Canadian Microgreens Grower Makes Impact Within The Lettuce Category

Canadian Microgreens Grower Makes Impact Within The Lettuce Category

Small but mighty: microgreens are fairly new in the produce category, but they’re already being widely embraced in foodservice and in consumer’s homes. For what they lack in size, they make up for in a powerful flavor profile.

Large inventory on small footprint

Greenbelt Microgreens grows a wide inventory on its mere 6.5 acres. Of that, 4.5 acres is located in Ontario, Canada and 2 acres in Maple Ridge, BC. Owner, Ian Adamson began researching and perfecting the viability and production of microgreens in 1998 and was ready to open for business in 2010. Seven years were spent in perfecting the process and achieving proper nutrient-rich soil to grow strong, healthy greens. The proprietary soil mixture comes from a farm in Quebec. “That’s how we get the shelf life, because of the quality of the soil,” said Michael Curry, Vice President of Greenbelt Microgreens.

Fast growth cycle, long shelf life

Maintaining a proper cold chain is key – it’s all about food safety; the company is Canada GAP certified. Curry says their 13-day shelf life is key. Movement and processing of the cut greens right into cold storage, plus the ability to grow organically is something he says retailers are looking for. “That’s why we’re jumping on it,” he said, noting that 80 per cent of the organic product sold in Canada is imported. 

It’s an opportunity for Greenbelt Microgreens to harness, and they’re able to grow year- round under glass, which mimics growing in an open field. “It’s a 10-day growth cycle,” Curry explained. “We can grow an incredible amount in an acre, year round.” He noted that they’re experimenting the implementation of LEDs. “We’re all about soil and sunshine but LEDs are proven very effective in the winter to keep the growing cycle the same  - yields as well,” he said. With the reduction in sunshine this past winter, it’s an important investment, since last January he said there was only about 50 hours of sunlight for the month. 

Living lettuce and wide range of greens

Part of their inventory includes organic living lettuce as well as their namesake organic microgreens: arugula (the most popular), basil, buckwheat, broccoli, cilantro, radish, daikon radish, kale, pea shoots, red choi, red mizuna, red radish, shunkigu, sunflower and wheatgrass. At one time it seemed like the idea of consuming what should be a full head of broccoli harvested after only 10 days was unheard of, but thegoal is to get the customer to think of their products as a whole salad, whether it’s a clamshell of the mixed microgreens, mixed lettuce or a head of living lettuce. 

Living lettuce is sold in sleeves, which customers can take home, keep watered and harvest whenever they wish. The microgreen salads come in four different mixes. “That’s totally unique – nobody’s got that on the market,” said Curry. “Millennials seem to love having plants growing in their kitchen.”  Customers are making friends with salad.

For more information:

Michael Curry

Greenbelt Microgreens

Ph: 416 710 7547

michael@greenbeltmicrogreens.ca

www.greenbeltmicrogreens.ca

China Subverts Pollution With Contained Vertical Farms – And Boosts Yield

China Subverts Pollution With Contained Vertical Farms – And Boosts Yield

Agriculture, China, Eat & Drink, News, Urban Farming

• by Lacy Cooke

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Around one fifth of arable land in China is contaminated with levels of toxins greater than government standards, according to 2014 data. That’s around half the size of California, and it’s a growing problem for a country that faces such levels of pollution they had to import $31.2 billion of soybeans in 2015 – a 43 percent increase since 2008. Scientists and entrepreneurs are working to come up with answers to growing edible food in a polluted environment, and shipping container farms or vertical gardening could offer answers.

The toxins in China’s environment have made their way into the country’s food supply. In 2013, the Guangdong province government said 44 percent of rice sampled in their region contained excessive cadmium. Around 14 percent of domestic grain contains heavy metals such as lead, arsenic, and cadmium, according to research from scientists in 2015.

Related: Arctic town grows fresh produce in shipping container vertical garden

Could shipping container farms offer a way around this contamination? Beijing startup Alesca Life Technologies is testing them out. They turn retrofitted shipping containers into gardens filled to the brim with arugula, peas, kale, and mustard greens, and monitor conditions remotely via an app. They’ve already been able to sell smaller portable versions of the gardens to a division of a group managing luxury hotels in Beijing and the Dubai royal family.

Alesca Life co-founder Stuart Oda told Bloomberg, “Agriculture has not really innovated materially in the past 10,000 years. The future of farming – to us – is urban.”

And they’re not alone in their innovation. Scientist Yang Qichang of the Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development in Agriculture at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences is experimenting with a crop laboratory, testing which light from the visible light spectrum both helps plants flourish and uses little energy. His self-contained, vertical system already yields between 40 and 100 times more produce than an open field of similar size. He told Bloomberg, “Using vertical agriculture, we don’t need to use pesticides and we can use less chemical fertilizers – and produce safe food.”

Via Bloomberg

Images via Alesca Life Technologies

The Spacepot Hydroponic Planter Brings NASA Grade Farming To Your Kitchen

The Spacepot Hydroponic Planter Brings NASA Grade Farming To Your Kitchen

May 20, 2017

Qhilst cooking with fresh herbs is a simple pleasure, most novice urban farmers have never known a basil pot to last more than a few months. that’s why futurefarms have turned to NASA’s hydroponic farming techniques to revolutionize herb growing for the not-so-green-thumbed. reforming space-grade science into an elegant kitchen planter called a ‘spacepot’, futurefarms have set out to downsize the extraterrestrial farming technique into an elegant tabletop planter that grows perfect herbs in just 5 weeks, with almost zero maintenance.

hydroponic farming—that’s the art of growing plants without soil—was first popularized by NASA. widely associated with futuristic space gardens, by cutting out the soil from the equation hydroponic farms provide their plants directly with nutrients, cutting out the middle man to create bigger, healthier shrubs that grow much faster than their soil-situated counterparts. maybe it’s the their extraterrestrial connotoations, or the fact they always seem to be kitted out with endless complicated pumps and tubes, but when it comes to hydroponic farming, until now it’s been widely accepted that you do, indeed, need to be a rocket scientist to master the technique. and that’s a stigmatism futurefarms set out to change with their ‘spacepots’—elegant, hydroponic planters that bring the benefits of soil-free farming to the masses. 

branded ‘hydroponics beautifully simplified’ the spacepot required no pumps, no electricity, and no extra parts to maintain. by mixing space-age technology with cutting edge design, futurefarms have crafted a planted that delivers all the benefits of hydroponics without any of the maintenence. by using the kratky method—the simplest, most hands-off way for gardening—all the spacepot requires from you is to fill the reservoir with water and nutrients, plant a seed, and watch your beautiful plant flourish in just five weeks. fashioned of high-clarity acrylic and food-grade PET,the planter’s aesthetic is designed to represent its functionality—easy and simple.

futurefarms–the LA based startup behind the futuristic and fashionable approach to gardening–comprises a team of designers, creators, and researches leading the field of personal hydroponics. ‘on a macro scale,’ they explain, ‘our mission is to have hydroponics be a part of everyone’s lives because we believe it makes us smarter, and more conscious of our health and well-being.’

beatrice murray-nag I designboom

may 20, 2017

Japan’s New Approach To Farming Without Soil

Japan’s New Approach To Farming Without Soil

By Siyanda Sishuba

May 22, 2017 12:05 pm

Japanese experts have made a breakthrough in agricultural technology, using polymer film to grow food.

Yuichi Mori, the chemical physicist who founded Mebiol in 1995. He spent most of his career developing polymer technologies for the medical industry.
Photo: Drop Farm

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Dubbed Imec, the innovation, developed by Mebiol’s Dr Yuichi Mori, makes it possible to grow crops ‘virtually anywhere’, according to a report from the Japanese government. Mebiol is a technology corporation based in Tokyo.

The report describes ‘film farming’ as using “waterproof sheets to separate the crops being cultivated from the ground underneath”.

It continues, outlining the basics of what it says is a ‘simple system’: “The special features of the new technology are to be found in the film, which is made of hydrogel, a hydrophilic polymer gel used in disposable diapers and other products. The film’s design incorporates nano-sized (one millionth of a millimetre) pores, which absorb water and nutrients but block germs and viruses. This means only small amounts of agricultural chemicals are needed, ensuring the crops are safe to eat.”

“As the film holds on to water, it also makes the plants work harder to get it by increasing osmotic pressure; the plants create more amino acids and sugar, and so they taste better and have higher nutritional value.”

Ali Adnan, senior adviser at Mebiol, said 150 farms around Japan have introduced the technology, with “over 10 already deployed in China”.

He added that “future projects within the next 12 months are forecasted to be installed in Germany, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and several other countries are in the pipeline for approval”.

Imec is already being used to grow tomatoes around Japan and at overseas locations, including Shanghai, Singapore, and Dubai.

More than 50% of the farmers in Japan come from a non-farming background, and, according to Adnan, “they say that the system is easy to use and enables them to produce high-quality produce”.

With its ‘easy-to-use’ aspect, Imec may prove a boon to small-scale and even urban farmers in South Africa, and Adnan says that, “Farmers in South Africa can access our technology. We will first need to export the simple system and film from Japan.”

For more information about Imec, visit www.mebiol.co.jp/en

Indoor Farming: On To Pastures New

Indoor Farming: On To Pastures New

24 May 2017 | By Mia Hunt

In the drive for sustainability, new operators are looking to indoor farming to bring food closer to consumers.

Indoor farming - a low-energy, low-water-use way of growing food - Source: Mandy Zammit

Asked to imagine a farm, most people will think of vast green fields filled with neat lines of crops, grazing animals and a tractor trundling along in the distance.

It’s an idyllic visualisation that would be shattered if you were told that the farm were, in fact, on an industrial estate on the edge of a major conurbation.

Say hello to indoor - or vertical - farming, an emerging sector that aims to produce food sustainably, without sunlight or soil and, crucially, close to the retailers that will sell it and the consumers who will eat it.

It is a concept still very much in its infancy, but if this new farming method takes hold, warehouse space will be high on the shopping lists of these new operators. So what is indoor farming? And what are operators’ requirements?

Indoor farming is sustainable and uses less transport. Those who are doing it now are the forward-thinking food producers - David Binks, Cushman & Wakefield

“This is very much a new, emerging sector,” says David Binks, a partner in the industrial team at Cushman & Wakefield.

“The thinking driving this trend is to move food production closer to the source of customers. It’s sustainable and uses less transport, which is a very positive thing. Those who are doing it now are the forward-thinking food producers.”

GrowUp Urban Farms is one such operator.

A year ago it opened Unit84, an indoor farm in an industrial warehouse in Beckton, east London, that had previously lain vacant for 18 months. It claims it is the UK’s first aquaponic, vertical farm.

The farm combines two well-established farming practices: aquaculture, a method of farming fish, and hydroponics, whereby plants are grown in a nutrient solution without soil. It is a low-energy, low-water-use way of growing food that is especially suited to high-density urban agriculture.

