GP Solutions, Inc. Enters Into Distribution Agreement With Advanced Container Technologies, Inc.

NEWS PROVIDED BY

GP Solutions 

Oct 27, 2020

CORONA, Calif., Oct. 27, 2020,/PRNewswire/ -- On August 6th, 2020, GP Solutions, Inc. (GWPD) finalized a distribution agreement with California-based Advanced Container Technologies, Inc., (ACT). The agreement states ACT has the exclusive right to market, sell, and distribute GP's products in the United States and its territories.  This agreement has an initial term that expires on December 31, 2025, and is renewable indefinitely as long as ACT meets prescribed sales targets. GP manufactures fully insulated, food-grade shipping containers that are specifically modified to provide an optimally controlled environment for growing a wide range of horticultural and agricultural products in all environments and climates.

A key component of the agreement is ACT's exclusivity to market GP Solutions "Grow Pods." GP Solutions "Grow Pods" have become a popular and trusted technology in the agriculture industry. Subsequently, ACT completed a share exchange on October 9th, 2020, with Medtainer, Inc., (MDTRD). Medtainer, Inc. is a California based company that specializes in manufacturing, branding, sales, and marketing consultation.

GP Solutions, Inc. President, George Natzic, stated, "We are very excited about the prospects of this agreement allowing ACT to use its expertise to market and sell GP Solutions' Grow Pods." Also stating, "This also allows GP Solutions to focus on manufacturing new products and executing our business model into new industries and territories."

GrowPods are controlled environment micro-farms with a sealed eco-system, utilizing filtered air and water while maintaining a pest-free environment to eliminate pathogens. Grow Pods offers farmers a high-margin niche to expand into and gives consumers access to safe, tested, and nutritious "Super Foods."

For more information, call: (855) 247-8054 or visit: www.growpodsolutions.com.
Connect:

Website: www.growpodsolutions.com 
Facebook: facebook.com/GrowPodTechnology 
Twitter: @GrowPodSolution

Forward-Looking Statements
This release includes predictions or information that might be considered "forward-looking" within securities laws. These statements represent Company's current judgments, but are subject to uncertainties that could cause results to differ. Readers are cautioned to not place undue reliance on these statements, which reflect management's opinions only as of the date of this release. The Company is not obligated to revise any statements in light of new information or events.

SOURCE GP Solutions

Related Links

https://www.growpodsolutions.com

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Sodexo Partners With Container Farming Startup Freight Farms To Bring Indoor Ag To College Campuses

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January 29, 2020

Lauren Stine

When a major foodservice player like Sodexo calls up your relatively young startup to ask whether you’d be interested in providing indoor ag services for their university clients, it’s safe to say you’ve arrived.

“Their partnership team reached out to us and said this is a huge problem we are trying to solve and we have been watching you guys from corporate headquarters and we saw you have proven adoption on all these different university campuses,” Brad McNamara, Freight Farms CEO, told AFN. “It’s a surreal moment when the 800-pound gorilla calls you and says we’ve been talking about you internally for six months. Can we work with you?”

The Boston-based container farming company announced today a new partnership to bring Freight Farms’ Greenery container farm setups to the campuses that Sodexo services throughout the US. The goal of the partnership is to bring fresh, traceable produce to college foodservice year-round that’s pesticide- and insecticide-free with low food miles. Sodexo is engaging the company as part of its Better Tomorrow Commitments, developed according to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Sodexo is one of the world’s largest multinational corporations serving 80 countries with nearly $17 billion in annual revenue, which means the partnership could go a long way towards demonstrating whether indoor ag systems can provide fresh produce at large-scale. The first Greenery system will be deployed at a college campus this Spring, according to McNamara.

As part of the deal, Sodexo’s campus clients will come under Freight Farms’ ‘farming-as-a-service’ program like any other Greenery user. Freight Farms provides turnkey farming software, training, monitoring, refillables, and support. The number of Greenery machines deployed to each campus will depend on the goal that the university has, which could involve providing as much produce as possible to its foodservice outlets. McNamara describes the units as being able to operate on a commercial scale and to scale up or down quickly depending on the ultimate need.

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More than local lettuce

In 2012, Freight Farms launched a farming system built inside a shipping container dubbed the Leafy Green Machine. Last year, it launched a new model, Greenery, in the same 320-square foot space but with 70% more growing space. It also packs new IoT-driven technology to improve yield, efficiency, and automation, according to the startup.

Today, it claims to have the largest network of connected farms in the world with customers in 25 countries and 44 US states that range from small business farmers to corporate, hospitality, retail, and education entities. So far, 35 educational and corporate campuses are using Freight Farms’ Greenery machine and technology to grow food onsight. The University of Georgia has already purchased two Greenery containers. A group called WhyNot Farm also made a purchase.

What Freight Farms is really trying to achieve is more than just growing lettuce in a shipping container, however. Last time we interviewed the outfit, the goal was to achieve a distributed food system that addresses many of the issues that the conventional produce industry has created: food waste, ugly produce being discarded, and a focus solely on yield maximization to the detriment of ecosystems.

“Schools are a good fit because of the value add that is placed on food and the variety and the quality of food served in cafeterias. There’s not just one customer that schools have to attract. They’re also selling to parents. They have to really be able to give comfort to mom and dad that the student has access to high-quality food and food programming,” McNamara explains.

Students are also hungry for this type of offering, as consumers at large search for ways to get closer to the roots of the food that they consume any way they can. At McNamara’s alma mater, Northeastern, for example, one of its educational programs includes a food co-op where students can work on real-world applications of local food systems.

The indoor ag space is seeing some renewed attention recently, with three of AFN’s top 10 best-read stories in 2019 focusing on the sector. 

“I think what’s really exciting now versus just a few years ago is the recognition that this opportunity a lot of us have been talking about is, in fact, big and that there are various markets for us to go after,” McNamara says. 

With a freshly inked Sodexo partnership under his belt, it’s hard to say he’s wrong.

• food tech, hydroponic, hydroponics, indoor ag, partnerships, vertical farming

Boys And Girls Clubs of Metro South Awarded Food Security Infrastructure Grant

The Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro South was awarded a grant of $128,960 by the Baker-Polito Administration in partnership with the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs as part of the commonwealth’s $36 million Food Security Infrastructure Grant Program on Aug. 18.

In a concerted effort to address food insecurities in their service area, BGCMS will be using the grant to purchase and operate a Freight Farms Greenery container farm on their Camp Riverside property located at 388 Harvey St., Taunton. The Greenery is a fully functioning, self-contained hydroponic farm housed in a shipping container that allows for plants to grow vertically indoors year-round without soil or direct sunlight. The Greenery will be able to support over 13,000 plants at once.

BGCMS intends to use this produce to support their Kids Café Healthy Meals program which provides hot, healthy dinners to every child who attends the Brockton and Taunton Clubhouse each weeknight. The clubs’ Kids Café program feeds more than 400 youth per day and serves more than 100,000 healthy meals annually. In addition to meal service, the clubs will utilize the Greenery to teach members about nutrition, agriculture and how to keep eating healthy foods at home.

“Our goal is to also build upon existing partnerships with local community organizations and other nonprofits that are working to tackle food insecurity — like homeless shelters, soup kitchens, and food pantries in our region — to support their efforts to feed the hungry and feed them nutritious food,” said Monica Lombardo, vice president of advancement at Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro South.

In March, BGCMS jumped into action to adapt its Kids Café meals program into an open grab and go dinner program for youth from 0 to 18 years old in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since March 18, meals have been served in a socially distanced fashion at both the Brockton and Taunton Clubhouses every weeknight between 4:30 and 6 p.m. The community response to the grab and go meals program inspired BGCMS to think critically about the clubs’ ongoing role in supporting food security in the region as its afterschool, weekend and summer programs are key social supports for economically vulnerable families.

“Increasing access to fresh, local food is critical to ensure the health and wellbeing of all commonwealth families,” said Gov. Charlie Baker about the grants being offered. “Through this grant program, we are helping residents and businesses who’ve been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic while making investments in building a strong and equitable local food system for Massachusetts that is prepared for the future.”

To support BGCMS and their mission or to learn more about their Kids Café healthy meals program, visit https://bgcmetrosouth.org.

Posted Aug 25, 2020 at 4:44 PM

Updated Aug 25, 2020 at 4:44 PM

Local Company Providing Fresh Produce, Tools to Grow It All Year Long

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CRYSTAL SCHICK

August 6, 2020 

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The Yukon isn’t the place in the world most suited to year-round farming, given its long winters and short, unpredictable summers, but one local company is trying to change that.

Since opening its doors last July, Cold Acre Food Systems has been perfecting its indoor hydroponic growing systems for greens and herbs that can be harvested continually throughout the year.“

Hydroponics is a very old growing system and can be done in different methods,” said Carl Burgess, Cold Acre Food Systems CEO. “It’s essentially nutrient water delivered to roots to grow plants.”

The benefit of it in food production for a community sense is that there is less soil management because there is no soil management and in that way it can stabilize production year-round,” Burgess added.

The company does the majority of its farming in two shipping container-style growing facilities located on Titanium Way in the Marwell industrial area.“

Right now we are operating 6,000 planting spaces,” Burgess said. “One of those (containers) is basically equivalent to an acre of a market garden,” and “one container can give, at minimum, a weekly supply of greens to about 100 to 200 people.”

