Indoor Growing vs. Traditional Greenhouse Growing

Today, in theory, there is enough food on the planet to feed approximately 12 billion people, but the way it is distributed around the world is inefficient and unsustainable. As food is transported across the entire globe, its shelf life or freshness tends to deteriorate considerably and a lot of food often goes to waste. Indoor growing is a step closer to a new situation – one in which it is possible to grow locally produced, fresh food all year round, regardless of the weather and external conditions. It may even enable us to change the face of the food industry.

However, this requires a different way of thinking. “Indoor growing is different from growing in a greenhouse in several ways,” says Fred Ruijgt, Market Development Indoor Growing. “In an automated, glass greenhouse you have to deal with external influences such as wind, rain, and sun. These variables need to be managed as effectively as possible, with or without additional technology. The grower is constantly working to achieve a stable climate for the crop. Indoor growing allows you to create your own optimal climate. The grower determines the growing conditions, from light level to air circulation.”

Fred Ruijgt

Comparing apples with oranges 
According to Fred, many investors try to compare indoor growing with traditional horticulture. “In terms of investment and profitability, it is difficult to compare them,” he says. “It’s like comparing apples with oranges. It’s important to understand the differences between traditional horticultural practices and indoor growing. You can’t simply calculate what a greenhouse yields per square meter and compare it to an indoor farm. In a greenhouse you have to consider the crop cycle and in which months you can harvest and thus what you can supply to your customers. With indoor growing you can supply all year round, creating more opportunities to reach supply agreements with customers. But you also need to invest.

Indoor growing offers some sustainability benefits because considerable savings can be made on water, nutrients and use of pesticides. But, compared to a traditional greenhouse, much more artificial lighting is required. Also, the location and local sales potential should be included in the comparison. After all, a traditional greenhouse is not even an option in some countries, whereas in the Netherlands, for example, it probably costs two to three times more to grow fresh produce in an indoor farm than it does in a greenhouse.” Another difference is that traditional horticulture has traditional sales channels such as auctions, traders and cooperatives. That’s not the case with indoor growing – it’s more important to understand and collaborate with the entire chain.

Food security and food safety
The fact that indoor growing doesn’t have traditional sales channels is precisely what makes it special. “Indoor growing is clean and pesticide-free, resulting in high-quality and plannable production. An indoor farm can also be built in urban areas, which means that there’s always fresh, locally grown produce available for consumers. The product is often shipped directly from the indoor farm to, for example, the supermarket, so the route to the consumer is shorter. Therefore, in the case of indoor growing, it is important that the facility is an integrated part of the total chain: from suppliers to customers. That keeps the route nice and short,” continues Fred.

An indoor farm can be situated anywhere in the world and in any type of climate, whereas it is often not possible to build a greenhouse in certain areas. Fred: “In Singapore, for example, no more greenhouses can be built because there’s no agricultural or horticultural land available. An indoor farm offers a solution because it can be set up inside an existing building. This is an efficient alternative and it greatly reduces the dependence on food imports.”

Down to the consumer
The technology has already been proven in a number of large-scale indoor growing projects. So why isn’t this way of growing more common? “That’s because of several factors,” explains Fred. “Right now, indoor farms are mainly being integrated into existing retail chains. In addition, the demand largely comes from areas with a high average income. The existing retail chains have a vision and they always want to deliver good-quality products, so it makes sense for them to invest in this. But what are consumers prepared to pay for a fresh head of lettuce, for example,? If consumers start to value fresh and good-quality food more, entrepreneurs will be more willing to invest in a more sustainable way of producing food.”

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For more information:
Priva
www.priva.com
contact.priva@priva.nl 

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Publication date: Tue 18 Aug 2020

Swegreen Vertical Farm Goes In-Store in Gothenburg, Sweden

Swegreen's first automated farming unit takes place at ICA Focus in Gothenburg

Swegreen inks contract with ICA Focus in Gothenburg, to become the exclusive producer of hyper-locally grown vegetables via an automated cultivation system inside the store itself. The agreement is based on Swegreen's subscription-based Farming-as-a-Service, which gives food retailers and restaurants the opportunity to offer their customers fresh crops all year round – harvested directly on-site or in-store.

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From left: Andreas Dahlin, CEO at Swegreen. Elsa Adlersson, ICA Focus' responsible for the In-Store greenhouse. Marcus Petersson, chairman at Swegreen.

The contract between Swegreen and ICA Focus concludes that the Gothenburg-based store will be the first in Sweden to offer its customers hyper-locally produced greens grown from seed to fully-grown size inside a store itself. The cultivation facility, which is provided by the Swedish startup company Swegreen, is based on so-called hydroponic cultivation technology that is both resource-efficient and climate-smart. The technical solution also includes the company's special lighting and nutrient recipe, air conditioning system for control of heat, humidity, and CO2 content plus a complete digital monitoring – as well as a data-driven intelligent system for optimization of all cultivation processes.

Through Swegreen's subscription-based business model, Farming-as-a-Service (FaaS), the cooperation between the parties is based on a long-term commitment where Swegreen ensures efficient production at agreed volumes and quality.

-  Our FaaS model means that every store and restaurant owner can offer hyper-local, fresh and high-quality crops that are fantastically nutritious and tasty – at very competitive prices, says Swegreen's CEO, Andreas Dahlin.

-  We are very proud and happy to start this collaboration with ICA Focus. It is a store that has the will to be at the forefront, and we think there are going to be many who desire to follow their footsteps.

ICA Focus is located in the Gårda district in central Gothenburg, just a stone’s throw away from the famous amusement park, Liseberg, and the Swedish Exhibition and WTC. A flagship store that always has a large assortment of environmental-friendly products.

-  Our customers have demanded more locally produced and sustainable greens in our assortment – and it will not be more local and greener than this! Says Daniel Åkerhage, Store Manager at ICA Focus.

-  Now we look forward to our first on-site harvest, which we expect to take place later this month.

At full capacity, it is possible to deliver and harvest around 300 units of fresh salad heads and herbs per day in the cultivation facility in the ICA Focus store.

With hydroponic cultivation technology, where the crops grow without soil with lighting from special LED lamps, it is possible to grow vegetables in an urban environment – and thus produce food very close to the consumer. It also removes unnecessary, expensive, and climate-damaging transportations. In addition, the crops do not need to be sprayed by pesticides or herbicides – they are ready to be eaten directly off the growing system. Up to 95% of the irrigation water is reused via the recycling system. Nutrients are also recycled, while the plants receive carbon dioxide through a filtered air intake from the store itself.

Swegreen has developed the cultivation module to be able to create integrated plant environments together with partners in the food and restaurant sector. Therefore, Swegreen has developed a cloud-based control- and monitoring system to make production easy to manage. Through data collection of current factors in the cultivation environment, the system can continuously refine and further optimize the cultivation processes by the use of artificial intelligence.

