model for urban farming, AgTech startup SweGreen’s ‘Farming as a Service’, to contribute to a sustainable food supply chain
A newly established innovation cluster will develop the groundbreaking service-model for urban farming, AgTech startup SweGreen’s ‘Farming as a Service’, to contribute to a sustainable food supply chain. The 2MSEK-project called ‘NeighbourFood’ is granted by Vinnova as an initiative to support innovations in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic. The project NeighbourFood aims to upgrade a modern Urban Farming solution to an optimized smart and digital model for system monitoring and remote-control process steering.
Farming as a Service (FAAS)
"We have developed cutting-edge technology with high technical readiness level for food production indoors. With this project we address the last limitation factor towards a remote farming management model: A cloud-based service that enables a physical food production unit to become available as a service to our customers – as we refer to as ‘Farming-as-a-Service’," Swegreen Chief Innovation Officer Sepehr Mousavi highlights. The vision is to create a realistic alternative to the highly global, and to a certain degree fragile and resource inefficient, food production chains that currently dominate the marketplace. The innovation cluster behind the project, besides AgTech company Swegreen, includes also Research Institute of Sweden (RISE), Mälardalen University and high-profile Swedish chefs Paul Svensson and Tareq Taylor’s newly established restaurant Paul Taylor Lanthandel.
Local food
The demand for year-round urban food production has never been more relevant than now, under the crisis of Covid-19. Production of food is down at 50% in Sweden, which shows our society's exposure, Paul Svensson, top-notch chef and founder of Paul Taylor Lanthandel says. Our aim is to contribute to and increase the trust in and desire for locally produced food near our customers, Paul Svensson continues. We see us as a perfect channel for locally produced food at Paul Taylor Lanthandel we provide both a small general store and a restaurant, and thereby nurse a close relationship to producers and our local neighborhood community. The core of the innovation will take place in Swegreen’s production facility, called CifyFarm, which is an indoor vertical farm for production of nutritious leafy greens, salad and herbs, with a yield of approximately 200 times yield/area compared to traditional farming. The CityFarm uses minimal resources all year round and is isolated from the outside environment and is located on floor -3 of Dagens Nyheter tower in central Stockholm.
Digitally monitored farming units
The Farming as a Service concept of Swegreen’s enables Urban Farming technology to integrate with e.g. supermarkets or restaurants by digitally monitored farming units at the customer’s facility, which will produce food with minimal logistics and almost zero human intervention in a plug-and-play format. This farm management system empowers any entrepreneur with little or zero farming knowledge to grow high-quality food in an optimal environment while reducing risks and elevating the decision-making process, using dedicated decision-support systems and process optimization through the use of artificial intelligence, adds SweGreen’s CEO Andreas Dahlin. The NeighbourFood was one of the few selected projects by Swedish Innovation Agency Vinnova, out of 287 applications filed in response to the call ‘Innovation in the track of crisis’.
Innovative business model
The project will also make use of the sharing economy, innovative business models, and digital twins to speed up a coping strategy towards the Covid-19 crisis and addresses the need for climate transition and secure circular and resilient food supply chains. The project is intended to be integrated into a national Shared Economy platform, Sharing Cities Sweden, financed by the Swedish Innovation Agency and the Swedish Strategic Innovation Program for smart and sustainable cities, Viable Cities. Neighbourfood is an example of the green deal and how the sharing economy in cities can trigger innovative business models for resilient food supply chains – a sharing platform for neighbours, by neighbours! mentions Dr. Charlie Gullström, a senior researcher at RISE and head of Sharing Cities Sweden, Stockholm Testbed.
Collaborations
Swegreens Sepehr Mousavi who will be the project’s coordinator and lead also adds: "We are proud of our collaboration with RISE through one of the most prominent researchers in Sweden when it comes to digitalization and use of sharing economy solutions", Dr. Charlie Gullström and the platform of Sharing Cities Sweden alongside Dr. Alex Jonsson from RISE Prototyping Societies. This service introduces FaaS to our national platform for sharing economy as a new vital function. Sepehr Mousavi continues: "Also having Dr. Baran Çürüklü from Mälardalen University, a vibrant academic center for development of AI-related technologies’ and his team of PhD students onboard adds the competence needed for us to be able to hack the query and guarantee the success of the NeighbourFood project." Dr. Baran Çürüklü adds: "Food production can suddenly be a mission-critical factor as we can see now. Orchestration of production facilities through artificial intelligence may be decisive in managing such a crisis."
For more information:
SweGreen
Andreas Dahlin
andreas.dahlin@swegreen.se
www.swegreen.se
Publication date: Mon 11 May 2020
IGS Announces Referral Partnership With IREP in Middle East
The agreement will enhance the capacity for IGS to service the Middle East market and bring greater opportunity to secure and deploy vertical farming platforms across the region. IREP’s presence in this market is well established with many existing customers across agriculture, retail, and construction.
Agritech Business Gains A Greater Presence In Middle Eastern Markets
Indoor agritech specialist IGS has today announced a referral partnership agreement with International Real Estate Partners (IREP), the international facilities management firm. The agreement is specifically focused on indoor vertical farming for the UAE and Saudi Arabian markets.
The agreement will enhance the capacity for IGS to service the Middle East market and bring greater opportunity to secure and deploy vertical farming platforms across the region. IREP’s presence in this market is well established with many existing customers across agriculture, retail, and construction. The agreement establishes the opportunity for IREP to refer potential customers and support in the deployment, construction, and management of vertical farms.
The highly sophisticated plug-and-play vertical farming technology developed by IGS assures the efficient production of food in any location in the world. The modular indoor farms offer a highly controllable platform designed to maximize productivity whilst minimizing energy consumption and allowing the production of consistently high-quality produce at scale.
Ole Mygind, Managing Director of IGS Agri business commented: “The signing of this agreement is a very positive step forward for both IGS and IREP in the future deployment of vertical farming platforms in the Middle East. The imperative need for systems such as ours has been highlighted in the last few weeks as global reliance on complex food supply chains has been dramatically impacted.
“Many countries around the world have plans to secure an independent and sustainable food supply chain. Vertical farming can be a key part of that solution, we believe, particularly in areas where arable land is minimal and there is a high reliance on importing food. These systems offer a secure, controlled environment, independent of weather and location to provide a sustainable, secure food supply across a range of crops.”
Christina Porter from IREP commented: “We have been working with IGS since 2018 to enable its entry into the UAE and Saudi Arabian markets. We wholeheartedly believe that IGS’s vertical farming technology is best-in-class, and with an excellent management team behind it, that it can be the solution that many clients in the region are now looking for to address food security and sustainability. Through this agreement, IREP will work very closely with the IGS management team to ensure that its product penetrates the market here and is delivered in a very effective and efficient way.”