The farm’s 6,000 sq ft of growing space produces more than 20,000kg of salads and herbs - enough to fill 200,000 salad bags - and 4,000kg of fish each year. And according to chief executive and co-founder Kate Hofman, GrowUp’s next project will be “10 times bigger”.

“I set up GrowUp with COO and co-founder Tom Webster four years ago,” Hofman explains. “We have different career backgrounds - he was a sustainability consultant for an engineering firm and I was a strategy consultant - but we were both interested in making sustainable urban food production commercially viable.”

Food For Thought

The pair took over the warehouse at London Industrial Park in May 2015 and launched after a comprehensive six-month fit-out process.

“Our 600 sq m [6,500 sq ft] hydro room alone provides 8,000 sq m of growing space because we’re able to grow up as well as along,” says Hofman. “And because it isn’t dependent on environmental and climate factors, we can produce salads of consistent quality 365 days a year.”

Now that Unit84 is fully up and running, Hofman and Webster are looking ahead to their next project - a considerably larger farm for which the firm will soon work up a design that will enable it to make even more efficient use of space. This next farm will be the blueprint for a model that can be rolled out to many different locations on a franchise basis.

Indoor farming uses hydroponics, whereby plants are grown in a nutrient solution without soil - Source: Mandy Zammit

Hofman says a standard warehouse is the ideal place for vertical farming and lists requirements similar to those of light industry, including locations within easy reach of customers - GrowUp distributes all of its produce itself using electric vehicles - and with good access and packing space.

“From what I’ve seen, read and heard, these operators need decent utility access - predominantly renewable energy to power the artificial lights that are used in place of sunlight - although they require very little water, significantly less than a traditional farm,” says Binks. “They need to be heated and cooled efficiently. And because they use a degree of technology to support the growing methods, that may be a consideration in their requirements.”

Looking Up

Binks believes old multi-level industrial buildings are well suited to vertical farming. “Former textile factories and other such buildings built in the early 1900s on the outskirts of towns and therefore in close proximity to the customer base would probably work well,” he says. “If they are at a cost base that is affordable for these operators, they could potentially bring very old, dilapidated buildings that have been redundant for years back into use.”

However, he highlights that residential developers are often at the front of the queue for these types of buildings and, as such, indoor farming operators could struggle to secure buildings.

“It’s a challenge and it could be a barrier to entry,” he says. “But where they find the right building in the right location that hasn’t been earmarked for residential use, I don’t see why they couldn’t bring it forward. They might also occupy fairly new industrial buildings with mezzanines.”

Source: Mandy Zammit

New buildings are a consideration for GrowUp. Hofman explains that they could convert an old warehouse, depending on the age and quality of the building, but the retrofitting costs are huge, so it could look to partner with developers to create the right space for its specific needs from scratch. And it isn’t only industrial space that is on GrowUp’s shopping list. It could also operate from big-box units on retail parks.

“At a time when businesses are becoming increasingly streamlined operationally and focusing on last-mile delivery, huge out-of-town retail spaces could become vacant,” says Hofman. “Landlords are already looking for alternative uses - we could be it.”

We are utilising ways of growing food that make sense commercially and environmentally - Kate Hofman, GrowUp

When it comes to planning, the sustainability and community benefits of indoor farming are such that Binks believes local authorities would be in favour of vertical farming uses. However, there is a caveat.

“There is some debate as to how employment generative they are,” he says.

“If they use automatic feeding systems, there might only be a need for a handful of year-round on-site staff and a short-term need for extra staff during the picking season. Operators may have to persuade councils that it’s a good thing for their boroughs.”

Question Marks

Planning isn’t the only potential hurdle that may need to be overcome. While it can be done profitably, Binks says this new farming technique is so innovative that thus far it is only private investors who are investing in it.

Aquaculture is a method of farming fish -Source: Mandy Zammit

“There is a question mark over the covenant strength of these types of occupiers,” he explains. “For now, the sector is so new that landlords and developers aren’t considering this to be a new or potential major occupier category. But perhaps they ought to be - indoor farming is flying under the radar.” He adds that the landed estates might pursue these tenants in a bid to showcase a forward-thinking approach.

As for the future, a number of factors could accelerate the growth of these types of farm, as Hofman explains: “Brexit could have an impact on imported foods and imported labour. Couple that with climate changes affecting farming in countries that supply the UK with much of its produce, including floods in Spain and droughts in California, and a growing desire by retailers to sell and consumers to eat locally produced food, and I see this [indoor farming] as the answer. We are utilising ways of growing food that make sense environmentally and commercially - it is an attractive investment.”

There may be questions over the viability of indoor farming but, in a changing world, its future could well be bright. This new method of food production has not yet piqued the interest of industrial landlords or institutional investors - but perhaps now is the time to take notice of a trend that is likely to grow.

Mucci Farms Gears Up For Growth With New Private Equity Partnership

Mucci Farms Gears Up For Growth With New Private Equity Partnership

Mucci Farms has announced a partnership with NOVACAP, one of Canada’s leading private equity firms. 

“We are very excited to be partnering with NOVACAP who, with its resources and expertise, will provide invaluable support to our company as we enter this next phase of growth", said Bert Mucci, President of Mucci. “This partnership will allow us to focus on operations and growth as we aim to become the preferred quality supplier of our industry”.

Located in Kingsville, Ontario, Mucci grows its own produce and is involved in marketing over 700 acres of greenhouse produce from growers throughout North America. The company also operates warehouse and distribution facilities in Ontario and Michigan. Mucci is Kingsville’s largest employer with more than 1,200 full-time employees.

“This partnership is a great opportunity for NOVACAP to support a highly qualified management team and to partner with a leader in the industry’’, said Domenic Mancini, Senior Partner at NOVACAP. "The company has an established track record and strong customer relationships and we are looking forward to working with the team and take the business to the next level.”

For more information:
www.muccifarms.com
www.novacap.ca

Techno Farm Keihanna, World’s First and Largest Automated Vertical Farm to Break Ground

Techno Farm Keihanna, World’s First and Largest Automated Vertical Farm to Break Ground

Kyoto, Japan - May 22, 2017 - SPREAD Co., Ltd. (www.spread.co.jp/en) announces the groundbreaking of its next-generation vertical farm, Techno Farm Keihanna in Kizugawa, Kyoto.

Expected to be completed by the end of 2017, Techno Farm Keihanna will employ an automated cultivation system, and achieve the largest output of any indoor vertical lettuce farm in the world at 30,000 heads (3 tons) daily.

SPREAD has operated its current indoor vertical farm, Kameoka Plant (Kameoka, Kyoto) since 2007, which produces 21,000 heads (2 tons) of lettuce every day. Its lettuce is sold under the brand VegetusTM at more than 2,200 supermarkets and retail stores all over Japan. By March of 2013, SPREAD achieved profitability, which is said to be very difficult for the indoor vertical farming business. In 2014, SPREAD started developing its next-generation vertical farming system, Techno FarmTM, based on its accumulated know-how with the aim of global expansion.

Innovation at Techno FarmTM centers around three themes: reduced cost, limited environmental impact, and global adaptability. To achieve each of these goals, SPREAD has cooperated with Japanese equipment manufacturers to develop innovative technologies for water recycling, environmental controls, automated cultivation, and LED lighting. Moreover, the farm will also include specialized research and development facilities.

Scheduled for completion at the end of 2017, Techno Farm Keihanna will be the first of its kind, with shipping expected to start in 2018. The farm’s daily output of 3 tons will be shipped to supermarkets all over Japan under the VegetusTM brand name.

SPREAD will continue to collaborate with innovative business partners from a variety of backgrounds as it works to produce ever greater technological innovation and make sustainable agriculture a reality.

Conceptual image of Techno Farm Keihanna

  Representing the next generation of vertical farming, Techno FarmTM builds on SPREAD’s original indoor vertical farming technology to provide a further improved model for stable production in any climate. With its innovation centered around the themes of reduced cost, limited environmental impact, and global adaptability, Techno FarmTM aims to realize sustainable farming by enabling cultivation in locations experiencing agricultural challenges. The system’s original name Vegetable FactoryTM has been changed to the more universally appealing Techno FarmTM as part of SPREAD’s overseas business expansion.

Reduced Environmental Impact And Operating Costs

1. Automated Cultivation

Reduces labor costs by 50%1 by automating the labor intensive cultivation process (from seedling to harvesting)

2. Water Recycling Technology

Improves the recycling rate of water used for cultivation to 98%1 through water filtration and recycling.

3. Environmental Control Technology

Restricts variance in temperature, humidity, wind velocity, and lighting intensity

4. Specialized LED Lighting

Reduces the energy consumption by 30%2 by using LED lighting developed inhouse and tailored to vegetables cultivated in indoor vertical farms.

5. IoT Technology

Enables centralized remote collection and analysis of big data related to cultivation and operations

1: Compared to SPREAD’s Kameoka Plant, 2: Compared to existing LED lighting

SPREAD will partner with companies and organizations both domestically and globally to bring Techno FarmTM to numerous locations around the world. Domestically,

SPREAD will aim for a 10% share of the Japanese lettuce market by utilizing a franchise/ownership model to establish 20 facilities and a daily production capacity of 500,000 lettuce heads (50 tons). Globally, SPREAD will cooperate with local companies in each country and provide technology and support for distribution and sales. SPREAD will develop and propose business schemes applicable to each area. 

6 Reasons Local Food Systems Will Replace Our Industrial Model

6 Reasons Local Food Systems Will Replace Our Industrial Model

BY JOHN IKERD

September 28, 1958—A Sunday comic strip by Gene Fawcett envisions a future of farming in which “fat plants” and “meat beets” are used to cut down on the amount of farmland devoted to cattle pasture.   (Image: nextnature.net)

A local, community-based food system certainly is not a new idea. It’s simply an idea that is being reassessed in response to growing public concerns about the current global food system. When I was growing up in south Missouri in the 1940s and early 1950s, our family’s food system was essentially local. I would guess close to 90 percent of our food either came from our farm or was produced and processed within less than 50 miles of our home. There were local canneries, meat packers, and flour mills to supply grocery stores and restaurants with locally grown food products. Over the years, the local canneries, meat packers and flour mills were consolidated into the giant agribusiness operations that dominate today’s global food system. Supermarkets and fast-food chains replaced the mom-and-pop grocery stores and restaurants.

Today, I doubt there are many communities in the United States who get more than 10 percent of their foods from local sources, as official estimates put local foods at well less than 5 percent of total food sales. Estimates of the average distance that food travels from production to consumption within the United States range from 1200 to 1700 miles. More than 15 percent of the food sold in the United States is imported, with more than 50 percent of fruits and 20 percent of vegetables coming from other countries. More than 30 percent of U.S. farm income is derived from agricultural exports to other countries. The local food system of my childhood has been transformed into the global food system of today. Most of these changes took place during a 40-year period, between the late 1950s and the late 1990s.

Today, we are in the midst of another transformation.