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Denise Gordon, Cold Acre Food Systems lead grower, holds trays of microgreens in front of their growing unit in Whitehorse on July 26, 2020. (Crystal Schick/Yukon News)

Environmentally, the system uses 10 to 20 percent less water than the traditional method of growing, Burgess said. The carbon footprint is also greatly reduced since produce only has to travel a couple of blocks to its destination compared to being shipped on trucks, food waste is almost nonexistent because of the high reliability of growing indoors, the company uses compostable packaging, and there are no storage facilities.“

We harvest and go,” Burgess said. “It’s usually within two hours of harvesting that the produce is in the grocery stores or dropped off at someone’s home.”

What began as some test lettuce crops have turned into a diverse selection of leafy greens, like bok choy, arugula, kale, mizuna, and rainbow chard, as well as several different types of microgreens, which are similar to sprouts in appearance, and basil. The company is also experimenting with growing edible flowers and mushrooms.

Cold Acre Food Systems currently sells the vegetables it grows to several grocery stores in Whitehorse, restaurants, and cafes, and through a subscription box.“

The last year of business has been lots of fun,” Burgess said. “We went from being a very small food producer to a medium-sized food producer (in the Yukon).”

But selling the vegetables it grows isn’t the end game for this company. Building, selling, and installing growing systems is also part of Cold Acre’s business model. The company can build custom growing facilities for just about any client, from smaller at-home units to the larger commercial shipping container-style units.

Right now there are two large units that will soon be providing fresh produce to Yukon communities. The first, in partnership with the University of Calgary, is at the Kluane Lake Research Station near Silver City. Once it is up and running it will provide food to the Haines Junction and Burwash Landing areas. The second, currently still in Whitehorse, is owned by Na-Cho Nyäk Dun Development Corporation (NNDDC) and will be ready to feed people in the Mayo area this spring.

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Leafy greens grow under neon lights in a shipping container style facility in Whitehorse on July 26, 2020. (Crystal Schick/Yukon News)“

We are currently fabricating a small-scale unit for demonstration/growing inside the Mayo Foods Store as part of the NNDDC project,” said Burgess.

The objective of Cold Acre Food Systems is to reduce food scarcity in the North and to enable everyone access to fresh produce year-round. “Success will be twofold,” said Burgess. “Our goal is to activate indoor growing. So success will look like a handful of growing facilities around that we either deployed or helped deploy. And success for us looks like a large growing facility that’s displacing a number of food products that right now are coming up the road and doing that cost effectively for consumers.”

Contact Crystal Schick at crystal.schick@yukon-news.com

US: MINNESOTA: North Market Installs Onsite Vertical Farm

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Source: North Market

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07.28.2020

By Emily Park

MINNEAPOLIS – Black-owned and operated by the nonprofit organization Pillsbury United Communities (PUC), the grocery store North Market has installed a hydroponic vertical container farm from Freight Farms onsite.  

Built-in an upcycled shipping container and controlled by a data-driven IoT platform called farmhand, the 320-square-foot farm is located in the retailer’s parking lot.  

Regardless of the season, it will provide the market’s community with fresh produce (all pesticide- and herbicide-free) year-round. Growing at commercial volume, the farm uses less than 5 gallons of water a day. 

North Market will start by harvesting 11 flavorful crops: three varieties of mini compact romaine lettuces, green oakleaf, basil, Thai basil, rosemary, thyme, lemon balm, sage, and mint.  

“At Pillsbury United Communities, our mission is to co-create enduring change toward a just society in which every person has personal, social, and economic power,” said Kim Pepper, chief engagement officer of PUC. “The closed-loop food ecosystem we have built around North Market is one of the ways we are working to realize this vision. Greens grown onsite in the Freight Farm are sold at North Market ensuring community access to fresh, affordable, local produce year-round. Produce that doesn’t sell is rescued, prepared, and served at our free community café." 

Some of the added benefits of the onsite vertical farm include: 

• Elimination of food miles: the crops only travel steps from the parking lot to the store  

• Consistent reliability: store can produce its own line of crops for shoppers, with year-round consistency regardless of the weather or changing climate conditions in Minneapolis  

• Quality and freshness: by being grown hyper-locally (in this case, right onsite), produce stays fresh for far longer, reducing food waste for both the store and consumers 

• Cost reduction: in removing distribution costs from the equation, PUC is able to pass savings on to the consumer  

• Traceability & safety: the farm’s integrated IoT platform, farmhand, enables complete traceability of crops from seed to harvest 

North Market also sells produce from the PUC’s other soil-based farms in the city. To get those crops to the store, bicycle couriers pick up freshly harvested food from PUC’s Southside gardens and deliver them to North Market to be sold. Completing the cycle, they also pick up surplus food and bring it back to the Southside to be distributed in community delivery meal programs. The remaining food is composted back at the Southside gardens. 

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Farm Box Foods - Digital Farming Entrepreneurs

OUR MISSION

We want to empower communities to produce their own locally grown produce year-round.

We strive to change the way people farm by merging technology and agriculture into a system that greatly reduces water usage and transportation costs while maximizing space.

We see a future where communities have achieved food independence by producing their own healthy food and distributing it locally – no longer relying on centralized food systems.

Our Story

Our planet is in trouble, and we need to find new, innovative approaches to food production.

 In 2017, an unlikely group of friends—a real estate agent, a solar energy entrepreneur, and a fabricator, decided to take action. From the drive to decentralize food supply chains and assist communities to produce more locally grown healthy food, FarmBox Foods was born.

 Our founders knew they had to search for agricultural innovations. At the heart of this new approach lies the shipping container. Our goal was to develop the most efficient, high-yielding container farm on the market. Early in our research and development, we saw the appeal of vertical farming—this design principle would allow us to maximize limited space. Bringing all these ideas together, FarmBox Foods created a hydroponic farm with an elegant and user-friendly design.

 With our hydroponic farm on the market, FarmBox Foods is now looking for new ways to bring more healthy food options to communities. Enter mushrooms. With their myriad health benefits and culinary versatility, mushrooms are the perfect crop for sustainable food systems. Our first-of-its-kind gourmet mushroom farm will debut in 2020 and boost access to this superfood.

 FarmBox Foods is changing the way we think about growing food, one shipping container at a time.

It comes down to what’s inside, the “Plant Force One” is built inside of a recycled 40-foot container. Helping the environment and help you change the way you farm

Vertical Farming Is The Future of The Agriculture Industry

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26 May 2020

By: Garsha Sai Nitesh

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

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

 What is Vertical Farming? 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Related Links:

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

Indoor Ag-Con Kicks Off New Webinar Series With United Fresh Produce Association Panel

INDOOR AG-CON KICKS OFF NEW FREE WEBINAR SERIES WITH UNITED FRESH PANEL DISCUSSION ON PRODUCE TRENDS, BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES FOR INDOOR GROWERS

Free Monthly Virtual Events To Share Content Originally Planned For May 2020 Annual In-Person Conference Postponed Due to Covid-19 Pandemic

LAS VEGAS ( May 20, 2020) – Indoor Ag-Con LLC, producers of the premier event for the indoor|vertical farming industry, is launching a free monthly webinar series to share content originally planned for its May 2020 in-person annual conference that has been postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Titled “Indoor Ag-Conversations,” the new virtual event series kicks off with the United Fresh Produce Association Panel: Produce Trends & Business Opportunities For Indoor Growers Emerging From Covid-19 Pandemic on Wednesday, June 3 at 4 pm EST.

Moderated by United Fresh President and CEO Tom Stenzel, the panel will include Alex DiNovo, President and COO, DNO Produce and Paul Lightfoot, President and Founder, BrightFarms.  

“While Covid-19 has temporarily halted our opportunity to gather face-to-face for Indoor Ag-Con, it has not stopped us from sharing the incredible innovations and business-building opportunities our vibrant industry offers,” says Brian Sullivan, co-owner of Indoor Ag-Con. “We’re honored to have the United Fresh Produce Association kick off our first webinar with such a dynamic panel of industry leaders talking about the unprecedented challenges and opportunities we’re facing today.” 

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“Now more than ever it’s critical that we continue to find new ways to connect with industry peers to share industry ideas and experiences,” adds Tom Stenzel, President & CEO, United Fresh Produce Association. “Indoor growing is an important component of the fresh produce industry, and we’re excited to lead the first Indoor Ag-Con webinar on June 3 as we look ahead to our own new free virtual event, United Fresh Live!, coming the week of June 15.”

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With plans to feature one to two sessions each month, the new Indoor Ag-Conversations webinar series will feature content originally planned for the now postponed Indoor Ag-Con 2020 Conference line-up, as well as new sessions designed to help industry members find new ways to grow their business.  

Scheduled for June 3 at 4 pm EST, the Indoor Ag-Conversations United Fresh panel will share insights from (pictured clockwise from top left):

Moderator Tom Stenzel, the President and CEO of the United Fresh Produce Association, is a frequent speaker on industry issues and has been recognized for his leadership frequently throughout his career. Tom has testified numerous times before Congress, and works closely with leaders at the White House, USDA, FDA, and other U.S. regulatory agencies. He also leads the United Fresh Start Foundation, the association’s charitable foundation focused on increasing children’s access to fresh fruits and vegetables. The Foundation and its partners have donated more than 5,000 salad bars to schools in all 50 states.

Paul Lightfoot, President and Founder of BrightFarms, is creating the first national brand of locally grown produce. In four years, Lightfoot has led the company from a proof-of-concept to operating four greenhouses in key markets like Washington, D.C., Chicago, Cincinnati, and Philadelphia. BrightFarms was named 235th on the 2017 Inc. 500 list of fastest-growing private companies, ranking 10th among all food companies and the only produce company featured on the list.

Alex DiNovo is President and COO of DNO Produce Group of Companies, a rapidly growing family-owned group of businesses located in Columbus, Ohio. DNO is a fresh fruit and vegetable processor, as well as a distributor, with a distribution network throughout the Midwest, Great Lakes, and the southeastern United States. DNO distributes to customers both directly and indirectly through its network. Alex is a fourth-generation family member who has been involved in the produce business from a young age. He has knowledge and experience in many areas of the produce supply chain.

Indoor Ag-Conversation webinars are free to industry members. To register for the upcoming June 3, 2020  session, visit www.indoor.ag/webinar. In addition, the Indoor Ag-Con team is currently exploring dates and options for its postponed May 2020 in-person event and will be providing updates soon.

ABOUT INDOOR AG-CON LLC
Founded in 2013, Indoor Ag-Con touches all sectors of the business, covering produce, legal cannabis, hemp, alternate protein and non-food crops. In December 2018, three event industry professionals – Nancy Hallberg, Kris Sieradzki and Brian Sullivan – purchased Indoor Ag-Con LLC, setting the stage for further expansion of the events globally. For more information, visit: https://indoor.ag

ABOUT UNITED FRESH PRODUCE ASSOCIATION
United Fresh brings together members across every segment of the supply chain to build relationships that are as solid with a handshake as with a contract. We empower industry leaders to join forces to shape sound government policy. We deliver the resources and expertise companies need to succeed in managing complex business and technical issues. For more information, visit: https://www.unitedfresh.org and to learn more about United Fresh LIVE! Visit www.unitedfreshlive.org

SPECIAL THANKS TO INDOOR AG-CON 2020 
SPONSORS, EXHIBITORS MEDIA ALLIES & INDUSTRY PARTNERS

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In addition, Indoor Ag-Con is proud to be a member of the Hemp Industries Association.

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Agrihoods and Access To Healthy Food

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May 13, 2020
Written by Tinia Pina | Re-Nuble

The question has always been there: city life or country life? However, in the 1850’s, in response to a rising urban population and as a result of improved transportation methods, the suburbs began to sprawl out from large metropolises. Now, roughly 80 percent of Americans live in urban areas. Yet, the demand for closed-loop food processes continues to increase. Urban area citizens still want access to sustainable and healthy food systems. 

Defining Closed-loop Systems

By definition, a closed-loop system is one in which the operation is regulated by feedback. To clarify, feedback, in this sense, means that a portion of the output is fed back into the system to act as part of the excitation. The output cannot exist independent of the feedback.

Closed loop food systems produce high-quality, healthy foods using less energy and less water. When locally-sourced, their production and sale contributes positively to local economies and develops pride within the community.

Agrihoods and Access to Healthy Food

Enter agrihoods: the community feeling of suburbia mixed with the progressive thinking of the city sprinkled with the splendor of the country. There are several reasons people are drawn to this style of living. First and foremost is access to locally grown, sustainable food. A close second is the closed-loop process: the inhabitants enjoy the crop and the remains are composted for use as fertilizer. There is an eloquent beauty in the cyclical nature of closed-loop food processes.

In addition to providing sustainable, locally-sourced food, agrihoods provide steady work for farmers who gain access to affordable farmland in exchange for their services. Most farmers rarely enjoy a steady salary; this is not true for those employed by agrihoods. Most earn a salary of $35,000 to $100,000 annually and receive free or reduced housing.

While these little utopias are springing up all over the country, they remain out of reach for many Americans that either cannot afford the amenity of living in a neighborhood with a resident farmer or who simply prefer to live in the bright lights.

However, the opportunity for a closed-loop food process can exist even in the middle of Manhattan, giving urban areas access to healthy food. Soilless systems provide a closed-loop, sustainable method of food production that is as valuable to communities as it is to farmers. Soilless systems can be established indoors or out and can take on any size. Additionally, it requires less water to produce foods in a soilless system than in a traditional, soil-based system because water is continuously circulated; not lost to runoff.

Soilless Systems Provides Healthy Food Access for Urban Areas

Recent studies have shown that indoor, soilless systems require up to 90% less water than traditional farming methods. By keeping the plants at optimum conditions throughout the growth cycle, they are better able to utilize nutrients and produce more fruits and vegetables per gallon of water used.

Consumers reap the benefits of locally-sourced, organically grown produce while farmers enjoy a sustainable production method. These systems remedy some of the challenges presented to those that attempt to bring in healthy, locally-sourced produce to urban areas; such as zoning and infrastructure.

However, what has been missing in most soilless systems is true feedback. The fertilizers and growth nutrients used in most systems are petroleum-derived and chemical-based. They are produced in a lab and have nothing to do with repurposing food waste. They fail to take advantage of the nutrients that exist in food waste.

Access to high-quality, bio-derived agricultural materials is challenging, especially for farmers and hobbyists that utilize alternative growth methods. Re-Nuble was developed to meet this need. Re-Nuble products are 100% bio-based, sourced from vegetative food waste, meaning that everything that goes into making Re-Nuble comes from plants; there are no petroleum-based ingredients. As we continue to carry out our own R&D, we hope to identify even more ways to help soilless farms regulate their operations through feedback, providing urban areas with access to healthy food. 

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Tags: agrihoods, healthy food, urban agriculture, urban food

Building Resilience Into The Vegetable Supply Chain Using Container Farming

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Canada’s food supply chain is robust and reliable - even in times of the COVID-19 crisis - but there is an opportunity to become more self-sufficient. Container farming can provide your food supply with some autonomy and reduced reliance on external food supply chains.

THE SUPPLY CHAIN DURING COVID-19

Empty shelves at the outbreak of the pandemic were a shock to many as grocery store retailers have experienced shortages, or delays, in their supply chain during this adjustment period. 

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) wrote in a special COVID-19 report that “supermarket shelves remain stocked for now [...] but a protracted pandemic crisis could quickly put a strain on the food supply chains, a complex web of interactions involving farmers, agricultural inputs, processing plants, shipping, retailers and more.” The FAO emphasizes that there is enough supply, but transportation is lacking to help get the crops where they are needed most.

FOOD PRICES ARE RISING

Even before COVID-19 struck, food prices in Canada were predicted to rise between 2 and 4 percent, especially vegetables and bakery items. Now, according to a new forecast by the University of Guelph and Dalhousie University, researchers say the factors contributing to the rise have changed but they still expect prices to rise nonetheless. Plus, grocery stores are now spending more to ensure the proper protection protocols are in place on top of paying their essential workers more. These costs won’t be changing soon, so what ways can more resilience be built into the grocery store model?

Students in Kugluktuk, Nunavut help run their Growcer system which provides produce to the school and community.

EVERYONE IS IMPACTED DIFFERENTLY

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It is important to note that not every community’s food supply is going to be impacted the same way. In a Food Secure Canada webinar about Food Policy and COVID-19, the speakers spoke to how rural and Indigenous communities will be impacted differently than cities. One of the speakers, Jessica McLaughlin with the Indigenous Food Circle, said, “What has become very evident to us is the vulnerability of communities on that big industrial food supply chain and the lack of autonomy to self-determine their own food systems.” However, Mclaughlin added that despite this, communities are working together. “In this crisis, communities have been really resilient . . . you really see how communities pull together and they are taking this into their own hands,” McLaughlin said.

WHAT COULD A SOLUTION LOOK LIKE?

Each community has different needs, but one possible solution is container farming. With container farms, communities and grocery stores can grow a variety of produce year-round, no matter the weather, and even customize what’s being grown to match the demand of the community. You’re also not stuck to growing one crop. A grower can grow multiple types of produce at a time and switch out what’s being grown regularly. Having a local, year-round, consistent supply of produce allows the community not to rely solely on external sources and can provide a buffer when the supply chain experiences delays. 

The Yellowknife Co-op's Growcer unit is operated by its existing employees who see it as an opportunity to serve their community.

Now, hydroponic growing might sound technical but operating one of Growcer’s systems is extremely simple. It only takes one week of on-site training to have employees comfortable with the system. Justin Nelson, general manager for The Yellowknife Co-op, shared that their employees love working in the Grower unit. “On a cold dark day in Yellowknife there’s no better place to be than inside the Growcer unit,” Nelson said. “When you’re actually harvesting the product that you’re selling it’s a great feeling.” You can read more about The Yellowknife Co-op’s story to see how they integrated a container farm with their store.
Food sovereignty and the ability for communities to decide how their food systems run has been brought to the forefront during COVID-19. It’s impossible to predict what lays ahead, but we do know that this could be a time for a reset for some of us.

Stephanie

April 27, 2020

Get Growing Today!