IGS has designed all its products to be highly pragmatic, flexible, modular, and scalable in line with market requirements.
The R&D team at IGS has developed, patented, and productized a breakthrough, IoT-enabled power and communications platform consisting of patented electrical, electronic and mechanical technologies as well as the world’s most sophisticated ventilation system for its Growth platform. All this is managed by a SaaS and data platform using AI to deliver economic and operational benefits to indoor environments across the globe.
Ends
About IGS:
Founded in 2013, IGS brought together decades of farming and engineering experience to create an agritech business with a vision to revolutionize the indoor growing market. Its commitment to innovation has continued apace and it has evolved the applications of its technology beyond agriculture to create solutions for a wide variety of indoor environments that enhance life for people, plants, and animals.
IGS launched its first vertical farming demonstration facility in August 2018.
For more information visit www.intelligentgrowthsolutions.com
About IREP
IREP is a multi-discipline management services firm operating in 25 countries, with its headquarters in Dubai.
We incorporate a high-level structure in all departments that include;
Facilities Management
Asset & Energy Management
Agri-Tech & IoT
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VIDEO: "Farmers Bringing Their Field Indoors"
BBC has a series called People fixing the world, in which one episode was called 'The farmers bringing their fields indoors'
BBC has a series called People fixing the world, in which one episode was called 'The farmers bringing their fields indoors'. In this episode about vertical farming, Guy Galonska, Co-founder & CTO of InFarm and Shani Leiderman from Beba restaurant in Martin-Gropius-Bau were featured.
Source and video: Infarm LinkedIn.
Publication date: Thu 30 Apr 2020
Shipping Container Farm, Vertical Roots Hires Displaced Restaurant Workers To Help Fill Growing Retail Demand
Since launching in 2016, Vertical Roots has expanded from a single hydroponic garden container to a current operation of more than 130, each filled with leafy greens
Vertical Roots hires displaced restaurant workers to help fill growing retail demand
Vertical Roots grows leafy greens in hydroponic gardens inside custom-outfitted shipping containers
With the restaurant and hospitality industry under duress and thousands out of work, container farm company Vertical Roots stepped up to the plate, offering jobs to displaced employees.Since launching in 2016, Vertical Roots has expanded from a single hydroponic garden container to a current operation of more than 130, each filled with leafy greens. For co-owners Andrew Hare and Matt Daniels, their mission is two-fold: delivering a local, pesticide-free product and developing community relationships to serve those in need."I have been in the restaurant industry for most of my adult life, including eight years right here in Charleston," said Hare. "It really hits close to home for me, witnessing this incredible industry turned upside down so quickly by this pandemic."According to Hare, Vertical Roots hired about two dozen chefs, cooks, dishwashers, servers and managers since the COVID-19 pandemic began. In all, employees displaced by the outbreak made up about 25 percent of their 100-employee team split between their two locations in Charleston and Columbia when we spoke in April."We are helping these people get a paycheck and they are helping us get product out of the door," said Hare. "They have been eager, fast learners, which has made the whole process seamless."Many of the new hires have worked with the non-GMO produce in the past. Vertical Roots supplies many local kitchens with their one- or two-day old living baby Romaine, arugula, bibb and butter lettuces.After a food safety course, most new employees started in the "pack room," where Hare said "all the harvested products flow to cool down and be processed for each customer, whether it's making a spring mix of cut leaves or taking living heads of lettuce to clamshell or case."Many of Vertical Roots' newcomers will return to their kitchens as restaurants reopen, but at least one downtown chef currently working with the company said some workers may continue to work at the container farm.For Vertical Roots, the growing season never ends inside their compact, LED-lit shipping containers. The company currently supplies more than 400 stores, mostly in the Southeast. And the customer base is growing, Hare reports."We are 98 percent focused on retail right now," said Hare, who points out that the closure of restaurants in the Charleston area led to an influx of large retail orders.With a hand in every part of the supply chain, Hare knows exactly what's going on with each crop at any given time, and the farm sites' geographic positioning allows the greens to arrive at their final destination within 24 hours of harvesting. Large-scale commercial farms, on the other hand, must contend with corporate concentration, leading to less quality control in a practice where several uncertainties such as soil contamination and water runoff already exist.According to Hare, 95 percent of the leafy greens in grocery stores come from two areas, Yuma, Arizona and Salinas, California. "These products can sometimes have three weeks of travel time," Hare said. "With us, you are dealing with a young, vibrant product filled with calcium and potassium. I would definitely stress how important it is to eat something clean right now."Hare said he feels fortunate for the added business, and they were in need of some help prior to the arrival of their new crew. "What a mutually beneficial thing for us to be able to go out and hire some of our customers who are familiar with our products," Hare said. Having people on staff who know how to use the product is enabling Vertical Roots to meet the growing demand for their seven lettuce varieties," he added.
Study Shows More Than Half of Vegetables Tainted With Pesticides Residue
Hong Kong Organic Resource Centre from the Hong Kong Baptist University found a high percentage of conventional and self-proclaimed organic vegetables were found containing pesticide residue
28 April 2020
Local study shows 70 percent of vegetables are tainted with pesticide residue, with two samples of organic vegetables breaching legal limits.
Hong Kong Organic Resource Centre from the Hong Kong Baptist University found a high percentage of conventional and self-proclaimed organic vegetables were found containing pesticide residue.
The study has collected a total of 58 organic and non-organic vegetable samples, including Choi sum, pak choi, amaranthus, and spinach.
The samples were purchased from 149 venues including wet markets, shops, and organic farms across all 18 districts to test the presence of heavy metal and 352 types of pesticide residues.
Seventy percent of the vegetable samples collected, 41 out of 58, contain pesticide residues regulated under European Union standards.
More than half of them, 34 out of 58, contain pesticide residues exceeding the EU’s Maximum Residue Limit.
Those containing pesticide residue beyond the EU standard includes 3 mainland certified organic vegetables, 21 local self-proclaimed organic vegetables, 2 mainland self-proclaimed organic vegetables, and eight non-organic vegetables from the mainland and Hong Kong.
The study also found two self-proclaimed organic vegetables containing pesticide residues beyond the Hong Kong standard’s legally tolerated limit.
One of them was purchased from Chuk Yuen Market in Wong Tai Sin, containing 1.42 milligrams per kilogram of Acetamiprid, higher than the government’s MRL of 1.2.mg/kg.