The local food movement is the leading edge of a change that ultimately will transform the American food system from industrial/global to sustainable/local. Organic foods had been the leading edge of the movement, growing at a rate of 20 percent-plus per year from the early 1990s until the economic recession of 2008. Growth in organics sales have since stabilized at around 10 percent per year. The organic food market reached $43.3 billion in sales in 2015—more than 5 percent of the total U.S. food market. Today, organic fruits and vegetables claim more than 10 percent of their markets. As organic foods moved into mainstream food markets, many consumers turned to local farmers to ensure the integrity of their foods. The modern local food movement was born.

How we got here

To understand the local food movement, it’s important to understand the birth of the modern organic movement. The organic movement has its roots in the natural food movement of the early 1960s, which was a rejection of the industrialization of American agriculture. Following World War II, the mechanical and chemical technologies developed to support industrial warfare were adapted to support industrial agriculture. The “back to the earth” people decided to create their own food system. They produced their own food, bought food from each other, and formed the first cooperative food buying clubs and natural food stores.

Concerns about the health and environmental risks associated with the synthetic fertilizers and pesticides were not the only reasons they chose to grow foods organically. They were also creating and nurturing a sense of connectedness and commitment to taking care of each other and caring for the earth. The philosophy of organic farming was deeply embedded in their communities. To these food and farming pioneers, organic was as much a way of life as a way to produce food.

November 14, 1965—An illustration published by Athelstan Spilhauson speculating that synthetic food products would be needed to feed an ever-growing population. (Image: nextnature.net)

Organic farming and food production remained on the fringes of American society until the environmental movement expanded into mainstream society and science began to confirm the environmental and public health risks associated with a chemically-dependent, industrial agriculture. As organic foods grew in popularity, organics eventually moved into mainstream supermarkets. Except for restrictions on use of synthetic agrochemicals and food additives, organic foods then began to seem more and more like conventional industrial foods.

Consumers who were concerned about the ecological and societal consequences of industrial agriculture then began looking to local farmers to ensure the ecological and social integrity of their foods. Between 1994 and 2015, farmers markets increased in number from 1,755 to nearly 8,476. In the 2012 USDA Census of Agriculture, there were 12,000 CSAs (community supported agriculture) and an estimated 50,000 farmers selling direct to consumers by all means. Many farmers who use organic production practices don’t bother with organic certification. Their customers know and trust them to produce “good food.”

A more recent development in the local food movement has been the multiple-farm networks of local farmers. The networks may be food alliances, cooperative, collaboratives or food hubs. Grown Locally, Idaho’s Bounty, Viroqua Food Coop, Good Natured Family Farms and the Oklahoma Food Cooperative are examples of food networks of which I am personally aware. These alliances range in size from a couple dozen to a couple hundred farmers. The National Good Food Network lists more than 300 “food hubs”—although I cannot vouch for their success or authenticity.

Why local food is part of a larger movement that could actually “change everything”

The local food movement is so decentralized and dispersed that it is impossible to accurately estimate the size or importance of the movement. The USDA estimated the value of local food sales by farmers at $9 billion in 2015. This figure does not reflect the “retail value” of food sold by farmers to local restaurants or retailers. Virtually everywhere I go, I discover new local foods initiatives.

The local food movement also is so diverse that it is difficult to distinguish between those who are committed to ecological and social integrity and those who simply see local foods as another opportunity for profits. Food hubs are generally defined as organizations that allow farmers to aggregate their individual production to serve markets that are larger than they can serve alone. Admittedly, the future of the local food movement depends on being able to “scale up” to serve increasing numbers of consumers. However, if farmers compromise their ecological and social integrity in the process of scaling up, they will be little different from industrial farmers who are producing foods many of their customers are attempting to avoid.

For example, “The War on Big Food”, a recent Fortune Magazine article, begins: “Major packaged-food companies lost $4 billion in market share alone last year, as shoppers swerved to fresh and organic alternatives.” The article identifies artificial colors and flavors, preservatives, pesticides, growth hormones, antibiotics, and genetically modified organisms among growing consumer concerns. All of these concerns are linked directly or indirectly to industrial food production, including industrial agriculture. The organic movement at least attempts to address all of these concerns. The article explains how the giant food manufacturing and retailing corporations are trying to reposition their organizations to coopt the movement or at least to minimize their losses of market-share.

The local foods movement, however, represents an even greater challenge to the industrial status quo than the natural and organic food movements, even though organic obviously is a more meaningful label or descriptor than local. Industrial foods are local to someone, somewhere. However, most industrial farmers, meaning conventional commodity producers, know they can’t sell all, or even a significant part, of their total production locally. They are simply too large and too specialized. Large commodity producers must sell to industrial processors and distributors, which are likewise too large to rely on local markets. Large industrial organizations are inherently dependent on—and must compete in—“non-local” markets.

Sustainability, trust and the true cost of industrial food

According to market research, consumers are primarily motivated to buy local foods for reasons of freshness, flavor and nutrition. People have learned that shipped-in foods generally are not as fresh and flavorful, and are probably not as nutritious, as fresh-picked, locally-grown foods at farmers markets, CSAs and other local markets. Many people consider local foods to be safer because they are more likely to be produced organically, or at least without pesticides or GMOs. In the case of meat, milk, or eggs, hormones or antibiotics are more common concerns. Most farmers who sell locally understand the concerns of people who buy local foods and attempt to address concerns that are not being addressed by the industrial food system.

In return, people who buy local foods often mention their desire to support local farmers economically and to help build stronger local economies and communities. Estimates based on comparison of local and industrial food production in general indicate that foods grown for local markets contribute about four-times as many dollars to local economies as commodities grown for industrial food production. That said, the popularity of local foods and the incentives to produce local foods cannot be reduced to economics.

People tend to trust “their local farmers” to not only produce “good food” but also to be good neighbors, good community members and good stewards of the land. Some experts may question the importance of social, ecological, and unselfish economic motives for buying local. However, the fact that local foods clearly emerged in response to the perceived industrialization of organics suggests otherwise. Americans are trying to restore trust and confidence in “their food system” by “buying local.” For this reason and others, farmers motivated primarily by profits or economics are unlikely to be successful in local markets. Eventually, their customers will see their foods as little different from industrial foods and will value them accordingly.

Perhaps most important, the local food movement not only represents a rejection of industrial foods but also represents an emerging vision of a fundamentally better food system of the future. I can foresee a time when every community will have its own local, community-based food system. Communities will not be “self-sufficient” in food production, but will give priority to buying local foods from local farmers who give priority to local markets. They will give priority to those farmers who maintain personal relationships with their local customers through personally-connected economic transactions. In order to maintain relationships of trust and integrity, face-to-face contacts at farmers markets, on-farm sales, regular farm visits, or local food festivals will punctuate less-personal economic transactions. The primary objective of such community-based food systems would be to provide local assurance of quality and integrity, rooted in shared social and ethical values.

I believe this vision of a new and better food system is emerging from today’s local food networks—alliances, collaboratives, cooperatives, personally-connected food hubs and other innovative relationships. However, the skeptics may ask: would it actually be possible for a new local, community-based food system to replace our current corporately-controlled industrial food system? When I am asked this question, my answer consistently has been, yes. I am convinced such a change is possible, although I am not so naïve or idealistic as to think that the transformation will be quick or easy. Why do I believe such a change is possible?

Six reasons why local food systems will replace the corporation-controlled, industrial model

First, as mentioned previously, I have lived through the transition from the local, community-based food system of my youth to the industrial-global food system of today. The major part of that transition occurred within a span of about 40-50 years during the latter 1900s. I believe the new organic/local/sustainable food systems of farming and food production today are further advanced today than the industrial systems of farming and food production were during the early 1950s. I can still remember the steam engine lumbering by my grade school, moving from one thrashing location to another. This was early industrial agriculture. I can still remember my mother handing her “grocery list” to a person behind a counter at our country grocery store who would select the items on the list from shelves, barrels, and the meat case, weigh and package as needed, put the items in a “paper poke,” and total up our “grocery bill” for the week. There were no supermarkets. I saw my first fast food restaurant when I went to college—a McDonalds.

Second, there were far fewer good reasons to change the system of farming and food production back in those times than there are today. The main reason to change farming in the 1950s was to reduce the physical labor and drudgery of farm work and to free up farmers for jobs in the factories and offices of a growing industrial economy. Changes in food processing and distribution were designed to remove the drudgery of homemaking—making food preparation quicker and more convenient. Industrial agriculture was also meant to reduce costs of production, eliminating hunger by making “good food” affordable and accessible to everyone.

An unidentified comic published in 1963 depicting giant corn, robots and a gamma ray sprinkler on a futuristic farm. (Image: Google Images)

It was a noble experiment but it didn’t work. We have more people in the United States classified as “food insecure” than we had back in the 1960s. More than 20 percent of American children live in food-insecure homes. In addition the United States is plagued with an epidemic of diet related illnesses, such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and a variety of cancers. The industrial food system may have removed much of the drudgery of farming and homemaking, but it hasn’t eliminated hunger or malnutrition. I don’t want to belabor the point, but an industrial food system is not sustainable. Sustainability is the ability to meet the needs of the present without diminishing opportunities for the future. Industrial agriculture obviously has failed to meet the basic food needs of the present.

Industrial agriculture is also systematically diminishing opportunities for generations of the future, as it pollutes the environment, threatens public health, and depletes and degrades the natural and human resources that must support long-run agricultural productivity. The problems with industrial agriculture are systemic. They are ingrained in specialized, mechanized, large-scale, industrial system of production. Industrial systems gain their economic efficiency by employing fewer people at less pay, while externalizing environmental and social costs on nature and society. These problems cannot be addressed without fundamentally changing the system.

Third, we need not return to the drudgery of farming or homemaking of the past in order to make enough good food affordable and accessible to everyone. New scale-appropriate mechanical and electronic technologies offer new possibilities for ensuring “food security” without degrading the integrity of nature or society and without diminishing opportunities for those of the future. The basic concepts embodied in microcomputers, including laptops, tablets, and smart phones, are equally applicable to small-scale equipment for growing, tilling, harvesting, processing, and preparing healthful, nutritious foods. All that is needed now is the vision to see the potential and the incentive to create what is needed for a different future.

Meaningful work, technology and the next generation

Scale-appropriate technologies in farming include portable electric fencing, which has revolutionized the possibilities for sustainable small-scale humane, grass-based, and free-range livestock and poultry production. Walk-behind and small pull-behind tilling and harvesting equipment is reducing the drudgery, as well as costs, for small-scale organic, local, and direct marketers of produce and field crops. The markets for such technologies are growing with growth in the local food movement. Sales of “human scale” farming and marketing technologies are approaching the point where it will be economically attractive for more inventors and small-scale equipment manufacturers—using new technologies.