For more information contact:

Andreas Dahlin, CEO of Swegreen, +46 70-924 00 32, andreas.dahlin@swegreen.se

Daniel Åkerhage, store manager ICA Focus, +46 76-117 16 20, daniel@icafocus.se 

Swegreen is a Swedish FoodTech company that combines advanced technology, data science, and agricultural knowledge to be able to efficiently produce high-quality and climate-smart crops in an urban environment. The company offers a subscription-based cultivation service called Farming-as-a-Service (FaaS). It gives food retailers and restaurants the opportunity to offer their customers hyper-locally produced, fresh, nutritious, and tasty greens all year round. www.swegreen.com

ICA Focus is a unique grocery store that has been a rendezvous place for food-loving Gothenburgers for over 25 years. With an assortment of over 35,000 items, you have about twice as much to choose from as in an ordinary ICA store. ICA Focus also has its own bakery, charcuterie and restaurant. The store also has one of Gothenburg's best fish delicate retailers, Fisk i Focus. ICA Focus is located in Focushuset, Gårda, in central Gothenburg.

https://www.mynewsdesk.com/se/swegreen-ab/news/swegreens-first-automated-farming-unit-takes-place-at-ica-focus-in-gothenburg-408602

Hydroponics – The Pros And Cons of Growing In Soilless Medium

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Posted by: Alejandro Gutierrez

Hydroponics is the practice of growing food with no soil involved. Hydroponic operations may bring food to places where it would be difficult to obtain. It may also assist in the flaws of our current food system.

In 2018, the CDC and the FDA issued two safety alerts for Romaine Lettuce in seven months. Consumers across the United States were urged to avoid Romaine lettuce because of E. coli infection concerns. It took weeks for the FDA to announce that the agency found the source of the contamination. The advisory prompted many food stores, including Whole Foods to remove all Romaine lettuce from their shelves.

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Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay;

Situations like these are scary for consumers. And not surprisingly, they’re also angry. People are frustrated about how little they know about the source of fresh produce they buy at grocery stores. Urban farming ventures are taking advantage of concerns about the safety of fresh food. Food miles also become relevant. Consumers desire to avoid fresh food that may have been grown with unfavorable conditions. In some cases, pesticide drift from near farms also poses a threat.

Hydroponics offers an answer and a solution to all these concerns. And it presents an opportunity for healthy and eco-conscious people to gain control over the source of their fresh food.

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Photo by Harits Mustya Pratama on Unsplash

Let’s look at the pros and cons of hydroponics. We’ll look at the advantages and disadvantages that apply to urban farming companies catering to local consumers. Followed by those to home gardeners who are involved in hydroponics on a vastly smaller scale.

The Pros and Cons of Hydroponics for Urban Farms

Advantages

• In many cities, urban farms bring business to abandoned buildings and decaying neighborhoods. Their presence benefits the area and encourages the restoration of unused and abandoned buildings.

• Urban farms create jobs in areas with limited or non-existent job opportunities.

• Hydroponic growing offers training opportunities for young people in the community, providing skills they can be used in later life.

• Community growing brings fresh food to “food deserts,” eliminating the excuse that area residents had for not eating healthier foods.

• Growing hydroponically within the city gives people access to locally grown food that doesn’t have to travel so far.

• Food grown on urban farms is picked at the peak of freshness, so it’s higher in nutrition.

• Urban farms lower the carbon footprint of food production. Because they use so water efficiently, hydroponic systems are far eco-friendlier. And the food doesn’t have to travel as far. The use of LED lights increases the energy-efficiency of hydroponic systems.

• Government officials have instant access to information about hydroponic produce and its path from the controlled environment to the consumer.

• Consumers have the assurance that there won’t be any problems with bacterial contamination. They can trust the source of the produce they buy.

• Access to high-quality fresh, locally grown produce means that they don’t have to buy more than they can use. This ensures they’re not wasting food or throwing money away.

• Hydroponics eliminates the need to use chemical pesticides and insecticides

• Photo by Nolan Issac on Unsplash

• Photo by Fitleaf

Empty/Abandoned warehouse has the potential for Hydroponic Growing

Disadvantages

• Urban agriculture doesn’t solve the problems of gang violence and crime in low-income neighborhoods but it’s a great start.

• Businesses that want to establish urban farms in big cities have to go through lengthy applications. From the business license to the zoning permit, it may be a tedious process.

• An urban agriculture venture isn’t likely to bring lots of jobs to the community in the short run. It is not until it establishes itself that results come in the long-run. 

• It will take time for the company to create the conditions for growing conditions. Assembling a hydroponic system that can handle large scale food production will also require some effort.

• The company will need to consider transportation and parking needs for the employees. There may be concerns regarding parking for workers; having an impact on the parking situation for people who live in the neighborhood. However, a good solution with be biking

• There may be a high cost of installing a backup power system (like generators). This is necessary because the damage of potential power failures would inflict significant losses.

Pros and Cons of Hydroponics for Home Growers

Positive Benefits of Hydroponic Gardening at Home

• Hydroponics brings plants into the home, and the presence of plants improves air quality and overall health.

• Hydroponics encourages people to take an interest in the origin of their food. It also gives them insight on what it takes to bring it to their tables.

• Individuals who have hydroponics systems in their homes have access to better quality, fresher, and more nutritious food.

• When you have a hydroponic system at home, you’re able to pick fresh produce just before using it. There is then less chance that fresh vegetables will sit in your refrigerator because you forget about them.

• Because you can pick fresh food when you need it, you’ll cut the cost of your weekly grocery bills. The money you save from buying fewer groceries can go towards clearing debts or in savings.

• You’ll get a tremendous and invaluable sense of satisfaction from being able to be more self-sufficient.

• Since you’re buying the seeds for your hydroponics system, you can be certain of their origin.

• You can plant and harvest fruits and vegetables grown at your own standard. You are free of paying the premium that is standard for food products that bear the “certified organic” label. This label usually carries the charge to the consumer.

Negatives of Hydroponic Gardening at Home

• The cost of purchasing equipment. Regardless of whether you buy kits like the Tower Garden, or buy the components to build your own. While building a system isn’t cheap, the process is educational and fun.

• Unless you buy a kit that provides instructions, you’ll have a harder time assembling your system and getting it started.

• If you buy a kit, you’ll eventually need to purchase replacement parts, additional accessories, and supplemental nutrients. You should factor these things into the total cost of buying and operating a hydroponics system at home.

• No matter how energy-efficient your system manufacturer claims it is, there will be an extra load on your electrical system. A hydroponic system will increase your utility bill throughout the year. With this issue, eco-friendly alternatives arise, such as solar panels which should be implemented if possible.

• Unless you buy a system that is fully automated, you’ll have to constantly monitor nutrient and water levels. You may also have to turn the lights on or off. Don’t expect to have a productive hydroponic garden unless you’re willing to put the effort in. Checking your plants every day is a must. Observing them will ensure that their growing conditions are acceptable.

• Failing to add water when the reservoir needs it, may burn your motor out, and you may weaken or kill the plants. That would be a significant financial setback.

• A power failure will alter the growing conditions in your hydroponic unit. An extended power failure will deprive your plants of light, water, and oxygen. That’s a recipe for their death.

Hydroponics is no different from traditional gardening in that you get what you put into it. Some of the most significant advantages include being able to grow what you want and when you want to grow it, not being tied to traditional gardening seasons, and not having to do as much maintenance as you would if you tried to grow your food in the ground. A well-maintained hydroponic garden will give you access to healthy and nutritious food at any time. You’ll never have to rush to the grocery store for something because you don’t have it on hand.

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Photo by Fitleaf

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Bowery Farming Wants To Make Lettuce Safe, Smart And Tasty

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• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah

• August 12, 2020

For decades, consumers have been on a quest for cleaner, safer produce — and agricultural methods that are good for both the palate and the planet.