Swedish Startup Receives Funding For AI-Run 'NeighbourFood' project

A newly established innovation cluster will develop the groundbreaking service-model for urban farming, AgTech startup SweGreen’s ‘Farming as a Service’, to contribute to a sustainable food supply chain. The 2MSEK-project called ‘NeighbourFood’ is granted by Vinnova as an initiative to support innovations in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic. The project NeighbourFood aims to upgrade a modern Urban Farming solution to an optimized smart and digital model for system monitoring and remote-control process steering. 

Farming as a Service (FAAS)
"We have developed cutting-edge technology with high technical readiness level for food production indoors. With this project we address the last limitation factor towards a remote farming management model: A cloud-based service that enables a physical food production unit to become available as a service to our customers – as we refer to as ‘Farming-as-a-Service’," Swegreen Chief Innovation Officer Sepehr Mousavi highlights. The vision is to create a realistic alternative to the highly global, and to a certain degree fragile and resource inefficient, food production chains that currently dominate the marketplace. The innovation cluster behind the project, besides AgTech company Swegreen, includes also Research Institute of Sweden (RISE), Mälardalen University and high-profile Swedish chefs Paul Svensson and Tareq Taylor’s newly established restaurant Paul Taylor Lanthandel.

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Local food
The demand for year-round urban food production has never been more relevant than now, under the crisis of Covid-19. Production of food is down at 50% in Sweden, which shows our society's exposure, Paul Svensson, top-notch chef and founder of Paul Taylor Lanthandel says. Our aim is to contribute to and increase the trust in and desire for locally produced food near our customers, Paul Svensson continues. We see us as a perfect channel for locally produced food at Paul Taylor Lanthandel we provide both a small general store and a restaurant, and thereby nurse a close relationship to producers and our local neighborhood community. The core of the innovation will take place in Swegreen’s production facility, called CifyFarm, which is an indoor vertical farm for production of nutritious leafy greens, salad and herbs, with a yield of approximately 200 times yield/area compared to traditional farming. The CityFarm uses minimal resources all year round and is isolated from the outside environment and is located on floor -3 of Dagens Nyheter tower in central Stockholm.

Digitally monitored farming units 
The Farming as a Service concept of Swegreen’s enables Urban Farming technology to integrate with e.g. supermarkets or restaurants by digitally monitored farming units at the customer’s facility, which will produce food with minimal logistics and almost zero human intervention in a plug-and-play format. This farm management system empowers any entrepreneur with little or zero farming knowledge to grow high-quality food in an optimal environment while reducing risks and elevating the decision-making process, using dedicated decision-support systems and process optimization through the use of artificial intelligence, adds SweGreen’s CEO Andreas Dahlin. The NeighbourFood was one of the few selected projects by Swedish Innovation Agency Vinnova, out of 287 applications filed in response to the call ‘Innovation in the track of crisis’. 

Innovative business model
The project will also make use of the sharing economy, innovative business models, and digital twins to speed up a coping strategy towards the Covid-19 crisis and addresses the need for climate transition and secure circular and resilient food supply chains. The project is intended to be integrated into a national Shared Economy platform, Sharing Cities Sweden, financed by the Swedish Innovation Agency and the Swedish Strategic Innovation Program for smart and sustainable cities, Viable Cities. Neighbourfood is an example of the green deal and how the sharing economy in cities can trigger innovative business models for resilient food supply chains – a sharing platform for neighbours, by neighbours! mentions Dr. Charlie Gullström, a senior researcher at RISE and head of Sharing Cities Sweden, Stockholm Testbed.

Collaborations
Swegreens Sepehr Mousavi who will be the project’s coordinator and lead also adds: "We are proud of our collaboration with RISE through one of the most prominent researchers in Sweden when it comes to digitalization and use of sharing economy solutions", Dr. Charlie Gullström and the platform of Sharing Cities Sweden alongside Dr. Alex Jonsson from RISE Prototyping Societies. This service introduces FaaS to our national platform for sharing economy as a new vital function. Sepehr Mousavi continues: "Also having Dr. Baran Çürüklü from Mälardalen University, a vibrant academic center for development of AI-related technologies’ and his team of PhD students onboard adds the competence needed for us to be able to hack the query and guarantee the success of the NeighbourFood project." Dr. Baran Çürüklü adds: "Food production can suddenly be a mission-critical factor as we can see now. Orchestration of production facilities through artificial intelligence may be decisive in managing such a crisis."

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For more information:
SweGreen
Andreas Dahlin
andreas.dahlin@swegreen.se
www.swegreen.se

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Publication date: Mon 11 May 2020

Shipping Container Farm, Vertical Roots Hires Displaced Restaurant Workers To Help Fill Growing Retail Demand

Vertical Roots hires displaced restaurant workers to help fill growing retail demand

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 Eat Your Greens

May 13, 2020

By Parker MilnerRuta Smith

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Ruta Smith

Vertical Roots grows leafy greens in hydroponic gardens inside custom-outfitted shipping containers

With the restaurant and hospitality industry under duress and thousands out of work, container farm company Vertical Roots stepped up to the plate, offering jobs to displaced employees.Since launching in 2016, Vertical Roots has expanded from a single hydroponic garden container to a current operation of more than 130, each filled with leafy greens. For co-owners Andrew Hare and Matt Daniels, their mission is two-fold: delivering a local, pesticide-free product and developing community relationships to serve those in need."I have been in the restaurant industry for most of my adult life, including eight years right here in Charleston," said Hare. "It really hits close to home for me, witnessing this incredible industry turned upside down so quickly by this pandemic."According to Hare, Vertical Roots hired about two dozen chefs, cooks, dishwashers, servers and managers since the COVID-19 pandemic began. In all, employees displaced by the outbreak made up about 25 percent of their 100-employee team split between their two locations in Charleston and Columbia when we spoke in April."We are helping these people get a paycheck and they are helping us get product out of the door," said Hare. "They have been eager, fast learners, which has made the whole process seamless."Many of the new hires have worked with the non-GMO produce in the past. Vertical Roots supplies many local kitchens with their one- or two-day old living baby Romaine, arugula, bibb and butter lettuces.After a food safety course, most new employees started in the "pack room," where Hare said "all the harvested products flow to cool down and be processed for each customer, whether it's making a spring mix of cut leaves or taking living heads of lettuce to clamshell or case."Many of Vertical Roots' newcomers will return to their kitchens as restaurants reopen, but at least one downtown chef currently working with the company said some workers may continue to work at the container farm.For Vertical Roots, the growing season never ends inside their compact, LED-lit shipping containers. The company currently supplies more than 400 stores, mostly in the Southeast. And the customer base is growing, Hare reports."We are 98 percent focused on retail right now," said Hare, who points out that the closure of restaurants in the Charleston area led to an influx of large retail orders.With a hand in every part of the supply chain, Hare knows exactly what's going on with each crop at any given time, and the farm sites' geographic positioning allows the greens to arrive at their final destination within 24 hours of harvesting. Large-scale commercial farms, on the other hand, must contend with corporate concentration, leading to less quality control in a practice where several uncertainties such as soil contamination and water runoff already exist.According to Hare, 95 percent of the leafy greens in grocery stores come from two areas, Yuma, Arizona and Salinas, California. "These products can sometimes have three weeks of travel time," Hare said. "With us, you are dealing with a young, vibrant product filled with calcium and potassium. I would definitely stress how important it is to eat something clean right now."Hare said he feels fortunate for the added business, and they were in need of some help prior to the arrival of their new crew. "What a mutually beneficial thing for us to be able to go out and hire some of our customers who are familiar with our products," Hare said. Having people on staff who know how to use the product is enabling Vertical Roots to meet the growing demand for their seven lettuce varieties," he added.

Create Multiple Streams of Income With Container Farming

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CURRENT CHALLENGES

Right now, despite COVID-19 repercussions, food remains a necessity, and there exists an opportunity to build resilience into our business models. 

As a result, many businesses, food-related or not, can create a viable new stream of income by growing your own produce with a container farm.  

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WHAT IS CONTAINER FARMING?

Container farming uses a hydroponic growing system to commercially grow a variety of fresh produce more sustainably and year-round. This type of growth is done in a controlled environment that is time, space, and resource-efficient. 

The real value is not only the produce grown, but the ability for a container farm to offer a community or business a local source of produce, a source of employment, and an additional stream of income. 

GROWING FOR THE LOCAL COMMUNITY

Those who work closely with our food systems know that growing your own food is not going to solve food security immediately. However, we can’t dismiss the benefit of growing food closer to the people who consume it. 

If you’re a co-op store, the container farm is behind your store and ready to fill your shelves. If you’re a nonprofit that cooks meals, sourcing produce is one logistic you can cross off your list. If your community is remote, or further from city centers, the importance of having a local source of food is not lost on you. Access to local food becomes even more critical in light of current events that have shaken our supply chains. 

Abbey Gardens purchased a Growcer to ensure that they were able to generate revenue year-round instead of seasonally.

YEAR-ROUND RELIABILITY

Abbey Gardens purchased a Growcer to ensure that they were able to generate revenue year-round: https://www.thegrowcer.ca/featured-farmers/2019/11/26/providi...

Growcer systems are plug-and-play systems built to operate year-round among all conditions. The system allows you to consistently harvest produce and benefit from this stream of income year-round.

If you rely on a seasonal bump for a boost, this consistent source of income increases the foundation you have to work with. 