In my travels, I meet many young people who are choosing “human scale” farming as their way of life. I recently came across a blog piece on the National Young Farmers Coalition website. It begins: "You want to be a farmer? That’s great news because we need a lot more farmers! But there are some things you should know before diving in…” 

The author is a young farmer who has been farming with her partner in the Pacific Northwest for more than 10 years. She went on to name five things that anyone who wants to be a farmer should understand:  

1. Farming is really, really hard. (Let me stress that one more time….)

2. Farmers are not just farmers (They have to do a lot of other things.)  

3. Farming can be dangerous. (You can get hurt farming.)

4. It takes money to make money (particularly to get into farming).

5. It’s the best work you’ll ever do.

She writes: “Do you want to feel completely satisfied and fulfilled by your work? Lay your head down at night knowing you are doing something that helps the planet and your fellow humans? There is nothing more satisfying than providing a basic need: food. I love what I do, and wouldn’t trade it for anything—sore muscles, financial risks, and all.”

The future

It’s possible to make a good economic living on a “human scale” farm. At a recent conference in Toronto, Canada I met a young farm couple, Jean-Martin Fortier and his wife, Maude-Hélène Desroches. They gross more than $100,000 per acre on a 1.5 acre market garden with an operating margin of about 60 percent. They’ve been farming for more than a decade now, and today, Jean-Martin leaves most of the farming to Maude-Helene while he works on an educational farming project to help other young farmers learn how to make a good living pursuing their purpose or calling as farmers.

His new farming project, Ferme des Quatre-Temps, is designed to further demonstrate how “diversified small-scale farms, using regenerative and economically efficient agricultural practices, can produce a higher nutritional quality of food and more profitable farms.” Jean-Martin writes, “If there is one thing I’ve learned through all my years as a farmer, it’s that if we are going to change agriculture, it’s going to be one farm at a time. All we need is for more people to be willing to go out there and just do it.” 

An aerial photograph of La Ferme des Quatre-Temps—an agricultural project in Hemmingford, Quebec that aims to demonstrate what the farm of the future could look like. (Photo: La Ferme des Quatre-Temps)

With respect to taking the drudgery out of homemaking, prominent chefs are showing us that the most flavorful, nutritious foods typically require very basic and often-minimal preparation when they come directly from the fields and pastures of local farmers. In addition, affordable kitchen technologies are available to make basic food preparation far easier today than it was for my mother. More than 80 percent of the total dollars spent for foods in the United States does not go to pay for the food itself, but for processing, transportation, packaging, advertising, pre-preparation, and retailing.

We can’t eliminate hunger by making food cheap, but we can provide food security by making good, minimally processed, un-packaged, unadvertised, food available locally and helping people learn to select foods for nutrition and health and prepare food for themselves. People will find ways to spend quality time with their families preparing food from scratch once they understand the true costs of “quick, convenient, and cheap,” industrial foods.

Fourth, and perhaps most important, new digital technologies make it possible to develop and sustain meaningful, “personal” connections among farmers and others who share a common commitment to good, wholesome, delicious and nutritious, sustainably-produced foods. Obviously, digital communications can facilitate personal isolation; but email, texting, and tweeting can also help keep close personal friends in even closer personal contact. Digital technologies are already being used to create and sustain local, community-based food networks that give sustainable farmers access to far more local customers than they can stay connected with through farmers markets or CSAs. Equally important, these digital-based local food networks can help local eaters find and stay in contact with the full range of like-minded farmers who are committed to providing their local customers with sustainably produced foods.

I believe local community-based food networks of the future will include regular home deliveries—making local foods more convenient and accessible. The business of retail—including food—is changing fundamentally and rapidly. The total value of Amazon stock recently surpassed the total stock value of Walmart, although Walmart is still far larger in total retail sales. Virtually every major retailer, including food retailers, are scrambling to develop web-based markets. Food home-delivery programs—such as Blue Apron and Hello-Fresh—may be paving the way for local food system that at least include a home-delivery option. Local food networks would seem to have a natural economic advantage in local home delivery of locally grown foods. Supermarkets and restaurants that are committed to supporting their local communities will likely continue to have a significant role in local food networks of the future. However, the challenge will be to sustain a common sense of ecological and social integrity that comes from personal relationships of trust confidence.

"We need a sense that what we do matters, that it is right and good."

My fifth reason for believing a new and better food system is possible is that the local food movement is a part of a much larger movement that eventually will “change everything.” Hartman Group, a leading industry adviser on food and beverage market trends, recently identified 10 major trends in U.S. food retailing and found that, “Health, wellness and sustainability are starting to converge at the most progressive food retail and food service outlets. Consumers see the convergence as being all about mindfulness, integrity and authenticity.”

The good news is that the transformation in the food system is but a part, although an important part, of a transformation in society as a whole that is about mindfulness, integrity and authenticity. We are beginning to awaken to a wide range of symptoms of our unsustainable economy within our unsustainable society. As we respond to national and global challenges, such as natural resource depletion, climate change, dying oceans, species extinction, social injustice, and economic inequity we will create the environment for fundamental changes in our systems of farming and food production.

Growing public pressures eventually will bring about changes in public policies, including farm and food policies. Virtually every major farm policy and food policy of the past 50 years has promoted and supported the industrialization of American agriculture and globalization of the American food system. Simply removing such policies would represent a major step forward. With supportive public policies, the transition from global to local and industrial to sustainable could move from gradual to explosive. Replacing existing farm and food policies with policies supporting local foods and sustainable agriculture could go a long way toward “changing everything” in American food and farming.

I believe the motivation for farming and food production eventually must go beyond “food security” to “food sovereignty”—which includes treating food security as a “basic human right.” Communities need not wait for changes in federal policies. People in local communities can make a commitment to ensuring that everyone in the community has access to enough “good food” to support healthy, active lifestyles. I have suggested establishing “community food utilities” to provide the legal and physical infrastructure for local farmers to share a commitment with fellow community members to provide local food security—using local government to ensure the collective economic means of doing so. Personal relationships of trust among community networks could create national and global food networks sustained through shared social values and a common ethical commitment to meeting the needs of present and future—to sustainability.

This brings me to my final reason for believing a new sustainable future for farming and food production is possible. I believe that people are awakening to the need for the kinds of personal relationships and moral commitments that are being developed in local community-based food networks. There is a growing realization that the pursuit of material economic self-interest, including the quest for quick, cheap, convenient foods, has not brought us greater satisfaction or happiness. We are finally awakening to the fact that we are not only material beings but also social and moral beings.

Certainly we need the economic necessities of life—food, clothing, shelter, health care—things money can buy. But, we are also social beings and need relationships with other people for reasons that have nothing do with any economic value we may receive in return. We need to care and be cared for, to love and be loved. And, we are moral beings and need a sense of purpose and meaning in life. We need a sense that what we do matters, that it is right and good. Caring for the earth is not a sacrifice; it gives meaning to life—it matters. The creation of a new sustainable and local food system for the future, is not just about a better way to fuel the human body, it is also about feeding the human heart and soul. I believe the spiritual awakening that is driving the local food movement eventually will “change everything.” In this kind of awakening, there is always hope.

“The Status and Future of Local Foods" was originally published on JohnIkerd.com and is reposted on Rural America In These Times with permission from the author.

The Ag Tech Market Map: 100+ Startups Powering The Future Of Farming And Agribusiness

MAY 18, 2017

The Ag Tech Market Map: 100+ Startups Powering The Future Of Farming And Agribusiness

Corporate investors such as Mitsui, Monsanto, and Syngenta have backed startups improving irrigation, crop spraying, harvesting, and more.

If you are a startup in the ag tech industry, add or edit your profile directly at

the CB Insights Editor to get in front of our research team.

As population growth increases the need to ramp up food production, tech startups are creating a range of agricultural software, services, farming techniques, and more aimed at bringing more data and efficiency to the sector.

We used CB Insights data to identify more than 100 private companies in agriculture tech and categorized them into nine main categories. We define 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. We only include companies that primarily target the agricultural sector.

Farming & Ag Tech Webinar

Tech companies are gradually changing farms and making agriculture more efficient. Register now to see trends, investment data, and more on this growing industry.

The breakdown is as follows:

• Farm Management Software: This includes software like that produced by Andreessen Horowitz-backed Granular that allows farmers to more efficiently manage their resources, crop production, farm animals, etc.
• Precision Agriculture and Predictive Data Analytics: These startups include those that focus on using big data and predictive analytics to address farm-related issues and make better farm-related decisions in order to save energy, increase efficiency, optimize herbicide and pesticide application (such as Prospera, which uses machine vision and artificial intelligence), and manage risk, among other uses.
• Sensors: Startups in the sensor category include Arable, which offers smart sensors that collect data and help farmers monitor crop health, weather, and soil quality.
• Animal Data: These companies provide software and hardware specifically aimed at better understanding livestock, from breeding patterns (Connecterra) to genomics (TL Biolabs).
• Robotics and Drones: This category includes drone companies and related drone services that cater to agricultural needs (such as TerrAvion), as well as robots or intelligent farm machines that perform various farm functions more efficiently (such as Blue River Technology, backed by Monsanto Growth Ventures, Syngenta Ventures, and Khosla Ventures, among others).
• Smart Irrigation: These startups, including Hortau, provide systems that help monitor and automate water usage for farms using various data exhausts.
• Next Gen Farms: A growing category of companies that utilize technology to provide alternative farming methods to enable farming in locations and settings that cannot support traditional farming. Examples include AeroFarms for vertical farming and BrightFarms for new greenhouses.
• Marketplaces: These startups offer marketplaces relevant to agriculture by connecting farmers directly to suppliers or consumers without any middlemen. While some are e-commerce platforms, others use tech to facilitate physical marketplaces (La Ruche Qui Dit Oui).
• Plant Data/Analysis: These startups are getting more granular data about plant composition (microbial makeup, genetic expression, etc.) and/or analyzing that data to improve seed research & development and breeding (such as Benson Hill Biosystems).

Some companies may overlap with different categories and are grouped according to their main use case.

Track all the Ag Tech startups in this brief and many more on our platform

Startups are working to change how our farms work. Sign up for a free trial and look for Ag Tech Startups in the Collections tab.
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See the full company list below:

The Growing Ag tech Industry

CompanySelect InvestorsCategory

Advanced Animal DiagnosticsCultivian Sandbox, InterSouth Partners, Kansas Bioscience Authority, LabCorp, Middleland Capital, Novartis Venture FundsAnimal Data

FarmnoteColopl, GREE, Kanematsu, Kotaro ChibaAnimal Data

Stellapps TechnologiesOmnivore PartnersAnimal Data

MastilineSHIFT InvestAnimal Data

TL BioLabsY CombinatorAnimal Data

ConnecterraBreed Reply, DeNA, Elias Tabet, MENA Venture InvestmentsAnimal Data

CowlarY CombinatorAnimal Data

MoocallThe Pearse Lyons AcceleratorAnimal Data

FarmdokCega GmbH, Tecent EquityFarm Management Software

LandmappHERi Africa, Omidyar NetworkFarm Management Software

AegroSP Ventures, WOW AceleradoraFarm Management Software

ScoutproUndisclosed InvestorsFarm Management Software

GranularAndreessen Horowitz, Emory Investment Management, Fall Line Capital, Google Ventures, H. Barton Asset Management, Khosla Ventures, Tao Capital PartnersFarm Management Software

AgworldREV, Yuuwa CapitalFarm Management Software

AgriviSouth Central VenturesFarm Management Software

ConservisCultivian Sandbox, Heartland Advisors, Middleland CapitalFarm Management Software

Crop-in Technology SolutionsAnkur Capital, Sophia ApSFarm Management Software

TreckerUndisclosed InvestorsFarm Management Software

PickTraceFundersClub, Y CombinatorFarm Management Software

FarmLogsAndreessen Horowitz, Drive Capital, First Step Fund, Huron River Ventures, Hyde Park Angels, Hyde Park Venture Partners, Sam Altman, Silicon Badia, Start Fund, SV Angel, Y CombinatorFarm Management Software

AgriwebbAl Hamra, John MurrayFarm Management Software

OnFarm SystemsMaxfield Capital, Sacramento AngelsFarm Management Software

AggrigatorUndisclosed InvestorsMarketplaces

AgroStarAavishkaar, IDG Ventures IndiaMarketplaces

La Ruche Qui Dit OuiBNP Paribas Securities Corporation, Caisse des Depots et Consignations, Christophe Duhamel, Felix Capital, Kima Ventures, Marc Simoncini, Paris Initiative Enterprises, Quadia, Siparex, Union Square Ventures, XAnge Private EquityMarketplaces

AgriconomieElaia PartnersMarketplaces

EM3 AgriservicesAspada AdvisorsMarketplaces

YagroUndisclosed InvestorsMarketplaces

Bowery FarmingBoxGroup, Lerer Hippeau Ventures, First Round CapitalNext Gen Farms

Alesca LifeBits x Bites, The Pearse Lyons AcceleratorNext Gen Farms

Freight FarmsBridge Boys, Kickstarter, LaunchCapital, Morningside Ventures, Rothenberg Ventures, Spark Capital, TechStarsNext Gen Farms

Aero Farms21Ventures, GSR Ventures, Middleland Capital, Missionpoint Capital Partners, Quercus Trust, Wheatsheaf InvestmentsNext Gen Farms

BrightFarmsNGEN Partners, WP Global Partners, Emil Capital PartnersNext Gen Farms

FreshboxChalsys LLPNext Gen Farms

Green Sense FarmsUndisclosed InvestorsNext Gen Farms

Gotham GreensUndisclosed InvestorsNext Gen Farms

CiBOFlagship PioneeringPlant Data/Analysis

Trace GenomicsIllumina Ventures, Fall Line Capital, Refactor CapitalPlant Data/Analysis

Benson Hill BiosystemsBioGenerator, iSelect Fund, Lewis & Clark VenturesPlant Data/Analysis

AgronosticoNXTP LabsPrecision Agriculture and Predictive Analytics

AgribleArcher Daniels Midland Company, Flyover Capital, Serra VenturesPrecision Agriculture and Predictive Analytics

GamayaSeed4Equity, VI PartnersPrecision Agriculture and Predictive Analytics

S4Arch Grants, BioGenerator, SixThirty, The Yield LabPrecision Agriculture And Predictive Analytics

ObserveEntrepreneur FirstPrecision Agriculture And Predictive Analytics

StriderBarn Investimentos, Monashees Capital, Qualcomm VenturesPrecision Agriculture and Predictive Analytics

GeoVisual AnalyticsTHRIVE AcceleratorPrecision Agriculture and Predictive Analytics

AgrilystBrooklyn Bridge Ventures, Metamorphic Ventures, TechCrunch DisruptPrecision Agriculture And Predictive Analytics

CropMetricsUndisclosed InvestorsPrecision Agriculture and Predictive Analytics

Adapt-NArmory Square Ventures, Arthur Ventures, Cayuga Venture FundPrecision Agriculture And Predictive Analytics

Farmers Business NetworkKleiner Perkins Caufield & ByersPrecision Agriculture And Predictive Analytics

Premier Crop SystemsUndisclosed InvestorsPrecision Agriculture And Predictive Analytics

BovcontrolRedpoint e.ventures, MassChallengePrecision Agriculture And Predictive Analytics

CropZilla SoftwareUndisclosed InvestorsPrecision Agriculture And Predictive Analytics

MyAgDataAdams Street Partners, Alpha Capital Partners, Don Walsworth, Early Investments, John Rose, October Capital, OpenAir Equity Partners, River Cities Capital Fund, Saints Capital, Thorndale FarmPrecision Agriculture and Predictive Analytics

AgralogicsUndisclosed InvestorsPrecision Agriculture and Predictive Analytics

ProsperaBessemer Venture Partners, HishtilPrecision Agriculture and Predictive Analytics

aWhereAgFunder, Aravaipa Ventures, Elixir CapitalPrecision Agriculture and Predictive Analytics

ec2ecUndisclosed InvestorsPrecision Agriculture and Predictive Analytics

Flurosatmuru-DPrecision Agriculture and Predictive Analytics

Mavrx ImagingShasta Ventures, Slow VenturesRobotics and Drones

FarmBotSYD Ventures, muru-DRobotics and Drones

Airwood AerostructuresStartupXseed VenturesRobotics and Drones

Raptor MapsFounder.org, MIT $100K Entrepreneurship CompetitionRobotics and Drones

Harvest CROOUndisclosed InvestorsRobotics and Drones

Blue River TechnologyData Collective, Innovation Endeavors, Khosla Ventures, Monsanto Growth Ventures, National Science Foundation, Pontifax, Stanford Angels & Entrepreneurs, Steve Blank, Syngenta Ventures, Ulu VenturesRobotics and Drones

SkySquirrel TechnologiesInNOVAcorpRobotics and Drones

SkycisionAccelepriseRobotics and Drones

Leading Edge TechnologiesUndisclosed InvestorsRobotics and Drones

TerrAvionFundersClub, Y CombinatorRobotics and Drones

RessonBDC Capital, BDC Venture Capital, Build Ventures, East Valley Ventures, Monsanto Growth Ventures, New Brunswick Innovation Foundation, Rho CanadaRobotics And Drones

Abundant RoboticsGoogle Ventures, KPCB Edge, Yamaha Motor VenturesRobotics And Drones

Ceres ImagingImagineH20, Lemnos Labs, Silicon BadiaRobotics and Drones

Centaur AnalyticsOurCrowd, PJ Tech CatalystSensors

SLANTRANGEMainsail Partners, The Investor GroupSensors

GrowneticsCanopyBoulderSensors

Motorleaf500 startupsSensors

PycnoHAX, Launch KCSensors

Spensa TechnologiesEmerging Innovations Fund, Radicle Capital, Village CapitalSensors

Amber AgricultureiVenture AcceleratorSensors

FieldInTerra Venture PartnersSensors

SaturasThe Trendlines GroupSensors

Acuity AgricultureTHRIVE AcceleratorSensors

FarmobileAnterra CapitalSensors

GrassometerEnterprise Ireland, Kernel CapitalSensors

PhytechMitsui & Co., Syngenta VenturesSensors

Farmers EdgeFairfax Financial Holdings, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Mitsui & Co.Sensors

ArableSparkLabs, Imagine H20Sensors

MimosaTEKExpara AcceleratorSensors

Smart YieldsEnergy Excelerator, Blue StartupsSensors

Flux8200 EISPSensors

Garden SpaceHAXSensors

SemiosFedDev Ontario, Haywood Securities, Niagara Angel Network, Verizon CommunicationsSensors

SencropBreega Capital, Emertec GestionSensors

FlowiusImagine H20Smart Irrigation

TevatronicThe Pearse Lyons AcceleratorSmart Irrigation

LivnStart-up ChileSmart Irrigation

HortauAdvantage Capital Partners, Avrio Capital, BDC Venture Capital, Business Capital, Desjardins Venture Capital, TelesystemSmart Irrigation

SprinklIan Woodward-SmithSmart Irrigation

Smart Farm SystemsUndisclosed InvestorsSmart Irrigation

Powwow EnergyCalifornia Energy CommissionSmart Irrigation

HydroPoint Data SystemsChrysalix Global Network, Chrysalix Venture Capital, Firelake Capital, J.F. Shea Venture CapitalSmart Irrigation

CropXFinistere Ventures, GreenSoil Investments, Innovation Endeavors, Lab IX, OurCrowd.com, Robert Bosch Venture CapitalSmart Irrigation

AquaSpyAlpina Partners, Centre for Energy and Greenhouse Technologies, Cleantech Ventures, Colonial First State Private Equity, Cultivian Ventures, Emerald Technology Ventures, ES Ventures, Gresham Rabo Management, Nanyang VenturesSmart Irrigation

EdynFenox Venture Capital, Idea Bulb Ventures, Indicator Ventures, Kickstarter, Morningside Ventures, QueensBridge Venture Partners, THRIVE Accelerator, Y CombinatorSmart Irrigation
 

Indoor Farms of America Sales Exceed 2016 Total in First Four Months of 2017 as Growth Escalates

Indoor Farms of America Sales Exceed 2016 Total in First Four Months of 2017 as Growth Escalates

LAS VEGAS, May 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Indoor Farms of America is pleased to announce that sales through the first four months of 2017 have exceeded the entire year of 2016, when the company first sold its patented vertical aeroponic indoor farm equipment.

According to company CEO David Martin, "During 2016, our first year selling our equipment, we enjoyed what we consider a very solid year for launching our unique vertical farming equipment, and 2017 has already eclipsed that in dollar volume and diversity of farms being sold, built and delivered."

Indoor Farms of America two story display at 2017 Indoor AgCon Las Vegas

GrowTruck Container Farm Display at 2017 Indoor AgCon Las Vegas

The company sold numerous smaller farm packages and container farms during 2016, many of which were considered "pilot farms," to allow potentially large warehouse farm operators to get a feel for this amazing vertical equipment, prior to making larger commitments.

"We knew when we introduced the equipment throughout the previous year, it would somewhat be a year of "tire kickers," and we were overwhelmed at the positive response to our total farm solutions. Those tire kickers are now converting into sold larger farms, as we continue to see positive crop growing results by folks across the U.S. and in key international markets."

Indoor Farms of America spent several years designing and developing its patented ultra high yield vertical aeroponic equipment. The firm manufactures a robust line of aeroponic products, including the world's most productive containerized farms, for deployment in any area of the world that has real need for such a unique small farm platform that produces commercial quantities of fresh produce in an manner superior to any other container farm manufacturer. 

Other "turn-key" complete farm packages were specifically developed for fully scalable indoor farm applications to drive down initial capital costs as well as the ongoing operational costs. This focus combines to provide the operator with the single most cost-effective indoor agriculture equipment available in the world.

Ron Evans, company President, stated it this way: "We received numerous affirmations throughout 2016 from third party growers using our farm technology that it delivers on what we promise in overall farm performance. We are committed to the concept that if you are going to own and operate an indoor farm, it should provide you a very sound financial return."

"So many farm platforms that Ron and I analyzed in the early R&D phase back in 2013 and 2014, we believed were doomed to financial failure due to poor design with off the shelf 30 year old growing technology that was not innovative. We recognized that if those marginally profitable operators made errors in execution, they would not survive. It was our mandate internally to develop a complete farming solution that would transcend anything on the market, and we achieved that", stated Martin.