Bowery Farming, the New York-based indoor farming start-up, thinks it’s mastered the recipe, especially given increasing safety concerns.

Grown indoors, lettuces, greens, and herbs are non-GMO, free from pesticides “and grown with complete transparency,” says Katie Seawell, Chief Marketing Officer. “We are deeply committed to increasing access to high-quality delicious food. We’re going to build an enduring brand — we hope a generational brand — that emotionally connects with consumers.”

Its main selling point? “Our produce tastes better, too, and that means a lot to our core audience.”

At present, the vast majority of produce isn’t branded, “and highly commoditized, not unlike coffee used to be,” she says. “I spent 15 years at Starbucks before joining Bowery a year ago, and I see a lot of similarities. Starbucks is a very mission-driven company, and so is Bowery. We are committed to disrupting the food-supply vision. And through technology, we want people to think differently about how we grow the food we eat.”

Currently, Bowery is selling its products in retail chains such as Walmart, Giant, and Whole Foods Market. It’s also available on Amazon Fresh and believes e-commerce will be one of its biggest sources of growth. “It’s a great cross-section of retailers, and part of our goal-to democratize access to our produce.”

Seawell says it is preparing ads set to break later this year, based on consumer research that uncovered ongoing concerns about widespread lettuce recalls for problems like E. coli and Cyclospora infections.

Mustache is the ad agency, and it also worked with Red Antler for a brand refresh and a new website.

Seawell says the pandemic has also intensified interest in safer, healthier foods. It’s also accelerated awareness of America’s gaping inequalities and inefficiencies in the food system.

So far, Bowery has two farms in Kearny, New Jersey, and the a outside of Baltimore. With its modular technology, it hopes to expand soon. Providing fresh food for underserved communities is also part of its mission, which translates into partnerships with nonprofits, including DC Central Kitchen and Table to Table.

Correction: An earlier version of this story misspelled CMO Paula Seawell’s name, as well as the location of two of its farms. They are in Kearny, New Jersey.

CANADA: Local Leaf Farms To Open Vertical Farming Site In Kingston

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August 4, 2020, Jessica Foley

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Credit: localleaffarms.com

Purchasing local produce will become easier year-round after Local Leaf Farms opens their newest vertical farming site on Innovation Drive. Their innovative take on farming removes the need for a lot of land, and our Canadian dependency on weather.

Local Leaf Farms is on a mission to change the way food is produced and distributed in Canada, growing superior quality food that’s safer, fresher, and more sustainable. Using vertical farming technology first invented by NASA, they are able to provide Canadians with pesticide and herbicide-free, hyper-local produce (grown within the city it is sold) year-round. With a model that has them delivering the product directly to store shelves within hours of harvest, they ensure maximal freshness of the product, while reducing both food waste and the carbon footprint of transportation.

Packed in 100% plastic-free, compostable containers, their innovative technology provides retailers & consumers with a fully traceable food source, via a QR code on the package, that allows instant access to all details about how the product in a specific package was grown, when and by whom.

Kingston Economic Development and the City of Kingston are pleased to welcome this new business to our community in the St. Lawrence Business Park. “I’m absolutely delighted to welcome Local Leaf Farms to Kingston,” says Mayor Paterson. “This is a company that brings an exciting and innovative approach to local food that will bring great benefits to our residents, and will further position Kingston as a leader in food security and sustainability.”

The Local Leaf facility will be located in a new development at 800 Innovation Drive and is anticipated to open in late October of this year. This business is a $450,000 investment in the Kingston community in terms of start-up costs and is expected to create seven (7) full-time jobs locally.

“We’re proud to have Local Leaf Farms joining the innovative businesses that will be sharing one roof at 800 Innovation Drive when it opens this fall,” says Ben Pilon, President of BPE Group. “Their focus on sustainability and food security aligns nicely with our business philosophy, making this agreement a natural fit. With tenants like Local Leaf, 800 Innovation Drive, will see job creation, strengthen our local economy, and show the world that good things grow in Ontario.”

“As we scale to build 20 production facilities across the country by 2025, Kingston was an obvious choice. As a gateway to eastern Ontario, Kingston represents the perfect mix of a City whose municipal government understands the importance of both innovation and the food sector, an Economic Development Office that is exceptional in supporting out of town businesses in their relocation and a community that values sustainable, quality food products. It was an obvious choice that we are excited to commence upon,” says Steve Jones, President, and CEO of Local Leaf Farms.

“We are excited that Local Leaf Farms selected Kingston as a new site for their 7,000 sq. ft. facility. Their business mission aligns with the City of Kingston’s vision for innovation, entrepreneurship, and food security making it a great fit in the community,” says Shelley Hirstwood, Business Development Officer, Attraction & Aftercare with Kingston Economic Development Corporation. “The Kingston Economic Development team is looking forward to continuing to work with Local Leaf Farms as they became established.”

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These 4 Reasons Tell Us Why It’s Time To Shift To Indoor Farming

By Ecochirp Foundation in Environment

6th August 2020

Traditionally, agriculture was done on large open farms, having a large dependence on external environmental factors. In recent times, there is a new vertical emerging in agriculture, giving promising results i.e., Indoor farming or vertical farming. Particular challenges that were faced in conventional cultivation techniques have been resolved with indoor agriculture. Though growing indoors can never be a replacement for outdoor agriculture, it can certainly help in growing certain vegetables, herbs, microgreens, and more. 

Let’s have a comparative study of indoor growing vs. outdoor growing.

Weather Dependence

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Traditional outdoor growing is largely dependent on weather conditions. Only seasonal crops can be grown. Weather conditions can be the biggest nightmares for farmers as things like thunderstorms, floods, droughts can damage crops overnight. By growing indoors, we eliminate our dependence on the weather. Instead, growers can control the climate inside the indoor growing system creating the ideal environment for maximum outputs. Using a wide range of sensors, indoor growers can check their plants at all times. 

Pesticides And Herbicides Requirement

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Do you also wear a mask while consuming those??

The crops are more prone to pests and other animal damage as they are exposed to the outer environment. We recently saw the locust attack that happened; it devastated large areas of crops. We saw how fast they traveled and farmers couldn’t take measures in time. They had to spray large amounts of pesticides to protect the remaining crops that eventually went into our systems. The pesticides and chemical fertilizers used are a root cause of major ailments like cancers, immune disorders, infertility, and cardiovascular diseases. 

Indoor grown edibles need fewer chemical additives to grow well. Being indoors, they are not prone to pests. Also, the environment is controlled; therefore, there is no need for pesticides or herbicides. Therefore, the vegetables are pure. 

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About 70% of the world’s freshwater goes to agriculture. And with increasing populations, this water requirement is expected to go up by 15% by 2050. This is a thing we should be afraid of, as the freshwater resources are declining. If things keep going in the same way, there is a possibility that we might not be able to keep up with the requirements. Taking the case of indoor growing, techniques such as hydroponics take up to 90-95% less water. They use a closed-loop system, where there is no wastage, and resources are optimally utilized. 

 The Nutritional Content Of Edibles

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The current agriculture system is centralized. Therefore, fruits and vegetables have to travel thousands of miles before they reach us. In the meanwhile, they lose a considerable amount of nutritional content. For example, spinach loses about 50-90% of its vitamin C within 24 hours of being harvested, which means the vegetables and fruits we eat at our homes in cities is not as nutritional as it should be.

In the case of indoor growing, which is generally done in cities near our homes, transportation time is less than 5-6 hours. Therefore, they are fresh and highly nutritious. 

Pre And Post-Harvest Losses

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About 40% of the world’s food is wasted due to the pre and post-harvest losses. Pre-harvest losses occur before harvesting begins, and may be due to insects, weeds, and rusts. Post-harvest losses occur between harvest and the moment of human consumption. Fruits and vegetables are perishable products and tend to get spoiled or degraded with time and unfavorable factors. Indoor growing has very low wastage as they rarely get diseases; they are near to cities and therefore, have lower transportation times. The edibles are consumed soon after they are harvested. 

This comparison is just a brief glimpse of how growing indoors is more beneficial as compared to conventional growing. However, this article does not mean that indoor growing can replace proper farming. Outdoor farming can not be eliminated but can be decentralized, and with the help of indoor growing techniques, we can revolutionize the current agriculture system for the better. 

About the author: Palak Kumar is an insatiably curious Mechanical Engineering student, passionate about flying, clouds, literature, and plants, working towards revolutionizing Indoor Vertical Growing.

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Publix Grows Hydroponic Produce At Greenwise Store

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Krishna Thakker@krishna_thakker

Aug. 3, 2020

Dive Brief:

• Publix has partnered with local hydroponics firm Brick Street Farms to grow, pack and harvest hydroponic lettuce in a container farm located outside its Lakeland, Florida Greenwise Market store. 

• The 40-foot container farm will grow an equivalent of 2.5 to 3 acres of lettuce and can operate 365 days a year in any weather conditions, Brick Street Farms told Grocery Dive in an emailed announcement. It substitutes soil for mineral-rich water, which means no pesticides are needed. The container farm uses 90% less water than a traditional farm and produces 720 heads of lettuce each week. 

• Customers can watch the produce grow through a window on the side of the container and purchase heads of lettuce inside the store.

Explore how the current landscape is impacting coffee manufacturers and how organic and fair trade can help ensure long-term success of the industry.

Dive Insight:

Publix has recently stepped up its partnerships in alternative agriculture. Earlier this year, the company began hosting Vertical Roots' interactive mobile hydroponic farm in the parking lots of its grocery stores and Greenwise locations. In March, Publix began selling microgreens from Kalera, a hydroponic farm on top of a Marriott hotel that lost all its business due to coronavirus, at 165 stores.

Hydroponic farming has been plagued by inefficiencies and high costs in the past, but improvements in technology are helping suppliers better meet retailers' demands for pricing and scale. On-site farms also add a bit of theater that can draw curious shoppers to stores. 

Publix isn’t the only food retailer exploring this field. Kroger last year installed mini hydroponic farms in a handful of Seattle stores in partnership with Infarm, a start-up based in Germany. Around the same time, Gordon Food Service and indoor farming startup Square Roots opened their first co-located hydroponics farm on Gordon’s headquarters in Wyoming, Michigan. H-E-B and Whole Foods have also experimented with hydroponics in and around their stores.

Having a hydroponic farm at the store removes the need for transportation and storage of lettuce before it hits shelves, according to Brick Street Farms. It also allows Publix to sell the produce in-season all year round, providing some supply stability.

Although omnichannel business is booming for grocers like Publix right now, many are looking for ways to drive traffic to their stores, where they can make the most money per order. Grow farms and other safe, eye-catching attractions could be one way to accomplish this.

Follow Krishna Thakker on Twitter

Lead Photo: Permission granted by Publix

Filed Under: Fresh food Natural/organic

Indian Grower Capitalizes On Market Opportunities With AI

Sachin Darbarwar, Simply Fresh

Things are looking up for the greenhouse produce market in India. "We see an increase in demand in the Indian market, especially in many cities where we supply", says Sachin Darbarwar, founder of Simply Fresh. Last year, the grower invested $30 million in expanding the greenhouse operation, and that investment appears to be paying off.

"With more awareness on hydroponic farming and more emphasis on food safety, consumers today are selective in their buying and prefer produce, which is clean, safe, and traceable", Sachin tells us. "With the current global scenario and special focus on health and immunity, we only see this demand increasing in future."

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Sachin and Shweta Darbarwar, founders of Simply Fresh

Simply Fresh not only supplies its produce to the local market, however: "We have exported our produce to the UAE, and will shortly resume our exports to countries like the UK, USA, and South East Asia."

So they look across the border, and not just when it comes to exporting their produce. "Our greenhouse structure was designed and delivered to us by Cravo, a Canadian company that specializes in retractable greenhouses", Sachin tells us. They source their seeds from various domestic and international suppliers as well, like Rijk Zwaan. "Depending on crop type we reach out to different vendors to get the best variety of seeds to have high-quality produce for our consumers."

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Nutraceuticals
Under their nutraceutical vertical, Simply Fresh grows varieties of medicinal plants. "These have three times more alkaloid content than field grown plants, and serve as raw material for nutraceutical companies", Sachin explains. "The choice to grow these has been a successful move as we are able to provide medicinal plants which are traceable and with higher alkaloid content, which reduces the cost of extraction. Also, all our fresh produce and medicinal plants are safe, traceable and grown using sustainable farming techniques without any use of pesticides."

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It's been a bit of a pioneering project to grow those "non-traditional" greenhouse crops: "They are very challenging as globally there are not many growers who have grown this and can share best practices/knowledge on how to grow them and how they behave without soil", Sachin tells us.

Farm in A Box
Like any modern grower, Simply Fresh also makes use of AI, having implemented it in creating data points and making decisions on data points. "For example, we use AI in forecasting yield, predicting seeding charts, space utilisation, traceability, managing crop workflows and knowledge line."

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The Farm in A Box (FiAB) platform, developed by the grower, plays a central role in this strategy. "It helps us track everything from the very initial stage of sending, plant profiling, monitoring plant health and nutrient level requirement at each stage of the plant growth.

"We also use the same FiAB platform to plan and forecast the yield required for future and for our internal CRM management, to collect and process orders received from different vendors from various cities."

The company is constantly developing the platform, and in future FiAB may become available for other growers to use as well.

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That's not the only thing they have in store for the future: Simply Fresh will be further expanding, growing to 40 acres on their current site in Phase 2 of the expansion.

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For more information:
Simply Fresh
www.simplyfresh.co.in

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Publication date: Wed 22 Jul 2020
Author: Jan Jacob Mekes
© HortiDaily.com

5 Benefits of Microgreens That Will Boost Your Health

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Microgreens are the powerhouse of nutritious foods. These functional foods are the seedlings of vegetables or herbs and are known to boost health function and prevent disease. Known as being tiny vegetables, microgreens are great additions to any dish as they provide texture, various flavors, and are packed with nutrients. In this article, we’re going to cover five benefits of microgreens that are beneficial to your health.

Nutrient Rich

Studies have shown that microgreens tend to have nine times the amount of nutrients than their mature counterparts. In this ​study​ that was published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, it states that “microgreens contain considerably higher concentrations of vitamins and carotenoids than their mature plant counterparts.” By being rich in nutrients with great taste, it’s no wonder these tiny vegetables are growing in popularity.

Prevents Diseases

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Not only are they rich in nutrients, ​studies​ have shown that microgreens are also filled with antioxidants. Antioxidants can help prevent diseases by removing free radicals from the body. Free radicals are unstable waste molecules that accumulate from factors such as pollution or natural bodily processes. But, as these unstable molecules build, they can develop diseases such as cancer. Intaking foods high in antioxidants can help increase your chances of preventing diseases since they help remove unstable molecules from the body.

Free From Pesticides

Since microgreens are easy to grow indoors, growers will always know what’s going on with their food. This means that microgreens won’t have to be sprayed with pesticides and that they’ll be eaten fresh. These tiny plants can grow in 1-2 weeks and are easy to harvest. Now, we can take comfort in knowing that our homegrown microgreens are free from pesticides and any other harmful chemicals that other crops fall victim to.

Sustainable Source

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Since microgreens are easy to grow indoors, city dense populations could take advantage of growing these healthy-packed foods at home. With a turnaround time of a few weeks to full growth, people will always have access to fresh, nutrient-dense foods. To create an ongoing source of microgreens, you could rotate a few crops at the same time, so you’ll always have something fresh to eat per week. This could be a life-changing method for low-income families to get healthy vegetables at a low cost on a consistent basis.

Reduce Risk for Heart Disease

One of the benefits of microgreens is that they have the potential to lower blood pressure, which is one of the major risk factors for heart disease. Since these special vegetables are rich with fiber and vitamin K, eating them on a daily basis can lower your risk to develop heart disease.

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The benefits of microgreens are endless. We at the Nick Greens Grow Team understand the nutritional and life-saving benefits behind these magical plants. The time to start learning how to grow your own microgreens is now.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel so you can start learning about how easy it is to grow from home!

#microgreens #nutrition #eathealthy #healthyplate #healthfirst #healthconscious #healthyfood #microgreengoodness #microgreensbenefits #urbanfarming #locallygrown #healthyliving #benefitsofmicrogreens

Vertical Agriculture - Fresh Greens From The Wall Straight to The Plate

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Jerusalem Post

There is no doubt that one of the biggest challenges of the next years will be feeding the massive growing population all over the world.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF   JULY 12, 2020

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(photo credit: Courtesy)

There is no doubt that one of the biggest challenges of the next years will be feeding the massive growing population all over the world. In 50 years, the world’s population is expected to grow by another 2 billion people and due to urbanization one of the problems would be a lack of arable lands. 

In recent days where the world pandemic is impacting global food systems, disrupting regional agricultural value chains, and posing risks to household food security there is a heightened awareness of food safety for producers, businesses, governments, and consumers. With border closures and quarantines, supply chain and trade disruptions could restrict people’s access to sufficient and nutritious sources of food. 

 Vertical agriculture is one of the hottest trends which aim to solve these problems. "Vertical Field" an Israeli company, developed vertical urban farms and active living walls, functioning as growing solutions for smart cities. Vertical Field was established by Mr. Bar-Ness in 2006, motivated by his green thumb and ambition to bring sustainable nature-based solutions into the urban lifestyle. "We understood people’s need to surround themselves with a green, healthy environment" explains Guy Elitzur, the company's CEO.

 Vertical Field has developed soil-based solutions, for green cities but mainly for vertical urban food supply. One of the main solutions that the company is focusing on is a vertical, soil-based system for urban farming in any indoor or outdoor space. Vertical Field geophonic growing method has a unique platform comprised of a container with its own sensors, irrigation, and lighting systems and in-house monitoring software which automatically manages all growth phases allowing for less human handling and a more sterile environment in order to grow fresh, healthy and free of pesticides produce all year long.

UAE Agricultural Firm Uses Technology To Help With Food Security

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KATERYNA KADABASHY

July 13, 2020 | DUBAI

Smart Acres aims to support the UAE’s food security program by using high-tech vertical farming to produce approximately 8,000 kilograms of lettuce per cycle.“

In the expansion phase, we will have 78 modules, which comes to a total of 88,320 pots. Each lettuce, for example, will weigh 100 grams. So, that is approximately 8,000 kilograms of crops per cycle,” the company’s CEO Abdulla Al-Kaabi told Arab News.

The vertical farm — currently in the proof-of-concept stage — is expected to launch in the third quarter of 2020, producing 12 cycles of crops annually and expanding from Abu Dhabi to the rest of the country. In this type of farming, plants are stocked vertically, providing more produce per area and resembling something similar to the green walls sometimes seen in malls.

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Smart Acres collaborated with South Korean vertical farming technology n.thing in their farming processes. (Supplied)

The company collaborated with South Korean vertical farming technology n.thing to employ the Internet of Things in their farming so as to efficiently use water and monitor humidity, temperature, and nutrients.“

Vertical farms, in general, save over 90 percent of water compared to traditional farming methods. There is constant water flow across all the little pots, and the water is filled with all the nutrients necessary for the plant to grow,” Lead Project Manager Aphisith Joe Phongsavanh said.

The high-tech design of the farm allows Smart Acres to produce clean crops without any pesticides and with minimal intervention.“

Since we are growing our crops in a 100 percent closed environment, we don’t have to use pesticides at all. That’s exactly what we mean by clean food: non-adulterated food products that go through minimal processing,” Phongsavanh said.

However, this closed environment in which the plants grow requires staff and visitors to wear protective gear before entering the premises in order to preserve the sterility of the area.“

It is almost like going into a very high-tech factory. You have to wear lab coats and go through an air shower, where one door is closed and the other door only opens after 10 seconds of disinfection,” Director of Smart Acres Sean Lea said.

Currently, the company does not have any investors, but Al-Kaabi said that the expansion phase “of course will require an investment,” expected to cost around AED16.7 million ($4.5 million).

It will not just include a larger number of crops, but also a research and development center with a vision to start cultivating baby spinach, mature spinach, baby arugula, strawberries, and potato seeds.

Earlier in July, Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan visited some local farms and met with agricultural entrepreneurs.“

I was pleased to meet some of the UAE’s aspiring agricultural entrepreneurs who are pioneering sustainable and resilient farming practices using modern technology,” Al-Nahyan tweeted.  

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The UAE is pushing for local production of crops and livestock.

According to Khaleej Times, the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority provided over $174 million to “138,000 families, 30,632 breeders and farmers, and 259 small-scale producers and commercial animal farms in Abu Dhabi” to support the industry in June.

Lead Photo: Smart Acres’ vertical farming technology enables it to produce approximately 8 tons of lettuce per cropping cycle. (Supplied)

Farms of The Future: The Paris Rooftops At The Heart of an Urban Revolution

Words by Peter Yeung

June 3, 2020

The world's largest urban farm is opening in the French capital and will soon produce around 1,000kg of organic produce every day

A bumblebee zig-zags through rows of lettuce, over a healthy patch of red peppers and lingers next to a juicy strawberry, before buzzing away and off the rooftop of a six-story building in central Paris.

Based on the top floor of a municipal swimming pool in the busy Marais district, this thriving city farm is at the heart of an urban food revolution in the French capital.

Opened in 2017 by Agripolis, it is part of a series of City Hall-led projects, called Parisculteurs, which will see 100 hectares of vegetation planted across Paris by the end of the year. Agripolis alone has 10 farms running or in planning around the city.

The farm’s vertical system is closed-loop, doesn’t waste any water, and doesn’t use pesticides. In season, it produces some 20-30,000 portions of fruit, salad, and vegetables. It has come to be a blueprint for changing how the city eats.

“We don’t throw anything away,” says Pascal Hardy, an agronomist and the founder of Agripolis, who only entered the world of urban farming in 2015 by growing vegetables on the roof of his Parisian apartment.

“My principal motivation has always been environmental. Our farms are great for biodiversity and efficiency, and they have a very low carbon footprint.”

Agripolis is also set to unveil a 14,000sq m farm atop the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, an exhibition center in the south-west of the city. The project was due to open in April but this had to be delayed because of the lockdown in France in response to the pandemic. When it opens at the end of June, it will be the largest urban rooftop farm in the world – and the largest urban farm of any kind in Europe. With more than 30 different plant species, the Porte de Versailles site will produce around 1,000kg of goods every day in high season. The first harvest of greens is expected after a month.

Visitors will be able to eat at a 300-cover on-site restaurant, attend educational tours and even lease small vegetable plots of their own. The all-organic produce, cultivated by around 20 gardeners, will be grown using aeroponic vertical farming methods.

We don’t throw anything away

“Our produce will be available across the whole of the city in a variety of shops, restaurants, and schemes,” adds Hardy.

There’s evidence that Hardy’s urban farms will be a success. “We’ve had a huge demand for their products, with customers asking specifically for Agripolis produce,” says Jeremy, an assistant at a nearby shop that has been stocking food from the Marais farm for six months. “We just need to cross the road to get the products.”

For now, Hardy’s main challenge is reducing the relatively premium cost of city-grown food, although advances in technology mean it continues to become cheaper. Coupled with low emissions and almost no “food miles”, the few extra cents could be a small price to pay.

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Main image: Agripolis

Tech-Driven Vertical Farming Company Kalera Announces New CIO, VP of Sales

The appointment of these executives coincides with Kalera’s recent expansion into new markets

ORLANDO, Fla., June 02, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) | Source: Kalera

Today, technology-driven vertical farming company Kalera announced that it has hired two new executives to fill the positions of CIO and VP of Sales. New Chief Information Officer Jeremy Johnston brings over 15 years of experience in a broad range of fields, including technology, manufacturing, and retail. The newly appointed VP of Sales Jeff Larsen brings with him 23 years of sales experience from a diverse set of industries with Fortune 100 companies.

With over 15 years of experience, Jeremy Johnston has spent his career leading information technology for the world’s largest companies including Deloitte, Amazon, and National Oilwell Varco. Most recently, Johnston worked in technology as the CTO of Qoreboard and PH6 Labs. He has also worked with global technology at Deloitte, where he managed several massive technology transformations in the oil & gas and healthcare verticals.

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New Chief Information Officer Jeremy Johnston brings over 15 years of experience in a broad range of fields, including technology, manufacturing, and retail.

At Amazon, Johnston led the design and implementation of Amazon’s internal HRIS system responsible for the timekeeping and payroll for over 250,000 employees across nine countries. Johnston spent eight years at National Oilwell Varco early in his career where he oversaw custom application development, data warehousing, and ERP implementation for over 40,000 employees in 21 countries. Johnston will manage Kalera’s Information Technology policies, procedures, strategies, standards, and roadmap. At Kalera, being a data-driven company, advanced automation and data collection with IoT, Big Data Analytics and AI capabilities are essential.

“I am thrilled to be joining a company as forward-thinking and exciting as Kalera. I believe my global experience with diverse, complex companies will inform and accelerate Kalera’s rapid growth plans as we change the way produce is grown around the world,” said Jeremy Johnston, Kalera’s new Chief Information Officer.

Kalera has also named Jeff Larsen the Vice President of Sales. A multi-faceted and seasoned sales professional, Larsen has achieved many awards and accolades across a diverse range of industries. Larsen has over 20 years of experience in sales across various industries with Fortune 100 companies. Larsen has excelled at both regional and national levels in large scale distribution, business development, and account management. 

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The newly appointed VP of Sales Jeff Larsen brings with him 23 years of sales experience from a diverse set of industries with Fortune 100 companies.

“From foodservice and hospitality to grocery, I am excited to be supporting this groundbreaking business with my years of sales expertise,” noted Jeff Larsen, Kalera’s new Vice President of Sales. “People need safe, delicious and affordable produce now more than ever. Kalera is leading the charge in supplying the public with the freshest, most delicious lettuce on the market.”

"As Kalera continues to focus on our rapid national and international expansion, building a world-class executive team has been among our top priorities, and we are beyond excited to welcome Jeremy and Jeff to the Kalera family,” noted Kalera CEO Daniel Malechuk.

Kalera has experienced significant growth in recent months, with plans of its new growing facility in Atlanta being announced only months after the opening of its facility in Orlando. Its Orlando facility is currently the single largest indoor vertical farm in the Southeastern United States, and the Atlanta facility will be even larger. Kalera also made headlines after pivoting their business strategy amidst the COVID-19 crisis, shifting from a foodservice-focus to land their produce in the aisles of Publix. During this time, Kalera also organized giveaways for the Orlando community, giving away tens of thousands of heads of lettuce to provide access to fresh, local, produce to residents.

Central to Kalera’s business is good science. The company is planting non-GMO seed, and over the past several years has perfected plant and data science-driven methods to naturally optimize the factors that make plants thrive. Kalera manages these natural factors in a way that makes plants reach their maximum potential, resulting in the highest quality produce, grown locally with consistent high yields year-round.

By using a closed-loop irrigation system, Kalera’s plants grow while consuming 95% less water compared to field farming. While a head of lettuce grown in a field may use as much as 60 gallons of water, Kalera’s systems result in a healthier plant with less than five gallons.

The company utilizes cleanroom technology and processes to eliminate the use of chemicals and remove exposure to pathogens. With indoor facilities situated right where the demand is, Kalera is able to supply an abundance of produce locally, eliminating the need to travel long distances when shipping perishable products and ensuring the highest quality and freshness.

About Kalera

Kalera is a technology-driven vertical farming company with unique growing methods combining optimized nutrients and light recipes, precise environmental controls, and cleanroom standards to produce safe, highly nutritious, pesticide-free, non-GMO vegetables with consistent high quality and longer shelf life year-round. The company’s high-yield, automated, data-driven hydroponic production facilities have been designed for rapid rollout with industry-leading payback times to grow vegetables faster, cleaner, at a lower cost, and with less environmental impact.

Elka Karl
Phone: 510-508-7328
Email: elka@dadascope.com

Vertical Farming Is The Future of The Agriculture Industry

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26 May 2020

By: Garsha Sai Nitesh

World population is said to grow by another 2 billion by the year 2050, feeding humans adequately will become a huge challenge until then. Due to rising industrialization and urbanization, humans are clearing arable land and forests. According to scientists, our planet lost a third of its arable land in just 40 years. Many believe that Vertical farming is the solution for sustainable living soon. 

As countries are getting rich demand for food is increasing which is pressuring the planet for more cultivation and aggressive use of resources. Due to globalization and the growing population, it is not clear how much more of arable land we will lose. Developed countries are now investing in Vertical farming heavily. 

 What is Vertical Farming? 

 Vertical farming is a simple practice of producing food crops on vertically inclined surfaces, unlike the traditional farming method of single-level like in fields or greenhouses. In this method, food is produced in vertically stacked layers which are integrated into structures like skyscraper or shipping containers. 

Using Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) technology, vertical farming uses indoor farming techniques. This indoor technique uses artificial control of temperature, light, gases, and humidity for food. This farming is mainly used to maximize crop output in a limited area. 

This farming has four important parts 1) Physical layout 2) Lighting 3) Growing Medium and 4) Sustainability Features. 

At first, the crops are cultivated in a stacked-layer in a tower-like structure. Then a combination of natural and artificial lights is used to maintain the perfect light in the room, technologies such as rotating beds are often used to improve light efficiency.

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Thirdly, in place of soil aeroponic, aquaponic or hydroponic are used as growing mediums, coconut husks and other non-soil mediums are often used. Finally, various sustainability features to reduce the energy costs of farming is used. Vertical farming use water at a minimal level. 

Developed countries like Singapore, Hong Kong who depend on imports for food products are now investing in Vertical Farming. Sky Greens, first commercial vertical farm and worlds first low carbon vertical farm. This farm produces up to 1,000 kg of vegetables a day. Next year it will reach its full capacity then it can produce 5,000 to 10,00 kg a day.

In Hong Kong, a Vertical farming venture called Farm66 uses modern LED lights and aquaponics in a fully air-conditioned vertical farm of size 20,000 sq ft. This farm produces four tons of lettuce, endive, and cabbage very month.

In the next two decades, 80 percent of people live in urban cities, increasing the demand for food. Vertical farming offers a solution to such problems. One acre of indoor vertical farming equals 4-6 acres of outdoor farming. This farming use 75-95 percent less water compared to normal cultivation. As vertical farming is based on the technology of using proper lightning crops can be developed without pesticides. 

Related Links:

• How Vertical farming is the Solution for Modern-Age Agriculture

Indoor Farming Is Revolutionizing The Food Chain

Does eating salad really contribute to a healthy lifestyle? Not when 5.6 billion pounds of pesticides are used worldwide to produce fresh greens. According to the World Health Organization, residues from those pesticides are linked to cancer and other serious health problems. In an endeavor to ensure citizens’ health, the vertical farming company &ever is committed to sustainably grow pesticides-free green products.

Vertical farms – the future of agriculture

&ever (formerly Farmers Cut), is a Hamburg-based farming company, which cultivates high-quality plants indoors while saving on natural resources. The farms have a vertical structure and are easily scalable in form and size, which allows them to be run in any climate conditions in any location around the globe. 

For &ever, it is all about the freshness and nutritional value of the food. Mark Korzilius, Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of &ever, says that green leaves can lose most of their nutritional value after being washed in chlorine, chilled, packed, stored in warehouses over longer periods of time and then sent on the road for transportation. &ever solves that problem and provides citizens with fresh products by using the so called ‘harvest on demand’ or ‘farm to fork’ model, which leaves the roots intact even when the produce reaches the customer.

The newly opened farm in Kuwait

The first commercial &ever farm is the newly opened vertical indoor farm in Kuwait City. The facility will soon produce fresh salad all-year-round in the middle of the Kuwaiti desert. The farm can grow up to 550 kilos of fresh greens and herbs a day and has faster growth cycles than traditional outdoor farms, which are dependent on the weather conditions.

&ever’s indoor farms are also fostering new cultivation technologies. “We have invented the system ‘dryponics’, which is a unique method of growing salad indoors,” said Dr. Henner Schwarz, Co-CEO of &ever. Did you know that even food labeled as ‘organic’ can contain a lot of different pesticides? &ever’s project engineer in Kuwait Rami Safareni says that their products are “better than organic,” because the company can produce over 250 different types of plants using:

• 90 percent less water

• 60 percent less fertilizer

• zero pesticides

Thanks to the controlled atmosphere in the farm, the fresh greens don’t require washing and are harvested immediately before they are eaten, ensuring high nutritional quality. To demonstrate the purity of the plants, Korzilius and his team, taste the salad directly from the growing trays. “

It is a common misconception that plants come from the field,” Korzilius explained, pointing out that nowadays plants are mostly grown in greenhouses. Using these growing techniques, &ever is transforming metropolises like Kuwait City into farms and allowing citizens to taste green salad as if they had just harvested it from their own garden.

Farm to Fork

Kuwait’s unique fusion of local flavors and international dishes make it one of the most interesting food scenes worldwide. The first restaurant chain in Kuwait to benefit from the fresh green products will be the local Japanese restaurant Ora, owned by NOX Management. Faisal AlMeshal, Managing Director at NOX, points out that for the first time the restaurants will be supplied locally.

“We used to import all our greens mainly from Europe, but now we have a local solution that is tastier and fresher,” said AlMeshal. “The local supply saves money on logistics, minimizes waste and makes better choices for the planet.”

The technology behind it

Advanced technology provides &ever’s vertical farms with fully digital control over the whole production process. “Our production planning is based entirely on SAP Business Technology Platform, which allows us to optimize production according to the needs and capacities of the farm,” said Dr. Jan-Gerd Frerichs, Chief Technology Officer at &ever.

IoT sensors and edge computing devices are collecting data at several hundred data points throughout the farmhouse – monitoring seeding and germination, as well as crucial parameters such as carbon dioxide levels, temperature, humidity and airflow. To support the project with software implementation and development, &ever chose IBsolution — a trusted SAP strategic partner.

“We have contributed to &ever's goals by delivering innovative solutions on the SAP cloud platform to make their farmhouses being manageable with few people at maximum utilization,” said Loren Heilig, managing director at IBsolution. “It is great to see the first results of our partnership here in Kuwait.”

Data collected from the IoT sensors is stored within SAP’s in-memory database SAP HANA and analyzed with the help of SAP Cloud Platform logistics and production applications.

Building on the success of the Kuwait project, &ever is planning to open more sustainable farms in cities with unfavorable climate conditions throughout Africa and Asia. Nutritional food for millions of people, zero waste and minimizing ecological footprint is what the agricultural company is striving for.

To learn more about &ever, listen to below podcast.

By Nona Kichukova, SAP | Forbes | May 6, 2020

Variety of Healthy Foods From Vertical Farming Platform

When talking about technology, it's easy to focus on things like computers, smartphones, apps and the growing number of smart gadgets around the house. But technology is far-reaching and can influence and change traditional sectors quickly, one of them being the agricultural sector.

One company that is looking to take on the commercial agricultural industry is Eden Green Technology, just out of Texas. This company focuses on sustainability in the food industry. Eddy Badrina, CEO of the company tells about what they do, how they use technology, and how they envision the future of the agricultural industry.

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Efficient use of space
"Eden Green Technology is a vertical farming platform that grows large quantities of local produce safely, sustainably, and efficiently. We use less land, energy, and water than both traditional farming and other indoor solutions. Our greenhouses are constructed on small footprints, in urban or suburban areas, to provide stable jobs and produce non-GMO, pesticide-free produce, which goes from farm to table in as little as 48 hours, compared to the 14 days it usually takes under the traditional model," Eddy says.

The founders of Eden Green are brothers Jacques and Eugene van Buuren. They came to the US to secure investment, source talent, and experiment with their technological solutions in diverse climates. They started in Texas, with its own extreme range of environmental considerations, agricultural know-how, and business opportunities, and built from there. 

Technology company
"Our technical secret sauce consists of a few ingredients, including our patented vertical “vines,” where our produce grows, and the way we create microclimates for each individual plant with temperature-controlled air and nutrient-enriched water. We also designed and built a proprietary mechanical, electrical, and plumbing solution specifically to automate and remotely monitor all our greenhouses. Because of that hardware and software combination, we like to think of ourselves as a technology company that happens to grow produce."

Read more at Vator.

By Horti Daily | May 4, 2020

A High-Yield Indoor Farming System Ideal For The City

As prolonged droughts occur more frequently in South Africa, some entrepreneurs are investing in and developing new technology and farming methods, such as indoor growing systems, that ensure consistent, high-quality food production. Juan-Griffith Pollard, CEO of Urban Cultivation International, spoke to Pieter Dempsey about his scaleable hydroponic farming system.

More frequent and long-lived droughts. Global warming. Water scarcity. Higher input costs.

These are some of the factors driving the growing interest in new technology that enables a farmer to produce the same quality and yields as conventional farming, but using indoor farming systems instead.

Hydroponics, or indoor soilless cultivation, as Urban Cultivation International (UCI) calls it, is a method of growing plants in a water-based, mineral- and nutrient-rich solution instead of soil, and under artificial LED lights instead of sunshine.

According to Juan-Griffith Pollard, the CEO of UCI, indoor farming uses up to 90% less water than traditional farming practices, and far less space. In addition, plants can be grown pesticide-free and closer to high-consumption areas, such as densely populated cities.

These reasons, and more, explain why an increasing number of growers have begun exploring indoor soilless cultivation.

Precision growing
The system provides the optimal growing conditions for plants, enabling them to develop much faster and be far healthier than is the case with traditional outdoor cultivation.

According to Pollard, the evolution of new technology, such as LED grow lighting and the Internet of Things (IoT), has complemented the development of indoor soilless cultivation systems.

“IoT can be used to automate and regulate indoor farming by monitoring water levels, nutrient levels, pH levels, and temperature and light requirements of plants. “A farmer can be in control of the harvest at all times, wherever he or she is physically present.

“One of the biggest benefits of indoor farming is that produce can be farmed at any time of the year. Thus, a farmer can sell produce at out of season prices, and supermarkets can stock fresh local produce all year around,” says Pollard.

No-soil farming
Pollard started investigating various methods of indoor soilless cultivation in 2016 and fine-tuned them in 2019 to create a healthy, productive indoor farming system.

An entrepreneur by nature, he took note of the various challenges in traditional South African agriculture, including water scarcity and security risks. He also noticed the demand for certain leafy greens and microgreens in cities.

Thereafter, he traveled to the US, Europe and Asia to research systems that could be applied in the South African agricultural environment.

He went on to establish UCI at the N4 Gateway Industrial Park in Pretoria East.

“What makes UCI’s technology different from most other indoor systems is that a farmer can start small and expand by adding additional racks to the system. So there’s no need to commit to a huge capital investment to get started,” Pollard explains.

The UCI model enables the farmer to control the light hours, nutrients and moisture. It is automated to produce rapid harvest cycles with predictable results, and can be used in a small space. Crucially, it is also affordable.

A key advantage is that the plants can be grown without the use of insecticides and herbicides, as the crops are grown in a controlled environment.

Pollard predicts that farms of the future will be urban-based, and crop cultivation will have to become far more sensitive to water and energy usage. There are many cost-effective options for indoor, soilless cultivation, and these allow farmers to move from the fields to the city.

Indoor production is also an easier entry into farming; it can be started by any entrepreneur, or even a retiree, he adds.

A wide range
The options offered by UCI range from small household units to large-scale commercial systems. Regardless of size, they can deliver crop yields of up to 10kg/m2.

The household units are small, with just enough space to service the average household and to plant a variety of crops, such as leafy greens, microgreens and berries.

The household system was also developed for educational purposes and can be used as an entry into indoor soilless cultivation before a large capital investment is made in a commercial unit. UCI has developed a curriculum that explains the A to Z of indoor hydroponic farming.

The company’s industrial units include climate control and a lift system, which makes harvesting easier.

Depending on the type of crop, the return on investment is between two-and-a-half and five years, while high-value crops such as microgreens have a payback period of less than a year on capital investment.

Growing with ease
Plants can be grown from seed to harvest in 28 days, three times faster than that achieved with traditional farming.

“The plants are grown in a controlled environment under 12 to 16 hours of LED lights, giving you optimal harvest and zero wastage,” explains Pollard. In addition, produce grown in UCI’s systems has proved to be of excellent quality and offer good taste.

The entry commercial turnkey solution system contains a 10m-long and 1,9m-wide row, and the buyer can choose to fit between three and 12 levels.

For example, a 10m-row, five-level-high farm enables 100m2 to be planted in a floor space of only 20m2. “The higher you go, the more your yield per square metre,” says Pollard. The grow trays and spacing between plants are designed for optimal growing and yield. No sunlight is needed for this method; all the systems use LED grow lighting.

“LED technology provides the best energy efficiency, which saves you money in the long term,” says Pollard.

Production
A 10m-long unit can handle 54 plants per tray. At 12 trays per level and at five levels, this equates to 3 240 plants per unit.

The lighting is usually kept on for between 12 and 16 hours a day, depending on the requirements of the plants.

“The more light they get, the faster they grow,” says Pollard.

The system can handle a variety of crops such as lettuce, spinach, baby spinach, marog (imfino), cherry tomatoes, strawberries, basil, watercress, sage, zucchini, beans, fodder and a range of microgreens and herbs.

To illustrate potential crop yields, Pollard and his team have used the five-level demonstration system at UCI’s premises to grow 250g lettuce heads in 28 days under optimal growing conditions. A yield of more than 18kg per tray has been achieved.

“Compared with traditional farming, the only major cost drivers are electricity and wages,” he says.

Each tray contains about 20ℓ of constantly recirculated water, and total water use is approximately 1 250ℓ/month. The system is extremely water-friendly, as almost all the water is absorbed by the plant.

“No water is wasted, hence the saving of 90% compared with traditional farming,” says Pollard.

He adds that climate and temperature control is a key factor in the grow room, and even the water temperature is cooled or heated as the plants require.

“We can mimic the controlled growing environment of certain crops as they require. “The system works with any water, and tests are routinely conducted to see what nutrients the plants need, and all variables can be adjusted according to the needs of the plants.

“We have a nursery system that grows the plants from seed to seedlings. After about seven days, the seedlings can be transported into the commercial system; the fully grown plant is then ready to be harvested after another 21 days,” Pollard says.

Due to the way in which the system operates, the chances of a pest infestation are very low.

“Biosecurity is crucial and we prevent any pathogens and pests from entering the facility.”
Harvesting a system that is 10m long and has five levels requires about three hours with two people.

With rapid urbanization increasing the demand for food, UCI’s system offers a number of key advantages.

It brings the farm closer to the people, thereby improving food security, and it reduces transport costs, in turn lowering the carbon footprint of supplying food. The system also offers good potential as a job creator.

“Our aim is to get entrepreneurial farmers to start utilizing the empty spaces in cities, such as empty buildings in city centres. Such spaces can be used to grow food, provide jobs and supply retailers directly,” says Pollard.

Visit urbancultivation.co.za.

By Pieter Dempsey | Farmer’s Weekly | May 6, 2020