The hydroponic growing system also allows multiple types of crops can be grown at once from over 140 different varieties of produce and the ability to swap what you’re growing to meet demand.

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The Yellowknife Co-op has created their own produce line and branding for their Growcer greens.

PROOF OF CONCEPT 

Can a container farm really be an extra source of income? We know it can. We’ve collaborated with many diverse communities and organizations that have tailored a Growcer system to work for them.

For example, businesses like Abbey Gardens and The Yellowknife Co-op used the Growcer system to add extra revenue to their main line of business. For the Gitmaxmak’ay Nisga’a Society, they are adding the system to create an entirely new source of revenue for their non-profit.

While a container farm can be a source of extra income, it has to be feasible first. You must factor your situation, your market, and your financial options when investigating if this is a fit. 

Take the first step and plug in your specifics into our ROI calculator to evaluate the feasibility of a container farm for you.

StephanieMay 4, 2020

US: “We Are Increasing Any Kind of Digital Experience.”

As the situation around COVID-19 worsened in the USA, Freight Farms has still been able to continue its momentum in a meaningful way. With the company’s team working remotely during this crisis, demand for Freight Farms’ Greenery has continued to grow, resulting in the team exceeding its sales goals for the first and second quarter of the year. Brad McNamara, President of Freight Farms mentions: “There are a lot of people coming to us seeing the urgency of the food supply.”

The company’s customers are also responding to the crisis in various ways. Many of Freight Farms’ small business customers have been able to quickly pivot from supplying restaurants and foodservice to consumers in their communities directly via CSA, delivery, and drive-through models. CEO Rick Vanzura says that there has been a lot of discussion on how countries' food supply chains were or weren’t prepared for COVID-19. “The situation has spotlighted urgent supply chain challenges faced around the world, and we want to help provide solutions wherever we can.”

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The Freight Farms Greenery cultivation area

Business past weeks

Caroline Katsiroubas, Director of Marketing & Community Relations states, “There has been an increase in consumers researching how to grow their own food that’s highlighting a heightened interest in local sourcing and the need to shorten supply chains. People are also searching for food production technology – we’ve seen a significant increase in visits to our website, as well as in inbound inquiries.” The company receives many messages of people that are interested to create a reliable source of food for their communities. “Our small business customers sell their produce directly to consumers in their local communities, as well as to local restaurants and foodservice groups.

Those who relied heavily on restaurant and foodservice sales prior to the pandemic have been nimbly pivoting their business models to reach consumers in their local communities directly through contactless CSAs, drive-through farm stands, and delivery models. And the communities have very receptive – they want access to fresh produce without having to go to the grocery store right now, they want to support local business, and they like knowing their food has been in contact with fewer people – just them and their farmers.”

At the moment Freight Farms is scheduling live videos for social media and online webinar presentations to highlight Freight Farms’ customers. There will continue to be webinars for customers to share their experience and learn new farming and business tactics. “We are increasing digital experiences for our existing farmers and those interested in learning more about our farming technology.”

The leafy green machine, succeeded by the Greenery

Freight Farms supporting farmers

 McNamara: “We are working on initiatives to support our community of farmers around the globe and domestically. We’re offering free access to our IoT platform Farmhand Connect to support their remote access to their farm operations. We’re also helping to connect farmers in our network who have extra produce to nonprofit organizations seeking donations.” Freight Farms is also supporting its customers by ensuring access to its service and technical teams. “We’ve increased our customer service and engineering support,” Vanzura mentions. We also have an online platform where our farmers share tips and tricks, and we are helping facilitate that conversation, even more, to promote best practices to respond to this crisis.” “For some of them, it’s pivoting to a more B2C model and we want to help them achieve that,” Katsiroubas notes.

Freight Farms' Greenery Farmhand

Locals are helping out

Katsiroubas: “Some of our institutional customers, like schools which are of course now closed, are donating the produce they’ve been growing for the dining hall to food banks or nonprofit organizations that are lacking fresh produce. Our customers at Saint Joseph's College have been continued growing despite the COVID-19 to deliver their supply to the local elderly population in the community.” “Our customers have the power to grow food in minimal time and pivot supply to where it needs to be in the community. I am so proud of our community of farmers as they’re using our technology to do what they can to help others in this time of crisis,” McNamara notes. 

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A St. Joseph's student farmer

Pushing forward developments

McNamara states that the company’s resources are ramped up, for the current situation and for continued product development. “Fortunately, our supply chain is in good shape, so we are in a good position not only to support the current network, but also the new farmers coming on board in the upcoming months.” Freight Farms recently hired automation and robotics specialist Jake Felser, as the new head of engineering. “Having Jake onboard has been great. We have a dream team pushing development forward, especially from an automation perspective. We are moving forward constantly and have never been better positioned.”

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Freight Farms Greenery calendula

Crispr tomatoes

“We’re always pushing forward on collaborative research, and recently worked with Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory as they explored how seed genetics and vertical farming can work together for efficiencies in food production, especially in confined environments. Our farm was used to create optimal growing conditions to unlock unique characteristics of their gene-edited tomato seeds,” McNamara states. The launch of the Greenery last year has proven to be more powerful with 70% more linear growing room in the same 320 sq. footprint as its flagship farm. “The interior flexibility of the Greenery supports efficient growth of more than 500 varieties of crops, and farmers are able to increase yield overall. With our integrated IoT platform farmhand, these farms will only continue to be more efficient.”

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Freight Farms Greenery stacked crane lot

Investment

In February the company raised $15 million in their series B funding led by Ospraie Ag Science. McNamara says, “Ospraie Ag Science is a great investor and focused on agricultural and environmental sciences. It’s important for us to have our mission in line with whomever we work with on the investment side. We are using the funding to push ongoing technology development for our growing customer community.” “The partnership with Sodexo was a milestone moment for the company. By being a key player in their foodservice program, integration of our Greenery farms onto more campuses across the country will accelerate.” “It’s an important time to invest in agtech and to empower food production on a local level everywhere.”

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For more information:
Freight Farms
www.freightfarms.com 

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Publication date: Wed 29 Apr 2020
Author: Rebekka Boekhout
© HortiDaily.com

Vertical Field's New Portable Farms Are Making The World More Sustainable - And Better Fed

REVIVING URBAN LIFE – AN INNOVATIVE SOIL-BASED INDOOR

VERTICAL FARM THAT BRINGS THE PRODUCTION OF FOOD

TO THE PLACE IT IS CONSUMED  

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• Consistent Supply

• Reduces Inventory Waste

• Less Human Handling

• More Sterile Environment

APRIL 28, 2020, New York/Rana’na, Israel

Urban areas contain more than half the world’s population and contribute to some 70% of the planet’s energy emissions. Cities guzzle the bulk of Earth’s resources and produce more waste. Many residents live in “urban food deserts.” And buildings are literally making their occupants sick.

Our planet is home to some 7.7 billion people. In many places, hunger is a reality. Unpredictable climate patterns are threatening the availability and stability of fresh produce. Yet the global population is rising. How will we feed the world by the mid-21stcentury, when an expected 10 billion of us need food? And now in-light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the food supply chain is in jeopardy more than ever before -- the need to bring food easier and faster directly to consumers is more important than ever.

One revolutionary agro-tech company, Vertical Field (www.verticalfield.com), is harnessing the power of geoponic technology, agricultural expertise, and smart design to tackle all of these issues and more. The Israeli startup – cited by Silicon Review as a “50 Innovative Companies to Watch in 2019” and named by World Smart City in 2019 as “Best Startup” – produces vertical agricultural solutions that help the environment, improve human health conditions, cut down on human handling, reduce waste, and make fresh, delicious and more produce available 365 days a year locally and directly to consumers and other end users.

“Vertical Fields offers a revolutionary way to eat the freshest greens and herbs, by producing soil-based indoor vertical farms grown at the very location where food is consumed,” said Vertical Field’s Chief Executive Officer, Guy Elitzur of Ra’anana, Israel who is hoping to place his ‘vertical farms’ in retail chains and restaurants establishments in cities throughout the US.

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Vertical Field’s Urban Crops offers an ideal alternative to traditional agriculture. The soil-based platform can grow hundreds of types of crops – pesticide-free, indoors or outdoors – and requires no training to operate.

“Not only do our products facilitate and promote sustainable life and make a positive impact on the environment, we offer an easy to use real alternative to traditional agriculture. Our Urban farms give new meaning to the term ‘farm-to-table,’ because one can virtually pick their own greens and herbs at supermarkets, restaurants or other retail sites,” he adds.

Vertical Field’s Urban Crops offers an ideal alternative to traditional agriculture, especially in urban settings where space is scarce. The soil-based platform can grow hundreds of types of crops – pesticide-free, indoors or outdoors – and requires no training to operate. 

From Wall to Fork

Vertical farming in cities is an energy-efficient, space-saving, farming alternative to traditional crops grown in acres and fields. Thanks to Vertical Field, everyone from city planners and architects to restaurants, supermarkets, hotels are using vertical farming to create lush, green edible spaces in congested areas around the world. 

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Portable Urban Farm

An alternative to the living wall is Vertical Field’s unique Vertical Farm®, which can be placed in either a 20-ft or 40-ft. container equipped with advanced sensors that provide a controlled environment. This technology constantly monitors, irrigates, and fertilizes crops throughout every growth stage. Healthy, high-quality fruits and vegetables flourish in soil beds that contain a proprietary mix of minerals and nutrients.

Vertical Urban Crops by Vertical Field

Advantages of Vertical Field’s Vertical Farm:

● Bug-free and pesticide-free – healthy, fresh, and clean produce

● Less waste – uses 90% less water

● Shorter growing cycles, longer shelf life

● Plants are “in season” 365 days/year - grow whatever you want, no matter the weather or climate conditions of the geography

● Consistent quality

● Modular, expandable, and moveable farm

● Automated crop management

● More Sterile Environment

● Less Human Contact

Creating a more sustainable way of life in cities across the globe has never been more urgent. Vertical Field is responding to the challenge today. Green cities will enrich life in urban areas, provide healthier and better food, and shorten the distance between consumers and their food. 

About Vertical Field: 

Vertical Field is a leading agro-tech provider of vertical farming and living green wall solutions for urban environments and smart cities. The company is operated by professionals, agronomists, researchers, and a multi-disciplinary team, enabling the development of smart walls that combine the best of design and manufacturing, smart computerized monitoring, soil-based technology, water and lighting technology and more. Vertical Field delivers next-generation vertical farming systems for a global clientele, including Facebook, Intel, Apple, Isrotel, Microsoft, and many more.

For more information:
Vertical Field
www.verticalfield.com

Podcast Agency FullCast Launches Vertical Farming Podcast with David Farquar of Intelligent Growth Solutions

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NEWS PROVIDED BY

FullCast 

May 06, 2020

MINNEAPOLIS, May 6, 2020, /PRNewswire/ -- In the inaugural interview of the Vertical Farming Podcast, David Farquhar, CEO of Intelligent Growth Solutions (IGS), says Covid-19 has prompted a spike in interest in vertical farming, as retailers and governments scramble to improve supply chain resilience and lower their reliance on imported food.

The vertical farming industry must 'take a hard look at itself' before it fulfills its promise of reliable, quality food, produced affordably and sustainably, says one of its leading figures.

Vertical Farming Podcast produced by FullCast

"But it will be fascinating to see what changes last on the back of this pandemic," he says. "To what degree are we willing to invest to prepare ourselves to survive another one? We're working with a lot of governments to think about how this might happen."

"Yes, there are huge opportunities, but let's be realistic. Vertical farming and indoor agriculture are young; making them work is a marathon task. Anyone who says otherwise is lying."

"In three decades in the tech sector, I've never seen anything that's attracted so much interest nor created so much misinformation."

"A lot of people are telling a lot of lies. The industry must grow up. Many commentators and participants within the industry feel the same."

A former British Army officer, Farquhar announced on the podcast that he's committing the company to openly publish all its data – energy consumption, water usage, and nutrient utilization – from its 'in a box' vertical farming systems, in a bid to demonstrate the industry-wide honesty and transparency that he believes is so sorely needed.

Headquartered in Scotland, IGS is currently working with commercial and government groups across Australasia, the Middle East, the Caribbean, and North America. Farquhar was interviewed for the first episode of Vertical Farming Podcast, a new show produced by FullCast and hosted by Harry Duran. Harry has launched VFP to engage with the leaders, founders, and visionaries of the evolving vertical farming industry, to bring their insights and knowledge to a wider audience.

Farquhar kicks off a line-up of guests that includes Agritecture's Henry Gordon-Smith, Freight Farms founder John Friedman, and AgTech journalist Louisa Burwood-Taylor of AgFunderNews.

Listeners are invited to subscribe today at: https://verticalfarmingpodcast.com

Contact Information

Company: FullCast
Contact Name: Harry Duran
Email: harry@verticalfarmingpodcast.com
Phone: +1-323-813-6570
Address: 340 S Lemon Ave #5557 Walnut, CA 91789
Website: https://verticalfarmingpodcast.com

SOURCE FullCast

Related Links

http://fullcast.co

Vertical Farms: The Height of Sustainability In A Post-COVID World

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Among the many indelible images of the COVID-19 crisis have been the photos of mountains of surplus produce rotting in fields while millions of Americans go hungry. Urban areas are especially hard hit as supply chains are disrupted due to coronavirus fallout.

Vertical farms are innovative soil-based indoor farms that bring production of food to the location where it is consumed: supermarkets, local distribution sites, and restaurants.

Vertical Field, an Israeli start-up, has a container up and running at a Poughkeepsie, New York, restaurant and arriving soon at Evergreen supermarket in Monsey, N.Y. Its global clientele for its next-gen vertical farming systems includes Facebook, Intel, Apple, Isrotel, Microsoft, and many more.

Benefits include: 

• Consistent Supply

• Reduced Inventory Waste

• Less Human Handling

• More Sterile Environment

•  Modular, expandable, and moveable farm

•  Bug-free and pesticide-free – healthy, fresh, and clean produce

•  Uses 90% less water

• For more information:

  Vertical Field
  www.verticalfield.com

May 6th, 2020 16:00 CEST Webinar Series 'Eat This' by World Horti Center

World Horti Center and NethWork collaborate in giving a follow up to the exhibition ‘Countryside – The Future’ initiated by the Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas, that was opened on February 20 in the Guggenheim Museum in New York. The exhibition among others features the current and future developments in food production, especially what is happening in greenhouses.

Webinar sessions
The exhibition is currently closed, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the production of cherry tomatoes in a closed, high tech production unit, situated in front of the museum on Fifth Avenue, continues. Right in the center of the world and the epicenter of the pandemic. The unit, therefore, is a great metaphor and catalyst in the discussion on the consumption of healthy food, produced in a sustainable and affordable way. Therefore, World Horti Center (WHC) took the initiative to facilitate, in cooperation with foundation NethWork, a new series of online events.

Thought leaders
During weekly webinar sessions, thought leaders in the field of food will share their vision on (the future of) healthy food. The kick-off takes place on Wednesday 6 May, 16.00 hrs CEST and features architect Rem Koolhaas, initiator of the exhibition ‘Countryside – The Future’. He will be assisted by Clemens Driessen, a philosopher at Wageningen UR. Both gentlemen will share their vision on current developments and the future of horticulture in the Netherlands and beyond. You can register for the first webinar here. 

Eat This
This webinar series, named ‘Eat This’ is a close collaboration between NethWork and World Horti Center. Both organizations want to connect the horticultural sector with the world beyond horticulture. Renee Snijders and Ed Smit of NethWork will present these weekly webinar sessions. After the inaugural session with Rem Koolhaas, 9 webinars will follow. Additional details on guests and themes will follow soon.

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For more information:
World Horti Center Europa 1
2672 ZX  Naaldwijk
Netherlands
+31 (0)174 385 600
info@worldhorticenter.nl
www.worldhorticenter.nl

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NethWork 
www.nethwork.info

Publication date: Wed 29 Apr 202

Top 26 Vertical Farming Companies

MAY 3, 2019

BY MAI TAO

The phrase “vertical farming” probably doesn’t need to be explained even though it’s quite new. But anyway, vertical farming refers to the practice of producing fruits and vegetables vertically, in stacked layers, perhaps on many floors inside a building, using artificial lights instead of the sun, and a whole range of relatively new technologies.

The two main reasons why it’s a much-discussed topic now is because:

1. There are a number of startup companies emerging in the sector and attracting tens of millions of dollars in investment; and

2. More people live in cities than do in rural areas, a global trend which seems irreversible, and this means that the demand for fresh produce will increase in urban areas, and bringing the production closer to the consumer would make sense.

The third thing we could have added is that there is a range of new technologies available now that make vertical farming in urban areas cost-effective and possibly profitable. But we already mentioned that.

Some of these technologies have been available for some time, decades even, but they were probably too expensive in the past to make vertical farming a viable business proposition.

The key technologies in vertical farming include:

• perception technologies – cameras and other sensors which can monitor for color and other factors, such as disease;

• artificial intelligence – which can process the data from the sensors and formulate solutions;

• automated and even autonomous mechatronics – robots and other automated machines that pick the produce when it is ready for market, or apply cures to ailments during their growing.

The above list is a very simple breakdown of the fundamental technologies that will be required to, basically, reduce to a minimum or even eliminate the need for human involvement.

If vertical farms are run like traditional greenhouses, there would be too much human input required and it probably would not be profitable.

It’s the new automation technologies that will make it work.

Carnegie Mellon University is among a number of organizations that have developed integrated systems for vertical farming. CMU’s version is called ACESys, short for Automation, Culture, Environment, and Systems Model for Vertical Farming.

An academic paper probably worth checking out is called Advances in greenhouse automation and controlled environment agriculture: A transition to plant factories and urban agriculture.

In their introduction to the paper, the authors note: “Greenhouse cultivation has evolved from simple covered rows of open-fields crops to highly sophisticated controlled environment agriculture facilities that projected the image of plant factories for urban farming.

“The advances and improvements in CEA have promoted scientific solutions for the efficient production of plants in populated cities and multi-story buildings.”

So the interest in the field is strong and most people seem to think it’s a viable business proposition.

And to underline the positivity about the sector, Research and Markets forecasts the vertical farming market will grow to a value of $3 billion by 2024, from virtually nothing now.

However, not everyone is convinced, and some people have dismissed the whole idea as a scam. They say it won’t work, will be too expensive, and not be able to yield enough to provide adequate returns on investment.

But in some sectors, such as marijuana production, indoor farming is providing a strong foundation for healthy profits, although we are not encouraging that sort of thing – this article is more about produce such as lettuce and other healthy vegetables and fruit, usually found in greengrocers.

Anyway, whatever we or anyone else thinks of the prospects, there are a large number of companies which have entered the field and we thought it would a good idea to make a list of them.

It’s a very new business sector, so this list is not ordered on any scientific basis – just 20 companies that are notable and active.

We’re not going to include Samsung for now even though it’s been on this website recently for demonstrating a home vertical farming product. The reason is that vertical farms are currently not central to Samsung’s business by any stretch of the imagination, although the company may have a contribution to make to the sector going forward.

1. AeroFarms

This company has won many plaudits for its operation and uses its own patented “aeroponic technology… to take indoor vertical farming to a new level of precision and productivity with minimal environmental impact and virtually zero risk”.

The company has raised at least $138 million in funding since launch in 2004, according to CrunchBase. Some of its backers are quite impressive, as this article in Ag Funder News reports.

The term “aeroponic” farming refers to the process of growing plants in an air or mist environment without the use of soil or an earth-like material, which is known as “geoponics”.

Aeroponic systems enable the production of plants using 95 percent less water, which is what AeroFarms says it does.

2. Plenty

Although Plenty doesn’t make seem to mention aeroponics on its website, it’s difficult to see how it can reduce the water consumption of its vertical farms by 95 percent, as it claims to do, without the air-and-mist system as described above.

Like the other big vertical farming companies on this list, Plenty is another one that retails its produce, which include kale and other greens, as well as some exotic herbs.

Plenty is probably the biggest company in terms of the amount of money it has raised in funding – approximately $226 million, according to CrunchBase.

3. Green Spirit Farms

Green Spirit Farms started raising money as early as 2013, but has not disclosed the amounts. Area Development reported that the company was investing $27 million in a vertical farm system in Pennsylvania, which would suggest it’s well-financed.

However, given that it doesn’t seem to have a website of its own, it’s difficult to say what its current and future activities are with full confidence. Owler estimates its annual revenues to be $1.2 million.

4. Bowery Farming

You’d think any farming startup of any kind would steer clear of everything that’s genetically modified, but the fact that Bowery makes a point of saying it uses “zero pesticides and non-GMO” seeds might suggest that some vertical farming companies don’t have the same ideas.

Having raised more than $140 million in investment since inception in 2015, Bowery has carefully developed a distribution network in the US. Its leafy greens are available to buy in Whole Foods Market and Foragers. It also supplies a number of restaurants and sells online.

It doesn’t look like Bowery supplies its platform to other companies, even though some might be interested in its claims, such as 95 percent less water usage than traditional agriculture; 100 times more productive on the same amount of land, and from harvest to shelf “within a few days”.

5. BrightFarms

Another of the big-money startups, BrightFarms has so far raised more than $112 million since its establishment in 2010, according to CrunchBase.

But unlike some of the other big companies, it isn’t into aeroponics as much. It seems more interested in hydroponics, which refers to growing plants with water, or, to be more accurate, mineral nutrient solutions in a water solvent.

Neither aquaponics nor hydroponics use soil. How each one compares in terms of quality, efficiency, and profitability will probably only become clear a few years from now when we see how well these companies have done. Chances are they’ll all probably use a mix of systems.

BrightFarms has a long list of impressive-sounding partners, including Giant, Walmart, and Metro Market, among others.

6. Gotham Greens

This company is one of many who have started up in the New York area. Strange to say it about such a new sector, but the market for vertical farming produce may be saturated – in that city at least.

Gotham Greens has so far raised at least $45 million since its launch in 2011. It has four production-scale facilities, in New York City and in Chicago, and plans for more in several other states.

And, like BrightFarms, it’s more of a proponent for the hydroponic method, although it may well eventually mix it all up and try different approaches in different facilities.

7. Iron Ox

This company appears to use robotics perhaps more than the others, in the picking process at least and claims to operate fully autonomous indoor farming. It too is a proponent of hydroponics and is a retail-oriented company.

Its products are similar to the others’ – leafy greens such as lettuce and kale or things like that. It’s one of the newer startups on the list so a lot might change.

Iron Ox has only recently started supplying its products to local markets in California. The company has so far raised over $6 million in funding, according to CrunchBase.

8. InFarm

Most of the above companies are US-based, but there are also numerous vertical farming startups in Europe and Asia. InFarm is based in Berlin, Germany, and has so far raised approximately $35 million in investment.

The company appears to be going into the exotic herbs market, including Thai basil, Peruvian mint and such like. But it’s also growing fairly common herbs such as dill, basil, sage and so on.

It doesn’t say on its website whether it uses hydroponic or aeroponic systems, but it does claim to use 95 percent less water, which would suggest it uses at least one of those. However, it says it uses 75 percent less fertilizer, which might suggest it mixes earth-based processes into its technology. Most likely, it uses a hydropic system.

9. AgriCool

French vertical farm startup uses an aeroponic system to grow fruit and vegetables. It appears to like strawberries more than other produce. Not a bad idea since strawberries are hugely popular in France, which has a massive traditional agriculture industry.

AgriCool says its aim is to be within 20 km of its customers and offers a program called “Cooltivator”, through which customers can learn how to use its technology and possibly become producers and distributors themselves.

So far, AgriCool has more than $41 million in funding since its launch in 2015, according to VentureBeat. The company also uses shipping containers as “Cooltainers” in which its aeroponic farms can be set up.

10. CropOne

While we couldn’t immediately find how much funding CropOne has raised, we did find that it has signed a $40 million joint venture agreement with Emirates Airlines to build what is described as “the world’s largest vertical farming facility” in Dubai, UAE.

It follows, perhaps, that it will eventually supply a lot of its produce to Emirates Airlines for its flight passengers.

CropOne, founded in 2011, claims to use just 1 percent of the amount of the water required by traditional agriculture, using a hydroponic system. It’s also big on big data, with “millions of data points collected each day” about its plants, which are mainly edible leafy greens.

11. Illumitex

Halfway through this list, and we feel the need to chill out, and what better way to relax than write about Illumitex, which supplies LED lights – light-emitting diodes – which are popular among cannabis growers.

Of course, all sort of other companies uses LED lights, but Illumitex’s biggest customers are probably in the dope sector.

LED lights are claimed to use 90 percent less energy than incandescent lighting and 60 percent less than fluorescent lighting. This energy efficiency – and, therefore, lower cost – is a critical factor in the likelihood of making profits in vertical farming being quite high.

Lights supplied by Illumitex, founded in 2005, are installed in some of the world’s largest vertical farms. 

Osram, a massive manufacturer of lighting equipment, also produces lights specifically for vertical farming applications and is certainly worth a mention in this article. 

12. PodPonics

Not much information is immediately available about this company, but according to the Angel investment website, it raised almost $5 million in 2014, which is a long ago in startup terms.

The company constructed a vertical farming facility in and is said to be doing something similar in the Middle East. However, without being able to find the company’s website, we can’t really say much more.

13. Surna

Getting even closer to the “demon weed”, this company specializes in providing water-efficient solutions for indoor cannabis cultivation and counts more than 800 grow facilities as clients and partners.

The company appears to use hydroponic systems in the main, but given its long client list, it probably installs a variety of technologies, depending on the customers’ requirements.

Surna is based in Boulder, Colorado, one of the first states to decriminalize cannabis, now at the center of a flourishing industry. However, the company says it can grow anything anywhere, including “potatoes on Mars”.

14. Freight Farms

Rather like AgriCool, Freight Farms manufactures a product called the “Greenery”. As its name suggests anyway, Freight Farms provides shipping containers modified as hydroponic indoor farms – the Greenery.

In fact, Freight Farms claims to be the world’s leading manufacturer of container farming technology and provides ready-made or “turnkey” container farms. Or plug-and-play maybe.

As you might expect, these farms can be managed through smartphones. The company has a whole range of tech solutions built around its central product.

Freight Farms has so far raised almost $15 million in funding since its founding in 2010, according to Owler.

15. Voeks Inc

Voeks Inc, a US company, appears to have no connection with a similarly named company, called Voeks, in the Netherlands, Europe – that one seems to be for former employees of Shell.

Voeks Inc provides a range of services including for vertical farms, mostly in the areas of heating and irrigation systems, as well as nutrient delivery.

Its client list includes some big names, such as Monsanto, Syngenta, and Bayer, which is in the process of taking over Monsanto.

16. SananBio

SananBio provides vertical farming solutions that mainly involve the hardware, such as the lights and the platforms.

Backed by significant scientific research and development units, the company is one of the leading suppliers of vertical farm systems in Asia and is expanding in the US.

It emphasizes hydroponic equipment on its website, but it’s likely that it customizes its solutions depending on its clients’ requirements.

Interestingly, Sanan claims to be the largest LED chip manufacturer in the world, and we’ve already mentioned how crucial LED lights are to indoor farming.

17. HelioSpectra

Talking about LED lights, which basically replace sunlight, HelioSpectra is one of the leading suppliers in the indoor farming market, with a big client base from the cannabis growing sector.

But HelioSpectra isn’t all into growing cannabis, however. The company’s lights are also used to grow a variety of lettuce types, tomatoes, and peppers, among other fresh produce.

18. Agrilution

Back to a complete vertical farming systems supplier, but with a couple of slight differences. Not only because Agrilution is European – German, to be more precise – but also because it supplies what it describes as a “personal vertical farming ecosystem”.

In other words, its “PlantCube” product can be installed into the average home, taking up a similar amount of space as a dining table or large fish tank.

Perhaps similar to the product being tested by Samsung, Agrilution’s PlantCube uses a hydroponic process.

19. Altius Farms

Specializing in aeroponic systems, Altius provides what it calls “tower gardens” among its products. Just imagine a multi-level plant pot and you’ll get the idea.

The company integrates its farms into a variety of urban spaces, from schools to urban youth centers and veterans’ homes, sometimes on rooftops, sometimes at ground level.

Altius looks more like a social venture than a private enterprise, and we couldn’t immediately find whether it has raised any equity finance.

20. Badia Farms

Vertical farms are the culmination of emerging technology in a relatively new market, so there’s bound to be many companies claiming to be the “first” or “biggest”, and of course “revolutionary”.

Badia Farms claims to be building the Middle East’s Gulf states’ first indoor vertical farm, in readiness to supply “micro-greens and herbs” to top restaurants in places such as Dubai.

The company’s multi-story greenhouse will use the hydroponic method for growing and already boasts a prestigious client base.

21. Intelligent Growth Solutions

Another vertical farming specialist, also with an eye on the Middle East, Intelligent Growth Solutions is actually a Scottish company.

Interestingly, IGS claims to be increasing LED efficiency by a further 50 percent, which would give it a big advantage since lighting is probably the single biggest cost in indoor farming systems.

The company also emphasizes automation in its solutions, saying that its towers and the overall system uses robotics and is reducing labor costs by up to 80 percent.

22. FarmOne

FarmOne’s main facility is installed in the basement of a posh restaurant in Manhattan, the two-Michelin-starred Atera. The company has used this as a platform to launch across the US and now partners with numerous fine restaurants in many states.

FarmOne uses the hydroponic method and provides smartphone apps for managing the facility, which can either be a ready-made, off-the-shelf solution or tailor-made for the individual customer.

The company has raised at least $5 million since 2017.

23. Sky Greens

This company is headquartered in Singapore, which about the size of Manhattan and yet has a huge influence in the South-east Asian economy. The city-state may have one of the busiest seaports in the world, but its residents would probably prefer to buy locally-grown leafy greens and herbs if available.

Sky Greens uses a patented system that integrates a range of hydraulics to build very tall structures – 9 meters with 38 tiers of growing troughs – which can use hydroponic or soil-based processes.

24. Spread

This Japanese company was one of the first vertical farming startups covered by Robotics and Automation News when we started three years ago, and the company’s latest projects include what is described as “the world’s largest plant factory”.

It has big-time partners as well, including telecommunications giant NTT, with which it jointly developed an internet of things platform for its facilities, which inevitably use artificial intelligence as well.

The company actually started in 2007, which makes one of the older vertical farming companies. The financing at the time amounted to just $1 million, which is small in comparison to newer startups.

25. Sasaki

More of a property developer than a vertical farming company. However, this company does at least attempt to negate the effect of taking over arable farming land by constructing buildings that provide indoor farming opportunities.

Among its projects is one called “Sunqiao Urban Agricultural District”, covering an area of approximately 100 hectares, located between Shanghai’s main airport and the city center. The development is said to designed to integrate vertical farming systems that could provide products such as spinach, kale, bok choi, watercress, and so on.

26. Urban Crop Solutions

This Belgian startup, specializing in “leafy greens”, offers ready-made solutions for indoor farming, and compares its process to “traditional” methods, in which the growth process takes 70 days, and “greenhouse”, which takes 40-50 days.

The company’s “urban” solution grows crops in just 21 days.

It also provides custom solutions to meet clients’ requirements.

The company hasn’t disclosed how much investment it has received, but ther’re certainly has been enough for it to market and sell its solutions, and its first solutions were sold in Belgium, the US, Canada, and Sweden. It also made its first sale in China last year.

The company contacted Robotics and Automation News directly and described itself as follows:

“Urban Crop Solutions develops tailor-made indoor vertical farming solutions for its clients. These systems are turnkey, robotized, and able to be integrated into existing production facilities or food processing units.”

High on life

We’re not the only ones enthusiastic about vertical farming. The US Department of Agriculture is offering grants to research initiatives in the sector.

We’ve tried to concentrate on companies that provide complete solutions in this list, rather than individual components, such as lighting or watering systems, and so on, although some of them are included.

However, it’s difficult to say how the above companies will evolve over the next year or two. Some of them may find that it’s more feasible for them to scale down and provide components rather than complete systems.

Hopefully, they won’t disappear completely because it seems like a good idea to have indoor farms in urban areas so that healthy leafy greens are within reach for city dwellers who are currently on a diet of greasy fast food.

Perhaps the availability of fresh produce will provide a platform for new types of healthier fast-food joints.

And speaking of joints, dude…

Late edits: It’s been brought to our attention by the people at Future Crops that their vertical farm is “probably one of the largest 10 in the world in terms of growing and producing surface” – their words.

The Dutch company appears to use a combination of hydroponic and aeroponic systems to grow popular herbs such as dill, parsley, oregano, and others.

It has also been brought to our attention by AEssenceGrows, a vertical farming company operating in Silicon Valley, that it has been providing both fresh produce and cannabis growers with an “automated precision approach to aeroponics indoor growing”.

The company says: “Our system uses sensors and advanced software to make aeroponics, with all its inherent benefits, an attractive and viable option.” 

Another late addition is Kalera, which last year opened the first hydroponic HyCube growing center on the premises of the Orlando World Center Marriott.

Kalera is now scaling operations to include a new growing facility in Orlando, which will have the capacity to produce upwards of 5 million heads of lettuce per year.

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Vertical Farms See Surge In Demand For Greens Grown Indoors

Kim Hart

Apr 22, 2020

Indoor, urban vertical farms — which grow produce in warehouses with tightly controlled climate and light conditions — are seeing a surge in demand that could signal a lasting change in how we get our fruits and vegetables.

Why it matters: "People are more concerned about who is handling their food, where it's coming from, how many stops did it have before hitting the shelves," said Irving Fain, CEO of Bowery Farming.

• "Those were always things people cared about, but this situation has amplified them and increased attention and focus on those variables."

The big picture: While the majority of people now live in cities, very little of our food is produced there.

• COVID-19 has thrown a wrench in supply-chain logistics. Food packaging plants and farms have shut down due to sick workers, and trucking routes have been disrupted by lockdowns. Harvests are being left to rot in the fields.

How it works: Indoor farming generally consists of columns of vertically stacked growing trays in large warehouses.

• Using artificial light, algorithm-controlled water and climate settings, and automated soil and nutrient monitoring, plants can be grown much faster than in outdoor farms and without pesticides.

• The produce is harvested with fewer workers than a typical farm needs, and the growing season never ends.

• Produce is then shipped to local stores, usually within a 200-mile radius of the farm.

Bowery has two farms in Kearny, New Jersey, near New York City. The company sells its leafy greens and herbs in stores in the tri-state area.

• It has opened a third farm outside Baltimore that serves the Washington, D.C., metro area as well as Pennsylvania and Delaware.

• Business has more than doubled with some online distributors and is up between 25% and 50% in stores.

The other coast: Plenty grows leafy greens mixes, arugula, and kale in an indoor vertical farm just outside San Francisco. CEO Matt Barnard said the company has more than doubled its shipments since the coronavirus outbreak began.

• "When this crisis started, the demand immediately jumped," he said. "We've sustained a high rate of production relative to before the crisis, and we've been increasing it week over week."

• Barnard said the surge in demand has accelerated the company's plans to open additional farms, but he declined to say when and where.

• The company plans to start growing berries next.

Both companies say they are delivering food directly to local food pantries.

Reality check: Without a significant infusion of capital, vertical farms won't be cropping up in every city anytime soon. They're expensive both to get up and running and to operate, with high energy costs in order to power thousands of LED lights and sophisticated ventilation systems.

• They also have to keep prices competitive, particularly after the coronavirus crisis ends and consumers are not quite so willing to fork over extra cash for quality produce.

• The other problem: Many vertical farms have started with leafy greens, but they'll need to expand to a much wider variety of fruits and vegetables to be a viable, large-scale source of food.

• “It’s hard to feed the world with lettuce, kale, and arugula," Erik Kobayashi-Solomon, founder of IOI Capital, told the FT last year.

Between the lines: Vertical farms aren't the only way locally grown fruits and vegetables are getting a boost in the wake of COVID-19.

• On Yelp, community-supported agriculture operations in the U.S. have seen daily consumer actions — meaning any action taken to connect with a business, from viewing its profile to posting a photo or review — rise 579% since March 1, according to Yelp's most recent economic impact report. That's a bigger increase than any other type of business has seen over the same period.

• Under quarantine, people have rushed to build their own backyard gardens, per HuffPost.

• Some urban gardeners in Washington, D.C., are donating their entire harvests to a local nonprofit that helps underserved families.

  Lead Photo: Greens are grown at Bowery Farming, a vertical farm in Kearny, New Jersey. Photo: Don Emmert/AFP via Getty Images.

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