Another was brought from Tin Shing Market in Yuen Long containing 0.34mg/kg of Cyhalothrin, exceeding the stipulated MRL of 0.20mg/kg.
“The health risk caused by consuming the most tainted Choi sum sample remains low under normal consuming patterns,” said professor Jonathan Wong Woon-Chung, Director of HKORC.
The study also found that less than one-third of the self-claimed or certified organic vegetable stalls, 16 out of the 52, sells certified organic vegetables.
Sai Kung had the highest percentage of retail stalls selling self-claimed organic produce, followed by Wan Chai, Tsuen Wan, Kwai Tsing, and Southern District.
“Compared to last year, there’s a slight increase in the number of organic produce stores in Hong Kong, so there’s a slightly increasing trend of selling fake organic produce in the market,” said Wong.
He suggested that consumers should look for stalls with certified organic produce with certificates displayed in the shop or organic labels when purchasing organic vegetables.
“When going to a wet market you need to be careful with stores that only label organic vegetables by handwriting, and ask them where they produce it, where the farm is and how they produce it,” Wong added.
HKORC urged the government to legislate and regulate the organic product industry and Hong Kong Customs should not ignore the center's request on investigating stalls that sell counterfeit organic goods.
Vertical Farms Boom As COVID-19 Bolsters Appetite For Locally Grown Food
Vertical farms — indoor spaces where climate and light are tightly controlled — were already expanding in urban areas before the pandemic struck
May 1, 2020
The industry is benefiting from the pandemic as consumers crave healthy, regional produce
Vertical farming is booming as COVID-19 bolsters demand for locally-grown greens.
Impact investors might find the sector appealing because the farms offer organic vegetables and fruit while using less water and land than conventional agriculture.
There is a growing interest in vertical farming worldwide, with massive facilities already operating in Asia, the Middle East and Europe, and new projects announced since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak.
While many industries are contracting because of COVID-19, vertical farming is booming as it meets demand for locally grown kale and lettuce.
Vertical farms — indoor spaces where climate and light are tightly controlled — were already expanding in urban areas before the pandemic struck. Since they control everything from seed to store, vertical farms can provide skittish consumers with information about where their food comes from and how it’s produced. While crops rot in fields because of disruptions to farming and supply chains, vertical farms such as Bowery Farming and AeroFarms are boosting output.
“This pandemic exposed the fragility and vulnerabilities with our food supply system that have left people without access to fresh food when they need it most,” Irving Fain, CEO of Bowery Farming, told Karma. “Bowery is in a position to support our communities with fresher, safer produce during this time and beyond.”
Bowery Farms has been pairing technology with agriculture to boost yields and curb the need for water and other inputs. The startup’s software uses vision systems, automation technology, and machine learning to constantly monitor plants. Bowery’s three farms, two in Kearny, New Jersey, about 10 miles from Manhattan, and one in Baltimore, use no pesticides, 95% less water, and are more than 100 times more productive than traditional agriculture per acre.
“Our online sales have more than doubled and demand from our in-store retail partners has gone up 25-50%,” Fain said.
Vertical farms are sprouting in many urban areas. Another pioneering startup in the field, South San Francisco-based Plenty is building a new farm in the middle of Los Angeles. Orlando-based Kalera opened a second facility near the Orlando International Airport that is projected to produce about 6 million heads of lettuce per year.
“Vertical farming will see an economic boon due to increased localization and shortening of the supply chain to be more resilient to crises like COVID-19,” Henry Gordon-Smith, Founder of Agritecture, a global urban farming consultancy, told Karma.
Vertical farming has hit speed bumps. It requires a massive input of capital to launch, and the output isn’t cheap. They are energy-intensive, although much more efficient than earlier because of LEDs. Solar panels have the potential to make them carbon neutral. Industry backers are not projecting that vertical farms will replace conventional agriculture anytime soon, but are bullish about its ability to fill a niche in urban areas.
The high upfront costs haven’t scared off investors. Bowery has raised $172.5 million from investors including GV, General Catalyst, GGV Capital, First Round Capital, and Temasek. Plenty has raised $400 million, with backing from SoftBank’s Vision Fund, Bezos Expeditions, Innovation Endeavors, and others. New Jersey-based AeroFarms in New Jersey raised $100 million in 2019 to expand its facilities.
The growth isn’t limited to the U.S., with large vertical farms found in such varied places as Singapore, Sweden, and the United Arab Emirates. The pandemic has led to increased interest in urban agriculture. Singapore announced on April 15 that it will take steps to accelerate local food output because COVID-19 underscores the need for local food production.” Earlier in April, AeroFarms announced plans to build the world’s biggest R&D vertical farm in Abu Dhabi.
“In addition to the reduced distance to the consumer, indoor farms such as greenhouses and vertical farms have certain abilities to adapt to shocks in the system by changing their crops in hydroponic systems to adjust to demand,” Gordon-Smith said. “Relative to soil, these systems provide some advantages.”
COVID-19, Agriculture Re-Awakened
The COVID-19 Pandemic is a current reality that is forcing the global population to reassess affected industries, and plan a future that will be less dependent on the weak links in our current supply chain facing unprecedented disruptions
The COVID-19 Pandemic is a current reality that is forcing the global population to reassess affected industries, and plan a future that will be less dependent on the weak links in our current supply chain facing unprecedented disruptions. Travel restrictions imposed to limit the virus’s spread have resulted in migrant laborer shortages to harvest produce as mentioned in Essential, but Unprotected.
Leafy green vegetables will be the first affected due to their early spring harvest, while already facing consumer scrutiny over food safety concerns for being highly prone to foodborne diseases when grown outdoors. To make matters worse, these vegetables are a critical part of a nutritious diet needed to support the immune systems of people fighting off viral infections. With many resorting to nonperishable foods and little exercise, there will likely be a spike in obesity which statistically makes the virus even deadlier.
Social distancing and self quarantining have become daily routines for nearly everyone in the US. The concept of decentralized agricultural production, or more commonly known as indoor gardening, enables people to grow safe and nutritious produce within their homes to minimize exposure from crowded grocery stores while shopping for highly perishable goods that require frequent visits.
Gardening has the benefit of educating children who are out of school about agriculture and technology. It also improves the psychological well being of the individuals by being around aesthetically pleasing plants as well as improving indoor air quality according to the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency). Over the past few years, we’ve seen e-commerce aggressively challenge brick and mortar stores across industries. Despite this market trend, the food and grocery industries still heavily rely on in-store experiences, led by big-box chains such as Walmart, Target, and Costco.
This is attributed to the high perishability of produce, two-thirds of which are grown in California which requires an extensive supply chain and energy-intensive refrigeration sections to constantly account for losses. However, in recent times, the value proposition of grocery delivery has seen a meteoric rise in response to consumer viral transmission fears. This is true for one such company, Heliponix, which has built their own direct-to-consumer supply chain for growing food that has been unphased by current events.
Heliponix© provides consumers with the GroPod© Smart Garden Appliance with a Seed Pod™ subscription that could be described as "Keurig for food." Their automated, hydroponic hardware combined with smart, cloud software allows anyone to become a farmer regardless of their climate, space, or existing knowledge of agriculture. Consumers enjoy Pure Produce™ that is better for their health, and the environment by reducing water consumption and food waste through local production while maintaining social distancing. Keeping the plants alive until the moment of consumption will maximize the nutritional content and taste for the user.
Co-Founder and CEO, Scott Massey stated, “We have experienced an explosion of inquiries in light of the pandemic from consumers who want control of their own produce supply. Consumers want food that tastes better, while being healthier for them from a trusted source. The GroPod makes them self-sufficient in production from our convenient seed pod subscription, and automated appliance that doesn’t require agricultural knowledge. Not only is it environmentally sustainable by avoiding the harmful pollutants of industrial agriculture, but it is also financially sustainable for the consumer who will generate a profit from the premium quality produce when all hardware, subscription, and even negligible water and energy costs are accounted for.”
Massey then went on to say, “Our company had a unique founding while my Co-Founder, Ivan Ball and I were both undergraduate students at Purdue University. We met while working as coworkers and worked as research engineers on a NASA funded project to design targeted LEDs to grow food on the ISS (International Space Station) under Dr. Cary Mitchell. We became familiar with many leading experts in this growing industry destined for mass adoption and were very fortunate to receive our first pre-seed and seed investments from Purdue Ventures Ag-celerator fund which focuses on innovations within the AgBioScience realm. I view the adoption of the distributed farming model as inevitable as global food output needs to increase by 70% as we exceed 9 billion people in 2050 according to the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations), but we’re not making anymore farmland. Vertical, indoor agriculture is the most viable solution, however, energy, labor, and facility infrastructure are the most expensive costs resulting in low margins. This is why we chose a direct-to-consumer model; to decentralize the facility into consumer appliances, developed a more energy-efficient design, and are not dependent on labor to plant/harvest/process the crops since they are grown directly at the point of consumption, the household.”
Ivan Ball explains, “We are now deep into the fourth industrial revolution with blockchain, artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing, and IoT connecting everything in our homes to our phones. Development of these systems will provide the architecture we need to begin connecting biological organisms to our digital world.” Computer vision and machine learning are the tools needed to understand a plant's response to a given environment and enable our automated device to adapt the environment to a plant’s preference in real-time. Additionally, a user will be able to input their preferred taste preference of a plant, for example, a “sweeter basil”, so that their GroPod can cultivate a garden of plants with a personalized taste. Already we are seeing indoor vertical farming move closer to people by growing it directly in the grocery stores. This trend from dirt to fork is compared to the ice industry of highly perishable goods being decentralized and produced within the home. It is our goal to decentralize agriculture to eliminate food waste, save water, reduce energy consumption, and become the world’s largest farming company without owning a single acre of land.
Heliponix, LLC recently won the Leyton International Startup Sustainability Challenge which landed them a booth within Eureka Park at CES (Consumer Electronics Show) 2020 in Las Vegas. They received a phenomenal amount of press from the likes of The Associated Press among others.
Source: Minnesota Historical Society/Getty Images. A poster from the Minneapolis Defense Council urged planting.
However novel the GroPod Smart Garden Appliance’s innovative design improves efficiencies, the concept of consumers growing their own food has been accomplished before. A similar mass, consumer gardening experiment was successfully orchestrated in 1943 when war-time Victory Gardens produced close to 40 percent of the country’s fresh vegetables, from about 20 million gardens in homes, schools, and community gardens. Our dependence on grocery stores will be greatly reduced by consuming produce directly from the source of a personal farm. Perhaps people may re-adopt the agrarian lifestyles of our ancestors through these automated farming appliances at a consumer level in the new gig economy.
US: OHIO - Amid The Pandemic, A Greater Cincinnati Tomato and Produce Farm Adjusts And Flourishes – Indoors
"With COVID we've realized how valuable supply chains are," said Mike Zelkind, CEO, and co-founder of 80 Acres Farms in Hamilton
Alexander Coolidge Cincinnati Enquirer
Published: May 3, 2020
A view of 80 Acres Farms Vine farm facility on Thursday, April 9, 2020 at the in Hamilton. The building is known for being the Miami Motor Car Company building and previously automotive parts were produced in the building. Albert Cesare / The Enquirer
Eat your vegetables
You know your mom told you, but it's gotten harder in recent weeks as supermarkets have scrambled to keep shelves stocked amid the new coronavirus outbreak.
"With COVID we've realized how valuable supply chains are," said Mike Zelkind, CEO, and co-founder of 80 Acres Farms in Hamilton.
Zelkind's business has been forced to pivot with the crisis as well, though with different results: sales have doubled.
A sign outside 80 Acres Farm asking people to "Romaine Calm & Veg Out" in Hamilton on Thursday, April 9, 2020. Albert Cesare / The Enquirer
While 80 Acres previously sold half its produce to restaurants like Jeff Ruby's and Salazar Cincinnati, supermarkets have clamored for its Ohio-grown produce amid disruption to normal supply chains even as restaurant demand dwindled amid Ohio's suspension of dine-in service.
While not as hard-hit as the toilet paper aisle at the grocery store, high-demand items like tomatoes have sometimes been gone or heavily picked over in the produce section.
The gaps on shelves had laid bare problems in the nation's food supply chain: while food is still making it to stores, some crops have been wasted because some farms only sold to restaurant suppliers. Sickness and harsh immigration policy amid the pandemic have also complicated harvesting crops.
A farm tech checks Cheramy Tomatoes while she packages them on Thursday, April 9, 2020 at 80 Acres Farm in Hamilton. Albert Cesare / The Enquirer
Kroger began selling 80 Acres products at some of their Cincinnati stores, including its Downtown location, last fall.
Other grocers carrying their products include: Clifton Market, Jungle Jim's, Country Fresh Market & Wine Depot in Anderson Township and Giant Eagles across Ohio.
Zelkind hopes some of the shift remains permanent. His company is a vertical farmer or hydroponic grower that produces crops without soil. One of its local farms is inside an old 30,000-square-foot auto-parts factory (once called Miami Motors) in Hamilton.
80 Acres grows tomatoes, baby cucumbers, herbs, lettuce and other leafy greens. Because they farm indoors, they don't worry about bugs and don't use pesticides. Because they don't need sunlight (they use LED lighting) or favorable weather, they grow year-round.
And because it's local, it's fresh.
Zelkind and company believe vertical farming is a model for the future because it's more efficient: they use 100% renewable energy powered by the Great Miami River and 97% less water than a comparable outdoor farm. And because a lot of the heavy work is automated, it's a good fit for old industrial buildings.
A veteran of the food and packaged goods and private equity, Zelkind, 51, was the president of Sager Creek Vegetable Co., a Del Monte Foods subsidiary, before founding 80 Acres five years ago with Tisha Livingston, another food and packaged goods vet.
Mike Zelking of 80 Acres Farms stands in front of hydroponically grown Cheramy tomatoes, a variety of cherry tomatoes, on Thursday, April 9, 2020 at the Vine farm facility in Hamilton. Albert Cesare / The Enquirer
The company is in the middle of building another $30 million facility in Hamilton that will produce lettuce, basil and other leafy greens. The indoor farm is expected to begin production in the fall.
The company also operates indoor farms in Arkansas, North Carolina – and New York City. The company is growing cherry tomatoes right outside the Guggenheim Museum as part of an exhibit called "Countryside, The Future."
Guy Tyree, A farm tech, picks ripe Cheramy tomatoes at 80 Acres Farm in Hamilton on Thursday, April 9, 2020. Albert Cesare / The Enquirer
Demand for fresh vegetables has been so strong amid the epidemic, 80 Acres in the last month began selling directly to consumers from a site in Hamilton and one facility in the middle of industrial Spring Grove Village in Cincinnati. Customers can make an order off their website; pickups are on Tuesdays and Fridays from 4 to 6 p.m.
"We were asked to do curbside. We didn't know how it was going to work, but it has been phenomenal," Zelkind said.
Amid the coronavirus crisis, 80 Acres will also take online donation orders for local hospital and other workers on the front-line of the epidemic.
Frill Lettuce and Butter Lettuces are grown hydroponically inside a 80 Acres Farm facility in Hamilton on Thursday, April 9, 2020. After being planted the lettuce is harvested by a robot and a harvester, limiting its exposure to human contact. Albert Cesare / The Enquirer
Guy Tyree, A farm tech, tosses an unripe Cheramy tomato into a bin for unripe tomatoes while helping package them at 80 Acres Farm in Hamilton on Thursday, April 9, 2020. The farm picks their tomatoes daily as they become ripe on the vine. Albert Cesare / The Enquirer
Cheramy Tomatoes wait to be checked and packaged on Thursday, April 9, 2020 at 80 Acres Farm in Hamilton. Albert Cesare / The Enquirer
Butter head lettuce grows on Thursday, April 9, 2020 at an 80 Acres Farms facility in Hamilton.
Albert Cesare / The Enquirer
For the latest on Cincinnati business, P&G, Kroger and Fifth Third Bank, follow @alexcoolidge on Twitter.
Published 8:32 PM EDT May 3, 2020
AeroFarms Recognized by Fast Company For Third Consecutive Year
"Our mission is to grow the best plants possible for the betterment of humanity, and we are honored to be recognized among a group of trailblazing companies working to change the world
Inside AeroFarms
Photo courtesy of AeroFarms
The vertical farm operation was recognized by the magazine as a 'World Changing Idea.
May 2, 2020
Per a press release, AeroFarms has been recognized in Fast Company's World Changing Ideas package for the third year in a row. The company placed in four categories: General Excellence, AI & Data, food and space, and places and cities. AeroFarms was a finalist in both the General Excellence and AI & Data and an honorable mention in the food and spaces and places and cities categories.
AeroFarms' announcement read as follows:
"Our mission is to grow the best plants possible for the betterment of humanity, and we are honored to be recognized among a group of trailblazing companies working to change the world. At AeroFarms, we have developed our own patented indoor vertical farming technology to completely transform the way fresh, safe, healthy, and tasty food is grown at scale. We are not just a farm–we are a group of full-stack, world-class experts where horticulture intersects with engineering, food safety, data science, and nutrition, giving us the unique capability to understand plant biology in an unprecedented way.
In addition to being recognized for our innovative use of AI & Data to grow our plants, we are proud to be recognized for our commitment to revitalizing Spaces, Places & Cities, and bringing green jobs and fresh food to cities. Each of our farms has a unique story breathing new life into abandoned buildings. One of our commercial farms and corporate HQ is built on the site of a former abandoned steel mill in an industrial section of Newark, NJ.
And it doesn’t stop there — we are working with top tastemakers and chefs like David Chang, and leading researchers at Cornell and Rutgers and the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research on cutting-edge science to create the next generation of Food that has greatest nutrient-density and flavor around…and the results have been absolutely delicious."
Peloton Meets Greengrocer: Farmshelf Launches Home Version of Indoor Farming System
The latest high-tech offering: a fully-automated indoor farm for greens and herbs, all housed within a sleek case the size of a bookshelf
John Jannarone
IPO-Edge.com April 28, 2020
From Peloton Interactive Inc. to Netflix, Inc., companies offering at-home technologies to keep people busy, healthy, and entertained during the lockdown have thrived. The latest high-tech offering: a fully-automated indoor farm for greens and herbs, all housed within a sleek case the size of a bookshelf.
Farmshelf, which currently sells a professional device popular with celebrity chefs like José Andrés, has launched Farmshelf Home, a slightly smaller version designed specifically for home use. Farmshelf Home, which is available for pre-order, features a remotely-controlled hydroponic system and an app that monitors the miniature crop with cameras and sensors. Everything from hydration to airflow to nutrients are controlled by the machine, with owners simply needing to occasionally refill water and harvest plants.
“Our mission has always been to make it easy for people to grow their own food where they live, work, and eat. We started where they work and eat at restaurants and corporate cafes, now we are coming to the home,” said Andrew Shearer, founder, and CEO of Farmshelf. “Giving people the opportunity to harvest food as it’s needed will not only elevate the idea of ‘farm to table but help reduce the ongoing cycle of food waste.”
Farmshelf Home is truly the first of its kind. While other contraptions exist such as a tabletop system from The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, they are relatively small. Farmshelf Home produces enough to cover a meaningful part of a weekly shopping list: a sample harvest includes 8 heads of lettuce, 8 bunches of herbs, and 8 bunches of greens.
