Military-Grade Tech to Monitor Eggplants Rather Than Explosives

Military-Grade Tech to Monitor Eggplants Rather Than Explosives

by: Gwen Ackerman

March 9, 2017, 12:00 AM CST

• Israel army know-how used to build robot for hydroponic farming

• Founders hope tech will be used in outer space to grow food

On a rooftop in the Jewish-Arab Tel Aviv neighborhood of Jaffa, a former military technologist and an ex-journalist sit in a transparent bio-dome where their robot is busy learning how to grow food.

Flux IoT’s Eddy, a robot measuring less than a foot tall and resembling a life buoy, is built with military-grade sensors and armed with image-processing technology. 

Its inventors intend it to become the industry standard for commercial and amateur indoor farmers who want to grow pesticide-free, water-efficient crops via hydroponics -- a method of growing plants without soil. Eddy sits in the growing reservoir, and users can stay updated on their crops’ progress via a mobile app, where information gleaned from fellow farmers can help them know when to change the lighting or add nutrients.

Currently closing a $2 million seed funding to start manufacturing, Flux is planning another financing round of as much as $8 million later this year, its size dependent on how many robots sell on crowdfunding platform Indiegogo Inc., said Chief Executive Officer Blake Burris. It’s also growing its U.S. team, primarily based in Colorado, while research and development will remain in Israel. The Israeli team is led by co-founder and Chief Technology Officer Amichai Yifrach, who previously built nano sniffers to detect explosives and image processing tools to protect U.S. troops at checkpoints in Afghanistan and Iraq.

“In the army you build perimeter security using imaging processes and webcams that can see things the human eye can’t,” said Flux VP of marketing and co-founder Karin Kloosterman, a former journalist. “With that technology Eddy can look at a plant and detect nutrient deficiency and tell you what it is. Right now you have to be a trained agronomist to know.”

Zirra.com Ltd., an Israeli startup that uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to analyze the private tech market, says Flux’s offering “poses significant disruption in their relevant space,” but that the price of the robot could be a “showstopper.” 

Burris says they plan to sell Eddy for $179, and expect to sell anywhere between 10,000 to 25,000 robots this year. Rival SmartBee Controllers, which provides water content sensors, sells starter systems starting at $2,500. A water content sensor alone costs between $350 and $400.

Green Shoots

Hydroponic farming is growing in importance as government agencies such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture reflect on the potential impact of industrial or conventional farming, including soil productivity decline, pollution and depletion of natural resources such as water.

According to global market research firm IBISWorld, the U.S. hydroponic industry alone will reach $856.8 million by 2021, from $821 million in 2016 and the number of businesses will jump from 2,347 to more than 3,000. Flux sees home gardeners as a target market, and in the U.S. 42 million households grow food at home, according to The National Gardening Association.

Scotts Miracle-Grow Co., the world’s largest seller of lawn and garden products, bought an Arizona-based company in October to boost its hydroponics offering. New Zealand-based Bluelab, a global supplier of testing and control equipment for hydroponics, gives basic readings that are linked to a computer and is also working on a mobile app. One of the big markets for hydroponic equipment are cannabis growers.

Flux will assemble the first few thousand robots in Israel, and if demand expands as expected, manufacturing will move to China shortly thereafter.

The intersect in hydroponics is also spreading between worlds. Elon Musk has plans for a Martian colony, NASA is trying hydroponics out in space, and the European Space Agency is cooperating with the Space Farm Collective led by a Netherlands Border Labs team on ways to grow food on planets other than Earth. Thieme Hennis, head of the Space Farm Collective, is testing out Eddy to see how it might help a citizen science project called Watch Me Grow, aimed at finding plants that will grow best in space, and improve ways even the public can grow their own food on Earth.

“Eddy has to prove itself on a larger scale, but something like this is necessary and offers an interface for non-professional and professional growers alike to understand and ‘talk’ with plants,” said Hennis.

2nd International Congress on Controlled Environment Agriculture

2nd International Congress on Controlled Environment Agriculture

Dr Toyoki Kozai is known as the “Father of the Japanese Plant Factory.”

The 2nd International Congress on Controlled Environment Agriculture (ICCEA 2017) will take place in the Republic of Panama, at the Hotel El Panama, between 17 -19 May 2017. The Congress offers an opportunity to learn from the most innovative minds in the industry. Speakers will focus on the skills and knowledge needed to finance, design and operate a successful and innovative farm operation, albeit an indoor vertical farm, greenhouses or a combination of a protected and controlled environment.

The event will focus on the six main areas of controlled environment agriculture (CEA) management:

1. Environment
2. Nutrient Solutions
3. Growing Systems
4. Light
5. Water
6. Energy

This year’s Keynote Speaker is Dr Toyoki Kozai from Chiba University in Japan. Currently, Dr Kozai is leading Research and Development of Controlled Environment Agriculture with a primary focus on Vertical Farms (Plant Factories) for commercial food production. Dr  Kozai is a Professor Emeritus and an Endowed Chair at the Center for Environment, Health and Filed Sciences at Chiba University.

Since 2010, Dr Kozai has been working as the Chief-Director of the Japan Plant Factory (Vertical Farm) Association, a non-profit organization for the advancement of the industry.

This second event of its kind, the ICCEA 2017 will continue to be the place to engage, learn and apply the foundations of controlled environment agriculture (CEA) for greenhouse and vertical farm owners and operators.

ICCEA2017 will focus on:

• Understanding technology used in producing greenhouse and vertically farmed produce
• Understanding nutrients used in hydroponics
• Learning the latest research available on controlled environment crops
• How LED Grow Lights impact photosynthesis and plant growth
• Learning new production techniques
• Managing your CEA business
• Automation and robotics
• Integrated Pest Management strategies
• and more!

The event is expected to attract over 600 attendees and over 40 exhibitors specialized in agriculture, indoor farms, greenhouse and Ag Tech in the Americas and around the world.

For a detailed program outline, exhibitor information and delegate registration, visit: ww.icceapanama.org  Ω

Urban Crops Announces Corporate Name Change to Urban Crop Solutions

 March 9th, 2017 11:16

Urban Crops Announces Corporate Name Change to Urban Crop Solutions

As of today Urban Crops will change its name to Urban Crop Solutions, highlighting the core of the company being a global turnkey solution provider in automated plant growth infrastructure and plant growth recipes. In alignment with the adoption of the new name Urban Crop Solutions has also launched a new website: urbancropsolutions.com.

“We are very excited about the introduction of our new company name and believe that the name Urban Crop Solutions allows us to better represent our business model, being an independent turnkey vertical farming solution provider with an extensive after sales model”, explains Maarten Vandecruys, co-founder and managing director of Urban Crop Solutions. “Being categorized as a solution provider better aligns with our philosophy and core values of delivering reliable and qualitative products and services” adds Frederic Bulcaen, co-founder and chairman of Urban Crop Solutions. “All our products and installations are engineered and manufactured to be industry-proof.”

We are very excited about the introduction of our new company name and believe that the name Urban Crop Solutions allows us to better represent our business model, being an independent turnkey vertical farming solution provider with an extensive after sales model.

Maarten Vandecruys, co-founder and managing director

Urban Crop Solutions with headquarters in Beveren-Leie (Waregem, Belgium), in the middle of the Western European vegetable industry and surrounded by international well-reputed machine building companies, develops since 2014 tailored plant growth installations. These systems are turnkey, robotized and able to be integrated in existing production facilities or food processing units. Urban Crop Solutions also has its own range of standard growth container products. Being a total solution provider Urban Crop Solutions can also supply seeds, substrates and nutrients for clients that have limited or no knowledge or experience with farming. Currently the company has a growing list of more than 180 varieties of crops that can be grown in closed environment vertical farms and that have been validated. These plant recipes (ranging from leafy greens, vegetables, medicinal plants to flowers) are developed specifically for indoor farming applications and sometimes exclusively for clients by its team of plant scientists. Urban Crop Solutions has started activities in Miami (Florida, US) in 2016 and expects to have an own subsidiary in Japan in Q2 2017.