New sales by the company for 2017 to date include numerous locations around the U.S., as well as other countries, as the company continues on a path of rolling out the products in key markets that will benefit dramatically from truly locally grown fresh produce.

"We have sold our first farm for Alaska, destined for Juneau in the next couple months. As well, we have sold our first farm for the GCC region, destined for Dubai. This farm will change the landscape for food production in the Middle East." stated Martin. "Further developments include complete farms sold for multiple regions of Canada, including Alberta, Manitoba and Ontario provinces, and that region is about to explode with growth in the use of our farm solution."

Martin added, "We have sold our first large scale farm for Africa, destined for the country of Botswana.  We have had a farm in operation in Johannesburg for many months, and our distributor there reports how amazed potential customers are with the robust growing they experience with our vertical aeroponics platform."

The company has spent thousands of hours developing new crops beyond leafy greens. Evans stated: "Leafy greens were the easy part, and ours does that better than anything else. We have proven out growing of certain varieties of cherry tomatoes, strawberries, peppers, peas and beans for proteins, and we are now working on specialty root crops like heirloom carrots and baby potatoes. We know a well-rounded garden approach is what many folks want to see, not just leafy greens, and we are rapidly developing those for commercial scale."

Indoor Farms of America has a showroom with demonstration farms operating in Las Vegas, Nevada and in multiple locations in Canada, and in South Africa, where their patented vertical aeroponic equipment is on display and receiving amazing reviews by industry leaders.

CONTACT:
David W. Martin, CEO   •   161290@email4pr.com   •   IndoorFarmsAmerica.com
4000 W. Ali Baba Lane, Ste. F Las Vegas, NV 89118
(702) 664-1236or (702) 606-2691

SOURCE Indoor Farms of America

Related Links

https://www.indoorfarmsamerica.com

Emil Radkov Brings Proven Track Record of Industry Innovation to VividGro

Emil Radkov Brings Proven Track Record of Industry Innovation to VividGro

May 23, 2017 09:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

WEST WARWICK, R.I.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Lighting Science® today announced the appointment of noted horticultural and SSL technology expert Emil Radkov as Senior Agronomist and Director of VividGro, a division of Lighting Science Group focused on advanced agricultural and horticultural LED solutions. Lighting Science’s mission is to bring life-changing products in human health, agriculture, and infrastructure to market. Their extensive technology and intellectual property portfolio includes nearly 400 LED technology patents, from biological circadian LED technology solutions to VividGro’s expanding range of products for cannabis and indoor agriculture. Radkov himself has authored over 40 technology patents on the subject of LED technology and horticultural innovation, making his addition to the company’s leadership a clear reinforcement of VividGro’s commitment to continually pushing the industry forward.

VIVIDGRO® ANNOUNCES NEW DIRECTOR AND SENIOR AGRONOMIST

“It’s thrilling to join a company that prioritizes scientific innovation as part of their mission,” said Radkov. “It is my hope that my particular experience in driving LED grow-light technology will aid in the development of even greater products while accelerating consumer awareness of sustainable, future-conscious options in the agricultural and horticultural industries around the world.”

Radkov comes to VividGro following positions at Soraa, Dow Corning and Illumitex. An innovative expert with proven ability of creating new IP for LED technology, Radkov has set industry records for performance and light quality. His key areas of expertise include extensive knowledge of LED phosphors and encapsulants, spectral design for general and specialty lighting applications, reliability and SSL standards.

Lighting Science has long been investing in the research and development of urban agriculture, including working with NASA, Harvard University and the U.S. Scientific Research Station at the South Pole to establish indoor food production. Since launching VividGro in 2014, Lighting Science’s products have consistently been one of the most popular brands in cannabis and large-scale indoor farming production. LSG was one of the first LED companies to offer an energy efficient alternative to high pressure sodium (HPS) lighting. Their patented VividGro LED lamp is proven to increase yields by up to 20% while using 45% less energy. In addition, unlike many other LED grow solutions, VividGro differentiates itself by creating a “white light” working environment for grow house employees. These commercial LED solutions are highly adaptable to both urban and agricultural environments, including greenhouses of any scale.

The VividGro division will be led by recently-appointed President David Friedman and Radkov, and supported by a team of engineers, scientists and sales and marketing executives who all have extensive LED lighting and cannabis industry experience.

About VividGro

Tailored to the indoor agriculture and horticultural markets, the state-of-the-art VividGro product line delivers optimized photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) to maximize plant growth and PAR efficacy, while also providing light suitable for the human visual system and excellent color penetration. VividGro’s patented light spectrum has been proven to speed crop development and increase crop yield. In addition, unlike other LED grow lights, VividGro distinguishes itself from its industry peers by creating a “white light” working environment for grow house employees. These commercial LED solutions are highly adaptable to both urban and agricultural environments, including greenhouses of any scale. Lighting Science continues to experiment with the technology and spectrum to enhance the plant growth at different stages and has plans to launch its next generation VividGro 3 in 2017.

About Lighting Science

Lighting Science (OTCQB:LSCG) is a global leader in innovative LED lighting solutions that designs, manufactures and brings to market advanced, intelligent products for consumer and commercial applications. We are committed to using the science of light to improve the lives and health of people and our planet by inventing breakthrough, biologically-friendly LED lamps and lighting fixtures. Lighting Science is headquartered in West Warwick, RI, with research and development facilities in Cocoa Beach, Florida, and offices in Shenzhen, China. Find out more about us and our products at www.lsgc.com and join us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and the Lighting Science Blog.

Contacts

Lighting Science
Dustin O’Neal or Alexandra Polier
917-693-2768
press@lsgc.com

Improvements of The Svalbard Global Seed Vault

IMPROVEMENTS OF THE SVALBARD GLOBAL SEED VAULT

21 MAY 2017

The Svalbard Global Seed Vault is the world’s backup for crop collections. It currently safeguards more than 930,000 different varieties. It has been reported that the Seed Vault has seen water intrusion due to melting permofrost. The Royal Ministry of Agriculture and Food in Norway, the Crop Trust, and NordGen would like to assure seed depositors and the public that the seeds are completely safe and no damage has been done to the facility. The Royal Ministry of Agriculture and Food and Statsbygg, Norway, is taking appropriate measures to ensure the protection of the Seed Vault and improve the construction to prevent future incidents. Globally, the Seed Vault is, and will continue to be, the safest backup of crop diversity.

Signed

PÅL VIDAR SOLLIE, DIRECTOR GENERAL, THE ROYAL MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FOOD, NORWAY

MARIE HAGA, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, THE CROP TRUST

LISE LYKKE STEFFENSEN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, NORDGEN

HEGE NJAA ASCHIM, DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS, STATSBYGG, NORWAY

19 MAY 2017

After 9 years of operation, Svalbard Global Seed Vault is facing technical improvements in connection with water intrusion in the outer part of the access tunnel because the permafrost has not established itself as projected.
Operation of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault is a collaboration between several players. The seed vault is owned by the Norwegian government and administered by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food (LMD). Statsbygg is responsible for the administration of the physical installation and the technical operation of the vault. LMD has entered into a 10-year operating agreement with the Nordic Genetic Resource Center (NordGen), which is responsible for the operations of the seed vault and the International foundation Global Crop Diversity Trust (GCDT), which is contributing financially.

• The seeds in the seed vault have never been threatened and will remain safe during implementation of the measures.
• The measures are being carried out to provide additional security to the seed vault, based on a precautionary (“better safe than sorry”) approach.
• Description of the measures:
  • Removal of heat sources in the access tunnel will protect against water intrusion resulting from potential climate change.
  • Drainage ditches will be constructed on the mountainside to prevent melt water from Platåfjellet accumulating around the access tunnel and to protect against water intrusion resulting from any climate change.
  • The construction of waterproof walls inside the tunnel will provide additional protection for the actual vault.
  • Alternatives for a new access tunnel to the seed vault will be explored with the aim to improve safety in a long-term perspective.
  • Statsbygg is carrying out a research and development project that will monitor the permafrost on Svalbard.
• The measures will provide the most optimal maintenance and surveillance of the installation.

Statsbygg will answer all questions and enquiries regarding the measures.

MESSAGE ABOUT THE MEASURES

The seed vault is a success, with widespread support and a well-functioning operation. Statsbygg is now implementing measures that will continue to protect the seed vault in the future.

Some improvement measures are being implemented to prevent the season-dependent intrusion of water into the seed vault’s access tunnel. When water intrudes into the outer part of the seed vault, the water is immediately pumped out again by pumps that work around the clock.

• Statsbygg has moved the transformer station out of the tunnel. This provides safer operation, easier maintenance and has removed a heat source.
• Drainage ditches to be constructed and terrain leveling will take place on the mountainside above the seed vault to prevent melt water from Platåfjellet accumulating around the access tunnel and to protect against water intrusion resulting from any climate change
• A waterproof wall will be constructed in the access tunnel as extra protection for the actual vault.
• Alternatives to a new access tunnel to the seed vault will be explored to improve safety in a long-term perspective.

The seeds will remain safe during implementation of the measures.

Any melting of the permafrost has a very long-term perspective, cf. expert statements during the planning phase. In order to be “better safe than sorry,” Statsbygg is carrying out a research and development project that will follow the development of the permafrost on Svalbard.

The seed vault on Svalbard is a very safe installation for the preservation of copies of the world’s seeds. The seeds are stored deep inside the mountain, which is kept frozen by both permafrost and artificial freezing. Statsbygg provides 24-hour surveillance of the technical installation to ensure the seeds are safe. When water intrudes into the outer part of the seed vault, the water is immediately pumped out again by pumps that work around the clock. The effect of the measures will be continuously assessed in the coming years. If they are not sufficient, further and more extensive measures will be implemented.

The measures will be implemented from now to 2018.

For further questions on the improvements to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault please contact Statsbygg: Hege Njaa Aschim, Communications Director, henr@statsbygg.no, tel: +47 91370172.

Beijing Oriental Technologies Ltd. Joins Philips Horticulture LED Solutions Partner Network

Beijing Oriental Technologies Ltd. Joins Philips Horticulture LED Solutions Partner Network 

19 May 2017

Philips Lighting, a Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) company and the global leader in lighting, today announced that it signed a partnership agreement with Beijing Oriental Technologies Ltd. (Beijing Oritech) on 11 May 2017 at the 19th Hortiflorexpo IPM show in Shanghai, China. The partners will cooperate closely on projects in the greenhouse segment. The partnership agreement was signed by Wu Shao Juan, vice general manager of Beijing Oritech, and Udo van Slooten, global general manager of Philips Horticulture LED lighting. 

This partnership strengthens the ability of both partners to further develop the Chinese greenhouse market. By combining Philips innovative greenhouse lighting solutions with the professional greenhouse expertise of Beijing Oritech, the collaboration will allow Chinese greenhouse growers to quickly learn and adapt Dutch cultivation technologies to produce excellent crops year-round with professional service and support. The energy savings realized with LED grow lights will help the Chinese greenhouse industry make more efficient use of resources as well. 

About Beijing Oriental Technologies Ltd.

Beijing Oriental Technologies Ltd. is a modern and professional business that designs, produces and installs industrial grade greenhouses and agricultural equipment that is competitively priced. The company has experience in both industrial and horticultural cultivation. Beijing Oritech is committed to providing high quality agricultural facilities that meet industry standards for the European Union, North America and Japan. Professionally trained staff provide a range of services, including greenhouse research, production and construction. 

For further information, please contact:

Daniela Damoiseaux, Global Marcom Manager Horticulture
Philips Horticultural LED Lighting, Nederland
E-mail:  daniela.damoiseaux@philips.com 
www.philips.com/horti 

About Philips Lighting

Philips Lighting, a Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) company, is the global leader in lighting products, systems and services. Our understanding of how lighting positively affects people coupled with our deep technological know-how enable us to deliver digital lighting innovations that unlock new business value, deliver rich user experiences and help to improve lives. Serving professional and consumer markets, we sell more energy efficient LED lighting than any other company. We lead the industry in connected lighting systems and services, leveraging the Internet of Things to take light beyond illumination and transform homes, buildings and urban spaces. In 2015, we had sales of EUR 7.4 billion and employed 33,000 people worldwide. News from Philips Lighting is located at http://www.philips.com/newscenter.  

This Veggie Garden Is Basically An Organic Server Farm Of Kale

This Veggie Garden Is Basically An Organic Server Farm Of Kale

Commentary: Sustenir's vertical garden is literally a concrete food jungle, and it's one of the coolest things I've seen all year.

• by Aloysius Low May 22, 2017 5:00 AM PDT @longadin

Surrounded by concrete walls that were until recently home to industrial tooling machines, thousands of kale plants are stacked in a vertical hydroponic garden. It is literally an organic server farm of kale.

I plucked a leaf from the wall of green and popped it in my mouth.

Absolutely delicious. And I'm not what you'd call a salad guy.

This is Sustenir, a 668 square meter farm located in a concrete estate, in an industrial suburb of Singapore that wants to grow hydroponic (the method of growing plants without soil) food crops in the land-scarce country to feed more people and keep import costs down.

Trust me, this all-grey temple of manufacturing is the last place you'd expect to find a thriving farm, let alone anything living and green. That contrast is exactly how Sustenir's founders, construction manager Benjamin Swan and accountant Martin Lavoo, like it.

Sustenir's founders Martin Lavoo (left) and Benjamin Swan.

Aloysius Low/CNET

Before you can appreciate the scale of the project, you have to understand Singapore's relationship to farming.

An island nation about half the size of Los Angeles, Singapore imports 90 percent of its food from around the world.

In 2015, local farms produced about 13 percent of the vegetables consumed locally (PDF), using about 1 percent of the island to grow crops. Most of Singapore's produce comes from Malaysia and China, but some is flown in from as far as the US or Australia -- like Tuscan kale and curly kale, two varieties that Sustenir grows.

Singapore currently has 10 indoor vertical vegetable farms.

As Sustenir doesn't want to compete with the few local farmers, it works on non-native produce instead. By growing the crop here, Sustenir's imported, organic kale can stay fresh for two weeks longer compared to imported kale, which loses part of its freshness in the shipping process.

Given Singapore's smaller land size, the ingenious use of space and hydroponics could set an example for urban farmers everywhere to produce clean, pesticide-free vegetables faster and more abundantly than in the ground.

Starting fresh

Starting in a basement, Sustenir's initial setup cost $150, but the company went through 18 lighting vendors and numerous indoor configurations before deciding on the right recipe to grow kale efficiently in such land-strapped space.

"The way we wanted to look at technology was [from] a value-engineering standpoint," said Lavoo, the engineer. "We wanted to take all the ideas around vertical farming, and boil it down to the basics."

In this case "the basics" include a combination of red and blue LED grow lights (sprouting kale and growing kale use different spectrums), and hydroponics, a nutrient solution, instead of soil, as some indoor farms do.

Consumers tend to prefer soil-grown produce, said Fadhlina Suhaimi, a senior scientist at Singapore's Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA), and it's easier to grow a wider range of vegetables and herbs in soil.

But the old-fashioned way using soil requires more manpower and planting materials, and kale can take longer to grow, so yield is lower.

Grow Sustenir's kale did. It takes this concrete jungle kale garden two weeks to go from seed to harvest, compared to about a month for outdoor farms, according to Lavoo.

"We [don't] think we can grow a plant in our environment that would compete with the best of what nature is able to provide," said Lavoo. "But what the best nature is able to provide is becoming more a constricted reality for mankind."

Room to grow

A healthy harvest is one thing, but what really sets Sustenir apart from other hydroponic farmers is a patent-pending system that lets it store more growing racks in a smaller enclosed space, while still giving workers enough room to harvest and replant.

Harvested kale at Sustenir's farm.

Aloysius Low/CNET

Remember when I compared Sustenir's farming operations to an organic server farm? With racks and racks of kale stacked next to each other, that's a pretty close description.

Because Sustenir uses hydroponics and an air-conditioned indoor facility, the company says it doesn't need to use pesticides to keep the plants bug-free. There's no soil harboring little bugs and no stretches of open air for their migration.

However, this kale farm takes precautions anyway. I did have to endure an air shower and put on a sterile jumpsuit before heading inside the facility.

The company currently takes up about half of its rented space, with plans to expand to its other half in the coming months. Besides kale, the company is also looking into cherry tomatoes, having successfully cultivated a test crop so far, and strawberries.

Growth-wise, Sustenir is looking to spread its gospel to other land-scarce urban environments, such as Hong Kong or even Colombo, Sri Lanka, where its already-established model of locally growing high-end, high-value crops could also work.

In Singapore and elsewhere, Sustenir's LED lights and server farm-style plantings would help keep the cost of imported produce down.

With access to tasty, locally-grown produce like this, I might even learn to become a salad guy after all...

Affinor Growers Signs an "On-Site Test License Agreement" with BC Company to Develop Vertical Farming with Coniferous Tree Seedlings

Affinor Growers Signs an "On-Site Test License Agreement" with BC Company to Develop Vertical Farming with Coniferous Tree Seedlings

Vancouver (Canada), May 22, 2017 - Affinor Growers Inc. (CSE:AFI, OTC:RSSFF, Frankfurt:1AF) (“Affinor” or the “Corporation), is pleased to announce the signing of a research and development On-Site License Agreement with a BC company to use Affinor's vertical growing equipment to mass produce high quality coniferous seedlings.

The test agreement is a collaboration of Affinor’s vertical farming tower technology, proprietary owned BC registered Tree Seeds by D.K Helicropper Ltd. and Vertical Designs Ltd. Under the terms of the agreement, specific coniferous seeds potentially more resistant to the Pine Beetle (MPB), will be propagated and mass produced with Affinor's growing technology on the Vertical Designs Ltd. farm located in Abbotsford BC. In the agreement, Vertical Designs will be able to purchase four 10 level towers with no license fee or royalty. In return, Vertical Designs will share the testing and production results with Affinor.

Forestry is a major economic resource for BC resulting in a high demand for high quality MPB stress resistance seedlings. In 2016, 259 million trees were planted and for 2017, 266 million trees are planned to be planted.

Jarrett Malnarick, President and CEO said that "This is another great opportunity for Affinor to expand our growing technology into other markets. Reforestation through tree planting and Silviculture is a large market not just in BC, but the entire world. We are excited to develop new cultivation systems using vertical growing technology to produce next generation seedling."

For More Information, please contact:

Jarrett Malnarick, President and CEO
604.837.8688
jarrett@affinorgrowers.com

About Affinor Growers Inc.

Affinor Growers is a publicly traded company on the Canadian Securities Exchange under the symbol ("AFI"). Affinor is focused on growing high quality crops such as romaine lettuce, spinach and strawberries using its vertical farming techniques. Affinor is committed to becoming a pre-eminent supplier and grower, using exclusive vertical farming techniques.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors

AFFINOR GROWERS INC.

"Jarrett Malnarick"
President & CEO

The CSE has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

FORWARD LOOKING INFORMATION

This News Release contains forward-looking statements. The use of any of the words "anticipate", "continue", "estimate", "expect", "may", "will", "project", "should", "believe" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which the forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements because the Company can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Since forward-looking statements address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. These statements speak only as of the date of this News Release. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors and risks including various risk factors discussed in the Company's disclosure documents which can be found under the Company's profile on www.sedar.com. This News Release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.

Japan Plant Factories Are Providing A Safe, Reliable Food Source

Japan Plant Factories Are Providing A Safe, Reliable Food Source

 MAY 15, 2017 - DAVID KUACK

Japan’s plant factories are expanding to meet the increasing demand for safe, pesticide-free, locally-grown food.

Japan has more plant factories (PFs) than any other country. The largest number of plant factories are located in Okinawa Prefecture near Taiwan. The rapid commercialization and financial subsidization by the Japanese government of PFs, which began in 2010, are helping to drive interest in their development.

Another reason for the increase in PFs in Japan is that the country has been importing a large amount of fresh, sliced salad vegetables from China. The Japanese are concerned about the amount of pesticides being used for Chinese vegetable production and looking for alternative sources of fresh vegetables and herbs.

Hort Americas spoke with Dr. Toyoki Kozai, professor emeritus at Chiba University and chief director of Japan Plant Factory Association, about Japan’s expanding plant factory industry. Chiba University researchers are studying various aspects of indoor farming. A PF on the university campus, which is operated by a private company, is selling around 3,000 heads of lettuce daily to a variety of customers, including Japanese grocery store chain Tokyo Stores.

The number of Japanese plant factories producing more than 10,000 heads of lettuce daily is estimated to be around 10.
Photos courtesy of Dr. Toyoki Kozai.

How large is the average plant factory in Japan and can you describe what type of equipment is used in one of these operations?

As of March 2014 there were about 170 plant factories (PFs) in Japan. Of these, 70 are producing more than 1,000 lettuce heads (50-100 grams per head) or other leafy greens daily. The number of PFs producing more than 10,000 heads of lettuce daily is estimated to be around 10.

The average floor area of a PF with 10-15 tiers for producing 10,000 lettuce heads daily is 1,500 square meters. The main components of a PF are:

1. A thermally well-insulated and airtight warehouse-like structure with no windows.
2. Tiers/shelves with a light source and culture beds.
3. A carbon dioxide supply unit.
4. Nutrient supply units.
5. Air conditioners.
6. An environment control unit.
7. Other equipment includes nutrient solution sterilization units, air circulation units and seeders.

Are most of Japan’s plant factories located in renovated buildings (i.e. old warehouses, abandoned factories, etc.) or are the buildings housing these operations constructed specifically for use as plant factories?

Sixty percent of the PFs in Japan are located in new buildings.

Why has Japan been one of the leaders in the development of plant factories?

Citizens’ concerns for and interest in health, pesticide-free products, freshness and high-tech are high. There are many researchers who have been doing research on PFs for more than 10 years. e Japanese government started subsidizing R&D and doing extension related to PFs in 2010.

Are most of the Japan’s plant factories operated by private companies and/or corporations or are there some operated as family farms?

Thirty percent of PFs are operated by families with ve to 15 part-time workers. Half of these PFs are for vegetable production. Ten percent of the PFs are operated by agricultural unions or similar organizations. The rest are operated by private companies.

What are the most common crops grown in the plant factories?

Primarily green leaf lettuce, romaine lettuce, frill lettuce, spinach, basil and arugula.

Are there any limits (i.e. space restrictions, plant size, light requirements, etc.) to the types of crops that can be grown in plant factories?

Plant height is 30-40 centimeters or less, grow well at a photosynthetic photon ux (PPF) of 150-250 micro-mol per meter squared per second (umol/ m2/s) and at high planting density. Plants can be harvested within two months after seeding and respond well to controlled environments.

How are most of the crops grown in plant factories marketed to consumers?

The produce is sold to diverse markets. Forty percent to large- and medium-size supermarkets, 30 percent to restaurant chain stores, 20 percent to meal delivery service companies and the rest to department stores, convenience stores and Internet shopping.

Is there any type of marketing on television, radio, online, newspaper, etc., done for the crops grown in the plant factories?

Most marketing is done on PF websites for ordering via the Internet. The PFs also do many interviews for articles and TV news without spending money for advertisement. PF sales personnel visit supermarkets, restaurants and department stores frequently.

In regards to the production system set ups currently being used in plant factories, where could the greatest improvements be made?

Automation for transplanting, harvesting, packing and cost and production management systems.

What are the benefits/advantages of plant factories over greenhouse production and traditional field crop production?

Ten- to 100-fold annual productivity per unit land area regardless of weather, clean and no need to wash before cooking and a long lifetime. Consumers are now interested in its nutrition for humans, taste, functional and medicinal components in leaves, beauty color and mouth feeling

Japan’s plant factories are used for the production of leafy greens, herbaceous medicinal plants, herbs and miniature root crops such as micro carrots and turnips.

What are the benefits/advantages of greenhouse production and traditional field crop production over plant factories?

PFs produce vegetables with high quality (small, delicate looking and flavorful) which cannot be produced in greenhouses or in the fields. The PF vegetables are 1/3 to 1/100 the size of greenhouse- or field-grown vegetables. PFs enable consumers living alone to eat fresh vegetables daily.

Do you think that plant factories will be able to overcome their current limitations to compete with greenhouse and field production? If so, how many years do you think it will take for the production costs to be comparable?

PFs are useful only for the production of leafy greens, herbaceous medicinal plants, herbs, and miniature root crops such as micro carrots and turnips. These root crops must have edible tasty leaves.

PF vegetables are not replacements for greenhouse- and field- grown vegetables. They are new products and create a new market. It will take about 10 years in Japan, less than 10 years in China.

What aspects of plant factory production are being studied at Chiba University?

Research includes:

• The production of low potassium lettuce for persons who have kidney-related problems.
• Development of production and cost management systems.
• Lighting system using LEDs.
• Reduction in electricity costs.
• The physiological disorder of tip burn.

For more: Dr. Toyoki Kozai, Japan Plant Factory Association, Chiba University, Center for Environment, Health and Field Sciences, Kashiwa-no-ha, Kashiwa, Chiba, 277-0882, Japan; kozai@faculty. chiba-u.jp.

Additional articles on Japan’s plant factories are available at:

http://www.japan-acad.go.jp/en/publishing/pja_b/ contents/89/89_10.html; http://www.meti.go.jp/english/policy/ sme_chiiki/plantfactory/about.html

David Kuack is a freelance technical writer in Fort Worth, Texas; dkuack@gmail.com.

Shanghai Goes Green: District With Towering Vertical Farms May Become A Reality In The Near Future

Shanghai Goes Green: District With Towering Vertical Farms May Become A Reality In The Near Future

Saturday, May 20, 2017 by: Frances Bloomfield
Tags: agriculture, China, Shanghai, Sunqiao, Urban agriculture

(Natural News) From towering symbols of urbanization, the skyscrapers of Shanghai may soon become agrarian wellsprings. Such is the plan for Sunqiao Urban Agricultural District, a 250-acre district where people will live, work, and shop while surrounded by massive vertical farming systems. Sasaki, the US-based architectural firm behind this bold undertaking, has called Sunqiao “a new approach to urban agriculture” and a “playful, and socially-engaging experience that presents urban agriculture as a dynamic living laboratory for innovation and education.”

Set to be constructed between Shanghai Pudong International Airport and the center of the city, Sunqiao will include all the civic essentials like housing, restaurants, and stores. Amidst all these, however, will be floating greenhouses, seed libraries, and algae farms. These will serve as an expansion of a Shanghai government project that began in the mid-1990’s, wherein a 3.6-square-mile area of the city was designated for agricultural production. Prior to Sasaki’s involvement, only three single-story greenhouses had been built.

The design firm hopes to change that. One major intended use for these is to meet the food requirements of Shanghai’s 24 million-strong population. Leafy greens like kale, bok choi, watercress and spinach make up a large part of the vegetables consumed by the Shanghainese on a daily basis; these same leafy greens do well in simple agricultural setups and require little attention to thrive, making them “an excellent choice for hydroponic and aquaponic growing systems.” Furthermore, these leafy greens are light in weight and grow quickly, making them highly-efficient, economically-viable choices for cultivation as well as food production. Michael Grove, director of Sasaki’s Shanghai office, stated that the district may also have vertical aquaponic fish farms in the future. (Related: The Technologies Making Vertical Farming a Reality)

Sasaki has even called Shanghai “the ideal context for vertical farming”, with its soaring land prices that make building up rather than building out the more prudent option. This goes hand-in-hand with the fact that over 13 percent of China’s total Gross Domestic Product comes from the country’s agricultural sector — the same agricultural sector that feeds 20 percent of the world’s population. Compare this to the United States, of whose agriculture industry only contributes to 5.7 percent of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product.

With over 200,000 kilometers of the country’s arable land now suffering from soil pollution, and 123,000 kilometers of farmland since lost to urbanization, the vertical farms of Sunqiao will become more important than ever. The threats of water shortages, deforestation, and many other complications that continue to affect small farms may soon be things of the past as investments are poured into the modernization and mechanization of the agricultural sector.

According to Sasaki, construction will begin in late 2017 or early 2018. The measurements for Sunqiao are as follows: 753,00-square feet of vertical farms, 717,000-square feet of housing, 138,000-square feet of commercial space, and 856,000-square feet of public space. Development and maintenance will be done by Shanghai Sunqiao Modern Agriculture United Development Co. Ltd., a Chinese company that develops and produces fertilizer. The company will be working together with local planning officials, reported Futurism.com.

Of the project, Sasaki has emphasized the need to balance the agrarian with the metropolitan, stating: “As cities continue to expand, we must continue to challenge the dichotomy between what is urban and what is rural.”

Japan To Prune Taxes In Hopes of Growing Farm Business

May 22, 2017 12:50 pm JST

Japan To Prune Taxes In Hopes of Growing Farm Business

Government panel proposes cutting levies on high-tech indoor agriculture

An indoor farm grows lettuce in Kyoto Prefecture.

TOKYO -- The Japanese government is moving to cut taxes on operators of high-tech indoor farms to encourage more businesses to enter the sector and turn "smart agriculture" into a growth industry.

Under current law, when a company paves over farmland to build an indoor farm, the land is no longer treated as agricultural. That makes it subject to much higher property taxes. The government will seek to reduce the tax burden by proposing that such land continue to be treated as farmland.

The cabinet's council on regulatory reform plans to include the proposal in a report to be submitted to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday. The council hopes to start full-scale discussions on the issue within this fiscal year, which ends in March 2018. 

Under the proposal, the agriculture ministry will revise the agricultural land act and the definition of farmland so that operators of indoor farms do not face a high tax burden.

According to the internal affairs ministry, the property tax levied on land used for indoor farming averaged 12,000 yen ($107) per 10 ares for the year through March 2016. That is more than 10 times the 1,000 yen rate for farmland. Industry backers, including the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Osaka Prefecture, have been calling for deregulation.

New cultivation technologies make it possible to grow high-quality vegetables indoors. This allows indoor farmers to precisely control the environment -- including temperature and humidity, as well plant nutrition -- whatever the weather outside is doing. 

Difficulties in financing indoor farming projects, including high startup costs and taxes, have kept businesses from entering the sector. According to a 2016 survey by the Japan Greenhouse Horticulture Association, about 40% of indoor plant growers were operating in the red.

The Abe government has called expanding Japan's farming industry through deregulation a key growth strategy.

G2V Optics: Shining A Light On Indoor Farming

G2V Optics: Shining A Light On Indoor Farming

Anyone who’s lived through winter in Northern Alberta knows how few precious daylight hours there are in the winter months, and how short the growing season is once spring finally arrives. Now imagine being able to grow plants all year round.

G2V Optics is improving the technology that makes it possible to grow plants indoors by mimicking the sunlight conditions of locations around the world. Its grow lights offer as close a match to natural sunlight as you can get, along with the ability to replicate sunlight conditions for any location on earth.

The venture was founded by Michael Taschuk, a former research associate at the University of Alberta. “We started with solar cell testing and plant research for indoor growing and vertical farming,” he explains. “We were trying to make better solar cells, but were frustrated with the testing equipment available. It was clear that there was a better way to do it.”

The small market for solar cell testing equipment made it an unviable business venture, but food production and indoor farming remains a much bigger problem going forward.

“It was very attractive to see if we could do something there,” said Michael.

The technology uses different coloured LEDs that are precisely controlled to mimic natural sunlight.

Now just over two years old, G2V Optics made a home out of TEC Edmonton’s coworking space, TEC Innovation District. Going in, Michael wanted two things: interactions with other early-stage businesses, and coaching.

“It’s been really good, Michael says. “I’ve had really detailed coaching, which has been enormously helpful.”

Since Michael is trained as a scientist, his biggest challenge remains learning to think of G2V Optics as a business first and foremost, rather than a technical problem. Luckily, marketing help from TEC Edmonton’s Executives in Residence is helping.

“[My coach] is good at challenging my thinking and is able to frame marketing in a way that I can understand,” Michael explains.

Going forward, Michael plans to move G2V Optics into grow lights for commercial applications, farms, research space, or even windowsill growing – he’s already received a lot of interest from the orchid growing community.

We wish Michael and the best as he continues to grow G2V Optics out of TEC Innovation District!

PurePonics Is Planted In Geelong, Victoria

PurePonics Is Planted In Geelong, Victoria

Last Friday the PurePonics team planted the first crop in the brand new aquaponics facility in Geelong, Victoria.

A great milestone and now our sights are set on the first harvest in around 5 weeks time and getting the finest ingredients into the hands of our customers.

Thanks for following along with our progress and we look forward to providing plenty of interesting and exciting news around food production, urban farming and the beauty of aquaponics in protected cropping.

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