View photos
“The food we eat was not designed to ship 1500 miles,” Mr. Shearer said. “We are going from shipping food miles to shipping food a few feet. It really changes the equation.”
Users can choose from a diverse menu of over 40 different herbs, leafy greens, and edible flowers. Choices include staples like romaine lettuce along with more exotic plants such as shiso and viola flowers.
The system also reduces food waste because users simply trim whatever ingredients they need for a meal. Farmshelf estimates the system, which sells for $4,950 on pre-order and has a $35 monthly fee for seeds and other essentials, can save users up to $2,500 a year in grocery bills.
The system also has advantages over normal gardening. Thanks to the controlled atmosphere and technology, plants grow three times as fast and need 90% less water. There’s also no need for pesticides or herbicides, meaning users technically can eat greens without washing them.
While away from home, users can keep an eye on their plants through the mobile app. It features live camera views and sends alerts for needs such as a water refill.
The success of the professional model suggests Farmshelf Home will be a hit. Farmshelf is very popular with superstar chefs like Mr. Andrés, who actually has a professional version in his own home. He recently tweeted a video of one of his Farmshelf units, raving about romaine lettuce.
Farmshelf also serves large groups of diners at schools and corporate cafeterias. American Express Company, for instance, uses multiple Farmshelf systems to serve 3,000 people per day.
To date, Farmshelf has raised over $8 million privately. Mr. Shearer said the company may seek more capital in the future as it continues to grow.
Contact:
John Jannarone, Editor-in-Chief
editor@IPO-Edge.com
How One Man Is Urban Farming For Manila’s Greener Future
In October 2016, a year after Becker moved to Manila from Silicon Valley, he founded Urban Greens, an agri-tech startup that aims “to provide cleaner, fresher, smarter greens entirely grown hydroponically,” perfectly catered to an increasingly urbanized world
BY APPLE MANDY
24 APRIL 2020
Luxembourg-born Ralph Becker saw the need for food security solutions, as well as a way to minimize carbon footprint and the farm-to-table distance. While the Philippines is blessed with lush and fertile lands, as well as a climate suited to growing a variety of crops, in recent years, agriculture in the country is struggling. Farmers lack support and training, rural farming practices are outdated, and exposure to typhoons and droughts are making traditional food production methods more and more difficult.
In October 2016, a year after Becker moved to Manila from Silicon Valley, he founded Urban Greens, an agri-tech startup that aims “to provide cleaner, fresher, smarter greens entirely grown hydroponically,” perfectly catered to an increasingly urbanized world.
Growing greens hydroponically is a method of growing plants without soil, meaning that there’s no need for the use of pesticides, fertilizers, or fungicides. Crops are non-GMO (genetically modified organisms) and only require minimal amounts of water for growth. Plants are cultivated using a carefully concocted nutrient solution and can be grown anywhere with oxygen. Another advantage is that the crops will not be subject to the whims of nature, or the devastation of natural disasters.
Becker’s passion for plants stems from his childhood when his Filipino mum would take him to Cebu during the holidays. “My mom loves to surround herself with plants and that’s how my affinity to plants grew,” shares Becker. Growing up, Becker had the opportunity to travel and live in different cities. He studied and pursued his masters in London and Singapore, and worked for Sony Corporation in various locations, including San Francisco and Tokyo. After almost an eight-year stint at Sony, he decided to leave the corporate world and start his own business.
“When I was working for Sony, I was tasked to work on a product and somehow I felt I was like a machine creating more garbage,” says Becker. “I asked myself: ‘How can I make an impact and what industry am I able to contribute my time and effort?’ In the corporate world, you are replaceable. I learned a lot while working at Sony. I learned how to be an entrepreneur and to be an observer, as well as accounting, social media, and human resources. There were certainly some skills I’ve learned that were transferable.”
After 10 years of studying and working abroad, Becker decided to get back in touch with his Filipino roots and move back to Manila. There, he noticed the imported vegetables on the shelves are expensive, but not necessarily of the best quality. With the help of YouTube tutorials, he created a window farm using a hydroponics system inside his apartment in Makati. The enthusiastic feedback prompted him to explore the idea further, which led him to set up his business.
Like any start-up owner, Becker encountered challenges. His first business model—creating custom-built hydroponic towers for individual customers—didn’t work as “it was very inefficient and requires higher maintenance”.
With the new model, Becker focuses more on bringing the right pH and nutrient levels for each plant. He employs the NFT (nutrient film technique) system, one of the most popular hydroponic growing styles, in which nutrients are delivered via a thin film of water to plants arranged on a slanted gutter. This system, Becker says, is easily scalable, with a very flexible and modular design.
“Plants are vulnerable to outside elements. By growing them indoors, you can protect them from too much rain or heat, and control the temperature and humidity easily,” says Becker. “That way each crop looks the same and they are of high quality. There are also no pesticides, so rest assured you are getting better quality.”
Currently, Becker and his team of biologists, engineers, agronomists, and marketing specialists grow around a dozen varieties of herbs and vegetables, including arugula, basil, and mint. His clients include five-star hotels, high-end bars, and local restaurants. Sensors are also incorporated into the system to facilitate remote monitoring and big data analytics and integrates blockchain technology in vertical farming so people can understand more about what goes into putting food on their plates.
“Knowing what nutrients are needed for each crop is important,” says Becker. “We want to create the best possible environment and make everything as transparent as possible. We also want to share when and how the harvests grow so it gives people an idea of what they are consuming.”
Currently, Becker is closing the seed funding round but is continuously seeking strategic partnerships with other SME companies. Internship positions are also available.
“I built Urban Greens because I want to use my knowledge and skills to contribute something for the community and be part of a solution,” says Becker. “I have always wanted to do something more impactful and help the community.”
The Philippines may lag behind neighbors in terms of agriculture output and land reform, but Becker is still positive that the younger generation and Filipino agronomists can still contribute to something bigger. He also believes that Manila is currently undergoing a dynamic shift: It is quickly developing into a hub for social enterprises and start-ups. Like Becker, a lot of people are moving back, a sort of “reverse diaspora,” and bringing back their ideas and expertise. For Becker, the demand for a cleaner and greener Philippines is growing, and the answer might just be hiding in your basement.
Apple Mandy
CONTRIBUTOR
Multilingual lifestyle writer and editor Apple Mandy loves exploring. After 10 years of living in Hong Kong and working for various media companies, including South China Morning Post, she went back to Manila to reconnect with the city she grew up in. There, she explored new places, revisited her childhood favorites, and delved into the creative side of things. She recently moved to New York; you may find her at a café blogging about her experiences while sipping a cup of tea.
US: “We Are Increasing Any Kind of Digital Experience.”
As the situation around COVID-19 worsens in the USA, Freight Farms has still been able to continue its momentum in a meaningful way
As the situation around COVID-19 worsened in the USA, Freight Farms has still been able to continue its momentum in a meaningful way. With the company’s team working remotely during this crisis, demand for Freight Farms’ Greenery has continued to grow, resulting in the team exceeding its sales goals for the first and second quarter of the year. Brad McNamara, President of Freight Farms mentions: “There are a lot of people coming to us seeing the urgency of the food supply.”
The company’s customers are also responding to the crisis in various ways. Many of Freight Farms’ small business customers have been able to quickly pivot from supplying restaurants and foodservice to consumers in their communities directly via CSA, delivery, and drive-through models. CEO Rick Vanzura says that there has been a lot of discussion on how countries' food supply chains were or weren’t prepared for COVID-19. “The situation has spotlighted urgent supply chain challenges faced around the world, and we want to help provide solutions wherever we can.”
The Freight Farms Greenery cultivation area
Business past weeks
Caroline Katsiroubas, Director of Marketing & Community Relations states, “There has been an increase in consumers researching how to grow their own food that’s highlighting a heightened interest in local sourcing and the need to shorten supply chains. People are also searching for food production technology – we’ve seen a significant increase in visits to our website, as well as in inbound inquiries.” The company receives many messages of people that are interested to create a reliable source of food for their communities. “Our small business customers sell their produce directly to consumers in their local communities, as well as to local restaurants and foodservice groups.
Those who relied heavily on restaurant and foodservice sales prior to the pandemic have been nimbly pivoting their business models to reach consumers in their local communities directly through contactless CSAs, drive-through farm stands, and delivery models. And the communities have very receptive – they want access to fresh produce without having to go to the grocery store right now, they want to support local business, and they like knowing their food has been in contact with fewer people – just them and their farmers.”
At the moment Freight Farms is scheduling live videos for social media and online webinar presentations to highlight Freight Farms’ customers. There will continue to be webinars for customers to share their experience and learn new farming and business tactics. “We are increasing digital experiences for our existing farmers and those interested in learning more about our farming technology.”
The leafy green machine, succeeded by the Greenery
Freight Farms supporting farmers
McNamara: “We are working on initiatives to support our community of farmers around the globe and domestically. We’re offering free access to our IoT platform Farmhand Connect to support their remote access to their farm operations. We’re also helping to connect farmers in our network who have extra produce to nonprofit organizations seeking donations.” Freight Farms is also supporting its customers by ensuring access to its service and technical teams. “We’ve increased our customer service and engineering support,” Vanzura mentions. We also have an online platform where our farmers share tips and tricks, and we are helping facilitate that conversation, even more, to promote best practices to respond to this crisis.” “For some of them, it’s pivoting to a more B2C model and we want to help them achieve that,” Katsiroubas notes.
Freight Farms' Greenery Farmhand
Locals are helping out
Katsiroubas: “Some of our institutional customers, like schools which are of course now closed, are donating the produce they’ve been growing for the dining hall to food banks or nonprofit organizations that are lacking fresh produce. Our customers at Saint Joseph's College have been continued growing despite the COVID-19 to deliver their supply to the local elderly population in the community.” “Our customers have the power to grow food in minimal time and pivot supply to where it needs to be in the community. I am so proud of our community of farmers as they’re using our technology to do what they can to help others in this time of crisis,” McNamara notes.
A St. Joseph's student farmer
Pushing forward developments
McNamara states that the company’s resources are ramped up, for the current situation and for continued product development. “Fortunately, our supply chain is in good shape, so we are in a good position not only to support the current network, but also the new farmers coming on board in the upcoming months.” Freight Farms recently hired automation and robotics specialist Jake Felser, as the new head of engineering. “Having Jake onboard has been great. We have a dream team pushing development forward, especially from an automation perspective. We are moving forward constantly and have never been better positioned.”
Freight Farms Greenery calendula
Crispr tomatoes
“We’re always pushing forward on collaborative research, and recently worked with Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory as they explored how seed genetics and vertical farming can work together for efficiencies in food production, especially in confined environments. Our farm was used to create optimal growing conditions to unlock unique characteristics of their gene-edited tomato seeds,” McNamara states. The launch of the Greenery last year has proven to be more powerful with 70% more linear growing room in the same 320 sq. footprint as its flagship farm. “The interior flexibility of the Greenery supports efficient growth of more than 500 varieties of crops, and farmers are able to increase yield overall. With our integrated IoT platform farmhand, these farms will only continue to be more efficient.”
Freight Farms Greenery stacked crane lot
Investment
In February the company raised $15 million in their series B funding led by Ospraie Ag Science. McNamara says, “Ospraie Ag Science is a great investor and focused on agricultural and environmental sciences. It’s important for us to have our mission in line with whomever we work with on the investment side. We are using the funding to push ongoing technology development for our growing customer community.” “The partnership with Sodexo was a milestone moment for the company. By being a key player in their foodservice program, integration of our Greenery farms onto more campuses across the country will accelerate.” “It’s an important time to invest in agtech and to empower food production on a local level everywhere.”
For more information:
Freight Farms
www.freightfarms.com
Publication date: Wed 29 Apr 2020
Author: Rebekka Boekhout
© HortiDaily.com
Babylon Micro-Farms Provides Local Produce During The Pandemic
The coronavirus pandemic has exposed vulnerabilities in this country’s food supply chain, and the co-founder of a local company, Babylon micro-farms, says it's part of a solution
April 27, 2020
By Courteney Stuart
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (CBS19 NEWS) -- The coronavirus pandemic has exposed vulnerabilities in this country’s food supply chain, and the co-founder of a local company, Babylon micro-farms, says it's part of a solution.
“What we saw was an opportunity for technology to make this kind of indoor farming accessible,” said Alexander Oleson, who co-founded Babylon with Graham Smith while they were undergraduate students at the University of Virginia in 2016.
“What we’ve done is basically load all the complex aspects of growing, so nutrient dosing, environmental control, LED grow lights and that kind of thing, into a standardized unit that can be produced at scale,“ Smith said.
Each modular vertical farming unit can hold about 500 plants and yields about 50 pounds of produce each month.
Oleson said each micro-farm takes up about 15 square feet while growing the same quantity outdoors would require 2,000 square feet.
“We’re using 90 percent less water than outdoors," Oleson said. "There’s no intensive pesticide, no intensive fertilizer.”
The company caters to commercial clients like universities, hospitals, and senior living facilities. It operates the units virtually through the cloud using an app.
"All the user has to do is plant their seed pods and harvest,” Oleson said.
During the pandemic, Babylon micro-farms has also donated surplus to the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank. Branch Manager Joe Caputi says locally grown produce has been critical during this crisis.
“It allows us to get their product into the hands of people who really need fresh vegetables and nutritious pounds of food,” Caputi said.
Oleson says having fresh produce that doesn’t rely on a long food supply chain has been a benefit to Babylon's paying clients as well.
“For a lot of the health care and senior living, it’s been really encouraging to see how happy they are to have their fresh produce every week despite the disruption to the supply chain and the crisis around them,” he said
Enea Works on The Future of Vegetable Production
A team of Italian scientists designed GREENCUBE, the first micro-plot to grow vegetables during future space missions
A team of Italian scientists designed GREENCUBE, the first micro-plot to grow vegetables during future space missions. It will be launched into orbit 6,000 km from Earth during the maiden voyage of the VEGA-C rocket by the European Space Agency (ESA). ENEA, Università Federico II in Naples, and Università La Sapienza in Rome take part as coordinators and partners of an agreement with the Italian Space Agency (ASI).
Above: Microgreens Greencube drawing
The prototype (see photo below) measures 30x10x10 cm and envisages closed-cycle hydroponic crops that can guarantee a complete growth cycle of micro-vegetables selected among the most suitable to endure extreme extraterrestrial conditions.
The project is part of ENEA's mission aimed at applying scientific research results to the industry and public administration with sustainable economic development in mind. In this case, we have infrastructures and skills developed for the cultivation of fresh vegetables in closed secluded environments surrounded by extreme conditions such as those found in space.
Luca Nardi
How long will it take for the experiments in space to find practical applications in terrestrial agriculture?
"This experiment will help create a completely automated cultivation system integrated with sensors and non-destructive diagnostic techniques. This was made possible thanks to the cooperation of aerospace engineers, agronomists, and biologists," explained Luca Nardi, a researcher at the ENEA lab.
"A lot of the research conducted in space has been applied to everyday life. In this case, we are trying to grow high-quality produce in a small environment and in extremely hostile conditions by carefully measuring resources while remotely analyzing the health conditions of plants."
"Thanks to the efforts of the Italian Space Agency (ASI) and AVIO, it will be possible for many young university students and researchers to conduct experiments in space using small satellites and significantly reducing waiting times and launch costs."
The Greencube project was financed by ASI. The satellite was entirely built by a group of young aerospace engineers: Paolo Marzioli, Federico Curianò, Lorenzo Frezza, Diego Amadio, and Luca Gugliermetti coordinated by Professor Fabio Santoni from Università la Sapienza in Rome and in collaboration with Giulio Metelli, a biologist from ENEA'S biotechnology laboratory and Professor's Stefania de Pascale research team at Università Federico II in Naples. This platform will also be used to set up production systems in an urban environment.
Above: Drawing Microgreens Greencube photosynthesis diagram
Will this study support the challenge against climate change, one of the main enemies of intensive produce cultivation?
"The studies conducted aim at growing produce in small volumes in the cities too (urban farming) using all the space available also thanks to developed systems and the employment of smart farming techniques. The absence of soil and the impossibility to use direct solar light make this challenge truly difficult."
"Managing to cultivate in indoor farming facilities by carefully using resources such as water, fertilizers, and energy while reducing waste and recycling human and plant waste thanks to the degradation action of micro-organisms forms an integral part of the study at the basis of life-support bioregenerative systems: they are true artificial ecosystems where plants, micro-organisms, and men interact. These systems will be employed more and more in the future to produce food locally and in closed environments while respecting the environment and making production unaffected by the climate and adverse weather events."
Above: breathing diagram
What species have been chosen to conduct the experiments and why?
"We have chosen micro-vegetables such as brassicas to assess their response to the extreme stress conditions generated by radiations, micro-gravity, and reduced pressure. The comparison between the results obtained in space and on Earth will be crucial to assess the possibility of using micro-vegetables as a fresh high-nutrient food in future space missions."
Are you considering the patenting of new varieties?
"Not in this case, as we will be using commercial varieties. We did do it as part of the Bioxtreme project financed by ASI, during which we engineered Microtom tomatoes to produce anthocyanins in plants to protect the plant itself and provide these powerful natural antioxidants to the astronauts."
Publication date: Wed 29 Apr 2020
© HortiDaily.com
VIDEO: Growing Microgreens With Coffee Grounds
Simple step by step processes on growing microgreens, items required are spent coffee grounds, jelly cup, measuring spoon, spray bottle, paper towels, and seeds
Nick Greens
How to Use Spent Coffee Grounds for Planting
Nutritious Microgreens
Are you a coffee lover that hates to throw away your spent coffee grounds? Well, there's some good news. Coffee grounds have a miraculous wide range of benefits that are beneficial for your garden. In this article, we are going to cover how you can use spent coffee grounds for planting microgreens at home.
Making the best out of waste
As humans, we consume plenty of goods, but we also produce a lot of waste. We need to learn as a society how to reduce, reuse, and recycle. Learning how to use coffee grounds for planting microgreens is a great way to start and make use of our waste.
What items will you need to grow microgreens
So you've decided to start growing microgreens. We're going to cover the inexpensive items you will need to start this simple process.
Spent Coffee Grounds
Jelly Cups (or a small plastic container you have around the house)
Paper Towel
What's wonderful about this list is that it is extremely cheap. Using coffee grounds for planting microgreens is affordable for everyone.
How to use coffee grounds for planting microgreens
Growing microgreens with coffee grounds is actually quite simple.
First, you will get your spent coffee grounds and place them on the paper towel. Make sure to dampen the grounds to soak up the moisture.
Then you will place the spent coffee grounds on a fresh paper towel and let them dry overnight.
The next day you will place the dried coffee grounds in your jelly cup. Grab your spray bottle and lightly spray the top of the grounds.
Next, you will want to grab your microgreen seeds with a small measuring spoon. Sprinkle the seeds evenly over the grounds. You will want to grab the spray bottle and spray the seeds lightly.
You are going to use another jelly cup to be the humidifier dome. Do a light spray on the second jelly cup and place it over the first one that contains the seeds. Leave in the dark like this for a day or two and then place in the light.
After about 7 - 10 days, the microgreens will sprout. You can now cut them and eat them with salads or to decorate your foods.