Growing crops in a climate controlled multi-layer environment with own developed LED lights achieves shorter growth cycles, higher water efficiency, flexible but guaranteed harvests and safe and healthy crops (no pesticides or herbicides needed). The grow infrastructure can be installed in new buildings, as well as in existing (industrial) buildings or unused spaces. Above all, it gives the clients the possibility to grow, harvest and consume locally, every day and in any chosen quantity.

www.urbancropsolutions.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/urbancropsolutions

Twitter: www.twitter.com/U_C_Solutions

LinkedIn: bit.ly/UrbanCropSolutionsLinkedIn

YouTube: bit.ly/UrbanCropSolutionsYouTube

Indoor Farming Takes Root At U of T Mississauga

Indoor Farming Takes Root At U of T Mississauga

Student startup, Just Vertical, is growing an indoor farm wall hydroponically at U of T Mississauga – with nutrient solution, instead of soil

At University of Toronto Mississauga, a plastic tower sprouts produce including curly starbor kale, buttercrunch and collard greens.

Rising almost six feet off the ground and illuminated by high output fluorescent bulbs, the indoor farm wall grows plants hydroponically – with nutrient solution, instead of soil. The water nourishes the roots, collects in a gutter and then recirculates back to a nutrient tank that feeds back into the hydroponic system.

The farm wall was the idea of Master of Science in Sustainability Management (MScSM) students Conner Tidd and Kevin Jakiela who partnered with Modular Farms Co., which specializes in vertical farming systems, to create distribution channels and services.

“You can grow pretty much anything,” Jakiela says. “Here, we’ve already grown three different types of lettuce, Genovese basil, joi choi, peppermint and parsley.”

From seed to harvest, it takes about four weeks to grow leafy greens and herbs.

“If you stagger it correctly, you can harvest it almost every day,” Tidd adds.

The wall costs just under $25 a month in electricity.

The seedlings, nestled in plugs made of peat moss, begin in a tray and are placed under a humidity dome where they germinate and are fed different levels of nutrients and pH. After a couple of weeks, they're ready to be transplanted into the tower.

Wicking strips help water find the path of least resistance by controlling the water flow and taking the water directly to the seedling roots.

“It’s a white cloth that you open up, put the plug in, then you close it like a sandwich, and put it into the tower,” Jakiela says.

Although the produce the farm wall yields is not organic-certified yet, the students' startup company, Just Vertical, uses organic-based practices, foregoing herbicides and pesticides.

“When you’re outside, you’re exposed to pests and fungi,” Tidd says. “Unless you’re using herbicides and pesticides, it’s going to be a problem especially when you’re growing strawberries and tomatoes.”

“With Just Vertical, Kevin and Conner have a great product in place, and manufacturing is lined up so now the initial focus will be on market validation,” says Sam Dumcum, the programs, strategic relationships and innovation lead at ICUBE, U of T Mississauga's incubator that provides startup support to new ventures at any stage.

Dumcum says that by focusing on market research during the next phase of their startup, Just Vertical will be able to have a solid base with which to advertise and sell their product but also to appeal to investors.

Valoya Launches "Heavy-Duty" Tube LED for Vertical Farms

Valoya Launches "Heavy-Duty" Tube LED for Vertical Farms

8 March 2017, by Gavin McEwan, Be the first to comment

Finnish specialist lighting manufacturer Valoya has extended its L range of LED tube lights for vertical farms.

With a 40W power consumption, the 18.m-long L40 tube is described by its manufacturer as a heavy duty fixture.

It has the same dimensions of standardised T8 tubes meaning it can be retrofitted into existing structures.

The fully enclosed L-Series has low power consumption, cool running temperature and maintenance-free lifetime of at least 50,000 hours.

They are dust-proof and can withstand submerging in water to a depth of 1m. They are available with all of Valoya's proven wide light spectra.

Current users include London's Growing Underground where Valoya's L-Series lights are used to cultivate a range of leafy greens and herbs.

• Read more on LED Lighting Systems

Are Urban Farms The Wave Of The Future?

Are Urban Farms The Wave Of The Future?

7 March 2017

MARK WHITTINGTON

The farm of the future may not be the traditional kind with crops planted in vast fields and serviced by tractors and subject to the vagaries of weather and soil quality. According to Buzzfeed, the farm of the future will be in warehouses in the middle of the city, with crops #Growing in nutrient baths and temperature, light, and even the atmosphere tightly controlled.

Right now these urban farms are producing trendy salad greens such as arugula and kale favored by fashionable foodies. The product is more expensive currently than naturally grown produce, but the potential for significant cost savings are apparent as the urban farms scale up.

The urban farms are far more productive than the rural kind. The growing season is year-round, 24/7. The warehouses where the food is being produced are near enough to restaurants and supermarkets so as to keep transportation costs low. The urban farms require less water than the natural, rural kind, a consideration where clean water has become scarce in certain parts of the world.

One of the factors that are holding back the proliferation of these facilities is high startup costs. Some existing agricultural factories, as some people have called them, have failed for various reasons. Nevertheless, some entrepreneurs are planning to expand the crops being grown, to cucumbers, peppers, and various berries.

The technology for these types of farms will certainly be adapted as people begin to settle other planets. No one is going to plant crops on the moon or Mars (at least until terraforming takes hold on the Red Planet.) But a dedicated agriculture facility would provide all the needs for future space settlers

The question also arises, what to call these new factory grown food. It cannot, at least according to current law, be called “organic” despite the fact that the method uses no pesticides. Call it “post-organic.” The crops are generally not genetically modified because the environment is altered to suit the plants and not the other way around.

Are these type of vertical farms the wave of the future? Very likely, sooner rather than later, a lot of food we eat will be grown indoors, with LED lights rather than the sun.

The Urban Farming Pioneer Who Wants To Feed The City’s Soul

The Urban Farming Pioneer Who Wants To Feed The City’s Soul

Bjorn Low made the work of growing food in urban spaces ‘sexy’, but his other mission is to help city-dwellers reconnect with life. His story on Game Changers.

• By Steffi Koh

•  
• Posted 05 Mar 2017 10:15

SINGAPORE: For four years after giving up his corporate job which was making him miserable, Bjorn Low spent a happy four years working on organic farms in far-flung places such as Scotland, Spain and Japan.

But when he returned to Singapore to start up a farm here, he hit a costly roadblock – he could ill-afford the land he needed. “I wasn’t shocked but surprised,” he said.

“To buy 10 acres of land (about the size of 10 football fields) in the middle of Wales with a river running through, with a farmhouse, cost less than a HDB flat in Singapore then.”

How could one farm without land? While looking around Singapore, the many green spaces in the midst of urban development triggered an epiphany – why not make use of the many under-utilised spaces to grow food?

That’s when the mission of turning Singapore into an “edible garden city” – which eventually became the name of his enterprise – took shape.

GETTING CHEFS TO CHOOSE LOCAL

Inspired by what he called a “global movement” of chefs wanting to connect with local farmers, Mr Low started out setting up edible herb gardens - initially using something as simple as stacked wooden boxes - and was soon approached by various hotels and restaurants.

But to grow his business, he needed international chefs and bartenders here to demand locally-grown herbs too.

Convincing them proved to be a challenge. “A lot of the chefs are very used to using Western herbs but they don’t grow very well in our climate,” said Mr Low.

“You need to spend millions of dollars to set up that infrastructure. Using a lot more local herbs and vegetables allows us scale up our operations much faster with lower infrastructure costs.”

An opportunity arose when Spa Esprit Group’s CEO Ms Cynthia Chua approached Mr Low, 36, and together with French chef Benjamin Darnaud – a believer in growing one’s own vegetables – they started Open Farm Community, a restaurant set in an urban farm on Minden Road.

“Urban farming in Singapore was previously unheard of,” said Ms Chua. “But now there is a momentum, there is a rhythm, and it was started because of people who are passionate about it like Bjorn.”

As Mr Low’s business partner, she helped put Edible Garden City on the radar of dining establishments such as the Tippling Club and Jamie’s Italian, encouraging them to use herbs grown in Singapore like cinnamon basil and white pea flowers.

FOOD FOR THE SOUL

But for Mr Low, the success of Edible Garden City goes beyond being a movement for locally-grown ingredients, to something almost existential in nature.

He described how working on overseas farms had helped his wife, Crystal, and him to escape the accumulated stress of working in the advertising industry.

“Working on the farm made me realise that actually, there is more to life than material wealth,” said Mr Low. “Being in touch with nature, and growing (my) own food, was able to fill up the void in my soul.”

He noted how “being able to nurture something to life” has been observed to help people out of depression. He added: “I’ve a history of depression in my family, so there’s multi-layered motivation for me to continue to do this - not just myself but for everyone in the community.”

His simple and wholesome outlook on life turned out to be contagious.

His employee, Mr Christopher Leow, 29, never thought that he could be a farmer in Singapore until he stumbled upon Mr Low at one of his talks.

“He made farming attractive to young people. He made it very sexy,” said Mr Leow, who used to manage a mobile coffee business. He is now one of 22 employees at Edible Garden City, which had started out with a staff of just three in 2012.

MUSHROOMING SUCCESS

The company’s revenue has since quadrupled to S$800,000 annually in the last four years, a point of success which has helped bury Mr Low’s family’s initial doubts.

“They realised that it’s become a career for me and a business that’s sustainable,” said Mr Low.

Edible Garden City now operates from an 8,000-sqm plot of land in Queenstown. Calling the place “home”, Mr Low said that with the security of a nine-year lease, his team can now “go full steam ahead with experiments” to show how under-used spaces can produce food and add to the aesthetics of the area.

The company is also working with the Spa Esprit group to create skincare and beauty products out of organic herbs. Calendula flowers with their anti-microbial and anti-fungal properties, for instance, can be made into creams, soaps and tea, said Mr Low.

“We have to innovate and add value to the crops we are growing so that we can make it a more sustainable industry,” he said.

One project will see Edible Garden City training and employing adults with Down Syndrome to grow mushrooms out of coffee and food waste, as part of their exploration into “closed-loop” farming.

“Essentially, we’re able to deal with the food waste problem in the city itself, and not having to cart it to a landfill,” explained Mr Low. He hopes this model can be scaled into other sites and even abroad - creating employment for slum-dwellers like those in Bangkok and Jakarta.

“It’s really important for me that it takes off, because I feel that, inherently, we can help urbanites reconnect with nature,” said Mr Low. “Gardening and horticulture has a way to let people understand what life is about.”

What Climate Change Has To Do With The Price of

What Climate Change Has To Do With The Price of Your Lettuce

By Caitlin Dewey March 3, 2017

A worker labors at a romaine lettuce farm in Yuma County, Ariz. (Eric Thayer/Reuters)

Unusual weather in the Southwest could cause a nationwide salad shortage later this month. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg (lettuce): Scientists say the weird weather is probably caused by climate change — which means these sorts of problems are likely to happen again.

The shortage, first reported by NPR, is the result of two separate phenomena in Arizona’s Yuma County and California’s Salinas Valley, the two places where the United States grows most of its leafy greens. In Yuma, the lettuce harvest, which usually runs from November to April, wound up early because of unusually warm weather. And in central California, which typically picks up the harvest once Yuma is done, heavy precipitation delayed some plantings.

[Across the U.S., February 2017 was the near-warmest in three decades]

That could potentially cause a gap at some point between lettuce supplies, said George Frisvold, an agricultural economist at the University of Arizona. Frisvold’s colleague, Jonathan Overpeck, the director of the university’s Institute of the Environment, says we can blame ourselves, in part, for the great salad shortage.

“There’s this old adage in climate science that you can’t attribute any one event to human causes,” Overpeck said. “That’s not really true anymore, because now it’s really been established that humans alter the whole global climate system. Anything related to increased warmth in the atmosphere likely has some element of human causation.”

Both the temperature in Yuma and the rain in Salinas have a link to atmospheric warmth. The case of Yuma is pretty obvious: Temperatures in the Southwest have been increasing for 100 years, and this winter was no different. According to the National Weather Service, February’s average temperature was two degrees warmer than the recorded average in recent decades.

In Salinas, the situation is a bit more complex, Overpeck said. The region has seen an unusual number of storms called “atmospheric rivers” -- you might know them by the name Pineapple Express — which push heavy precipitation to the Pacific coast from around the Hawaiian islands. It’s unclear whether climate change has a role in the increased incidence of atmospheric rivers, Overpeck said. While some early research suggests that is the case, more data is needed to confirm it.

That said, it’s “a basic concept of physics” that when the atmosphere is warmer, it holds more moisture, Overpeck explained. That means that, when storm clouds form, you tend to see more snow and rain.

According to the 2012 Census of Agriculture, Yuma County boasts nearly 70,000 acres of planted lettuce, while Monterey County, the home of the Salinas Valley, has 134,000. The 2015 Salinas harvest was valued at more than $1.65 billion.

Both regions primarily grow iceberg and leaf lettuce, followed by spinach and baby greens.

Incidentally, these sorts of cascading disruptions aren’t just limited to lettuce — or even to the United States. Britain recently suffered a widely publicized shortage of iceberg lettuce, zucchini, broccoli and cabbage, brought on by extreme weather in Europe’s “salad bowl,” Spain.

Bad weather in Spain causes European lettuce shortage

Spanish farmers say the shortage of lettuce in European retailers will continue into March as a result of bad winter weather conditions. But they say the recent rationing by supermarkets in the UK was not their fault. (Reuters)

Closer to home, fruit growers across the Northeast and Midwest have expressed concern that unusually high and fluctuating temperatures could cause crops like apples, cherries, plums and grapes to develop too early and expose them to spring freezes. The Progressive Farmer recently warned that “almost off the charts” temperatures in Kansas and Oklahoma could put early-growing winter wheat at similar risk, plus expose it to warm-weather pests and diseases.

[Cherry blossom forecast: Peak bloom will be close to record-early this year]

In 2012, high winter temperatures cost Michigan $220 million in cherry harvests. That same year, unusually hot nighttime temperatures also cut into Corn Belt yields.

The National Climate Assessment estimated that California and Arizona will have gained 70 extra hot nights per year and 12 to 15 additional consecutive days without rain by the end of the century, because of warming.

“Climate change impacts on agriculture,” the report concludes, “will have consequences for food security both in the U.S. and globally.”

Compared with that dire prediction, of course, a few weeks without lettuce probably doesn’t sound so bad. Frisvold cautions that any price spikes resulting from a shortage would probably be short term and that none have materialized just yet.

But in the sense that the looming salad scenario signals things to come, it's worth paying attention.

“Every grower is noting warming,” Overpeck said. “And while we can’t say what percentage is due to humans, we can say humans are putting their foot on the accelerator.”

Meet Herbert, The Vertical Hydroponic Wall Garden

Meet Herbert, The Vertical Hydroponic Wall Garden

Derek Markham (@derekmarkham)

March 3, 2017

Share on Facebook

© Ponix Systems

The latest edition of YAIGU (yet another indoor grow unit) brings you Herbert, an LED-powered indoor "farm" that grows greens & veggies on your wall.

There's nothing like fresh homegrown produce, but if you don't have an outdoor garden space, or you want a year-round supply of greens and veggies, you're gonna have to bring the 'farm' indoors. And the recent explosion of indoor grow unit products seems to suggest that there are a lot of people who are willing to do so, which might speak more to the desire for high-tech solutions than it does for the desire for local food (but which is probably a combination of the two).

The latest entry to the indoor growing gadget scene is Herbert, which is designed to be a space-saving solution, as it hangs on the wall, as well as a highly efficient one, as it incorporates both hydroponics (for fast growth) and LED lights (for energy-efficient illumination). While there's no indication of where the product's name comes from (Was Herbert a fantastic gardener? Is Herbert a strange portmanteau of herb + robot?), what's clear is that people dig the concept, as the Kickstarter campaign has already quadrupled its crowdfunding goal, with three weeks still to run.

At the core of Herbert is a hydroponic growing system, which grows the plants in a water-based solution (water plus nutrients) instead of soil, allowing for a smaller grow unit (plants need less space for growing medium) as well as more control over nutrient delivery, while also using 90% less water than soil-based systems. Driving the plants' growth is a 60W LED lighting unit, which is said to have been developed specifically for optimal growth, and between the hydroponic system and the lighting, Herbert is said to be "40% faster compared to traditional farming methods."

"Plants use sunlight to convert CO₂ into sugar and other organic compounds. With our lighting solutions you are not only not dependant on daylight anymore and require less thereof, with Malina, our adaptive LED, it is possible to change the light spectrum to meet the specific requirements of plants and their different growth stages. Taste, yield, resilience towards pest problems, surface feel, and growth - all these factors can be influenced by using an optimal lighting system!" - Ponix Systems

15 plants can fit into Herbert, ranging from salad greens to herbs to strawberries, and the initial purchase includes 30 biodegradable sponges (which are used instead of a pot with soil), as well as starter set of seeds and fertilizer. And seeing as it's 2017, a subscription model will have new seeds, sponges, and fertilizer shipped direct to your door if desired.

The units measure 32.3 x 22.0 x 4.5 inches (820 x 560 x 115 mm) and weigh 26.5 lb (12 kg) when fully loaded with plants and water. And BECAUSE APPS, Herbert also integrates with an iOS or Android application that can be used to adjust the lighting settings, as well as "guide you through the growing process."

Here's the kicker, though, which may be a deal-killer for some: Herbert costs almost $400 for backers of the campaign, which is said to be 25% off the future retail price. That's a lot of green for growing green on your wall, but it could be an even trade-off for those who value homegrown produce. The other potential downside to Herbert is the grow light, which is essential to its operation, but which could also be too much light for people in some rooms of the house (your mileage may vary, but I've got an LED grow light that's about double the wattage, and it's intensely bright).

Find out more about this vertical hydro unit at the Herbert Kickstarter page or at Ponix Systems.

Modular Farms Newsletter #7

Modular Farms Newsletter #7

February was a very historic month for Modular Farms. We harvested our first batch of fruiting crops, trained our first class of Modular Farmers, put FarmWalls up in schools and food banks, and began wrapping up production of our first set of Modular Farms! 

We are extremely proud and thankful for all the tireless work and dedication that has been put forth by our team, our neophyte farmers, and our community partners. Together, our continued efforts are bringing Canada that much closer to having a truly sustainable and secure means of local food production from coast to coast. 

Our foray into cultivating fruiting crops on our office ZipGrow towers has been a great success so far. As you can see from the above photos, our daily Tomato harvests are in full swing and the yields have been more bountiful than we initially imagined. Our first big batch of Strawberries are also beginning to ripen and soon Cucumber and Hot Pepper sprouts will find a home alongside them.

We also decided to give our ZipRack a big upgrade this month by swapping out its standard T5 white lights for Intravision Spectra Blades. The Blades are the same lights we chose to utilize inside our Modular Farms, and for good reason - they make a world of a difference. The spectrum variable LEDs add a new depth of flavor and vibrancy to anything being grown beneath them, while simultaneously increasing their photogenicity by 1000%. 

We are proud to announce that February 2017 marked the first official month of Modular Farmer training. Over the past few weeks, our first crop of farmers-to-be have made their pilgrimage to Cornwall, where they received some rigorous, hands-on, tutelage from the Smart Greens gurus. All that's left now is for them to receive their farms and begin the rewarding process of reshaping Canada's access to locally grown, sustainable produce one area at a time.

The first few areas to reap the benefits will be Calgary, via the Vertically Fresh Farms team, and Sudbury, via our first Western Ontario-based Smart Greens brand farm, courtesy of Stephane Lanteigne. 

The west coast extension of our team - Ethan and Cole - have been doing some incredible philanthropic work within their community. Their company, Living Garden Foods, has recently partnered with the US-based Modern Steader in order to bring their industry leading hydroponic-based classroom curriculum north of the border. They have also help to set up some student-run FarmWalls at the Zion Lutheran Church in Cloverdale, BC, which operates a food bank that is now proud to offer those in need regular servings of fresh salad vegetables.

If you're Canadian, and have found yourself on the fence when it comes to purchasing a FarmWall, now might be the time to pull the trigger. For a limited time, all of our FarmWalls are currently being shipped free of charge to all customers residing in Canada. However, we must warn you that owning and operating a FarmWall will turn you into a snob. You will start questioning the taste and freshness of any other produce you eat that was not directly seeded, grown, and picked by you.

Once again we managed to scrape together some time-lapse footage to get you all quickly brought up to speed on this months transpirings at our office. As you can see, emails were answered, seeds were sown, fruits were ripened, wood was cut, and farms were built; another month in paradise. 

Stay tuned for the next installment of our newsletter!

Hungry for more?

Here's some recent updates and tips from our friends at Bright Agrotech -

Learn by Doing: How to Use a Pilot System to Learn Vertical Farming
by: Amy Storey

Modern Hydroponic Production: Why All the Right People Are Wrong
by: Nate Storey

The 6 Main Challenges of Classroom Gardens (And How to Overcome Them)

Why The local Food Trend Will Not Cut It In A Climate Change Future

Why The local Food Trend Will Not Cut It In A Climate Change Future

by Pay Drechsel | CGIAR

Thursday, 2 March 2017 14:23 GMT

ABOUT OUR CLIMATE COVERAGE

We focus on the human and development impacts of climate change

Urban agriculture already plays an important role in global food production, but can it keep cities fed?

Securing sufficient food and nutrition for growing cities is considered one of today’s greatest development challenges.

Getting food from farms to urban centres raises a number of well-known issues: transporting fresh food can be costly and complicated, leading to concerns about affordability, nutritional quality and environmental impact.

But with the advance of climate change, yet another question is quickly rising to the top of the list: how can cities secure a reliable supply of food when droughts, floods and other extreme weather events are frequently interrupting supply chains?

This question is likely to be among those discussed at The Economist’s upcoming Sustainability Summit, and so ahead of the session on “Cities of the Future”, we look at what we actually know about urban food systems and their potential resilience.

GO LOCAL - OR GO GLOBAL?

The local food movement has increasingly been touted as a solution for a reliable, affordable supply of food to cities, especially in the developed world.

Concepts such as “vertical farming” – growing food in skyscrapers using hydroponics to bypass the need for soil or sunlight – has generated a great deal of interest, and it will likely be one of a diverse set of urban agriculture types we will see more of in the future.

Urban agriculture already plays a greater role in global food production than what we might think, with 456 million hectares - an area nearly half the size of the USA - under cultivation within 20km of the world’s cities, and 67 million hectares being farmed in open spaces in the urban core.

Yet, the findings of a recent study imply relying on urban farming is not enough.

In fact, we have found there is little evidence that local food systems are inherently better than national or global ones when it comes to securing supplies. Rather, a diversified urban food supply system, with food originating from a range of sources, might instead bolster a city’s resilience because it would be less sensitive to the impacts of climate change. In this scenario, even if farms near a city are flooded and the harvest lost, food from other sources might still be available.

For example, vegetable supplies in Spain were recently affected by extreme weather after lots of rain and then lots of snow in the Mediterranean. Subsequent shortages of aubergine, courgette and lettuces forced prices up, affecting the domestic market as well as the international market.

Considering the risks of such a dependence on a singular food source, what can we say about the resilience of some of world’s fastest growing cities?

TALE OF TWO WEST AFRICAN CITIES

Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, experienced a 400 percent population increase between 1985 and 2012, swelling to almost 2 million people today. In Tamale, in neighbouring Ghana, the urban population has doubled every decade since 1970, today reaching about 400,000.

Our team recently spent two years tracking more than 40,000 records of food flowing in and out of these two cities. For each entry, we catalogued the place of origin, type of food and destination.

The results showed that both cities relied heavily on agricultural production in nearby areas to meet urban food demand. About a third of the food supplying Tamale originated from within 30km and half from within 100km. Some foods came almost solely from within the city itself; 90 per cent of leafy vegetables, which are an important part of traditional diets and rich in nutrients, were supplied by urban farming.

But both cities also depended on supplies of some food from further afield. For example, Ouagadougou is heavily reliant on imported rice, an important staple food that cannot easily be substituted by other crops. While it is grown in the region, domestic production cannot meet the demand.

At the same time, we also saw that climate change-induced weather events can have grave consequences for urban food supply: in 2007, droughts and subsequent floods in northern Ghana destroyed half of all staple crops. The results were, again, food shortages and rising prices.

INVESTING IN DIVERSE SUPPLY CHAINS

The findings of the Ouagadougou-Tamale study imply that achieving a sustainable, resilient urban food system is not a simple question of either local or global food supply chains; both are necessary. The more diverse urban food supply systems, the more resilient.

Local agricultural production needs to be considered in urban planning because most cities already are dependent on locally produced food. Overall, the extent of urban agriculture on a global scale warrants a reorientation of agricultural policies and development work, which are mostly focused on rural contexts.

Further, locally produced food comes with a set of significant advantages: the carbon footprint is lower, and food reaches consumers when it is fresh. Not least, local production safeguards the livelihoods and incomes of smallholders.

Yet it cannot stand alone; relying on a single cluster of high-rise buildings or peri-urban farms to provide a megacity with all the food it needs is just too risky.

Instead, planning for resilient food systems in cities of the future will require a holistic perspective. Focusing on diversity – including diverse sources, actors, means of transportation and more – may be the first step toward reliably securing food for growing urban populations in the face of climate change.

As we head for a world with many more mouths to feed, variety may be more than just the spice of life – it may be its bread and butter too.

A city farm in East Perth, Western Australia. The UN is urging cities to include food production in its urban planning. Image: 

Wannabe Urban Gardners, How About This Indoor Farm to Get You Started?

Wannabe Urban Gardners, How About This Indoor Farm to Get You Started?

By Trevor Mogg — March 2, 2017 12:40 AM

If the idea of urban gardening appeals but you're concerned about space, then the Altifarm is definitely worth a look.

If you’ve always fancied tending your own vegetable garden but live in a place so small that such a hobby seems impossible, then there may be a solution.

The Altifarm is a modular solution for wannabe urban gardeners that lets you grow vegetables and herbs year-round, inside your apartment.

The Indiegogo project recently blasted through its funding target, so the Altifarm could be in your lounge, or possibly on your balcony if you have one, within months.

Described as “a complete home farm,” the kit comprises four tiers to keep it compact and, according to its Mumbai maker, can be set up in just five minutes. It’s on wheels, too, so you can easily move it around if necessary,

And here’s another bonus: If watering your garden feels like too much effort, or you’re worried about forgetting such duties, then fear not. The setup includes an automatic watering system, with your only responsibility to fill up the reservoir around once a week.

If your apartment doesn’t let in much natural light, the Altifarm also offers a low-power light pack that provides all the necessary light wavelengths to get your greens growing fast. There’s even a purpose-built greenhouse extension pack — essentially a clear plastic covering with a zipper — to protect your plants from extreme weather should you choose to put your Altifarm outside.

If you’re still making excuses about why you can’t grow your own food at home, then consider how everything that you produce will be free from all of those nasty chemicals used in modern-day industrial farming.

More: New farming startup takes agriculture indoors

Of course, as the Altifarm is fairly small, growing large fruit and vegetables would be something of a challenge. But the startup helpfully suggests nourishing edibles such as strawberries, raspberries, bell peppers, lettuce, herbs, and even broccoli and cauliflower. But take note, the setup doesn’t come with soil or seeds, so it’s entirely up to you how you fill it. The green-fingered crew behind the kit has a website providing tips on how to get started with your Altifarm with posts such as “12 awesome foods that are perfect for your indoor garden” and “a guide to growing vegetables and flowers from seeds.”

The Altifarm’s Indiegogo page offers a range of deals depending on how many extras you purchase with the base product. Prices start at $179, offering a decent saving of $70 on the expected retail price.

Read more: http://www.digitaltrends.com/home/urban-gardeners-altifarm/#ixzz4aB3T3NLa 
Follow us: @digitaltrends on Twitter | DigitalTrends on Facebook

ICCEA 2017: Dr. Toyoki Kozai’s Take On Vertical Farming

ICCEA 2017: Dr. Toyoki Kozai’s Take On Vertical Farming

The celebrated researcher and ICCEA Panama keynote speaker looks back on his career and toward the future of controlled environment agriculture.

March 2, 2017
Patrick Williams

Also known as the “Father of Vertical Farming,” Dr. Toyoki Kozai, professor emeritus at Chiba University in Chiba, Japan, has been making strides in controlled environment agriculture for decades. From his work on energy savings and artificial lighting to his studies with in vitro plant propagation and medicinal plant production, Kozai has earned the high esteem of controlled environment agriculturalists worldwide.

Kozai, who previously served as president of Chiba University and has edited numerous papers, book chapters and the books “Plant Factory” and “LED Lighting for Urban Agriculture,” will give the keynote speech on May 17, 2017 at the International Congress on Controlled Environment Agriculture in Panama City, Panama. Produce Grower is proud to be a media partner for the event.

As ICCEA Panama approaches, Produce Grower magazine caught up with Kozai to discuss his vertical farming and lighting research, new technologies and methods of production, and which countries and companies are expressing interest in the growing market.

Produce Grower: Your keynote topic is titled "LED lighting for Urban Agriculture." How is LED lighting different for urban agriculture than for agriculture in other types of controlled environments?

Dr. Toyoki Kozai: By using LED, we can choose an optimal light quality for vegetative growth, reproductive (flowering) growth, and/or secondary metabolite production of crops with use of minimum electricity consumption. Inter-crop supplemental lighting can be conducted most efficiently by using LEDs. LED technology has still been advancing rapidly and the cost performance of using LEDs will be improved further in the near future. Optimal LED lighting recipe for value-added plant production will open a new business (cosmetics, medicinal, plant-derived food/soft drink additives).

PG: What else can ICCEA Panama attendees expect from your presentation?

TK: I will talk about the applications of AI (artificial intelligence) with big data mining, ICT (information and communication technology) with camera image processing, and global and local network with open source database.

PG: How has the vertical farming industry changed since you were a keynote speaker at ICCEA 2015?

TK: Many big private companies such as Philips, Panasonic, Syngenta (Seeds), Apple computer, etc. are entering the vertical farming business.

PG: Can you give us examples of some of the research you have done over the years on vertical farming?

TK: Online estimation of rates of photosynthesis, transpiration (water uptake) and respiration in vertical farms.

Reduction in electricity costs for lighting and air conditioning by improving LED lighting system and lighting period scheduling, operation modes of air conditioners, and optimization of environmental factors other than light.

Standardization and guideline drawing-up of units and terminology used in vertical farming.

PG: Which research projects have you found to be most fulfilling?

TK: The most fulfilling project for the next generation of vertical farms is the online estimation of rates of photosynthesis, transpiration (water uptake) and respiration in vertical farms.

PG: What is a Plant Factory with Artificial Light (PFAL), and why is it important for CEA?

TK: PFAL is a group of vertical farms. PFAL is characterized by its high airtightness, high thermal insulation with a high hygiene level, where they can produce clean and high quality vegetables ready to eat without washing. The PFAL is best not suited to maximize the yields with highest quality using minimum resources and minimum emission of wastes currently, but it will become best in the coming decades.

PG: In an interview with Greenhouse Management magazine in 2015, you said Japanese CEA greenhouse innovation is behind the Dutch? Do you still feel that way? Is Japan catching up at all?

TK: Yes, I feel that Japanese CEA greenhouse innovation is still behind the Dutch. Japanese CEA greenhouses are small scaled and cannot invest a lot for innovations. On the other hand, most greenhouse growers are making profits because the retail prices of vegetables are high in Japan. This situation make Japanese greenhouse growers a bit lazy.

PG: What response would you have for a person who does not think that the high cost of vertical farms is worthwhile? What about in regard to LED lighting?

TK: The cost of vertical farms has been decreasing year by year.

The initial cost per floor area of vertical farms is currently about 10 times higher than that of [a] greenhouse with environment control units. On the other hands, the productivity per unit floor area of leafy vegetables is about 10 times higher than that of greenhouse, meaning that initial cost per production capacity is comparable. Also, the yield in vertical farms is not affected by weather and pest insects. The direct production per kilogram of fresh vegetables in vertical farms and greenhouses is currently comparable in Japan.

However, you need very high skills (knowledge, experience, etc.) to manage the vertical farms.

The price of LEDs has been decreasing year by year. On the other hand, the introduction of LEDs to vertical farms is justified only when they know which LED is best and how to use it.PG: You recently released the book "LED Lighting for Urban Agriculture." What led you to develop this book? How is it different from other books on the market?

TK: Recent technological developments in LEDs, image processing, big data mining, [and] DNA sequencing are remarkable. I intended to include such recent technological developments in "LED Lighting for Urban Agriculture." In “Plant Factory” published by Academic Press in 2015, these technologies were described very little.

PG: What does the future look like for vertical farming?

TK: It is promising. Commercialization of vertical farms started in Asian countries such as Japan and Taiwan since 2010. It is going to be started in the Netherlands this year. Russia has a strong interest in the vertical farming business.

Commercialization of strawberry production in vertical farms started in Japan two years ago. Commercialization of high-wire cherry tomato production has been considered in the Netherlands. Many private companies are interested in the production of medicinal plants in vertical farms.

Patrick Williams is the associate editor of Produce Grower magazine. pwilliams@gie.net

The Future Of Urban Farming Might Actually Be Suburban Farming

The Future Of Urban Farming Might Actually Be Suburban Farming

After dealing with the high costs and logistical nightmares of developing in urban areas, one farming startup realized that they could streamline their process by moving just a bit outside the city limits.

• ADELE PETERS 03.02.17 10:30 AM

When the urban farming startup BrightFarms first launched, it envisioned building its hydroponic greenhouses directly on grocery store roofs and on vacant city lots. Now, it says that the smartest place to grow food for cities may be just outside of them.

The company’s newest site will be in the town of Wilmington, Ohio. With a population of only 12,459, it's not the target market. But it's near Dayton, Columbus, and Cincinnati, which together have a population over a million people.

BrightFarms also has greenhouses in Bucks County, Pennsylvania; Culpeper County, Virginia; and Rochelle, Illinois—all also near, but not in, large cities. The new strategy lets the company avoid the costs and challenges of working on urban sites, while still providing a local version of foods like salad greens that would normally travel thousands of miles.

"Like most good strategies, it was driven by some painful experiences," Paul Lightfoot, CEO of BrightFarms, tells Co.Exist. "Basically, we had a couple of failures. We tried to develop a giant rooftop of a building in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, and we also tried to develop an environmentally soiled parcel of land in the city of Washington D.C., owned by the city."

In both cases, the landowners were eager for BrightFarms to build, and they had strong support from the communities and city leaders. But both sites had challenges. In Brooklyn, the roof needed complex engineering work that couldn't be completed on the startup's timeline; in D.C., the city had to do environmental remediation that also took longer that was commercially viable.

Both cities also had complex regulations that weren't created with urban agriculture in mind. "We found ourselves dealing with a regulatory framework that didn't understand us, and didn't have the ability to adapt to us," Lightfoot says. The projects were classified as "industrial" rather than agricultural, which triggered regulations that didn't fit.

In smaller communities, the experience was radically different. In Virginia, because it was considered an agricultural project, it was exempt from the typical permitting process. "I think we got the permit in a week," Lightfoot says. "In D.C., we spent a year getting it."

The company realized that even if it built outside city limits, it could still stay close enough that transportation would be negligible. BrightFarms sells its produce in 150 stores in the D.C. market, and even if its greenhouses were inside city limits, it would still require driving fairly long distances to make deliveries to all of the stores.

"Being in the city center is not logistically a benefit," Lightfoot says. "Being 30 miles out of the city is just as good as being in the city. The extra cost of building in a city has absolutely no benefit except for maybe shallow, fake marketing, but it has a real significance in terms of capital costs, and in some cases, operation costs as well, including utilities and transportation."

BrightFarms' greenhouses often make use of underutilized spaces: In Rochelle, Illinois, they've set up on an empty lot between a distribution center and a factory that was once farmland, then an industrial park.

Even though BrightFarms sometimes establishes its greenhouses near traditional farms, the startup isn't directly competing with the other operations because it's focused on tomatoes and greens that typically come from California or Arizona. The greenhouses grow the food with a tiny fraction of the water, and provide it fresher to customers. Less perishable crops, such as root vegetables and corn, are left to traditional farms.

BrightFarms plans to use the same model, building outside cities, as it moves forward. After closing a $30 million equity round in September 2016, it plans to open 14 more greenhouses over the next four years.

Vertical Future: London Based Start-Up to Launch Device to Tackle Air Pollution In Major Cities

Vertical Future: London Based Start-Up to Launch Device to Tackle Air Pollution In Major Cities

The World Health Organisation estimates air pollution annually costs the UK £62bn

• Zlata Rodionova 
• 
  The Independent Online

This year London reached its annual limit for pollution in just five days, according to data from the capital’s main monitoring system. Reuters

A London-based tech start-up is developing a secretive tool designed to limit the impact of air pollution in major cities.

Husband-and-wife team Jamie and Marie-Alexandrine Burrows this week launched Vertical Future, a company backed by HSBC, which aims to tackle the negative effects of urbanisation and make our cities a “healthier place to live”.

The company’s digital product to monitor and reduce air pollution is currently in development with a prototype expected by August 2017.

“We want to make cities better for our children,” Mr Burrows said.

“Our various urban initiatives are long-term responses to tackle the negative effects of urbanisation. To promote fast and sustainable growth, we are looking to work with research organisations, investors, government, and third sector organisations that share similar views on health and urbanisation” he added.

Vertical Future’s overall mission focuses on three themes: food, digital and living.

The company’s first step will be to launch a network of so-called vertical farms across London in disused buildings and recycled shipping containers. 

Vertical farming refers to a method of growing crops, usually without soil or natural light, in beds stacked vertically inside a controlled-environment building.Each farm promises to provide year-round produce for school and local communities, create jobs and improve awareness of food sustainability as well as reducing the distance that food travels from crop to plate.

The first site in South East London will be operational from April 2017 and plans are being drawn up for a second site.

This year London reached its annual limit for pollution in just five days, according to data from the capital’s main monitoring system.

The World Health Organisation estimates air pollution annually costs the UK £62bn, and London Mayor Sadiq Khan has made tackling the problem a priority of his administration.

Grow Pod Solutions Develops New Vertical Farm Technology That Needs No Sun or Soil

Grow Pod Solutions Develops New Vertical Farm Technology That Needs No Sun or Soil

New system also uses significantly less water than conventional farms

Feb 28, 2017, 11:10 ET

CORONA, Calif., Feb. 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Grow Pod Solutions (www.growpodsolutions.com), the premier developer of technology-enriched automated indoor farms, announced the development of their new Hydrologic Technology (HLT), which grows crops with no sunlight or soil, and uses about 90% less water than a conventional outdoor farm.

"This is the world's most sophisticated indoor farm," said George Natzic, President of Grow Pod Solutions. "Our new technologies will not only improve the way food is grown and distributed, but will literally change the world."

The system uses an offshoot of hydroponics to grow plants without soil. The process differs from conventional soil methods, and uses water and a nutrient solution flowing through the growing medium, producing significantly better results.

Grow Pod Solutions' Hydrologic Technology (HLT), utilizes special hydroponics that delivers more oxygen to plant roots, stimulating growth and preventing disease. With Grow Pod's disease-free environment, plants grow at higher density compared to other forms of cultivation.

Inside the GrowPod HLT Container, all elements of the environment, including light, humidity, and temperature, are controlled. There is no need for artificial chemical additives or fertilizers because the system uses no soil. There are never any pesticides because there are no bugs inside the pod.

"This goes beyond organic," Natzic said. "We can produce the cleanest food in the world."

Grow Pod Solutions' portable farms are customized to grow specific varieties of fruits, vegetables, herbs and cash-crops, and can be placed virtually anywhere in the world. The entire environment is controlled remotely from any computer or smart phone utilizing the Grow Pod Solutions Management App. GrowPods can utilize alternative energy, thereby operating entirely "Off the Grid."

For more information, call: (951) 549-9490 or visit: www.growpodsolutions.com

About Grow Pod Solutions:

Grow Pod Solutions develops transportable growing environments, utilizing new technologies that produce superior quality crops and higher yields, in a completely secure, remotely managed and monitored environment.

Grow Pod Solutions provides non-profit organizations, restaurants, cash-crop entrepreneurs, and urban farmers, the ability to grow fresh, organic produce year-round. As a sealed system, water needs are minimal; and with on-board water and air filtration systems, plants, vegetables and crops are grown to their fullest potential.

Connect:

Call: (951) 549-9490

Email: info@growpodsolutions.com 

Visit: www.growpodsolutions.com 

Facebook: facebook.com/GrowPod-Solutions-1660511410944495

Twitter:@GrowPodSolution

Media Contact:
Innovation Agency
310-571-5592
www.inov8.us
info(at)inov8.us

SOURCE Grow Pod Solutions

Related Links

http://www.growpodsolutions.com

Jan 27, 2017, 12:42 ET

Preview: Grow Pod Solutions Acquires Mobile Farming Systems

Also from this source

JAN 27, 2017, 12:42 ETGrow Pod Solutions Acquires Mobile Farming Systems

JAN 23, 2017, 12:43 ETAgricultural Tech Investment Rises to Record $25 Billion

Philips Lighting and Ecobain Gardens Transform First Commercial Vertical Farm Operation in Canada

hilips Lighting and Ecobain Gardens Transform First Commercial Vertical Farm Operation in Canada

Business Wire   February 28, 2017

Philips Lighting and Ecobain Gardens Transform First Commercial Vertical Farm Operation in Canada. (Photo: Business Wire) Multimedia Gallery URL

Philips Lighting (Euronext Amsterdam ticker: LIGHT), a global leader in lighting, today announced the completed installation of Philips GreenPower LED Production Modules at Ecobain Gardens, the largest commercial vertical farm operation in Canada. By upgrading the fluorescent lighting previously used in the facility to LED, Philips Lighting is helping the vertical farming pioneer to produce at commercial scale, accelerate growing cycles and grow healthier, more consistent plants, while saving up to $30,000 Canadian in energy costs per year.

This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170228005329/en/

Producing both organic and non-organic, nutrient-rich herbs and microgreens in a fully controlled indoor facility, Ecobain Gardens was established in 2013 and is the first commercial vertical farming operation in Saskatchewan, Canada. The facility produces 18,000 pounds of produce each year in less than 1,400 square feet. Its farming method uses up to 98 percent less water, zero harmful chemicals or pesticides and the newest energy-efficient LED lighting available from Philips Lighting. The vertical growing technology and local distribution systems reduce energy use, travel time and proximity of the crop, spoilage rates and overall operating costs.

Ecobain Gardens has partnered with food distributor Star Produce to distribute its produce throughout Canada to retailers such as Loblaws, Federated Co-op, Safeway, Sobeys, and other local grocery stores.

“Our goal is to grow our operation to a scale where we can make a difference to the people of our community who need quality nutrition, no matter their economic standing or geographical location,” said Brian Bain, Cofounder and CEO of Ecobain Gardens “The innovative LED products provided by Philips Lighting are helping us build cost effective, smart, productive farms to safely service this massive void we have in our food system. Our passion for growing plants and providing the best possible product, in unique and alternative ways, has helped shape our business and perspective on farming.”

After evaluating several LED lighting suppliers, Ecobain Gardens selected Philips GreenPower LED Production Modules to replace its original fluorescent lights in order to improve plant growth and quality, as well as significantly reduce energy consumption. Once the more energy efficient system was installed, Ecobain achieved dramatic changes in its crops. Growing cycles are considerably shorter and it is now producing more than 10,000 basil plants a week, which is at commercial scale. The low heat output of the Philips LED lights produces healthier, more consistent plant growth by reducing the heat stress on the plant canopy and root zone and by providing more uniform lighting. Plants also have a better dry weight compared to fluorescent lighting or LED lighting systems from other manufacturers.

In addition, the LED lighting system helped to reduce Ecobain’s HVAC system costs by almost 50 percent while providing Ecobain with increased space efficiency due to the minimal heat radiated by the modules. These benefits enable tighter placement of crop rows and therefore more yield from the same growing area.

Paul Boers Ltd, the Philips Horticulture Partner supporting the Ecobain project, worked with Philips Lighting and the local power provider, SaskPower to define an electric rebate structure, which resulted in a rebate of more than $70,000 Canadian dollars for Ecobain Gardens.

“We collaborate closely with our partners and customers to achieve vertical farms that deliver superior produce quality as well as economic performance, resulting in an attractive return on investment,” said Udo van Slooten, Managing Director for Philips Lighting Horticulture LED Solutions. “In partnership with Ecobain Gardens, we are taking vertical farming to the next level by demonstrating the potential of their investment as well as guiding them and their investors through the analysis and decision making process.”

For more information on Philips Horticulture products, click here: http://www.usa.lighting.philips.com/products/horticulture.html

About Philips Lighting

Philips Lighting (Euronext Amsterdam ticker: LIGHT), a global leader in lighting products, systems and services, delivers innovations that unlock business value, providing rich user experiences that help improve lives. Serving professional and consumer markets, we lead the industry in leveraging the Internet of Things to transform homes, buildings and urban spaces. With 2016 sales of EUR 7.1 billion, we have approximately 34,000 employees in over 70 countries. News from Philips Lighting is located at http://www.newsroom.lighting.philips.com

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170228005329/en/

MULTIMEDIA AVAILABLE:http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170228005329/en/

Technology Hits The Fields

FEB 27, 2017 @ 09:12 AM 

Mike Montgomery, CONTRIBUTOR

Technology Hits The Fields

Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.

During a recent blizzard in Massachusetts, Sonia Lo, CEO of FreshBox Farms, was in a grocery store suggesting to skeptical patrons that they sample her leafy greens. “They were picked yesterday,” is what she told tasters. She also told them no, they weren’t picked elsewhere and flown in that morning. Lo’s greens — over 30 different types — grow year-round in an airtight modular box in Millis, Massachusetts. Every plant’s tray is attached to a sensor to determine just the right amount of water, nutrients and LED lighting the plant needs.

“We have an algorithm for every plant variety,” says Lo. They measure around 10,000 data points per plant for factors such as environment, nutrients, plant stress and LED light. “We have our own software intended to identify if the plants are unhappy. We don’t use chemical controls — we rely on these digital points to pre-empt plant stress and allow for extraordinary things like faster grow times.”

As corporate investors start putting their money into agriculture technology (ag tech) startups, shoppers might just start seeing a lot more fresh crops at their local stores, even in the dead of winter.

Ag tech — from hobbyist to huge commercial farms — is taking off. CB Insights defines ag tech as “technology that increases the efficiency of farms (in the form of software), sensors, aerial-based data, internet-based distribution channels (marketplaces) and tools for technology-enabled farming.”

A recent report from Boston Consulting Group says that “new technologies are revolutionizing agriculture.” In fact, according to this report, venture capital firms have upped their ag tech investments by 80% since 2012 — even though commodity prices remain volatile.

Cleveland Justis, the executive director of the Mike and Renee Child Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at University of California, Davis says his campus is seeing a lot of traffic from venture capitalists as well as big industry companies who are looking for fresh agricultural technologies. Researchers at UC Davis are working on food growth technologies such as gut microbiome innovations, precision farming and drought-friendly cultivation.

“Companies are seeing this as a hub of science around how we feed people and make more resilient crops with less,” Justis says. “How are we going to feed 9 billion people in the future? Not with a simple software program. We’re going to have to use really deep, cutting-edge research to inform these processes.”

The software market for precision farming (such as yield monitoring, field mapping, crop scouting and weather forecasting) is expected to grow 14% between 2016 and 2022 in the United States. Dale Jefferson, president and COO of CropZilla Software Inc., says that in less than two years, his precision farming startup’s software has been installed in farms across the U.S. and Canada, and it is even being tested in Italy. His software takes into account every aspect of a farm, from the types of seeds planted to the number of workers and combines in use.

“We create a digital model,” he says. Farmers can use the software to play with variables and see how potential changes — such as an expensive combine purchase or hiring 10 new field hands — can affect their forecast. For instance, a Midwestern farmer recently used CropZilla to see what would happen if he took his soybean planting schedule from one 12-hour shift to two 10-hour shifts. “The numbers worked out to a five bushel-per-acre increase,” Jefferson says. The farmer made an additional $170,000 from his soybean yield after making this change.

“With corn and bean prices down, farmers are turning to technology to help them survive,” Jefferson says.

Farming Promising Area of Cooperation With Qatar: S Korea Envoy

Farming Promising Area of Cooperation With Qatar: S Korea Envoy

February 25 2017 09:43 PM

Peter Alagos

South Korea sees vertical farming as a promising area of cooperation with Qatar in relation to the country’s greenhouse farming projects to enhance food security, ambassador Heung Kyeong Park has said.

The South Korea ambassador said cooperation in vertical or indoor farming, among other sectors, is one of South Korea’s plans this year to strengthen bilateral relations with Qatar.

“Considering the Qatari government has been making every effort to achieve balanced developments through economic diversification policies, we would like to help Qatar pursue its goal of a ‘sustainable economy’ by expanding South Korea-Qatar bilateral cooperation from energy and infrastructure, construction to healthcare, smart farms, manufacturing, and so on,” Park told Gulf Times.

He also said the plans will include sending and receiving more trade missions from both countries.

The ambassador noted that the South Korean embassy has arranged 10 rounds of mutual visits among South Korean and Qatari small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) last year.

“We will invite around six South Korean trade missions to Qatar and arrange visits of many Qatari trade missions to South Korea for this year as well,” he pointed out.

Asked about South Korea-Qatar trade volume, Park said the amount decreased from $26.4bn to $17.1bn in 2016 “due to low oil prices.”

Asked to provide a forecast on South Korea-Qatar trade volume now that oil prices are hovering above $50 per barrel, Park said: “If oil and gas prices bounce back, the trade volume would increase accordingly.

“South Korea and Qatar have discussed on how to expand trade within the framework of the bilateral high-level strategic cooperation committee lead by our respective ministers of industry and energy.”

On initiatives the embassy plans to put in place this year to develop South Korea and Qatar SMEs, Park said that aside from arranging mutual visits of South Korean and Qatari SMEs, the embassy is eyeing agricultural cooperation, which, he said, “is essential for Qatar’s goal of a sustainable economy.

He added: “In relation to Qatar’s greenhouse farming projects to enhance food security, indoor farming or vertical farming requires advanced agricultural techniques and experience, LED lights and IT technologies, all of which I believe South Korea possesses.

“I visited a commercial indoor farm in Al Khor, which is producing mushroom, fruit, and vegetables all the year round. I think our bilateral cooperation could facilitate a sustainable agriculture, overcoming adverse weather conditions in Qatar.”

Nova Scotia Food-Growing Startups Benefit From Their Seaside Locale

Nova Scotia Food-Growing Startups Benefit From Their Seaside Locale

Denise Deveau | February 23, 2017 | Last Updated: Feb 23 7:45 AM ET
More from Denise Deveau

Entrepreneur Gregg Curwin says his light-bulb moment came during a trip to Japan six years ago. The choice of words is fitting, given that he was visiting an indoor vertical farming operation where lighting figures prominently.

He later brought that technology to Nova Scotia to found TruLeaf – touted as one of the first vertical farming operations in North America. Vertical farming is a collection of technologies around LED lighting, hydroponics, seed science and controlled environments, he says. “It’s quite new to North America. I saw it as a wonderful tool to address the massive problem of chronic disease, through whole plant nutrition.”

For now the focus at the Truro facility is on micro greens and herbs, but as R&D work continues, he plans to apply it to crops such as strawberries, mushrooms, tomatoes and cucumbers.

Curwin is one of a successful group of Nova Scotia entrepreneurs who are considered world leaders in sustainable farming innovation – from micro greens to salmon to seaweed.

“People think Nova Scotia doesn’t have the groundwork for great entrepreneurial innovation,” Curwin says. “We have some focus on IT and software like every jurisdiction in North America. But with the ocean and the Bay of Fundy and the academic research, entrepreneurs have a wonderful playground to build a sustainable food-growing hub for biomass, plants and proteins. We can be a global player, because we have all we need here.”

Entrepreneurs have a wonderful playground in
Nova Scotia to build a sustainable food-growing hub

His timing was perfect as vertical farming has exploded in recent years, he says. TruLeaf already has Loblaw as an early adopter, and is opening an additional facility in Guelph in the fall that is quintuple the size of its original plant in Truro. It is also looking at a larger facility in Eastern Canada, and possibly building three more in Ontario, Quebec and Western Canada.

Canada isn’t the only potential market. Curwin says every week groups from around the world contact him about licensing the technology. “Our uniqueness is around the design of the building environments, our plants and our safety practices. It’s great because these farms can be placed anywhere, such as places of need like the Arctic. I can see greenhouse producers converting defunct warehouse space for high-yield production. We’re super excited, but also super disciplined in making sure we go about this properly.”

Another innovator on the Nova Scotia entrepreneurial scene is Sustainable Blue Salmon. The Dartmouth-based company is perfecting a unique salt-water recirculation technology that allows farm salmon to be raised in land pens. CEO Kirk Havercroft says the technology was originally developed in Scotland by company president Dr. Jeremy Lee for use in public aquariums.

In 2005 they switched to aquaculture. “That’s always where we intended to end up,” Havercroft says. “A geographical study pointed us in the direction of Nova Scotia as the ideal place to build an aquaculture company.”

The concept is a timely one given the well-publicized issues around fish farming operations. In conventional fish farms, fish are grown in cages in open waters which is causing a raft of environmental and ecological problems, from transfer of parasites and bacterial outbreaks to fecal matter damaging sea beds, water temperature fluctuations and oil spills. Cage farming has also been linked to the drastic reduction in wild salmon stocks.

A closed system allows near-complete protection from all those risks, Havercroft says. “You can never take the risk down to zero, but we can take it as far as we can.”

The process has tremendous market potential because it can be used in places where salmon is not traditionally found, he says. “Go to the Middle East and there is no possible way to grow salmon in cages. With our technology, organizations can grow a premium Atlantic salmon on their own doorstep to serve a high-value market.”

Havercroft says now the technology is proven, it plans to expand its existing capacity in Centre Burlington; as well as license the technology worldwide for investors who want to get into farming salmon.

“Developing a proprietary technology gives us a unique advantage globally,” he claims. “But the heart of our technology will always be here. We’ve had tremendous success in raising investment capital so operating from a tiny village has not been a disadvantage at all.”

Nova Scotia innovation isn’t just found in the new businesses on the block. One of the original entrepreneurs on the aquaculture scene is Acadian Seaplants, also based in Dartmouth. It has been innovating in its space since it was founded in 1981, and now has 350 employees in 11 countries in around the world, says Jean-Paul Deveau, president and CEO.

The company started with one customer and one product – dried, baled seaweed. “We knew if we wanted to grow and prosper, commodity supply would be a road to disaster if we didn’t diversify,” he says.

Much of its development work on seaweed cultivation was done with the support of the National Research Council, which had the technology to make extracts from seaweed to help grow crops. This led to the development of animal feed products. Further research went into products to support crop growth. “Now we are the world leading resource on the use of seaweed extracts for agriculture,” Deveau claims.

The company is also home to the largest land-based seaweed cultivation farm. Those products are sold to the Japanese market for use in seaweed salads.

Deveau credits its ongoing success to the province’s strong R&D ecosystem. “The research cluster here is wonderful. The NRC, local universities and colleges – we partner with all of them. Through R&D we will continue to diversify that so we can stay ahead of the world.”

Deveau has always believed that Nova Scotia has a tremendous number of advantages for a creative-minded business owner. “We have local resources, a great community, a tremendous academic base, a strong talent pool, and a government that is great to work with. And we have the ocean. It’s an environment that offers tremendous economic potential.”