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"The Push For Urban Farming Solutions Has Only Intensified"
Agritecture offers answers regarding urban farming solutions
With significant population growth and urbanization both underway and projected across the globe, the push for urban farming solutions has only intensified. The search for innovative solutions has generated many questions surrounding best agricultural practices and how to build a sustainable urban farm.
Agricultural consulting company Agritecture was developed to address exactly those questions. Agritecture was founded in 2011 when its CEO Henry Gordon-Smith began blogging about urban agriculture and subsequently received numerous inquiries from entrepreneurs looking to start urban farms. Within a few years, Agritecture began to officially offer consulting services and quickly built a portfolio.
Sustainable urban farming solutions
“With a mission to empower impact-driven organizations to develop sustainable urban farming solutions, Agritecture focuses on turning business ideas into practical realities,” says Agritecture’s media strategist, Briana Zagami. The breadth of services offered by Agritecture allows the company to meet the needs of entrepreneurs at various project stages.
Ask Agritecture is the company’s entry-level service through which entrepreneurs can schedule a 30-minute phone call with a consultant to discuss economic and technological aspects of the project and recommend future steps. The company also offers premium consulting services, which are “backed by several years of operational data and a team of experienced growers, agricultural engineers, sustainability managers, and marketing experts”, according to Briana. Furthermore, Agritecture uses its feasibility tools to help urban farmers and entrepreneurs obtain real-world financial estimates for a greenhouse or vertical farm project in any location.
Education
Agricultural education is another cornerstone of Agritecture’s mission, which the company achieves through its Commercial Urban Farming course, which presents best practices in six comprehensive lessons complete with short video modules and additional resources. Agritecture also provides free educational content in the form of its blog, podcast and videos.
The most recent addition to Agritecture’s service offerings is the Agritecture Designer, which was launched in April 2020 and is the world’s first digital platform for the planning of urban farms. According to Briana, “the goal was to take our years of experience as leading industry consultants and translate this into a digital platform to help expedite the planning stage and avoid common pitfalls.”
Future
In 2020, Agritecture’s digital audience is now comprised of 100,000 + users around the world. The team has consulted on over 120 projects spanning more than 26 companies. When asked how Agritecture has responded in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, Briana explained that “Agritecture reinvented itself in the wake of COVID-19 and offered insights from its learnings to other small businesses and advisory firms that are struggling to find new business. We launched several new online initiatives in April and May to better connect with our audience and saw a nearly 3x increase in inbound consulting requests.”
So how does Agritecture envision the development of urban agriculture? According to Briana, “urban agriculture will continue to grow around the world due to the innovative spirit of farmers and the rising demand for fresh, sustainably-grown products.” With the development of supportive policies and standards in key cities, Agritecture expects that urban agriculture will only continue to grow and push past its niche status.
For more information:
Agritecture
www.agritecture.com
Publication date: Wed 6 Jan 2021
Food Will Be Grown Hydroponically In Shipping Containers In Cardiff's Bute Park
Starting with one trial shipping container in Bute Park, the plan is to expand across the city to grow much more food locally and with much less water. Growing food locally is seen as a key way to reduce carbon emissions, rather than shipping food from across the world
New Technology Means One Shipping Container
Could Grow The Same As 3.5 Acres Worth of Land
A hydroponics unit growing strawberry plants
Local democracy reporter
23 DEC 2020
Food will be grown hydroponically in shipping containers as part of Cardiff council’s plan to become a carbon-neutral city by 2030.
Starting with one trial shipping container in Bute Park, the plan is to expand across the city to grow much more food locally and with much less water. Growing food locally is seen as a key way to reduce carbon emissions, rather than shipping food from across the world.
Cardiff council has been consulting the public on its plan to cut the city’s carbon emissions to net zero in a decade. The draft One Planet strategy includes several schemes to reduce emissions and mitigate the effects of the climate crisis and rising global temperatures.
Food is a big part of that strategy, with the shipping container in Bute Park; plans to revamp Cardiff Market; letting community groups grow food on council-owned land, and making space on new housing developments for growing food.
Councillor Michael Michael, cabinet member for the environment, said one shipping container could grow the same amount of food as 3.5 acres of land. He said: “I’m a great believer in this technology,” as he revealed details of the plans.
The shipping container used to be in Bristol, growing herbs and vegetables for local restaurants. The council will pilot the technology in Bute Park, before potentially rolling it out further, working with community groups and possibly growing food to feed schoolchildren.
The technology works by growing food on racks without soil, using much less water, and controlling the heat and light inside the container to grow all throughout the year.
Cllr Michael said: “You can grow in that one container equivalent to three and half acres, because it’s 24 hours a day. This is becoming much more prevalent. Private companies are putting more and more money into hydroponics. If you can grow basil hydroponically in Scunthorpe, then why would you fly it in from Kenya?
“We do well with allotments in this city, but mostly at this time of year, they’re dormant. What if we work with people with these types of units? Unfortunately because of Covid, we haven’t been able to use it yet — but we will. This is an experiment. I’m a great believer in this technology.”
Several Marks and Spencer stores in London are also trialing the new technology, growing herbs in their shops. Cllr Michael said in the future Cardiff could see “giant greenhouses” above supermarkets growing food to be sold in the shops below.
He added the One Planet strategy will explore how food is bought for schools, and whether more of that food could be grown locally. Fruit trees could also be planted across the city for people to pick and help themselves.
Councillor Michael Michael, cabinet member for the environment (Image: South Wales Echo)
The draft carbon-neutral plan was welcomed by the Conservative and Liberal Democrat groups in Cardiff council, who both pointed out where they thought were gaps in the strategy.
Cllr Emma Sandrey, the Liberal Democrat’s spokesperson on the environment, said the council needs to focus more on reducing how much meat people eat. As well as transporting, a lot of emissions from food come from eating meat, especially beef.
She said: “We believe the council should implement ‘meat-free Mondays’ or a similar scheme across local authority canteens, to educate and inform people about the alternatives to meat, and the benefits of reducing meat consumption for the environment and for individual health.”
She added tackling food waste should be another priority. Currently, apps like Too Good to Go help link up restaurants with surplus food at the end of the day to customers who can buy that food at a discount, to save it from going to waste.
Cllr John Lancaster, the Conservative’s spokesperson on the environment, said the strategy failed to mention the docks or Cardiff airport. Shipping and flying both emit a lot of carbon and are currently difficult to fuel with electricity.
He added the council only has one ecologist and one tree officer, despite promises to address the biodiversity crisis and plant thousands of trees. He said: “There’s a disparity between the words in this One Planet strategy and how they go about it.”
Monitoring emissions needs to be another priority, Cllr Lancaster said: “There’s no plan for committed monitoring or achieving targets. That’s a big concern. How do we know how well the council is doing, how do we know if their targets are on course?”
The latest available data, from 2018, showed that Cardiff emits about 1,647 kilotonnes of carbon dioxide annually — down from 2,679 in 2005. The plan is to get this number to zero by 2030.
The public consultation on the draft One Planet strategy has now ended, and the council is considering the responses, with a full strategy and delivery plan due in the spring.
All the details can be found on www.oneplanetcardiff.co.uk.
Belgian Lettuce Grower De Glastuin Achieves Increased Production And Faster Growth Cycles Thanks To A Full LED Solution From Signify
Belgian farmers are using LED lights in an innovative way to enhance lettuce production
December 17, 2020
Eindhoven, the Netherlands – Since the introduction of Philips GreenPower LED Toplighting Compact from Signify (Euronext: LIGHT), the world leader in lighting, many vegetable, fruit and horticulture growers have made the choice to fully equip their greenhouses with LEDs. By combining this LED lighting with the GrowWise Control System, it is possible to both control and dim the light, giving growers a high degree of flexibility. This solution has now also found its way into lettuce growing; De Glastuin in Belgium opted for 100% LED grow lights from Signify.
Each type of lettuce requires a different amount of light. Heat is also a limiting factor when growing lettuce. As a result, in many periods it is not possible to illuminate the crops because too much heat accumulates in the greenhouse. Thanks to LED lighting, which emits less heat, it is possible to light the crop for longer hours, resulting in a increased production and faster growth cycles. The combination with the GrowWise Control System also allows the lighting to be dimmed. For example, to keep the light intensity the same on sunny days while maintaining light uniformity or to prevent climate fluctuations.
This summer, lettuce grower De Glastuin expanded its existing 1.75 hectare greenhouse with HPS lighting by 0.75 hectares. In this new part of the greenhouse, Philips GreenPower LED Toplighting Compact is installed together with the GrowWise Control System. The modules in the new part of the LED greenhouse have an output of 1800 µmol/s and require only 520 W (3.5 µmol/J). They provide a light level of 90 µmol/s/m². De Glastuin is pleased with the high quality and longer shelf life of the lettuce."With Toplighting Compact in combination with the GrowWise Control System, we can automatically adjust the amount of LED light to the amount of daylight at any given moment. As a result, there are fewer fluctuations in light intensity during the day. The lighting is much more efficient, dimmable and it offers us flexibility by allowing us to provide less light at any time," says Wouter de Bruyn, business manager at De Glastuin.
"De Glastuin's choice of Signify reinforces our conviction that we have chosen the right approach to make it easier for growers to switch to LED," says Udo van Slooten, Business Leader Horticulture LED Solutions at Signify.
The first Toplighting Compact was introduced in 2019 as a 1-on-1 replacement of HPS lighting to enable an easy transition to LED. The Toplighting Compact can be mounted on an existing HPS connection. This saves time and money during installation. In new greenhouses, installation is even easier thanks to easy-to-install brackets. The universal design of this system gives growers the possibility to fully equip their greenhouse with LED lights or to change their current set-up into a hybrid system with LED and HPS lighting. Signify's Compact range is also equipped with optics with normal and wide beam angles. The wide beam angle is ideal for growers looking for optimal light distribution or for lower greenhouses, for example. For crops where a greater distance between the plant and the grow light is possible, the normal beam is a better option.
More information about the Philips Horticulture LED solutions from Signify is available on the website.
For further information, please contact:
Global Marcom Manager Horticulture at Signify
Daniela Damoiseaux
Tel: +31 6 31 65 29 69
E-mail: daniela.damoiseaux@signify.com
About Signify
Signify (Euronext: LIGHT) is the global market leader in lighting for professionals and consumers and lighting for the Internet of Things. Our Philips products, Interact connected lighting systems and data-enabled services, deliver business value and transform life in homes, buildings, and public spaces. In 2019, we achieved sales of EUR 6.2 billion with approximately 37,000 employees in more than 70 countries. We unlock the extraordinary potential of light for better lives and a more sustainable world. We achieved CO2 neutrality by 2020 and have been on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index since our IPO in 2016. We were named Industry Leader in 2017, 2018 and 2019. Signify news can be found in the Newsroom, on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram. Information for investors can be found on the Investor Relations page.
Meet The Green Man of Ludhiana Who Has Created Vertical Gardens Across City From Waste Plastic Bottles
A man has started turning plastic waste into vertical farms in order to recycle in a new way.
Aimed at reducing waste of plastic and also as an attempt to reduce air pollution, Mehra said under his instructions, the vertical gardens have come up in many places including schools, colleges, gurudwaras, churches, police stations, government offices and railway stations.
Using waste plastic, an IRS officer Rohit Mehra (in grey sweater) set up Vertical Gardens to tackle air pollution in Ludhiana. (Credit: ANI/Twitter)
In today's time when there is a huge need to recycle waste and reduce the use of plastic, Rohit Mehra, Additional Commissioner in the Income Tax Department, has shown an inspiring path to follow when he used 70 tonnes of discarded plastic bottles to act as planting pots for vertical gardens in Ludhiana.
Aimed at reducing waste of plastic and also as an attempt to reduce air pollution, Mehra said under his instructions, the vertical gardens have come up in many places including schools, colleges, gurudwaras, churches, police stations, government offices and railway stations.
Speaking to news agency ANI on Sunday, Mehra said, “Using at least 70 tonnes of waste plastic bottles as pots, we have set up more than 500 vertical gardens at public places.”
Speaking about what made him turn to this unique idea of using plastic, Mehra said he started thinking of the copious amount of plastic waste and pollution that plagues the cities when his child some 4 years ago, one fine day informed him that their school had declared holidays due to high air pollution. Mehra said he pondered how the situation has turned so bad that they cannot even breathe in fresh air and provide the same to their children. This made him take note of the worsening situation and he decided to do something about it.
Mehra, who is know as the Green Man of Ludhiana due to his conservation work at the trees, has also created 25 mini forests ranging between 500 sq feet to 4 acres in 2 years, along with the vertical gardens. To broaden his understanding of quick growing of trees, he studied ancient Indian texts like the Vrikshayurveda that talks about the science of growing plants and forest. He also stumbled across the Japanese technique of Miyawaki.
He added, “It is a cost-effective and space-efficient solution for urban greenery. The vertical gardens also save the environment as you reuse plastic wastes as pots. Thanks to drip irrigation, these gardens save 92 per cent water."
Mehra said that after the establishment of the vertical gardens, they had checked the air quality index (AQI) of the city by a scientist associated with the Punjab Agricultural University and found a 75 per cent reduction in air pollution, thus making their venture a success.
Earth911 Podcast: Eden Green CEO Eddy Badrina Talks About Vertical Greenhouse Farming
Eden Green licenses the growing system to urban farmers who can set up in old buildings and warehouses to grow fresh greens, berries, and peppers year-round
Earth911 | Nov 9, 2020
Earth911 talks with Eden Green CEO Eddy Badrina about the company’s vertical greenhouses that will help the world grow locally and end food insecurity. While Americans expect to buy fresh product year-round, flying foods from Central America and the Southern Hemisphere carries a heavy environmental cost. Urban farming can fill in critical gaps in local food supplies, providing year-round, locally grown fresh produce.
Eden Green licenses the growing system to urban farmers who can set up in old buildings and warehouses to grow fresh greens, berries, and peppers year-round. The system uses natural light augmented by lighting on cloudy days, along with recycled water to substantially reduce the carbon footprint compared to traditional farming. Badrina discusses the pressing need for food production and security to serve a growing population.
EDEN GREEN CEO EDDY BADRINA
Eden Green Technologies built a research and development greenhouse farm in Cleburne, Texas, and is preparing to launch its first commercial farming operation. The farm system includes 18-foot vertical hydroponic growing racks, lighting, and climate management equipment. With this system, a 1.5-acre urban farm can grow around 900,000 pounds of salad greens or 50 other types of produce annually, harvesting fresh produce daily for local consumption. The Eden Green systems delivers produce that is “better than organic,” Badrina said, that grows year-round, in any climate.
Badrina explains that urban farms will open new employment opportunities and encourage growers to give back to their communities. The Eden Green team will work with investors and local communities to work out the financing, build the farm, train the staff, and launch the business before handing it over to the local operator.
Listen to the podcast at Earth911.com.
To learn more about Eden Green and vertical greenhouses, visit edengreen.com.
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Autogrow Challenges Other Industry Players To Publish APIs
“To date, large industry players have not publicly published APIs’, but our argument is that it’s your data - you should be able to do what you want with it,” says Chief Technology Officer Jonathan Morgan
Autogrow is calling for more public APIs (Application Programming Interface), giving increased access for growers to their own data, and fostering faster innovation in the Controlled Environment Agriculture industry.
“To date, large industry players have not publicly published APIs’, but our argument is that it’s your data - you should be able to do what you want with it,” says Chief Technology Officer Jonathan Morgan.
“There can be a protectionist approach to development to dissuade people from building their own versions or integrating other products. But you will never keep up with all the customer requests or in the same timeframe as the 15 other companies working on the same improvements in the market. Access equals innovation - simple as that.”
Autogrow's FarmRoad has launched their public API on a new Developer Portal which is product agnostic and welcomes all industry players. This will allow growers to use the platform to build a ‘best of breed’ solution for their operation, no matter what their current technology providers are.
“You don’t have to rip and replace your existing technology. You just need to use an API to connect it to FarmRoad and then see all your information in one place. You can also give third parties secure access to specific areas of your information – keeping control of what you want them to see.”
“As innovation accelerates it creates a unique challenge of being able to centralize all of your data in one place – regardless of the source. We’ve been offering public APIs for over three years and are certainly the leaders when it comes to cloud technology,” notes Mr. Morgan.
Initially, the FarmRoad Developer Portal will give access to:
Measurements: Over 39 different measurement data types related to the environment and crop registration.
Events: Capturing key events or notes for example pest detection or spray regimes.
Farms/compartments/sectors: Get the full picture from different areas of the farm. Giving comparative studies, trends or with permission-based access.
“This is just the beginning for what FarmRoad will be able to offer. With API availability, growers will be able to create their own custom applications alongside the work we are doing. It’s a great developer community which can evolve and scale as businesses and the industry changes.”
For more information on the FarmRoad Developer Portal - https://farmroad.io/developer
For more information on the API documentation - https://developer.farmroad.io/
For more information on Yield Prediction by FarmRoad - https://www.farmroad.io/
11 Nov 2020
Farm.One Launches Latest NYC Vertical Mini-Farm At Whole Foods Market, Manhattan West
Farm.One custom-designed the farm for the Manhattan West store and maintains the on-site mini-farm to supply the in-store prepared food and beverages with freshly grown and harvested Blue Spice Basil
Blog, News from Fluence by monique
Establishes A New Distributed Urban Agriculture Model To Support
Onsite Farms For Grocers, Restaurants,
And Other Businesses In The Greater
New York City Area
NEW YORK (September 9, 2020) — Farm.One, Manhattan’s only vertical farm, launched its latest mini-farm at the newly opened Whole Foods Market Manhattan West. Farm.One custom-designed the farm for the Manhattan West store and maintains the on-site mini-farm to supply the in-store prepared food and beverages with freshly grown and harvested Blue Spice Basil. The basil is used as an ingredient for a variety of delicious menu items, including freshly made pizza and the Whole Foods Mule, a specialty cocktail.
With a mission to surprise and delight with fresh, local, specialty ingredients grown at innovative farms in city centers, Farm.One’s mini-farm represents a major shift in urban food production and supply chains. With mini-farms, businesses have continual access to the highest quality, most flavorful, and consistent professional-grade ingredients. Further, the distance between production and consumption is now mere footsteps, eliminating any carbon emissions associated with the delivery of the produce.
“Every kitchen knows the difference that freshness and quality of ingredients can make to the food they serve,” said Rob Laing, founder and CEO of Farm.One. “When we started in 2016, it wasn’t financially feasible to build and operate small farms profitably in cities like New York. We’ve now been able to decrease the cost of building a farm and have developed a model where a larger farm, like our TriBeCa flagship, can support small farms for grocery stores, restaurants and the hospitality industry all over the greater New York City area. This marks a real inflection point for what people can expect in their meals and the economy of urban food production.”
Farm.One’s mini-farm at Whole Foods Market Manhattan West takes up just thirty two square feet and features a hundred and fifty plant sites on three growing levels. The hydroponic system was designed and built by Farm.One’s engineering and technology team to optimize crop productivity, minimize intrusiveness to the store experience, and require minimal maintenance. The facade of the mini-farm was customized to match the familiar brushed stainless steel aesthetic of Whole Foods Market. The mini-farm is capable of supplying at least 8 pounds of basil every month, including harvesting the fragrant basil flowers for use in the Whole Foods Mule.
“The first thing our customers notice when they enter the prepared food section of the store is the incredible fragrance of the basil,,” said Chris Manca, local forager, Whole Foods Market Northeast Region. “As soon as our chefs, and even our mixologist, had access to the basil they were inspired to create menu items that highlight the freshness and flavor of Farm.One’s blue spice basil. This collaboration with Farm.One has really impacted the way we think about fresh ingredients in our kitchens and we can’t wait for customers to come by and experience it.”
Farm.One’s Distributed Agriculture Model
Farm.One has taken a distributed approach to scaling indoor farming in cities, an alternative to the large, expensive warehouse farming models. By establishing a Farm.One flagship as a hub in a city, the company is able to centralize farming and business operations, engineering, training, and support, to build and maintain on-site ‘spoke’ farms throughout a city for its customers. This results in lower investment requirements, a faster path to profitability, and the flexibility to grow a diverse range of crops that meet a variety of customer needs.
“Our hub-and-spoke model of distributed agriculture proves that indoor agriculture doesn’t need tens or hundreds of millions of dollars to be viable and achieve scale,” added Laing. “Also, by putting farms in visible places around the city we’re ensuring openness and transparency never before achieved in the industry. Whether you visit a Farm.One flagship for a tour or class, when it’s safe to do so, or experience a mini-farm in the middle of a grocery store, you’ll see and learn about how your food is grown.”
The company has plans to build flagships and mini-farms in major cities around the United States and globally over the next twenty four months.
Farm costs are further reduced through its relationship with leading LED lighting company Fluence by OSRAM. The cost of lighting and electricity remains one of the highest cost centers for building and operating indoor farms. By collaborating with Fluence, Farm.One is leveraging innovative LED technology to ensure its growing environments are optimized by crop type and for operational efficiency.
“In a vertical farming environment, efficiency isn’t a perk, it is paramount to the farm’s success,” said David Cohen, CEO of Fluence. “Farm.One is tapping into the world’s most advanced cultivation technology to deliver beautiful, delectable plants in the heart of one of the busiest metropolitan areas in the world. Their ability to localize high-quality crop production illustrates how exploring the interaction between light and life will yield a healthier and more sustainable world.”
The mini-farm at Whole Foods Market Manhattan West adds to several mini-farms Farm.One has built out of its flagship farm in TriBeCa, including at OCTOBER, a restaurant in Nolita which features a 100% plant-based menu, Eataly NYC Flatiron, and at the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE), the site of Farm.One’s original prototype farm. Farm.One also maintains a farm at Project Farmhouse at Union Square.
For more information about purchasing a Farm.One mini-farm for restaurants, grocery stores, and other businesses in the greater New York City area, visit: https://www.farm.one/vertical-farms/custom-units.
For more information about bringing a Farm.One flagship to a city, visit https://www.farm.one/vertical-farms/flagship-farm.
Farm.One Press Inquiries:
Rob Laing
rob@farm.one
UNITED KINGDOM: Whole Foods Joins List of Infarm Customers
As part of its continued UK expansion, the Berlin-based company will install its modular vertical farming units in two of the retailer’s London stores – High Street Kensington and Fulham – so shoppers can buy fresh produce that has been grown in store
E KNOWLES
15th October 2020, London
The Berlin-Based Urban Farming Specialist
Continues Its Meteoric Rise
With The Addition of One of London's Leading Retailers
Whole Foods Market customers in the UK will soon be able to purchase a range of fresh produce grown by Infarm, which claims to be the world’s fastest-growing urban farming network.
As part of its continued UK expansion, the Berlin-based company will install its modular vertical farming units in two of the retailer’s London stores – High Street Kensington and Fulham – so shoppers can buy fresh produce that has been grown in-store.
Infarm produce will also appear in Whole Foods Market stores in the capital at Piccadilly Circus, Stoke Newington, Richmond, Clapham Junction, and Camden at the end of October and during November.
These stores will be supplied with produce from a local Infarm growing centre in Tottenham, the company said, providing flexible supply as and when required.
For Whole Foods Market shoppers, the Infarm range will include herbs such as coriander, parsley, basil, mint, dill, and Thai basil, as well as a number of different fresh lettuce varieties.
“The partnership between Infarm and Whole Foods Market aims to satisfy increasing consumer demand for sustainably grown products with a smaller environmental footprint, helping customers to both make healthy choices and reduce their food waste,” said a spokesperson for Infarm.
Growing and Growing
The company recently raised US$170m in series C funding, further boosting an expansion strategy that has seen it land retail partnerships in the UK, US, Canada, France, and Germany. Fruitnet understands it will soon be making its market debut in Japan.
The expansion comes as retailers look to find innovative ways to combat climate change. “Infarm units use 95 percent less water and 90 percent less transport than traditional agriculture, as well as 75 percent less fertiliser and no pesticides,” the spokesperson added.
The first harvest from Whole Foods Market Kensington is scheduled for 19 November.
Daniel Kats, vice-president of corporate sales at Infarm, commented: “Whole Foods Market felt like a perfect fit for Infarm. Its commitment to providing customers with vibrant, sustainable food aligns with our goal of growing produce locally and, in the process, substantially reducing food waste and the environmental impact of what we consume. We hope that in installing our modular farms in Kensington and Fulham, we can help to educate shoppers about the future of food.”
Jade Hoai, director of purchasing and operations at Whole Foods Market, said: “We are excited to partner with Infarm to offer a truly hyper-local selection of greens and herbs across all of our London stores. Whole Foods Market customers can expect to find fresh, unique herbs from Infarm’s vertical growing units like Boudreaux purple basil, that are grown locally, have no pesticides, and use a fraction of the traditional resources required to grow. We are excited about this relationship for its joint commitment to environmental stewardship and for the delicious, nutritious meals our customers will be crafting at home.”
Super Local
Founded in Berlin in 2013 by Osnat Michaeli and the brothers Erez and Guy Galonska, Infarm is dedicated to creating a future where local super fresh produce is available for everyone. The farms are placed in various locations in the city, like supermarkets, restaurants, and distribution centres, so that vegetables grow and are harvested close to the moment of purchase or consumption.
Infarm farmers visit the store after each growth cycle to add new seedlings to the farm. According to the company, the plants retain their roots post-harvest to maintain exceptional flavour and freshness, meaning they’re still alive when harvested.
“These controlled, growing environments are connected to a central cloud-based farm-brain which gathers more than 50,000 data points through a plant’s lifetime, allowing the platform to learn, adapt and improve itself constantly so that every plant grows better than the one before,” it adds.
“This modular, data-driven, and distributed approach — a combination of big data, IoT, and cloud analytics, in addition to rapid growth at a global scale — sets Infarm apart from any other urban, farming solution.”
During last week’s FPJLive conference organised by the Fresh Produce Journal, Infarm’s UK operations director Jeremy Byfleet confirmed the company was investigating the possibility of expanding its product offer beyond leafy salad vegetables and herbs to include a number of other fresh fruit and vegetables.
RELATED ARTICLES
Ultra-Local Brooklyn-Based Aquaponics Operation Upward Farms Has National Agenda
In an interview with SeafoodSource, Upward Farms CEO Jason Green described the company’s whole ecosystems as “a paradigm shift in productivity and scalability compared to status quo production methods dependent upon synthetic chemicals.”
October 14, 2020
By Cliff White
Originally founded in 2013 as Edenworks and previously known as Seed & Roe, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.A.-based Upward Farms takes an ecosystem-based approach to its aquaponics operation, which produces microgreens and “mercury-free, antibiotic-free, and hormone-free” striped bass, rated as a “Best Choice” by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program. In an interview with SeafoodSource, Upward Farms CEO Jason Green described the company’s whole ecosystems as “a paradigm shift in productivity and scalability compared to status quo production methods dependent upon synthetic chemicals.”
The company has had success selling its greens into Brooklyn grocery outlets including Whole Foods Market but has not yet sold any fish commercially. Green said the company has a “20-year vision to create a sustainable future for the food system by advancing the importance of the microbiome in both indoor and outdoor agriculture.” Upwards Farms recently closed on more than USD 15 million (EUR 12.8 million) in new funding, led by an investment from Prime Movers Lab.
SeafoodSource:
Why was striped bass chosen as the complementary species in Upward Farms’ integrated aquaponics system?
Green:
We’re an aquaponic farm – we grow fish and plants together in a closed ecosystem. It’s important for us to use a freshwater species instead of saltwater so we can directly utilize the waste from the fish as fertilizer for our leafy greens production. The striped bass hybrid that we use is a freshwater fish that retains the quality and character that eaters of striped bass love – clean, firm flesh with just the right amount of richness and skin that crisps up beautifully. Striped bass is also a fish that has a strong local following in the New York area, so there’s a baseline level of consumer awareness.
So while chefs and consumers in New York are already familiar with striped bass as a wild local fish that is available seasonally, we sought to complement that with a sustainably farmed alternative that can be sourced year-round.
SeafoodSource:
Can you say more about the company’s new facility and your other expansion plans?
Green:
Our new headquarters facility is based in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, and will be a fully automated vertical farm with aquaponic production. It will serve as our commercial facility, distributing leafy greens and fish to grocers across the New York City area. Our new headquarters is also where we’ll continue to conduct research and development to advance our technology and develop new products.
Longer-term goals include opening a farm outside every major metropolitan area, near distribution centers that serve the grocers for that area. This will enable us to cut down on how far food travels. This is a key objective of ours, given that 95 percent of U.S. leafy greens are trucked in from California or Arizona, and 90 percent of fish is imported from other countries. All those miles between farm and form compromise quality, safety, and cost. In cutting down food miles, we can create a more transparent, stable, and safe supply chain.
The importance of local production is something that COVID has really underscored. Add on top of that the risks posed by climate change, especially this year with record wildfires in the American West. In agriculture, as we’ve seen in medicine and other industries related to the public health response, the importance of short, stable supply chains is being recognized now more than ever.
SeafoodSource:
What role will the fish side of things play in the company’s future development?
Green:
The fish play an important and symbiotic role in our process. The fish are the source of fertilizer for our plants and the fuel for the microbiome that drives our competitive advantage. Our microbiome allows us to deliver higher produce yields, a disease resistance product, and superior food safety by preventing the growth of foodborne bacteria like E. Coli. In the long term, we anticipate our fish being a major source of revenue in and of itself.
Given that fish farming is the largest and fastest-growing food segment globally, and that local fish is the number-one consumer demand, yet 90 percent is imported and 40 percent is mislabeled, we see this as a blue ocean opportunity, pun intended.
SeafoodSource:
What is the fish-growing capacity at the farm?
Green
We’d like to pass on this as we’re not currently sharing this information publicly.
SeafoodSource:
When will they be commercially available?
Green:
Our fish will be commercially available in New York City by mid-2021.
SeafoodSource:
Has the company’s Monterey Bay Aquarium’s “Best Choice” rating been affected at all by the changes being made to the Seafood Watch Program?
Green:
According to the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch Program, striped bass continues to be a “Best Choice” when farmed in indoor recirculating tanks with wastewater treatment, like our aquaponic production.
SeafoodSource:
How will the recent hiring of former RBC Capital Markets Managing Director and Co-Head of Real Estate Investment Banking John Perkins as Upward Farms’ new chief financial officer affect your company’s goals and fundraising efforts?
Green:
With our purpose of enabling everyone to nourish their body, family, and the planet, we are fortunate to have John join our team and together achieve massive scale and impact. John's unparalleled talent and experience, particularly in capitalizing the real estate and infrastructure that transformed the American food supply chain, will help Upward Farms attract the right capital partners, grow rapidly, and realize the full potential of our vision and technology platform.
Photo courtesy of Upward Farms
US - NEW YORK: Yemi Amu’s Urban Farming Concept Takes Root In The Big Apple
Earth is the only home we have. If we don’t start now to turn around the environmental damage we have caused, we might not be around to save it and the plants and animals that we depend on
By Tony Binns | October 6, 2020
Earth is the only home we have. If we don’t start now to turn around the environmental damage we have caused, we might not be around to save it and the plants and animals that we depend on. As a possible solution, many metropolitan cities are turning to urban farming and aquaponics. In Brooklyn, New York, Nigerian-born Yemi Amu has been a part of this movement by opening the city’s only teaching aquaponics farm, Oko Farms.
What is aquaponics and why is it important to the sustainability of our planet?
Aquaponics is farming in water. It is the cultivation of fish and plants together in a symbiotic aquatic ecosystem whereby fish waste provides nutrients for plants while plant roots filter the water for the fish. This farming method allows you to raise both fish and plants while using up to 80% less water than traditional farming. Aquaponics is also scalable and can occur both indoors and outdoors.
As we deal with the environmental impacts of climate change including soil erosion and drought, alternative growing methods like aquaponics can help create food security for vulnerable communities.
What is Oko Farms and how did it find a home in Brooklyn?
Oko Farms is an aquaponics farming and education company in Brooklyn. In 2013, we converted an abandoned lot in East Williamsburg, Brooklyn, into the Oko Farms Aquaponics Education center — NYC’s first outdoor — and only publicly accessible — aquatic farm. We were able to acquire the lot through a partnership with the Brooklyn Economic Development Corporation and GreenThumb NYC.
In addition to growing a wide variety of vegetables and fish, we provide workshops, tours, and support individuals and organizations with setting up their own aquaponics farms.
What type of produce and fish do you grow on your farm?
We grow a variety of vegetables on our farm, including leafy greens, herbs, onions, tomatoes, peppers, sweet potatoes, cabbage, sorghum, rice, millet, squash, etc. We also raise catfish, bluegill, tilapia, goldfish, and koi
How did you get into aquaponics?
I learned about aquaponics while I was managing a rooftop farm that I helped to create. The rooftop farm was located at a housing facility for formerly homeless adults in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, in 2011. One of the neighborhood volunteers introduced me to aquaponics and I was attracted to the fact that it saves water while producing both fish and vegetables. After that, I spent a couple of years studying and visiting aquaponics farms in Florida and the Midwest.
Are there career opportunities for people of color in the field?
Aquaponics farming is a great option for people of color interested in a career in farming, especially those living in urban areas. Access to land for farming can be challenging for people of color in the U.S, but some cities like Detroit, Philadelphia, and Atlanta have urban ag[riculture] policies that support farmers of color with land access.
For more information, visit www.okofarms.org.
Lead photo: Yemi Amu, director of Oko Farms (Photo courtesy of Harrison Chen)
MALAYSIA: Aquaponic Farming Promises Higher Yields For Kundasang Farmers
Their ventures are proving to be lucrative and they encourage more young farmers to grow vegetables using these modern and more sustainable techniques
September 29th, 2020
Their ventures are proving to be lucrative and they encourage more young farmers to grow vegetables using these modern and more sustainable techniques
By MUHAMMAD BASIR ROSLAN
Aquaponic vegetables are chemical-free as no other fertiliser is used with the exception of the fish waste (pic: Bernama)
IN THE cool, hilly area of Kundasang in Ranau, about 100km from Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, a small group of young farmers are trying their hand at cultivating vegetables using aquaponic and hydroponic techniques.
Under the guidance of the Kinabalu Area Farmers Organisation (PPK), the farmers based in Kampung Desa Aman in Kundasang have gone into aquaponics and hydroponics since December 2019.
Their ventures are proving to be lucrative and PPK Kinabalu intends to encourage more young farmers to grow vegetables using these modern and more sustainable techniques.
According to PPK Kinabalu GM Muhammad Irwan Maruji, in aquaponics, the whole cultivation process — starting from planting the seedlings until they are ready for harvesting — takes only about three to four weeks. And, he added, vegetables harvested from a 223 sq m block of aquaponic plants can rake in sales of around RM5,600 a month.
“The capital to start an aquaponic venture, including setting up the pond and a 223 sq m block and greenhouse, comes to about RM85,000. The investment, however, is worthwhile compared to the returns,” he told Bernama, adding that aquaponic farming is suitable for young entrepreneurs who want to get involved in agriculture.
In aquaponic farming, aquaculture (rearing of aquatic animals such as freshwater fish or prawns in tanks) is combined with hydroponics (cultivating plants without soil) in an integrated system where the aquatic waste serves as nutrients for the plants which, in turn, purifies the water in the tank.
Prihatin Aid
Pointing out that vegetable farmers in Kundasang and other parts of Sabah were badly hit during the initial stage of the Movement Control Order, Muhammad Irwan said under the federal government’s Prihatin Rakyat Economic Stimulus Plan, each PPK in Sabah was allocated RM100,000 to RM200,000 to revitalise the agricultural sector.
“We are grateful for the allocation as it will be very helpful to the farmers and agro entrepreneurs here,” he said, adding that PPK Kinabalu plans to use the funds to start an additional hydroponic venture involving the local farmers, as well as introduce maize cultivation and a hanging fertigation system next month.
He said courses on aquaponic and hydroponic farming will be conducted starting early next month, following which he hopes to rope in at least 20 young farmers a year to pursue aquaponic and hydroponic ventures. “PPK Kinabalu also plans to expand the market for their vegetable produce to outside of Sabah,” he added.
Free of Chemicals
In aquaponic farming, aquaculture (rearing of aquatic animals) is combined with hydroponics (cultivating plants without soil) in an integrated system
Elaborating on PPK Kinabalu’s aquaponic venture with local farmers on a 2.83ha site in Kampung Desa Aman, Muhammad Irwan said vegetables such as red coral lettuce, green coral lettuce, mustard plant and celery are being cultivated as they are suitable for aquaponic farming. As for the aquatic component, ikan tilapia and ikan keli are being reared.
“Aquaponic vegetables are chemical-free as no other fertiliser is used with the exception of the fish waste.
“For this farming technique, we need not use much water and the plants mature faster and yield higher quality produce,” he said, adding that they also plan to sell the ikan tilapia once they mature.
“So, eventually, this project will enable us to ‘kill two birds with one stone’.”
Cattle Project
Sabah State Farmers Organisation (PPN) acting GM Mohd Sabri Jalaludin, meanwhile, said with the allocation his agency received under Prihatin, they plan to implement a cattle fattening project which is expected to have a positive impact on the state’s economic cycle.
He said PPN Sabah has expertise in the livestock industry as it has been involved in it for over 10 years. For the new project, the agency plans to buy 40 head of cattle from cattle rearers within the state in a bid to support local businesses.
Under the first phase of the project, expected to kick off next month, the cows will be fed palm kernel cake or palm kernel expeller, wheat husk, and soy residue to fatten them. Once they attain a minimum weight of 320kg each, they will be sold at RM4,000 to RM5,000 each.
Mohd Sabri added that in view of the project’s potential to contribute to the growth of the state’s GDP, they plan to increase the cat- tle to 320 heads by 2021. — Bernama
MALAYSIA: Econ 4.0: Why Focus on Farming?
So where is the future of food? Literally underground. South Korean start-up Farm8 has built a thriving underground farm next to the Sangdo metro underground station. The farm has been in operation since last September and grows an array of vegetables under bright LED lights
Raju Chellam/The Edge Malaysia
September 29, 2020
This article first appeared in Enterprise, The Edge Malaysia Weekly, on September 14, 2020 - September 20, 2020
Here’s a funny farming fable: An officer from the income tax department pays a visit to an old farmer in a rural community. “Show me the list of all your employees and how much you pay them,” he demands.“There are four employees,” the farmer says. “One is a plant picker and cleaner; he gets RM4,000 plus free room and food. Another is a sorter and packer who gets RM3,000 and free food. The third is a cook who gets RM2,000 and all the food he can eat. The fourth is an idiot who works 15 hours a day, does all the other work around here, gets paid only RM1,000, and has to pay for the room and food.”The officer is incensed. “Who’s this idiot and why is he paid so much less? I want to meet him right now.”
The farmer sighs. “You’re talking to him.”
If that joke sounds far-fetched, it isn’t. Our farmers and farm laborers work long hours, in blistering heat and mushy farms, earn low wages, and have uncertain, if not bleak, prospects. Yet, we expect them to deliver good-quality produce every time at low prices on set schedules.
The poor farmer faces a multitude of risks, including climate change, conflicts, pests, infectious crop diseases, a broken supply chain, and unreliable access to quality seeds and environment-friendly fertilizers. Yet, agriculture is crucial for economic growth. In 2014, it accounted for 33% of global gross domestic product (GDP).
“Agricultural development is one of the most powerful tools to end extreme poverty, boost shared prosperity and feed a projected 9.7 billion people by 2050,” says a World Bank report published in April. “Growth in the agriculture sector is two to four times more effective in raising incomes among the poorest compared to other industries. Our 2016 analysis found that 65% of poor working adults made a living through agriculture.”
On the flip side, the current food system threatens the health of people and the planet. Farming accounts for 70% of water use and generates unsustainable levels of pollution and waste. “Millions of people are either not eating enough or eating the wrong types of food, resulting in a double burden of malnutrition that can lead to illnesses and health crises,” the World Bank reports. “The absolute number of hungry and undernourished people increased to a little over 820 million in 2018, equivalent to around one in nine people. In 2018, an estimated 40 million children under five were overweight.”
MALAYSIAN AGRICULTURE
Agriculture is vital to Malaysia’s economy. It contributes 7% to 12% to the nation’s GDP and employs about 16% of the workforce. Large-scale plantations were introduced for cash crops — rubber in 1876, palm oil in 1917, and cocoa beans in 1950. Malaysia is also a significant producer of bananas, coconuts, durians, pineapples, rice, and rambutans.
In 2018, the agriculture sector contributed 7.3% (RM99.5 billion) to Malaysia’s GDP, with oil palm accounting for 38% of that. On the other hand, most farmers do not own mechanical equipment, so they need to hire an army of contractual seasonal labor.“
Due to the shariah law on inheritance, land holdings continue to be broken up between families, making padi farming even more difficult,” the Asia Sentinel reported last December. “Large belts of idle land, estimated at 119,273ha, can be seen across the country partly due to family land disputes. Farmers have no involvement through the supply chain, so opportunities to add value to rice are non-existent. Under the present padi farming system, there is no way farmers will be able to improve their incomes.
”The problem is insidious. “The local agriculture sector is too convoluted owing to bureaucracy,” Tun Daim Zainuddin, Malaysia’s former finance minister, wrote in an article in The Edge on Jan 11, 2020. “It is hard to break into the sector unless you have experience and contacts, which holds back many aspiring young farmers. I hope the relevant authorities will review their practices to ensure a simpler and more efficient process. Sometimes, people tend to forget that time is also a resource, and agriculture in Malaysia currently demands far too much time to jump through various hoops.”
The market for food is enormous, even within Asia. Asia’s current expenditure on food is set to more than double to US$8 trillion by 2030. “It is estimated that US$800 billion cumulative investment above existing levels will be required over the next decade to meet the region’s agri-needs for the future,” Tun Daim wrote. “New and emerging technologies will be needed to increase agricultural yields and nutritional value while addressing the effects of climate change.”
This burgeoning market has enticed the corporate sector. Many conglomerates have stepped in to revolutionize agriculture quietly. The Sunway Group, for example, is building a 50,000 sq ft urban farming innovation hub at Sunway City Kuala Lumpur. Called “Sunway FutureX”, it will bring together urban farming enthusiasts, tech firms, researchers, and young talent to create solutions for food and agritech.
“We hope to build innovations, which will contribute to improved long-term food security and sustainability in our nation,” says Matt Van Leeuwen, Sunway Group’s chief innovation officer, and Sunway iLabs director. “We aim to nourish our communities with the fresh produce grown at our farms and educate them on sustainable living and urban farming.”
The farming bug has also bitten companies in farm-free Singapore. “Singapore is a hymn to concrete and metal. But look closely, and you can see farms mushrooming across the city-state: on the roofs of malls and car parks, in schools, warehouses and even the site of a former prison,” The Economist reported on July 4. “This is new. Commercial farming in the land-scarce city was phased out in the 1970s and 1980s.”
Unlike virtually any other country on earth, Singapore has lost a generation of farmers, the magazine quoted Bradley Busetto, head of the Global Centre for Technology, Innovation and Sustainable Agriculture, a United Nations unit based in Singapore, as saying. “Less than 1% of Singapore’s 720 sq km landmass is set aside for farms,” the article noted. “But a new crop of entrepreneurs are betting on rewards from finding idle spaces where lettuces may be coaxed to life. Since 2014, 31 commercial urban farms have sprouted.”
FOOD TECH
Food production and distribution are undergoing tectonic shifts, thanks to technology. The most significant changes are in the meat market. More people are turning towards healthy diets, owing to a growing outrage over how animals are treated and the negative effect of livestock on climate change.
Dubbed “meat 2.0”, it includes, for example, “cultured meats” or lab-grown meat, the price of which dropped 99% from 2013 to 2017. “Before cultured meats hit the market, an even more significant piece of the meat-consumption market is rapidly growing: meat-replacement products made of, for example, soybean protein, potatoes, sunflower oil, and pea protein,” says a McKinsey study. “Surveys suggest that a majority of the population would be inclined to try meat-replacement products or ‘vegetal’ meat. This fast-growing segment is attracting funding from VC (venture capital) firms as well as established companies, and IPOs of alternative-meat companies have begun.”
The most prominent is California-based Impossible Foods, founded in 2011. It reverse-engineers animal products at the molecular level, then selects proteins and nutrients from plants to recreate the experience and nutrition of meat products. Its signature product, the “Impossible Burger”, was launched in July 2016. It now also makes plant-based sausages, and early this year debuted its plant-based pork.
In March 2020, Impossible raised US$500 million (RM2.1 billion) in its latest series F funding round, led by South Korea’s Mirae Asset Global Investments. The company has so far raised US$1.3 billion; other investors include Khosla Ventures, Horizons Ventures, and Singapore’s Temasek Holdings.“We designed our supply chain to be scaled globally,” David Lee, Impossible’s chief financial officer, told Forbes. “Unlike many companies, our technology can be dropped into any factory and can scale because we don’t have a lot of the problems the meat industry struggles with. We don’t grow animals over the years; we don’t ship cows and pigs to slaughterhouses and then process the meat. We make our product from plants, and it’s given us an advantage to quickly scale with co-manufacturers as well as with our own plant.”
The plant-based meat trend has caught on. Nuggs, a plant-based chicken nugget firm, began operations last year with a US$7 million investment round led by McCain Foods; it calls itself the “Tesla of chicken”.
Rebellyous Foods focuses on plant-based chicken nuggets, patties, and strips. Founder Christie Lagally is a mechanical engineer with 15 years’ experience and holds five patents in manufacturing technology.
Kellogg’s MorningStar Farms will launch vegan “Incogmeato Chik’n” nuggets and tenders this year. “Burgers to bacon, pulled pork to corn dogs, vegetarian to vegan, MorningStar Farms is plant-based goodness made for everyone,” the firm advertises.
Beyond Meat makes burgers, sausages, and beef products — all without animal protein. “Our quarter-pound beef burger uses 99% less water, 93% less land, 46% less energy and emits 90% less carbon dioxide compared to animal-based beef products,” the company claims.
So where is the future of food? Literally underground. South Korean start-up Farm8 has built a thriving underground farm next to the Sangdo metro underground station. The farm has been in operation since last September and grows an array of vegetables under bright LED lights.
Called the Metro Farm, it uses high-tech hydroponics to produces 30kg of vegetables a day and is 40 times more efficient than traditional farming. “Farm8 is hoping to expand its flagship farm to three more Seoul metro stations later this year,” the BBC reported on July 24. “If successful, the innovative venture may not only offer a more sustainable solution to urban farming but also has the potential to be rolled out in environments where traditional farming isn’t feasible, such as deserts and Arctic climates.”
The bottom line: The future of humanity depends on our ability to grow enough food to feed a surging global population. The future of food depends on sharpening our focus on farming, whether we use technology or not, whether we farm on horizontal acres of land or on vertical concrete farms. In the future, it is likely that every high-tech engineer will be proud also to call himself or herself a farmer.
Raju Chellam is vice-president of new technologies at Fusionex International, Asia’s leading big data analytics company
USA - KENTUCKY - Plan: Convert Coal Mine Into Vertical Farm
The company’s business model involves acquiring former coal mines and other industrial sites and convert them into sustainable community development projects
August 27, 2020
By Wes Mills, Content Manager
FISHERS - Fishers-based Land Betterment Corp. is putting in a bid for an abandoned coal mining operation in western Kentucky, with hopes to turn the land into an ag-tech focused business development.
The company’s business model involves acquiring former coal mines and other industrial sites and convert them into sustainable community development projects.
In June, Inside INdiana Business reported on Land Betterment’s plan to convert an old mine in Greene county into farm-to-bottle craft distillery.
The company says it made an offer to acquire certain assets of the Kentucky thermal coal mining operation after the mine’s owner filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy earlier this year.
“If it were to be successful in the acquisition, Land Betterment plans to permanently close the thermal coal operations, undertake the complete environmental remediation of the land associated with the mining complex, and establish new businesses on the land to create economic diversification and jobs that support the local communities in a new and sustainable way,” said a company statement.
Land Betterment’s plan includes upcycling the 280-acre property into an ag-tech location for indoor vertical farms and a number of bee apiaries.
It also wants to place a commercial-grade solar farm on up to 200 acres of the land.
Calculating Optimal Equipment And a Settings, Before The Greenhouse is Built
“Our software calculates the best configuration of a closed greenhouse for any crop all over the world,” says Vincent Stauffer, director of Hortinergy, a French technology company
“Our software calculates the best configuration of a closed greenhouse for any crop all over the world,” says Vincent Stauffer, director of Hortinergy, a French technology company. It’s mostly used before the construction of a closed greenhouse to select and size the equipment. It helps to make sure that the right choices for energy-efficient equipment are made to reach the optimal climate with the lowest energy expenditures.
The greenhouse simulation software calculates energy consumption and expenditures (cooling, dehumidification, heating, and lighting). It models the inner climate like a virtual greenhouse, with specific parameters, and allows users to compare different technical solutions. Growers, consultants, and greenhouse designers use the software to know what the best settings and equipment are.
Orange Climate
Orange Climate, a Dutch supplier of climate technique, uses Hortinergy software to calculate the demands for the installation. Jeroen Verhagen, Business Unit Manager at the company talks about how the product works for them. “We have to know how many kiloWatts of heating and cooling we need, to have the requested greenhouse conditions, and we can calculate that with Hortinergy.”
When the company first started using the software, there were some issues and questions. “Vincent really cooperated with us on this, we discussed via Teams. He is very involved in the process.” Sustainable climate solutions for greenhouses and special concepts can be a big save in energy. “With Hortinergy, we can calculate what can be saved.”
For more information:
Hortinergy
contact@hortinergy.com
www.hortinergy.com
Publication date: Fri 3 Jul 2020
Author: Marlies Guiljam
© HortiDaily.com
Autogrow Cracks The Yield Prediction Code With FarmRoad
After three years of research, development, lab and farm trials; Autogrow’s FarmRoad solution has set the global benchmark for crop yield prediction with an initial 90 percent accuracy rate
After three years of research, development, lab and farm trials; Autogrow’s FarmRoad solution has set the global benchmark for crop yield prediction with an initial 90 percent accuracy rate.
“Accurately predicting harvest time and yield is the holy grail of agriculture. It allows clarity of availability to the entire food chain from the grower to the marketer and on to the consumer. Getting 90 percent accuracy rate up to six weeks out in our first three farms has been exceptional,” says CEO Darryn Keiller.
“Under-production and over-production can financially impact a farm. Under supply brings both less revenue, potential financial penalties from purchasers e.g. supermarket chains and the need to buy off a competitor to meet contractual requirements. Over production creates a surplus, which is then sold on the open market, usually at a price less than market value. It’s an unpalatable and expensive roller coaster ride.”
“When you consider the numbers, the ROI (return on investment) of increasing yield prediction of tomatoes by 10 percent - from 80 to 90 percent - based on a 30ha grower producing 60kg/sqm could be up to USD $1.3million. Savings can also be made with regards to labor by automating manual forecasting and through increased efficiency of farming practices.”
FarmRoad’s Yield Prediction model has initially been created to service large scale greenhouse tomato producers combining the biophysical understanding of crop varieties, with crop and environmental data and proprietary A.I. based models and engines. The service is built and hosted on AWS cloud, and can be delivered to any enterprise farm operator, anywhere in the world.
“Not only do we have on average 90 percent accuracy but we are achieving that working with three different growers in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, using a mix of hydroponic substrate and soil and utilizing three different tomato cultivars - Marnax by Axia Seeds, Maxeza by Enza Zaden and Merlice by De Ruiter Seeds; showing the flexibility of our AI-based prediction,” says Mr. Keiller.
Accurate yield prediction is dependent on available data and variables include weather, pest and pathogen events and management practices. The industry baseline for large scale greenhouse production ranges from no prediction to 80 percent certainty up to two weeks in advance for the more experienced growers. FarmRoad is 90 percent accurate from one to six weeks in advance and anticipates achieving 95 percent accuracy within six months.
“Tomatoes are one of the most complex plants to apply yield prediction, but there is also a substantial amount of data available due to the crop registration techniques growers utilize. The key to prediction is the availability of data and we have been incredibly lucky to work with some fantastic growers with over 40+ years of experience who have shared their knowledge and data,” says Chief Technology Officer Jonathan Morgan.
“The first step is getting the data, but the biggest challenge has been turning the data into a form that works. When you look at environmental data, it is great for controlling systems but it’s not easy to go from the real-time data to a prediction of how plants are going to grow. When you also add in unexpected variables like a grower changing from loose pick to truss tomatoes half-way through the growing cycle, then your accuracy rate can decrease.”
With yield prediction achieved, Autogrow is currently developing crop registration and crop planning services.
“Yield Prediction by FarmRoad, is one of our many industry-leading services designed to enhance crop productivity and make farm operators more profitable. With their personalized yield model, growers can utilize their prediction and trends to materially improve farm profitability. The future is A.I. and digital farming, and we look forward to working with large scale growers who are looking to utilize their own data and gain a competitive and financial edge,” says Mr. Keiller.
For more information www.farmroad.io or email info@farmroad.io
MEDIA QUERIES
Kylie Horomia, Head of Communications
(e) Kylie.horomia@autogrow.com
(m) +6421 733 025
(w) www.autogrow.com www.farmroad.io www.cropsonmars.com
Sales queries – info@farmroad.io
About Autogrow
Autogrow leverages the power of technology, data science, and plant biology to provide indoor growers affordable, accessible, and easy-to-use innovation – 24/7, anywhere in the world.
Our hardware, software, and data solutions support growers and resellers in over 40 countries producing over 100 different crop types.
We are the experts in Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) and continue to stay ahead of a rapidly evolving landscape.
Autogrow, Level 1, Building 3, 61 Constellation Drive, Mairangi Bay, Auckland 0632, New Zealand
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
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.
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."
For more information:
SweGreen
Andreas Dahlin
andreas.dahlin@swegreen.se
www.swegreen.se
Publication date: Mon 11 May 2020
Indian Engineer Grows Crops 'Out of Thin Air'
Although aeroponics may have caught on in the West, in India, it is still in a nascent stage. However, a Coimbatore-based agriculture engineer has mastered the technique after over 10 years of research and development
Although aeroponics may have caught on in the West, in India, it is still in a nascent stage. However, a Coimbatore-based agriculture engineer has mastered the technique after over 10 years of research and development.
Meet Prabhu Shankar, who has grown over 18 types of different vegetables using aeroponics. Additionally, by following his version of aeroponics, one can achieve a level of productivity that is 15 times more than conventional agriculture. Also, as for water, his aeroponic setup uses only 10 percent of what is used in traditional farming methods.
“Small farmers do all their work on their own. But, in the case of farmers who are into commercial agriculture, farm size is a problem. Managing different aspects of agriculture in big farms like crop selection, irrigation, applying fertilizers can be a difficult task. Also, these farms need large amounts of water when we are already facing water shortage,” states the 47-year-old.
To make this technique more accessible to commercial farmers, Prabhu launched his startup ‘Neoponics’, under his company Neoponics Projects India Pvt. Ltd, in January 2019. Neoponics provides the services of setting up customized aeroponic farms, known as ‘neo farms’, to commercial farmers.
Read more at The Better India (Angarika Gogoi)
Publication date: Tue 14 Apr 2020
Urban Farms Are Thriving Amid The Pandemic
"More people are thinking about where their food comes from, how easily it can be disrupted, and how to reduce disruptions," Kotchakorn Voraakhom, the architect who designed Asia's largest urban rooftop farm in Bangkok, tells Reuters
April 13, 2020
With much of the world locked down to prevent the spread of coronavirus, most of us are looking for any good news we can get.
Global air pollution has plummeted. Even wildlife seems to be bouncing back.
But let's face it, these developments likely won't last long once humans venture outside again.
We may, however, be able to take lasting comfort from one trend emerging from these viral times: The number of people growing their own food at home or forging a direct relationship with local farmers has surged in recent weeks.
"More people are thinking about where their food comes from, how easily it can be disrupted, and how to reduce disruptions," Kotchakorn Voraakhom, the architect who designed Asia's largest urban rooftop farm in Bangkok, tells Reuters.
"People, planners, and governments should all be rethinking how land is used in cities. Urban farming can improve food security and nutrition, reduce climate change impacts, and lower stress."
To be clear, the coronavirus isn't likely to have an impact on grocery shelves. Lockdowns in both Canada and the U.S. don't include food transportation. And while there may be concerns about some harvests falling short due to a lack of labor, there's still plenty to go around. If store shelves appear empty at a given moment, don't blame the supply chain. Blame the guy who loaded up three carts of produce because he figured the world was about to end. Indeed, in times like these, panic buyers are the real threat to food security.
The rise of urban farming
Urban farming is pretty much what it sounds like: a farm in an urban setting. That setting could be as modest as a window sill or even a rooftop. Some urban farmers even sell their wares to people in their community.
And backyards aren't off-limits either. Why waste all that sunlight on grass when you can have gourds and green peppers and golden potatoes?
In healthier times, community farms — urban spaces shared and tilled by neighbors — would also fit the bill. There's also an even bigger kind of urban farm that has long been building momentum. Community Supported Agriculture operations, known simply as CSAs, are flourishing amid the pandemic, Civil Eats reports.
The definition of a CSA can be broad, but essentially it's a network that connects a community more closely with farmers. That more direct relationship often results in boxes of in-season produce being delivered directly to your doorstep.
As Davida Lederle, a blogger and podcaster for the Healthy Maven describes it, "Each CSA looks a little bit different. Some don't deliver right to your door but you have to pick them up. Others feed 2 people, while some are built to feed a full family. Some pick all of the fruits and veggies for you, while others allow you to pick and choose options."
It should come as little surprise that the number of people relying on CSAs has tripled in parts of America in recent days, as The New York Times reports. After all, who wants to compete with the panic-shopping thongs, risking not-so-sanitary shopping carts and humans in the check-out line? