Welcome to iGrow News, Your Source for the World of Indoor Vertical Farming
PODCAST: Sustainability Series: Hydroponic Hero
This episode continues the sustainability series. Rather than the usual research paper, this episode is about an interview that EpiSTEM had with the co-founder of GroPod©, Ivan Ball
This episode continues the sustainability series. Rather than the usual research paper, this episode is about an interview that EpiSTEM had with the co-founder of GroPod©, Ivan Ball. Heliponix was co-founded by Ivan Ball (CTO) and Scott Massey (CEO). Ivan Ball discusses his previous experience designing a hydroponic growth chamber on a NASA funded research study at Purdue University. The long term goal of this NASA R&D initiative was to identify more efficient methods to grow food in future space colonies
GroPod© is a company that designs controlled environment hydroponic chambers for plant growth. This episode goes over how hydroponics can change the global farming and gardening industry. Listen to this episode to learn about the science behind a device that might be in your future home.
EPISTEM
By Hunter Johnson and Luke Rhoades
E.P.I.STEM is an acronym for Exploring Papers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. E.P.I.STEM is also derived from the word epistemic which is relating to knowledge or its validation. Hunter Johnson and Luke Rhoades discover current research papers and bring their findings to you. E.P.ISTEM will teach you all about fantastic research that is happening around the world and how it could affect your life
UNITED KINGDOM: Bring On The Post-Brexit Vertical Farming Revolution
Vertical Farming, where you grow indoors and control the environment — the temperature, light, CO2 — has been expanding rapidly in recent years. Given the UK’s changing place in international supply chains, and the government’s desire to encourage British companies to lead in developing technologies, vertical farming is just the sort of industry we need
22 October 2020
Chris Davies chief executive of Harvest London
As the UK and the EU stretch out yet another week of “will they or won’t they?” over a trade deal, like a painfully unromantic episode of Neighbours (no jokes about Australian models, please), businesses are not only trying to plan for what happens in January but also questioning how much we should rely on goods moving seamlessly in and out of the country.
In relatively recent times, it was common to say that the internet and highly developed international supply chains had abolished distance. This was always an oversimplification — and at a time when the global business community is worried about trade wars and tariffs, it seems hopelessly idealistic. Borders are back and with them the possibility of big delays.
Waiting an extra few days for your electronics or new shoes to arrive from China may not seem like too much of an imposition, but not all sectors are affected equally. One area where time and distance matter more than most is food — as I have discovered since starting a vertical farming company in East London two years ago.
Vertical Farming, where you grow indoors and control the environment — the temperature, light, CO2 — has been expanding rapidly in recent years. This has been driven in large part by environmentally conscious consumers attracted by the fact that it uses much less water than traditional agriculture, and no pesticides. These are very good points, but another factor is becoming ever more important: proximity to your customer.
You’re probably aware that the UK imports a lot of the food it consumes. According to official statistics, just over half of the food we eat comes from our own farming and fishing industries, but this figure is much lower if you account for ingredients that are grown elsewhere and then processed in the UK. Should we care? After all, extensive consumer choice all year round is very popular.
UK supermarkets offer green beans from Kenya, cherry tomatoes from Spain, and pineapples from Costa Rica to customers because there is plenty of demand. Eating more seasonal British food is gaining popularity, but it seems unlikely our cosmopolitan tastes will vanish altogether.
That’s where vertical farming comes in. We like the variety of cuisines we can enjoy in London, particularly the little luxuries that have come to mean so much more as we’ve spent the last few months cooped up in our homes. The green curry takeaway that you look forward to all week wouldn’t taste as good without Thai basil, your Vietnamese Pho would lack something without fresh coriander.I mention herbs that originate from warmer climates in particular because, even though farmers do grow them in the UK, we tend to import them.
They are delicate, carry a lot of flavor in a small volume, and don’t grow very high. That makes them ideal for vertical farming — in our case in a converted industrial unit in East London, built with hardware from Yorkshire. Being able to put vertical farms close to city centers, near customers (which for us are restaurants), means the reduction in food miles can be massive: lower carbon footprint, and no customs forms to fill in or tariffs to pay.
Vertical farming doesn’t compete with traditional farming, which will continue to produce the overwhelming bulk of food grown in the UK. Just as new technology, and new ideas, greatly increased agricultural production starting in the eighteenth century, so vertical farming can use technology to expand how and where we can grow the food we want, more sustainably.
Given the UK’s changing place in international supply chains, and the government’s desire to encourage British companies to lead in developing technologies, vertical farming is just the sort of industry we need.
Lead photo: Vertical farming can use technology to expand how and where we can grow the food we want, more sustainably (via Getty Images)
VIDEO: Wallenius Marine Develops World's Largest Wind-Powered Vessel To Slash Shipping Emissions
Developed in collaboration with Sweden's KTH Royal Institute of Technology and naval research institute SSPA, the Oceanbird project hopes to mitigate the environmental impact of maritime freight transport, which accounts for all but 10 percent of trade in the whole world
Swedish shipping company Wallenius Marine is developing a ship called Oceanbird, which could transport 7,000 cars and trucks across the Atlantic propelled only by the wind.
The concept, which is essentially an outsized sailboat, would be twice as high as the largest comparable vessel due to the five 80-meter-tall sails that protrude from its hull.
These purportedly would make it the world's largest wind-powered vessel, capable of traveling across the ocean to the US at a speed of 10 knots and with a total journey time of 12 days.
Wallenius Marine claims that Oceanbird will be the world's largest wind-powered vessel
According to Wallenius Marine, this is only four days longer than a carrier powered by fossil fuel while emitting 90 percent less CO2 in the process.
Developed in collaboration with Sweden's KTH Royal Institute of Technology and naval research institute SSPA, the Oceanbird project hopes to mitigate the environmental impact of maritime freight transport, which accounts for all but 10 percent of trade in the whole world.
In 2018 alone, the shipping industry emitted 937 million tonnes of CO2, which is more than all of Germany. If it were a country, the sector would be the sixth-largest emitter in the world, just behind Japan.
Related story
Rolls-Royce touts remote-controlled cargo ship as "future of the maritime industry"
"We only have one planet and it's important that we take responsibility and ensure that this planet will be a good place to live for future generations," said Wallenius Marine's COO Per Tunell.
"Shipping plays a very important role in today's society but it's also a large contributor to harmful emissions and that cannot continue, so we need to act."
In order to try and rival the speed of an engine-powered ship, the Oceanbird would make use of wingsails rather than traditional fabric sails. These resemble solid fins made of steel and various composites, much like the wings of an airplane.
The ship is propelled forwards by five wingsails
"Airplane wings are asymmetrical in profile because they should only produce a lift upwards," explained the ship's naval architect Carl-Johan Söder.
"But our wings are symmetrical because we should be able to produce lift regardless of if you have wind coming in from the port tack [left side] or the starboard tack [right side of the ship]. The wings can rotate 360 degrees so you can optimize the angle depending on the wind direction relative to the ship."
They are also telescopic, meaning they could be retracted to 60 meters in order to pass under bridges and mitigate turbulence caused by strong winds.
It could transport 7,000 vehicles
When the sails are at their tallest and propped up on the ship's hull, they would reach up to 105 meters above the waterline. In comparison, a regular sailboat reaches only up to 30 to 35 meters into the air.
"No part of our sail is lower than 30 metres so we are using a piece of the atmospheric boundary layer above the ocean, where basically people have not been before," said Jakob Kuttenkeuler, a professor in naval architecture at KTH.
"Airplanes are above and boats are below. So we've put quite a lot of effort into measuring the atmospheric boundary layer."
Wallenius Marine hopes to build a fully functioning Oceanbird by 2024
Wallenius Marine attached sensors to its existing vessels in order to measure how the wind direction and velocity changes at such heights, in order to optimize both the wingsails as well as the fins at the bottom of the hull.
These can be moved against the direction of the wind, in order to prevent the boat from drifting off course.
For emergencies and maneuvering in and out of ports, the ship would also be equipped with an auxiliary motor, which Wallenius Marine claim runs on clean energy.
Unlike the wings of an airplane, the wingsails are symmetrical
At the moment, the ship is still in the prototyping stage, with a seven-meter tall model set to be trialed in Stockholm's harbor to gather data and optimize its performance and aerodynamics.
But the company says it could be taking orders from 2021 with the aim to deliver the first, complete vessel by the end of 2024.
The sails reach up to 80 meters high
Ireland's B9 Shipping and French start-up Neoline have developed similar designs for cargo ships, which make use of tall fabric sails to harness wind power.
Neoline is already planning to establish a new shipping route between Saint-Nazaire in western France and the East Coast of the US by 2022 and has signed a development deal with Renault to look at using its ships to transport the manufacturer's cars.
Another Swedish company, X Shore, has recently released an electric boat for private passenger travel in the hopes of bringing emission-free maritime travel to a broader market.
Read more:
Design Sustainable design Transport New Boats Technology Ships
TURKEY: Use of Artificial Intelligence In Greenhouse And Vertical Agriculture
Vertical farming is generally used when the yield of the soil is low or under unused conditions and it also contributes to the cultivation of crops. Consequently, many vertical fields and greenhouses are designed as closed spaces and are inclined to provide better light
October 25, 2020
Vertical farming is the production of products vertically stacked so that even if the land is used it can now be produced as a more effective method, smart agriculture.
Vertical farming is generally used when the yield of the soil is low or under unused conditions and it also contributes to the cultivation of crops. Consequently, many vertical fields and greenhouses are designed as closed spaces and are inclined to provide better light.
In vertical farming, artificial light is often used in combination with natural daylight, and pioneers who prefer this method, such as ForFarming have observed positive impacts on future food safety and human health, and the need for agricultural land will be reduced. One of the most important reasons for this is the protection of natural life and the prevention of environmental pollution.
Another important issue is the importance and use of artificial intelligence in vertical agriculture. IoT-based artificial intelligence system, developed by ForFarming, “Farmio” with a stylish and elegant design that you are currently producing greenhouses, parks, and gardens can be controlled and monitored simultaneously with Farmio plays a role.
Farmio can be controlled from anywhere with its advanced algorithm system, and it ensures that your current harvest can be measured automatically such as humidity, temperature, temperature, pH, or CO2. This feature provides great advantages to the users, and the fact that it can be followed in a coordinated manner has a great effect on the maximum utilization of production.
ForFarming, which wants to be the world’s landless agricultural technology provider, provides the world’s first and only artificial intelligence supported intelligent agriculture solution, and provides healthy and fresh products throughout the year.
With its elegant design, Farmi is ready to be used in many different areas than you can imagine and is suitable for use in many places from supermarkets to restaurants, offices, and hotels. In addition, Farmi enables its customers to grow more than 30 plants, and by using artificial intelligence in all processes from production to harvest (Farmio), it provides customers with great advantages in tracking processes and makes this work much more enjoyable.
CONFERENCE: Vertical Farming In A Nordic Context - November 13, 2020
The conference will gather industry, policy, and academic stakeholders with the aim of increasing cooperation and accelerating the development of the vertical farming sector in Scandinavia
NOVEMBER 13, 2020
COPENHAGEN, DENMARK
Read More and Register
The Association for Vertical Farming is proud to be part of the “Vertical Farming in a Nordic Context” conference in Copenhagen. The conference will gather industry, policy, and academic stakeholders with the aim of increasing cooperation and accelerating the development of the vertical farming sector in Scandinavia.
Vertical farming is an innovative way of producing fresh food close to consumers with minimal consumption of water and no use of pesticides. In Nordic countries, the interest for vertical farming is currently growing and new farms are established at an increasing rate. To further strengthen this production form in a Nordic context, the Innovation Network for Bioresources, Food & Bio Cluster Denmark, and the University of Copenhagen are hosting a conference on vertical farming on November 13th, 2020. At the conference, you will meet speakers with hands-on knowledge, business developers, researchers, and authorities. We encourage vertical farmers, the agricultural industry, the scientific community, policymakers, authorities, and everyone with an interest in vertical farming to participate in the conference to build networks and share knowledge.
Focus topics at the conference are:
Plant nutrients and food quality
Light regimes and effects on plant growth and quality
Economics of vertical farming
Sustainability of vertical farming
Legislation and certification
Market potential and consumer attitude
Click here to see the full program.
Private companies have the opportunity to participate in a physical exhibition and/or an online presentation of their product or service.
Corona information
You can feel safe by registering for the conference!
We will adapt to the guidelines and restrictions in place at the time of the conference. So go ahead and register to be sure you get one of the few available seats. There are 60 available seats for private companies/organizations, 15 seats for university employees, and 10 for students. Online participation is unlimited.
We have different options ready if the situation in November does not allow for a conference with a physical presence.
Read More and Register
Packer 25 2020 — Marc Oshima Thinks Big
Oshima is co-founder and chief marketing officer of indoor vertical grower AeroFarms, Newark, N.J.
October 26, 2020
Oshima is co-founder and chief marketing officer of indoor vertical grower AeroFarms, Newark, N.J.
Yet Oshima and his company do more than grow leafy greens: He is trying to improve the industry as a whole.
“My passion and focus, and what we’re trying to do with AeroFarms, is how do we increase consumption and how do we help the industry move forward?” Oshima said.
Founded in 2004 in Ithaca, N.Y., AeroFarms’ 170-member team of science experts and warehouse employees creates the aeroponic and lighting technology for growing leafy greens by misting nutrient-filled water under LED lights.
The produce is sold at major retailers — such as Shop Rite and FreshDirect in the Northeast — in the urban vicinity of its farms and joint-venture farms in Ithaca, Newark, Chicago, Seattle, and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
“We actually do proprietary research for major Fortune 500 companies to be able to help them solve their ag supply-chain needs. We’ve grown over 850 types of crops,” Oshima said.
Hear more from Oshima in this video interview.
Oshima’s far-reaching, global perspective was planted at a young age through extensive travel and exploring the foods of other cultures.
“That’s always given me an appreciation for our differences and the things that unite us,” he said.
Half Japanese and half German, Oshima studied East Asian studies at Columbia University to learn more about his Japanese identity, which was whitewashed after his father and that side of the family were held at Japanese internment camps in California in the 1940s.
After graduation, Oshima’s job at a media research company opened his eyes to the world of marketing, so he returned to Columbia for a master’s degree in business administration.
He then managed brands at Kraft and L’Oreal and led the marketing department for Toys “R” Us in the U.S. and Puerto Rico.
Oshima’s introduction to the food industry began when he became marketing director for The Food Emporium under the A&P banner.
He was then vice president of marketing for Citarella, named by Gourmet Retailer magazine as one of the top 50 specialty food retailers in the U.S.Soon after, Oshima met David Rosenberg and co-founded AeroFarms with him and Cornell science professor Ed Harwood.
Their mission-driven company became a Certified B Corp. to focus on how businesses can be a force for good by using a scorecard and framework that applies across industries.
“One of the things that’s really important is that we have a common language about how we think about problems, but more importantly, solutions,” Oshima said.
Oshima is a smart guy with a generous spirit who benefits the whole fresh-produce industry, said Cathy Burns, CEO of the Produce Marketing Association, where Oshima is a board member.“
I can’t say enough about his innovative thinking and his marketing experience. Those two are a powerful combination if you think about the work that the produce industry is doing to address problems in the supply chain, sustainable packaging, food safety, and water,” Burns said. “Having his voice contribute to solutions helps PMA’s vision to make a better world.”
Oshima’s company is involved in the World Economic Forum and United Nations Sustainable Development Group and develops curriculum with Cornell and Rutgers universities. He’s on the board of the Controlled Environment Agriculture Food Safety Coalition.
Oshima was a member of the Food and Drug Administration romaine task force and works closely with the Foundation of Food & Agriculture Research’s Precision Indoor Plant consortium.
“This is an exciting time for us as a company and the work we’re doing because it’s no longer about urban farming or indoor vertical farming, but agriculture overall,” Oshima said.
Lead photo: Courtesy AeroFarms; graphic by Amelia Freidline
Related news:
VIDEO: Marc Oshima of AeroFarms: 'How do we find a common language to find solutions?'
AeroFarms repeats Fast Company awardsIndoor farm companies rank high on FoodTech 500 list
VIDEO: NJ-based AeroFarms receives sustainability award, launches microgreens
Kalera AS: Private Placement Successfully Completed
Kalera is pleased to announce that the Private Placement has been successfully completed with a total transaction size of NOK 930 million (equivalent to approx. USD 100 million) through the allocation of 31,000,000 shares in the Company at a price of NOK 30.00 per share
October 26, 2020, | Source: Kalera.
OSLO, Norway, Oct. 26, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reference is made to the press release from Kalera AS (“Kalera” or the “Company”), (NOTC: KALERA, Bloomberg: KALERA or KSLLF) published on 21 October 2020 regarding a contemplated private placement (the “Private Placement”) and a subsequent listing on Merkur Market (the “Listing”).
Kalera is pleased to announce that the Private Placement has been successfully completed with a total transaction size of NOK 930 million (equivalent to approx. USD 100 million) through the allocation of 31,000,000 shares in the Company at a price of NOK 30.00 per share. The net proceeds from the Private Placement will be used to finance the construction of new facilities as part of the Company's roll-out plan for 2021 as well as for general corporate purposes. The Private Placement included participation from Nordic, continental European, UK, US, and Australian institutional investors. This Private Placement comes in addition to about USD 60 million equity raised by Kalera earlier in 2020.
"It has been a rewarding several weeks meeting with investors, and we are excited about the interest for Kalera in the capital market and about our runway for continued expansion. We are quickly becoming an industry-leading company in indoor vertical farming, with an ability to deliver fresh, locally grown greens, nationally in the US. Today, we have two facilities in Orlando, and in 2021 we are going to open in Atlanta, Houston, and Denver. The new capital we have raised will enable us to realize our growth plan, where we have international ambitions," says Daniel Malechuk, CEO of Kalera.
The Private Placement consisted of 27,900,000 new shares (the “New Shares”) and an over-allotment of 3,100,000 additional shares (the “Additional Shares”), representing 10% of the shares allocated in the Private Placement. The Additional Shares will be settled by existing shares borrowed from Convexa AS, a company owned by the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Company (the "Board"). The Company has granted Arctic Securities AS, acting as stabilization manager on behalf of the Managers, an option to purchase, at a price of NOK 30.00 per share, a number of new shares equal to the number of Additional Shares to cover any short positions resulting from the over-allotment of the Additional Shares. The stabilization manager may, in a period of 30 days from the first day of listing and in accordance with the principles of the EC Commission Regulation 2273/2003, closeout such a short position by buying shares in the open market with a view to supporting the market price of the shares. Net profits from any such stabilization activities will be to the benefit of the Company.
The Company has agreed to a customary lock-up arrangement with the Managers (as defined below) that will restrict, subject to certain exceptions, their ability to, without the prior written consent of the Managers, issue, sell or dispose of shares, as applicable, for a period of 90 days from the Listing.
The issuance of the New Shares will be resolved by the Board when the authorization to increase the Company's share capital granted to the Board at the extraordinary general meeting held on 23 October 2020 has been registered in the Norwegian Register of Business Enterprises, which is expected to take place on or about 26 October 2020.
Allocation to investors will be communicated on or about 26 October 2020. The Private Placement will be settled by the Managers on a delivery-versus-payment basis on or about 28 October 2020 following registration of the share capital increase pertaining to the issuance of the New Shares in the Norwegian Registry of Business Enterprises and the issuance of the New Shares in VPS. The delivery-versus-payment settlement in the Private Placement is facilitated by a pre-funding agreement between the Company and the Managers.
The Company has applied for, and will, subject to the necessary approvals from the Oslo Stock Exchange, list the shares of the Company on Merkur Market (the “Listing”). The first day of trading on Merkur Market is expected to be on or about 28 October 2020 under the ticker code KAL-ME.
Advisors:
ABG Sundal Collier ASA and Arctic Securities AS (together the “Managers”) are acting as Joint Global Coordinators and Joint Bookrunners in connection with the Private Placement and Listing. Bank of America Merrill Lynch International is acting as financial advisor to the Company.
Advokatfirmaet Thommessen AS is acting as legal advisor to the Company, while Advokatfirmaet Schjødt AS is acting as legal advisor to the Managers.
For more information, please contact:
Bjørge Gretland, Chairman
Phone: +47 92 60 98 10
Email: bgretland@kalera.com
Daniel Malechuk, CEO
Phone: +1 407 574 2382
Email: dmalechuk@kalera.com
Media contacts:
ASC Advisors
Steve Bruce / Taylor Ingraham
sbruce@ascadvisors.com / tingraham@ascadvisors.com
+1 203 992 1230
Kalera in brief:
Kalera (NOTC: KALERA, Bloomberg: KALERA or KSLLF) is a technology driven vertical farming company with unique growing methods combining optimized nutrients and light recipes, precise environmental controls, and clean room standards to produce safe, highly nutritious, pesticide-free, non-GMO vegetables with consistent high quality and longer shelf life year-round. Kalera'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.
With strong unit economics based on efficient CapEx utilization, Kalera has developed disruptive technologies resulting in industry leading yields per square foot that are more than 300 times that of traditional farming — all while using less than 5% of water than a traditional farm. Due to high food safety standards, Kalera’s operating vertical farms have Harmonized GAP Plus food safety certifications. Furthermore, Kalera has developed rapid buildout, installation and roll-out capabilities.
Kalera is rapidly executing on a US domestic and international expansion plan to grow fresh, clean and nutritious leafy greens in close proximity to urban centers. Kalera currently operates two growing facilities in Orlando, which provide hyper-local, always-in-season leafy greens at the peak of freshness to the area’s top retailers, leading foodservice distributors, resorts and restaurants, hospitality groups, and theme parks. Kalera is currently constructing facilities in Atlanta, Houston and Denver, expected to open in 2021.
As Kalera accelerates its growth over the next few years and executes its vision to become a global leader in vertical farming for leafy greens, it will continue to open additional facilities, expanding production capacity throughout the US and internationally. Further information about the company may be found at www.kalera.com and www.kalera.com/investor along with an introductory Kalera film: www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Crpph9w0hE
Important notice:
This announcement is not and does not form a part of any offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to purchase, any securities of the Company. Copies of this announcement are not being made and may not be distributed or sent into any jurisdiction in which such distribution would be unlawful or would require registration or other measures.
The securities referred to in this announcement have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), and accordingly may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act and in accordance with applicable U.S. state securities laws. The Company does not intend to register any part of the offering in the United States or to conduct a public offering of securities in the United States. Any sale in the United States of the securities mentioned in this announcement will be made solely to "qualified institutional buyers" as defined in Rule 144A under the Securities Act.
In any EEA Member State, this communication is only addressed to and is only directed at qualified investors in that Member State within the meaning of the Prospectus Regulation, i.e., only to investors who can receive the offer without an approved prospectus in such EEA Member State. The expression "Prospectus Regulation" means Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 as amended (together with any applicable implementing measures in any Member State.
This communication is only being distributed to and is only directed at persons in the United Kingdom that are (i) investment professionals falling within Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005, as amended (the "Order") or (ii) high net worth entities, and other persons to whom this announcement may lawfully be communicated, falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order (all such persons together being referred to as "relevant persons"). This communication must not be acted on or relied on by persons who are not relevant persons. Any investment or investment activity to which this communication relates is available only for relevant persons and will be engaged in only with relevant persons. Persons distributing this communication must satisfy themselves that it is lawful to do so.
Matters discussed in this announcement may constitute forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and may be identified by words such as "believe", "expect", "anticipate", "strategy", "intends", "estimate", "will", "may", "continue", "should" and similar expressions. The forward-looking statements in this release are based upon various assumptions, many of which are based, in turn, upon further assumptions. Although the Company believe that these assumptions were reasonable when made, these assumptions are inherently subject to significant known and unknown risks, uncertainties, contingencies and other important factors which are difficult or impossible to predict, and are beyond their control. Actual events may differ significantly from any anticipated development due to a number of factors, including without limitation, changes in public sector investment levels, changes in the general economic, political and market conditions in the markets in which the Company operates, the Company's ability to attract, retain and motivate qualified personnel, changes in the Company's ability to engage in commercially acceptable acquisitions and strategic investments, and changes in laws and regulation and the potential impact of legal proceedings and actions. Such risks, uncertainties, contingencies and other important factors could cause actual events to differ materially from the expectations expressed or implied in this release by such forward-looking statements. The Company does not make any guarantee that the assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements in this announcement are free from errors nor does it accept any responsibility for the future accuracy of the opinions expressed in this announcement or any obligation to update or revise the statements in this announcement to reflect subsequent events. You should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements in this announcement.
The information, opinions and forward-looking statements contained in this announcement speak only as at its date, and are subject to change without notice. The Company does not undertake any obligation to review, update, confirm, or to release publicly any revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect events that occur or circumstances that arise in relation to the content of this announcement.
Neither the Manager nor any of their affiliates makes any representation as to the accuracy or completeness of this announcement and none of them accepts any responsibility for the contents of this announcement or any matters referred to herein.
This announcement is for information purposes only and is not to be relied upon in substitution for the exercise of independent judgment. It is not intended as investment advice and under no circumstances is it to be used or considered as an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities or a recommendation to buy or sell any securities of the Company. Neither the Manages nor any of its affiliates accepts any liability arising from the use of this announcement.
The distribution of this announcement and other information may be restricted by law in certain jurisdictions. Persons into whose possession this announcement or such other information should come are required to inform themselves about and to observe any such restrictions.
NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, IN WHOLE OR IN PART DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN AUSTRALIA, CANADA, JAPAN, HONG KONG OR THE UNITED STATES OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION IN WHICH THE RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION WOULD BE UNLAWFUL. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER OF ANY OF THE SECURITIES DESCRIBED HEREIN
Related Articles
More articles issued by Kalera
More articles related to:
Company Announcement
US - WISCONSIN: Appleton International Airport: Introduces New Hydroponic Farming System
Leading as the first and only airport in Wisconsin to have its own system, Flex Farm provides higher quality and fresher tasting options for travelers
APPLETON, Wis. (October 21, 2020) — Appleton International Airport (ATW) is now growing its own fresh greens with its new on-site Flex Farm, a hydroponic farming system. Leading as the first and only airport in Wisconsin to have its own system, Flex Farm provides higher quality and fresher tasting options for travelers.
“Eating healthy on the go can be difficult with a lack of fresh, nourishing food,” said Abe Weber, Airport Director. “We have worked closely with our health partner, ThedaCare, to introduce this on-site Flex Farm to meet those desires.”
As a health partner with ATW, ThedaCare has worked with the airport’s restaurant, The Fox Cities Eatery, to provide more healthy menu selections and incorporate Flex Farm’s fresh greens into meals such as sandwiches and burgers. This effort is in tandem with ATW’s ‘Making Healthy Connections Fly’ initiative, a forward-thinking program to ensure each traveler has an excellent experience at the airport.
To make the Flex Farm hydroponic system a reality, ATW is proud to work with Fork Farms, a local social enterprise in Green Bay. Fork Farms is an indoor agriculture technology company that partners with communities to make the process of producing healthy food accessible to the world. Their hydroponic unit uses only water, air, nutrients, and LED lighting to grow 300 pounds of fresh greens annually, and eliminates the need for soil, pesticides, and herbicides. These fresh greens produced by the unit will be harvested just steps away from ATW’s Fox Cities Eatery restaurant.
“We are glad we could have local support with this project and would also like to thank Fork Farm, the creators of the Flex Farm, for their help in making this possible,” said Weber. “While eating at The Fox Cities Eatery, our ticketed passengers can see the Flex Farm hard at work – producing fresh greens just a few feet away!”
AUSTRALIA: City Farming On Rise As COVID-19 Makes People Rethink How They Source Their Food
Urban farmer Rachel Rubenstein thinks the coronavirus pandemic, which has shut down major cities, state and international borders, is a chance to rethink where we get our food from. And growing good food in anything from local car parks, median strips and rooftops, to golf courses and even public parks are just some of the ideas she and her city farming friends are throwing around
By Jess Davis and Marty McCarthy
10-24-20
Urban farmer Rachel Rubenstein thinks the coronavirus pandemic, which has shut down major cities, state and international borders, is a chance to rethink where we get our food from.
And growing good food in anything from local car parks, median strips and rooftops, to golf courses and even public parks are just some of the ideas she and her city farming friends are throwing around.
"I think that having food grown close to home is super important, because we have seen a lack of access to fresh food with the bushfires and then COVID," Ms Rubenstein said.
An urban farm in East Brunswick in Melbourne is seeing a surge in demand for locally grown food by those stuck in lockdown.(ABC Regional)
In Melbourne's inner-northern suburb of East Brunswick, she's growing fresh organic produce such as carrots, radishes, spinach, broccoli, and citrus for Ceres — a not-for-profit community-run environment park and farm.
Ceres has seen demand for its food boxes double since the pandemic began, as lockdowns forced people to shop more locally than ever before.
"Everything that I grow here on the farm is harvested straight away and goes straight to the grocery and the cafe on site," Ms Rubenstein said.
"Just seeing how much I can grow in 250 square metres says something about how we can utilise space better in the city."
Ceres grows vegetables across two sites in the inner city, but it's not enough to fill demand with produce sourced from elsewhere to help fill the gap.
Ceres urban farm in Brunswick near the Melbourne CBD has seen demand for their produce triple since the pandemic started.(ABC Regional: Jess Davis)
Space constraints
Farms like this are a rare sight in Australian cities, with space a major constraint.
Calls to take existing green spaces, such as public parks and golf courses, and adapt them to support things like agriculture are growing in urban centres.
Nick Verginis recently started a social media group called 'Community to Unlock Northcote Golf Course' in a bid to get his local fairway converted into a public park with possible room for agriculture too.
The golf club is across the river from Ceres.
"In lockdown people have been really hungry to get in touch with nature, using whatever space they have on their balconies or in their small gardens to grow their own produce," he said.
"This [fairway] obviously would be a natural place to expand that [farm], so some local residents could have access to a plot of land."
Nick Verginis, with his son Teddy, started the Facebook group Community to Unlock Northcote Golf Course in the hope it could be used as a public space and potentially as a farm.(ABC Regional: Jess Davis)
Farming on the fringe
Converting sections of green spaces into farmland to create a local food bowl is already a reality in Western Sydney Parklands in New South Wales.
Thou Chheav learnt to farm 24 years ago after she moved from Cambodia. She now runs the family's Sun Fresh Farms with her daughter, Meng Sun.(ABC Regional: Ben Deacon)
Five per cent of the 264-hectare park has been set aside for urban agriculture and 16 farms are already operating on it, selling at the farmgate or across Sydney.
Western Sydney Parklands is one of the largest urban parks in Australia — almost the same size as Sydney Harbour — and is one of the biggest urban farming projects in the country.
Sun Fresh Farms, run by Meng Sun and her mother Thou Chheav, has been leasing land off the Parkland for nine years to grow cucumbers, strawberries, zucchini, cherry tomatoes, and broad beans.
Ms Sun said, even before the pandemic, the popularity of sourcing food from peri-urban farms like her family's was taking off.
"All the locals come out on the weekends. It's providing food for the local community and also it gives them a better understanding of where food and vegetables come from," she said.
Unlike produce sold at larger supermarkets that was often picked before it ripened, Ms Sun said being able to buy fresh vine-ripe produce appealed to customers.
"We like to pick fresh and sell direct to the customers. Cut the middleman out so there's not much heavy lifting involved, it is just straight to the farm gate," she said.
There are 16 urban farms operating in the Western Sydney Parklands, but there are plans to increase that number.(ABC Regional: Ben Deacon)
Suellen Fitzgerald, the chief executive of Greater Sydney Parklands, said they were currently accepting applications for new farming projects so that the precinct could expand its food production.
"Many of our farmers have roadside stalls and during the pandemic have reported an up-swing in customers, with the community choosing to shop locally over traditional supermarkets," Ms Fitzgerald said.
"Urban farming is a rising food phenomenon and people are increasingly interested in learning about where their food comes from."
Suring up food supply
Rachel Carey, a lecturer in food systems at the University of Melbourne, said cities should increase their urban farming capacity as an "insurance policy" in the event of future natural disasters or pandemics that disrupt supply chains.
"Obviously urban agriculture is a much smaller part of our food supply system, but I think it does have an important role in future," Dr Carey said.
"If we can keep some of this food production locally it acts as a bit of a buffer or an insurance policy against those future shocks and stresses."
Food systems lecturer Rachel Carey says urban farming has an important role to play in our future.(ABC Regional: Jess Davis)
Dr Carey said cities were more conducive to agriculture than most people realised.
Europe's largest urban farm opened in Paris during the COVID-19 pandemic.(Supplied: Nature Urbaine)
"Cities have access to really important waste streams, and also food waste that can be converted into compost and used back on farms," she said.
"If we can keep some urban food production close by it enables us to develop what we call circular food economies, where we are taking those waste products and we're reutilizing them back in food production to keep those important nutrients in the food supply."
The other benefit was financial.
Dr Carey said buying food from local farmers helped to "keep that money circulating within our own economy rather than going outside to other areas".
She believed Australian towns and cities should also consider the United Kingdom's food allotment system, where local governments or town councils rented small parcels of land to individuals for them to grow their own crops on.
Major European cities such as Paris have also embraced urban farming amid the pandemic — the largest rooftop farm in Europe opened there in July.
The farm, which spans 4,000 square metres atop the Paris Exhibition Centre, supports a commercial operation as well as leases out small plots to locals who want to grow their own food.
There are plans to increase it to 14,000 square metres, almost the size of two football fields, and house 20 market gardeners.
The COVID-19 pandemic has seen a surge in people growing their own crops, making their own bread, and even cooking more at home.(ABC Regional: Marty McCarthy)
From converting sections of golf courses or public parks into small farms, or median strips, car parks or rooftops, Dr Carey said the pandemic had shown the time was ripe to reconsider our urban food production methods.
"I see COVID-19 is a transformational moment that is going to lead to some rethinking about the way that we use our spaces in urban areas and in the city," she said.
"So cities around the world are starting to look more to urban agriculture not just in terms of city soil-based farms, but also non-soil-based farms such as vertical farms and intensive glasshouse farming."
City golf courses are being identified as potential sites for small urban farming plots.(ABC Regional: Jess Davis)
Lead photo: Urban farmer Rachel Rubenstein on a farm in East Brunswick, not far from the Melbourne CBD.(ABC Regional: Marty McCarthy)
Related Stories
Food suburbs: Urban farms in every neighbourhood creates close communities
Meet the farmers with the plan to create the nation's largest urban farm network
Urban farms feel the burn as climate change, water restrictions bite
AppHarvest Breaks Ground On Second High-Tech Greenhouse
The indoor facility will grow non-GMO, chemical pesticide-free fruits and vegetables to be distributed to U.S. grocers and restaurants. Because of the company’s strategic location in Appalachia, AppHarvest can reach nearly 70% of Americans in just a day’s drive, reducing transportation costs by up to 80% compared to existing growers in Mexico and the Southwestern U.S.
AppHarvest has started construction on a second high-tech controlled environment agriculture facility in Central Appalachia. Located in Madison County, KY, the farm, when complete, will exceed 60 acres.
The indoor facility will grow non-GMO, chemical pesticide-free fruits and vegetables to be distributed to U.S. grocers and restaurants. Because of the company’s strategic location in Appalachia, AppHarvest can reach nearly 70% of Americans in just a day’s drive, reducing transportation costs by up to 80% compared to existing growers in Mexico and the Southwestern U.S.
Located on nearly 250 acres, the facility will double AppHarvest's growing space in Central Appalachia. AppHarvest will open its flagship farm — a 2.76-million-square-foot facility growing tomatoes — this month in nearby Morehead, KY.
“This purchase brings us one step closer to our goal of establishing America's next AgTech hub from right here in Appalachia,” said AppHarvest Founder & CEO Jonathan Webb.
Central Appalachia
The company’s greenhouses are designed to reduce water usage in growing by 90% compared to traditional open-field agriculture due to unique irrigation systems connected with large-scale rainwater retention ponds. The system is designed to eliminate harmful agricultural runoff, which contributes to toxic algae blooms.
AppHarvest farms are located in water-rich Central Appalachia in contrast to much of America’s vegetable production that is concentrated in Arizona and California, states that continue to confront water scarcity and climate disruptions.
Strong relationships with leading AgTech universities and companies in the Netherlands position AppHarvest as a leading applied technology agriculture company. The Netherlands has developed a significant high-tech greenhouse industry, becoming the world’s second-largest agricultural exporter despite having a landmass roughly equal in size to Eastern Kentucky. Earlier this year, AppHarvest led a landmark 17-organization agreement uniting Dutch and Kentucky governments, universities, and private companies, with all committing to building America's AgTech capital from within Appalachia.
Breaking ground at Madison County
Madison County Judge-Executive Reagan Taylor: "It is an exciting day for Madison County. Over the past two years, the Madison County and AppHarvest teams have been focused on finding economic development opportunities that capitalize on our combination of hard-working people, central location, and agricultural history. Today is the result of that hard work and we couldn't be happier.”
Eastern Kentucky University President David McFaddin: “We are excited to welcome AppHarvest to our community. The work in AgTech they are doing in Eastern Kentucky has generated excitement among our community schools and citizens. I look forward to forging partnerships with AppHarvest that will provide new outlets for our students to gain hands-on experience with the latest techniques in farming.”
The Morehead site
Investments
In just over two years, AppHarvest has attracted more than $150 million in investment into Central Appalachia and announced on September 29 a definitive agreement for a business combination with publicly-traded special purpose acquisition company Novus Capital Corporation. The combination, which is expected to close late in the fourth quarter of 2020 or early in the first quarter of 2021, will provide $475 million of gross proceeds to the company, including $375 million fully committed common stock PIPE at $10.00 per share anchored by existing and new investors – including Fidelity Management & Research Company, LLC, Inclusive Capital, and Novus Capital Corporation.
Another photo of the company's Morehead location
AppHarvest’s investors include Revolution’s Rise of the Rest Seed Fund, Inclusive Capital Partners, Equilibrium, Narya Capital, Lupa Systems, Breyer Capital, and Endeavor Catalyst. Endeavor selected AppHarvest Founder & CEO Jonathan Webb as an Endeavor Entrepreneur in 2019.
Board members include food icon Martha Stewart, Narya Capital Co-Founder, and Partner JD Vance, Impossible Foods Chief Financial Officer David Lee, and impact investor Jeff Ubben.
For more information:
AppHarvest
www.appharvest.com
21 Oct 2020
Navotas City Launches Philippines' Tallest Vertical Farm
The vertical farm is equipped with state-of-the-art technology that increases vegetable yield by a factor of 100, two times more than other farms
October 24, 2020
By DANNY PATA
National Capital Region's Navotas City Council, together with the Boy Scout of the Philippines (BSP) and Good Greens & Co., unveiled on Saturday the tallest aeroponic vertical farm in the country.
Text and photos by Danny Pata
According to the city council, the four-tower farm standing on a 300-square-meter area in Tanza resettlement community."
The aim is to produce high-volume harvests that are centrally located in the community," according to Simon Villalon, GGC president.
He said that aeroponic tower farm technology allows saving 75% to 90% space, which is an important consideration when operating out of a greenhouse, indoors, or on a rooftop.
The vertical farm is equipped with state-of-the-art technology that increases vegetable yield by a factor of 100, two times more than other farms.
Suited to a tropical climate, the structure supports vegetable growth year-round, with a target harvest of eight tons of leafy vegetables every year.
In the Philippines, aeroponic vertical farm is already tested in Taguig City, Villalon said, adding that some have been built up in San Fernando, Pampanga; and two in Bacolod City; and in Paranaque City
Text and photos by Danny Pata
LBG, GMA News
Superior Fresh Announces New Salad Variety: Citrus Splash
“We have created a balanced organic ecosystem by raising the cleanest, healthiest Atlantic salmon using organic practices and principles and applying our proprietary organic farming methods to grow the best tasting organic salads and greens you have ever eaten
Superior Fresh is proud to unveil its newest salad blend: Citrus Splash. Filled with bright sunny citrus notes, this blend offers consumers a unique opportunity to expand their culinary experience. Citrus Splash brings more than exceptional flavor to the salad bowl. Paired with our non-GMO, organically fed Superior Fresh Atlantic salmon, the possibilities are endless.
“We have always been about doing things a little differently,” says Todd Linsky of Superior Fresh. “We have created a balanced organic ecosystem by raising the cleanest, healthiest Atlantic salmon using organic practices and principles and applying our proprietary organic farming methods to grow the best tasting organic salads and greens you have ever eaten. We do this while raising the bar on sustainability with practices that give us the ability to grow lettuce using less than one gallon of water. And what’s really impactful is we actually reuse 99% of all water.”
Todd goes on to say, “You do not choose organic aquaponics as a growing method by sticking to what is established. You do not commit to 800 acres of soil regeneration if you are doing it like everyone else. We are taking the responsibility of being one of the largest USDA certified organic salad operations very seriously. Our customers expect us to bring our best using thoughtful innovation – every time – whether that be in the way that we farm or with what we grow.”
Citrus Splash is sure to make a splash in the produce pool. Look for it on the shelves of your local grocery store and inquire directly for wholesale, retail, and food service options.
Mon 19 Oct 2020
VIDEO: How This Indoor Vertical Farm Makes Perfect Japanese Strawberries
The engineered berries go through a meticulous growth and monitoring process from seed to finished product. The result is a strawberry with a consistent and optimal size, flavor, and texture
Oishii Berry founder Hiroki Koga combines Japanese strawberry cultivation techniques with the technology of a first-of-its-kind indoor vertical strawberry farm in America to create the highest quality strawberry possible. The engineered berries go through a meticulous growth and monitoring process from seed to finished product. The result is a strawberry with a consistent and optimal size, flavor, and texture.
For more information:
www.oishiiberry.com
www.eater.com
Publication date: Fri 23 Oct 2020
Mucci Farms Announces 200-Acre North American Expansion!
“Demand for greenhouse grown produce is growing rapidly as consumers continue to put pressure on the food industry to prioritize food safety, sustainability, responsible growing practices and clean growing environments,” said Bert Mucci, Chief Executive Officer
Bert Mucci
October 29th, 2020 (Kingsville, Ontario) – Mucci Farms announces major expansions in Kingsville, Ontario and Huron, Ohio totalling 206-acres over the next two years. These investments support their ongoing emphasis on maximizing local and regionally grown fruits and vegetables year-round through expansion and lit culture grow light technology. “Demand for greenhouse grown produce is growing rapidly as consumers continue to put pressure on the food industry to prioritize food safety, sustainability, responsible growing practices and clean growing environments,” said Bert Mucci, Chief Executive Officer.
Joe Spano
The first year of expansions include bell peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, and their innovative award-winning strawberries that are grown in the largest controlled climate strawberry farm in North America. “Our berry program has been a big success and we believe it’s because of the quality and flavour we are able to provide through a clean growing environment, sustainable growing practices and our proximity to market,” explained Joe Spano, VP of Sales and Marketing. “Since we aren’t importing from California or Florida, we can maximize sugars by allowing product to be fully ripe before we harvest.”
The second year will focus exclusively on Bell Peppers with a 100-acre expansion to accommodate a growing need for supply in the category, which is being done through expansion as well as technology. “We have seen a strong rise in demand for locally grown peppers in recent years and expanding our own supply reduces our reliance on partner growers and imports,” said Bert. “We are currently trialing lit culture grow lights for our Pepper program which will be a game changer that allows us to grow local peppers 365 days a year.”
The first year of expansions include bell peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, and their innovative award-winning strawberries that are grown in the largest controlled climate strawberry farm in North America. “Our berry program has been a big success and we believe it’s because of the quality and flavour we are able to provide through a clean growing environment, sustainable growing practices and our proximity to market,” explained Joe Spano, VP of Sales and Marketing. “Since we aren’t importing from California or Florida, we can maximize sugars by allowing product to be fully ripe before we harvest.”
The second year will focus exclusively on Bell Peppers with a 100-acre expansion to accommodate a growing need for supply in the category, which is being done through expansion as well as technology. “We have seen a strong rise in demand for locally grown peppers in recent years and expanding our own supply reduces our reliance on partner growers and imports,” said Bert. “We are currently trialing lit culture grow lights for our Pepper program which will be a game changer that allows us to grow local peppers 365 days a year.”
Expansion Breakdown by Acreage and Commodity
· 25-acres of Tomatoes on-the-vine in Huron, Ohio, the third and final phase of the 75-acre project
· 30-acres of multiple varieties of Bell Peppers in Kingsville
· 36-acres of SmucciesTM Sweet strawberries in Kingsville, doubling the current acreage to a total of 72-acres
· 15-acres of mini-cocktail cucumbers, branded as the award-winning CuteCumber Poppers
· 100-acres of multiple varieties of Bell Peppers at a new site in Kingsville with construction beginning in 2022
Danny Mucci
Additional projects include a dedicated research and development facility to be ready in 2021. “We have over 300 varieties of various commodities being trialed at any given time,” stated Danny Mucci, President of Sales and Marketing. “Consolidating them all into one specific building allows us to be much more thorough and expand our capabilities. Our trial program includes non-traditional greenhouse grown items such as zucchinis, blackberries and melons and we have a healthy appetite for new innovative varieties.”
This past June, the organization announced the addition of two new warehouse facilities in Romulus, Michigan and San Antonio, Texas that will serve as warehouses, distributions centers and cross docks to increase efficiencies and expand the regions they can service. Both facilities will be ready in 2021.
A major focus for the company is expanding their winter program through lit culture grow light technology. With aggressive annual expansions, the company has the largest acreage of supplemental lighting in the greenhouse industry and continues to expand its acreage year-over-year to maximize local and regional production year round.
Growing fresh produce for over 60 years, Mucci Farms is vertically integrated from seed to retail with a global partner network combining for more than 1700-acres of fruit and vegetable greenhouses. Headquartered in Kingsville, Ontario, the award-winning company is dedicated to continual investments in automation and technology along with a high level of research and development to offer consumers the most flavourful varieties in the world.
VIDEOS: Vertical Farming Goes High-Tech And Underground
Vertical Farms Are Evolving Into A Major
Food Industry Powered by Sophisticated
Technologies And Production Methods
Growing fresh produce in underground areas
Transforming a tunnel into a vertical farming operation
Infarm allows customers to pick the produce themselves
Vertical farming companies are facing an array of challenges
Technology and lower costs are critical for the industry’s sustainability
Innovation is vital to solving the world’s greatest challenges
Farmers around the world are heading towards an uncertain future. Apart from the prospect of feeding the global population that’s set to reach around 10.9 billion by 2100, they are also facing climate change-induced floods, droughts, and heatwaves. Fertile land is in ever shorter supply as soil erosion intensifies. Farming is also to blame for some of these problems as the CO2 footprint of food accounts for 17 percent of total global emissions. And by the time plants get transported to supermarkets, they lose 45 percent of their nutrients. As it becomes increasingly apparent that traditional agriculture is unsustainable, growing food in an artificial environment is emerging as a potentially better way forward.
Instead of plowing fields, farmers would produce food in vertically stacked trays. Soil would be replaced by nutrient-rich water, while LED lights would act as the sun to ensure plants photosynthesize. This practice, known as vertical farming, offers many benefits. The indoor environment protects crops from extreme weather events and pests, which means that food grows fast and there’s no need for pesticides. Also, food is grown close to cities, which not only reduces food miles and the related carbon footprint but also provides consumers with fresh and tasty crops.
However, vertical farming faces certain challenges as well. Companies have to constantly innovate to cut production costs and turn a profit, which is vital for the survival of this industry. But entrepreneurs remain optimistic. The global vertical farming market is forecasted to reach $12.77 billion by 2026 and people are becoming increasingly aware that there’s a better way to feed the populGrowing fresh produce in underground areas
High rents and the lack of space have prompted some modern urban farmers to go underground. In London, for instance, a farm called Growing Underground operates from a World War II bomb shelter located 33 metres below Clapham High Street. Owned by Stephen Dring and Richard Ballard, the vertical farming facility produces an array of herb and salad mixes, including parsley, red mustard, coriander, and pea shoots. Fresh produce is then sold through Marks & Spencer, Waitrose, Ocado, and several other retailers. Some restaurants have also expressed interest in buying fresh produce, says Ballard.
He also points to many advantages of vertical farming. For instance, his farm delivers 60 harvests a year, compared with around seven that can be achieved in traditional agriculture. Furthermore, Growing Underground is carbon neutral and uses 70 percent less water than typical farms. The only major cost he’s trying to reduce is the electricity that powers the lights. And his ambitions are global. “The UK is the hardest market for growing salad. We’ve got very low prices in the supermarket, so if we can make it work here we can make it work anywhere,” says Ballard.
Underground vertical farming is thriving in other British cities as well. The Liverpool-based social enterprise Farm Urban, for example, provides customers with a weekly box of living salad leaves, edible flowers, and fragrant herbs. Jens Thomas, the company’s technical director, says that the product is pesticide-free and “it’s grown using 90% less water than if it was grown in a field; it’s zero-waste; and it’s hyper-local.” Farm Urban is trying to promote healthy and sustainable living. For each box of greens customers buy, the company delivers a box of greens to a local school. This activity is part of the Greens for Good campaign that aims to reconnect people with locally-grown food.
In New York, the vertical farming business Farm. One is also growing. Its underground farms produce over 500 different herbs, edible flowers, and microgreens year-round, using specialized software to manage multiple operations, such as seed, harvest, and flavor optimization. Founded by Rob Laing, the company supplies fresh produce to various New York-based restaurants, including Atera, Ai Fiori, Benno, and Flora Bar. All deliveries are made by bike and subway. Also, visitors can book a tour of the farm or take a class in hydroponics to learn how to grow vegetables in a soil-free environment.
Transforming a tunnel into a vertical farming operation
Successful vertical farming businesses can also be launched outside of cities. NEXTON, a South Korea-based startup, has built vertical farms in a former highway tunnel, located 190 kilometres south of the capital city of Seoul. Growing salads, leafy greens, and strawberries beneath mountains has many advantages. For one, the 6,500-square-metre facility naturally maintains a temperature that ranges between 10 to 20 degrees Celsius, which translates into lower energy spend for cooling or heating. Furthermore, labor costs are reduced by automating various operations. And as farming is done without pesticide or herbicide, with sensors monitoring humidity and CO2 concentrations, customers receive both healthy and affordable products.
Choi Jae-bin, the CEO of NextOn, also uses non-tech tactics to boost production. For instance, the music of Beethoven and Schubert is played in the 600-metre-long tunnel as Jae-bin believes it will help plants to grow faster. And his plan is to build more farms in urban areas. “Plants easily grow at home, at nearby stores, at hamburger restaurants, or even at metro stations. I think the system to grow crops far away from a city and transporting it will disappear,” he says.
Infarm allows customers to pick produce themselves
Infarm, a Berlin-based startup, has already achieved in several European countries what Jae-bin plans to do in South Korea. The German company builds modular farms that are placed in customer-facing locations, such as schools, grocery stores, restaurants, and shopping malls, enabling customers to pick the produce themselves. Clients can also add more modules if they want to increase the farming output, while the production is monitored and controlled through a cloud-based platform. Essentially, the whole thing functions as a ‘farming as a service’ operation that combines the IoT, Big Data, and cloud analytics.
The company is working with 25 major food retailers in Germany, France, and Switzerland, including Migros, Casino, Intermarche, Auchan, Selgros, and AmazonFresh. Furthermore, it has installed more than 200 in-store farms, as well as 150 farms in distribution centres. And in 2019, Infarm raised $100 million in Series B investment round. The funding will be used to expand research and development, sales, and operation teams. Also, the startup plans to increase its presence in the UK and negotiate partnerships with retailers in the US and Japan.
Vertical farming companies are facing an array of challenges
While the rise of vertical farming companies has been impressive, the industry is facing many challenges and its survival depends on reducing costs and increasing productivity. Take, for example, the fact that deploying even a small, low-tech vertical farm with the 1st generation technology costs around $280,000. On the other hand, the cost of setting up more complex farms with advanced tech can go over $15 million. There are also operating expenses such as lighting and labour that can further pressure companies’ bottom line, making it hard to compete with organic and traditional producers.
So it comes as no surprise that return on investment (ROI) in vertical farming projects is mediocre at best. The current market prices don’t make the situation any easier either. A kilogram of vertically-grown leafy greens is around $33, while organic produce costs $23. To gain a competitive edge, vertical farming startups need to take several measures.
Technology and lower costs are critical for the industry’s sustainability
The first step in ensuring the long-term profitability of vertical farms is transitioning to 2nd generation technology. This means that in addition to automatic control of irrigation, humidity, lighting, CO2, and other relevant parameters, farms should also be capable of autonomously collecting data and optimizing growing processes. They also need to implement cutting-edge machines that will autonomously run planting and weeding operations in the facility, and harvest sort and package produce for shipping. These improvements can enable the second generation of vertical farms to yield 55 times more produce than conventional farms.
Increased automation will also cut labour expenses. Intelligent Growth Solutions, a UK-based agritech business, has reportedly developed an automated farming system that uses modular structures to reduce labour needs by up to 80 percent. Furthermore, LED lighting efficiency is likely to improve by an additional 70 percent by 2030, reducing the energy spend. Boaz Toledano, a business consultant specializing in vertical farming, says that “lighting improvements should reduce OPEX [operating expenses] by 12%, and automation should cut OPEX by a further 20%+”.
Companies can also reduce costs by setting up farming operations underground. This would not only help them avoid the high cost of renting in urban centres but also enable them to enjoy the benefits of having a steady temperature. Underground facilities also offer better protection against natural disasters and can be more easily adapted to producers’ needs.
Innovation is vital to solving the world’s greatest challenges
New technologies are moving the food industry forward. Vertical farming, though still gaining traction, could help solve some of the world’s greatest challenges, such as food shortage. Tasked with feeding the growing global population, today’s agriculture producers still primarily rely on farming practices that hurt the environment. As it becomes clear that traditional farming is unsustainable, innovative entrepreneurs and scientists have come up with a potential solution. Vertical farming is increasingly hailed as an alternative food production method that can provide people with healthy and fresh produce. Thriving in undergrounds, stores, and restaurants around the world, vertical farms are becoming a major industry. But their survival depends on the ability of businesses to lower food production costs and increase productivity.
This article is written by Richard van Hooijdonk
Trendwatcher, futurist, and international keynote speaker Richard van Hooijdonk takes you to an inspiring future that will dramatically change the way we live, work, and do business. All lectures
Jack Ma Also Checks Out Strawberry Cultivation
On the morning of October 10th and following his visit to the Dezhou high-tech tomato greenhouses, Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba Group, went to Licheng District, Jinan City, to inspect the development of the strawberry industry
On the morning of October 10th and following his visit to the Dezhou high-tech tomato greenhouses, Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba Group, went to Licheng District, Jinan City, to inspect the development of the strawberry industry. The Licheng strawberry industry has been developing since the early 1990s and has now become one of the main production areas for strawberry cultivation in China. At present, there is over 1,000 hectares of greenhouse strawberry planting area in the whole district, the total output is 66,000 tons, the total output value is 1.25 billion RMB [187 million USD], and the derivative output value is nearly 2 billion RMB [300 million USD].
At Prandtl Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd., Licheng District, Jack Ma led a delegation to listen to the introduction of the development of the strawberry industry in Licheng District, viewed the display of strawberry related products, and learned more about the construction of seedling detoxification and rapid propagation laboratory and secondary seedling greenhouse operating situation. The company has carried out in-depth research, demonstration, and promotion of strawberry detoxification technology, soilless cultivation, and new variety cultivation. Jack Ma had in-depth exchanges and discussions with the technical staff of the company and learned in detail about the research and promotion of strawberry seedlings, especially the detoxification and rapid propagation technology.
At the Hongmei Farm in Dongjia Street, Jack Ma and his delegation inspected the construction and operation of the combined greenhouse and the winter greenhouse and asked in detail about the three-dimensional cultivation of strawberries and traditional planting. The farm’s strawberry production is supported by biological control, water, and fertilizer integration, and modern agricultural Internet of Things management systems, focusing on the application of prevention and control. Jack Ma said that the popularization and promotion of advanced planting technology will help ensure the high quality of strawberries.
At Strawberry Paradise in Dongjia Street, Jack Ma and his delegation visited the greenhouse, communicated with growers in-depth, and learned about the application of various strawberry cultivation models and market operations. Combined with the construction of a new countryside in Shiziyuan Village, it has formed an industrial system integrating strawberry planting, picking, catering, and tourism.
Jack Ma expressed his appreciation for Jinan's efforts to develop the strawberry industry and increase farmers’ incomes through cooperatives. He hopes that Alibaba Group and Jinan will further deepen exchanges and cooperation, and jointly explore new models and new paths to promote the development of Jinan's characteristic industries such as strawberry planting.
Source: k.sina.cn
Publication date: Fri 23 Oct 2020
New OEM-Agreement For Shelf-And-Lighting Panels For Vertical Farming
Senmatic and LED iBond International have entered a strategic partnership for OEM delivery of shelves with built-in grow light to be included in Senmatic’s offering of industrial vertical farming solutions
Senmatic and LED iBond International have entered a strategic partnership for OEM delivery of shelves with built-in grow light to be included in Senmatic’s offering of industrial vertical farming solutions. The new vertical farming shelves are based on LED iBond’s patented lighting fixture, which combines superior cooling characteristics and minimal space requirements with a high carrying capacity.
The strategic partnership between Senmatic and LED iBond is based on Senmatic’s in-depth knowledge of LED grow lights and software solutions for industrial vertical farming and LED iBond’s unique LED technology platform.
"We have more than 40 years of experience with indoor plant production. We will combine LED iBond’s super-slim and energy-efficient shelf-and-lighting panels with our controllers and software to create a multifunctional vertical farming solution with best-in-class growth conditions for industrial indoor horticulture. This new partnership with LED iBond will further contribute to our growth in the vertical farming market, so we are very pleased indeed for this opportunity to join forces with LED iBond," says Mads Nychel, CEO at Senmatic.
Rolf H. Sprunk-Jansen, CEO of LED iBond, adds: "The new partnership with Senmatic marks LED iBond’s commercial entry into the industrial vertical farming market. With their vertical farming technology and their global network of 40 dealers, Senmatic is an ideal partner for us, bringing our LED panel technology into play in an emerging industry with huge growth potential. The agreement with Senmatic makes us even more confident that LED iBond’s financial outlook is well within reach."
The joint vertical farming offering is planned to launch at the end of Q4 2020.
For more information:
Senmatic
Publication date: Tue 20 Oct 2020
Indoor Farming Start-Up BrightFarms Raises $100m In Funding
The start-up has raised over $200 million in funding to date, and BrightFarms claims that it will use these latest funds to invest in its current farms and retail programs and expand its network of regional indoor farms across the US
By Martin White
21 October 2020
Indoor hydroponic farming start-up BrightFarms has secured $100 million in a Series E funding round led by Cox Enterprises, which now owns a majority stake in the company, and a further investment from Catalyst Investors.
BrightFarms builds and operates indoor farms near major metropolitan areas in the US, providing supermarkets and retailers with a consistent supply of locally grown produce. It currently operates indoor farms in Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, with three new farms currently under development in North Carolina, Massachusetts, and Texas.
The start-up has raised over $200 million in funding to date, and BrightFarms claims that it will use these latest funds to invest in its current farms and retail programs and expand its network of regional indoor farms across the US.
BrightFarms claims that its growing methods “use 80% less water, 90% less land and 95% less shipping fuel than traditional agriculture”. The company claims that its indoor growing methods can provide pesticide-free packaged greens to supermarkets in as little as 24 hours after harvest.
The start-up has formed partnerships with major retailers including Ahold Delhaize, Kroger, and Walmart, distributing produce to over 2,000 stores in the US. The firm anticipates that it will expand its distribution to more than 15,000 stores by 2025.
Steve Platt, CEO of BrightFarms, said: “Our goal over the next five years is to make quality, locally-grown greens a staple on grocery shelves and in refrigerators nationwide.
“We are thrilled to have the strong financial backing of Cox Enterprises, an organization that closely aligns with our mission to build a healthier and more sustainable future and to have the additional support of our long-term partners at Catalyst Investors. Together we are ready to scale our model for local indoor farming in every major market in the US”
Why This First Nation Bought A Shipping Container During COVID-19
To get fresh produce, Sheshegwaning First Nation turned to a technology initially developed for growing food in space. But is it a real solution for food insecurity?
Sheshegwaning First Nation purchased a container farm in June. (Courtesy of April Folz)
By Charnel Anderson October 23, 2020
To Get Fresh Produce, Sheshegwaning First Nation Turned
To A Technology Initially Developed For Growing Food In Space.
But Is It A Real Solution For Food Insecurity?
The first frosts have already arrived in Ontario, but in Sheshegwaning First Nation, a small community on the western edge of Manitoulin Island, April Folz is still awaiting the first harvest of the year. In about a week, Folz says, the community will have fresh produce: “Monte Carlo romaine lettuce, wildfire lettuce. We have a couple of variations of kale and spinach. I’m missing something,” says Folz, the economic development director at Sheshegwaning First Nation. “Oh, bok choy! I’m excited for that.”
Sheshegwaning First Nation, a two-hour drive from the mainland, is home to about 130 residents. There’s a convenience store in the community with a few grocery items, but the nearest grocery store is 40 minutes away. When COVID-19 hit, the community put up a checkpoint, and, Folz says, there was talk of closing the swing bridge to outsiders. That would have made it “tough to get food in,” says Folz. So, in response, community leaders came up with a locally grown solution.
In June, the community purchased a container farm from the Ottawa-based company
Growcer for about $300,000 (CAD). Folz describes the setup as a repurposed shipping container divided into six growing sections, with a separate room housing climate controls and a monitoring system. The growing sections are outfitted with shelving, LED lighting, and a hydroponic growing system in which plants grow with their roots in water rather than soil.
Sheshegwaning First Nation is growing produce, such as kale in spinach, in a repurposed shipping container. (Courtesy of April Folz)
The first harvest has been delayed due to issues with the system’s artificial lighting, which takes the place of sunlight, and a carbon-dioxide tank, says Folz. But, once the system is fully operational, she plans to start a weekly subscription box that members can sign up for to get fresh produce delivered right to their door.
Because they make it possible to grow food in harsh climates, container farms are often touted as a solution for food insecurity in remote communities. However, research suggests that the technology does little to address the true causes of food insecurity or the inability to access nutritious and affordable food, which is rooted in the ongoing effects of colonialism and climate change, among other things. “All of these stories make it sound like [container farms] are the solution to food insecurity, and they absolutely aren’t,” says Thomas Graham, PhytoGro research chair in controlled-environment systems at Guelph University.
Container farms (or, as Graham calls them, “growth chambers”) were initially developed as a research tool for growing food in space, he explains; only within the last few decades have they been marketed as a commercial solution: “You can’t have a greenhouse in space, but you can certainly have a growth chamber. And the next, most severe climate to space, as [my colleague] Mike [Dixon] would say, is a snowbank in Nunavut somewhere.”
More than half of on-reserve First Nations households across Canada experience food insecurity; 8.8 per cent of people elsewhere in the country experience moderate to severe food security. A number of complex issues cause the disparity: high levels of poverty amongst Indigenous populations, the inflated cost of food in remote communities, and decreased access to traditional foods, which are culturally and regionally specific but usually include such things as wild game.
The repurposed shipping container is divided into six growing sections. (Courtesy of April Folz)
“Food insecurity has been caused by colonialism in this country,” says Julie Price, a member of the Northern Manitoba Food, Culture, and Community Collaborative, which this year is working with more than 40 communities in northern Manitoba on food-related projects intended to improve access to healthy food. “Many of the communities that we work with have very clear, direct stories that illustrate it,” she says, citing the example of O-pipon-Na-Piwin Cree Nation.
In 1942, O-pipon-Na-Piwin Cree Nation, located 130 kilometres north of Thompson, Manitoba, built a commercial whitefish fishery on South Indian Lake. It produced approximately 1 million pounds of Grade A whitefish per year, making it the second most productive whitefish fishery in North America. Then, in the 1970s, the Manitoba government gave Manitoba Hydro permission to divert the Churchill River: that raised South Indian Lake by three metres and forced the relocation of O-pipon-Na-Piwin Cree Nation from its ancestral lands.
The flooding demolished the fishery, disrupted seasonal fish-spawning cycles, and forced wild game to migrate inland. It destroyed a community “that was so self-sufficient and happy, and healthy, and economically healthy,” says Price, adding that it now faces “serious challenges on all these fronts that were virtually absent prior to the hydroelectric development.”
Historically, Cree people were migratory and spent a lot of time searching, harvesting, preparing, and storing food, says Alex Wilson, a member of Opaskwayak Cree Nation, a community with roughly 3,200 on-reserve members near the Town of the Pas, in northern Manitoba. “That changed very quickly during colonization and settlement,” says Wilson, adding that the fur trade, the Indian Act, and the residential-school system rapidly changed “our relationship with food.”
Food-related projects at Opaskwayak Cree Nation include community gardens. (Courtesy of Opakwayak Culture and Healthy Living Initiatives)
Since 2014, Opaskwayak Cree Nation has been working with NMFCCC to develop a number of food-related projects, including beekeeping, community gardens, and a hydroponic container farm. Container farms may have their place in addressing food insecurity in First Nations communities, she says, but they would align better with Indigenous values if they produced culturally relevant foods, thereby enhancing the transmission of knowledge many Indigenous communities are trying to reclaim. “Not many people eat kale. Is there a way to grow things in there that would have more contextual meaning to people in the north?” Community-led approaches, she says, give northern communities agency over their food systems: NMFCCC is “not just mitigating, but trying to reverse” the damage caused by colonialism.
Price feels the same. “We have seen these units have lots of benefits in communities that have done the research and then chose to try them out, but they’re not going to solve food insecurity alone,” says Price. “Selling northern people on eating more leafy greens is still trying to colonize diets further.”
Over the years spent working with NMFCCC, Price has learned — or as she puts it, has been taught — a few things about working with northern communities. It’s crucial, she says, to develop non-transactional, human relationships and to listen to the community’s vision and priorities: “I’ve never seen yet, where somebody from outside [the region] has solved a problem in the north. It usually makes it worse.”
Ontario Hubs are made possible by the Barry and Laurie Green Family Charitable Trust & Goldie Feldman.
Related tags:
Author
Charnel Anderson is TVO.org's northwestern Ontario Hubs reporter.
Scientists Work In Arizona To Reshape Desert Food Production
The experimental garden at Biosphere 2 about 35 miles north of Tucson is part of a wider effort to radically reshape desert food production to meet the growing challenges posed by climate change
Methods To Increase Yield, Lower
Water Use Draw On
Practices of Indigenous Cultures
Caleb Ortega, an environmental studies undergraduate student, harvests basil from an experimental garden outside Biosphere 2. Record heat has given the research new urgency.
Josh Galemore/Arizona Daily Star
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) – In the cool shade of solar panels, a lush plot of herbs and vegetables hints at one possible future for farming in the desert.
At the moment, that future includes more basil than researchers know what to do with.
“We’ve been pulling out pounds of it every week,” said University of Arizona biogeographer Greg Barron-Gafford. “All of us are getting a little sick of pesto and pizza and mozzarella at this point.”
The experimental garden at Biosphere 2 about 35 miles north of Tucson is part of a wider effort to radically reshape desert food production to meet the growing challenges posed by climate change.
The 14 researchers from the Southwest and Mexico believe their model can produce a sustainable, local source of food that will improve the health and well-being of consumers and farmworkers alike.
The idea involves a mix of desert-adapted food species grown cooperatively in ways that increase yield while reducing water use.
Picture a variety of agave and fruit-bearing cactus interspersed with rows of mesquite and other legume trees, all with wild herbs, greens, beans, and native chiltepin peppers growing in the shade beneath them. Other potential crops include squashes, mints, and jicama.
In some cases, those plants would be grown beneath a photovoltaic “canopy,” as the solar panels generate cheap, renewable electricity to pump irrigation water and power farm equipment.
Pilot projects to test the model are now underway in the U.S. and Mexico, including at Biosphere 2 and in campus gardens at three public schools across southern Arizona.
“I like to think of it as using the desert and the sun here as our laboratory for the future,” said Erin Riordan, a UA research associate and one of the lead authors on a scientific paper about the project.
The team focused on desert plants that are as nutritious as they are drought-tolerant, with special emphasis on crops that can reduce or even prevent diabetes and other chronic diseases often exacerbated by heat stress.
Meanwhile, the shady design of the growing areas would benefit both the plants and the workers tending to them, curbing the frequency of injuries or illnesses associated with farm labor in extreme environments.
The sweeping proposal, published recently in the journal Plants, People, Planet, is rooted in practices perfected over millennia by Indigenous desert cultures.
“People have been growing food in the shade for 4,000 years in this region,” Barron-Gafford said.
“It’s not something that’s new to anyone,” said Gary Paul Nabhan, the study’s other lead author and a research social scientist in the university’s Southwest Center. “We’re drawing on that expertise and combining it with modern techniques and technology.”
Solar panels, healthy crops
The importance of food security has been highlighted in recent months by record-setting heat, sputtering monsoon conditions, and supply disruptions caused by the pandemic.
“We are already hitting the temperature limits of conventional crops,” said Nabhan, a MacArthur award-winning agroecologist and the endowed chairman in food and water security at UA.
Greg Barron-Gafford, Caleb Ortega, and Alyssa Salazar work in a garden that is part of an experiment on growing techniques for hotter, drier desert conditions. Josh Galemore/Arizona Daily Star
Among the Southwestern farm staples most threatened by global warming, he lists corn, dry beans, melons, chiles, and most vegetables.
“Yes, we can still grow chiles in our backyards,” he said, but growing them in a large-scale agricultural setting will become increasingly difficult as temperatures rise, droughts deepen and water resources shrink.
Nabhan said a market already exists for some of the new crops considered in the study. “They’re already in our grocery stores, but we’re importing them from 1,000 miles away,” he said.
Back at his outdoor laboratory at Biosphere 2, Barron-Gafford said pairing agriculture directly with solar generation could “open the door to food production in marginal lands” by providing both a shady place to grow plants and the electricity needed to pump water to them.
For the right crops, the shade beneath the solar panels can produce healthier, more productive plants with as little as half the water, all while extending the length of the growing season.
In turn, the plants provide a benefit to the solar array, cooling the air around it by as much as 12 degrees and improving the efficiency of the panels.
Barron-Gafford said the experiment in so-called “agrivoltaics” began nine years ago with a few plants tucked underneath a single, small solar panel slanting up from the ground.
“We started with salsa plants because we’re here,” he said with a smile.
Some crops grow, others don’t
The test garden now covers an area about the size of a half-court in basketball, shaded by a solar array mounted 10 feet off the ground.
Along with all the basil, the current crop includes heirloom cherry tomatoes, Anasazi red beans and a special type of bell pepper Barron-Gafford said was brought in from Mexico by the chefs at Penca restaurant in Tucson.
In a nearby control garden, equal-sized plots of the same plants bake in the direct sun. The basil there doesn’t even look like the same species. Its leaves are skinnier and more pointed, and the plants are already going to seed. One patch has shrunk and dried out in the heat after its water ration was cut in half to match a similar plot still going strong in the shade of the solar array.
“Those plants died for science,” said Barron-Gafford, an associate professor with the UA’s School of Geography, Development, and Environment.
He and his research assistants planned to plant a fall crop – both in the shade and out – of cilantro, fava beans, white onions, and native mouse melons, which taste like cucumbers but look like miniature watermelons.
Agrivoltaic farming doesn’t work for everything. Broccoli, for example, tends to grow large, impressive leaves in the shade, but it never produces florets.
The jury is still out on the Anasazi beans. Barron-Gafford said the ones planted in the direct sun of the control garden have already produced their crop of seed pods, while the ones shaded by the solar array are taking their sweet time.
Whether that will lead to a fuller, more flavorful bean or a pile of tiny, underdeveloped pods remains to be seen.
Questions about scaling up
There’s one thing the research team already knows: Transforming an entire agricultural sector won’t be easy.
“It is a big shift,” said Riordan, the principal scientist coordinating the binational research team based at the UA’s Desert Laboratory on Tumamoc Hill. “There’s a huge scaling piece that is going to have to be addressed.”
One key part will be convincing consumers to expand their palates to include wild, locally grown foods they might not have considered before.
Luckily, Riordan said, Tucson already has something of a head start there, thanks to its diverse population, rich cultural history, and its designation six years ago as the first UNESCO City of Gastronomy in the U.S.
The community is already home to about 40 startup businesses that produce more than 120 new desert food and beverage products.
Ultimately, researchers argue, desert agriculture will be transformed by climate change whether we want it to be or not. Through careful planning and adaptation, we can make that transition profitable instead of painful.
“It might be hard right now to envision edible desert landscapes, but it might not seem so far-fetched in a few years,” Riordan said. “I think we’re going to have a lot of motivation to come up with big solutions fast.”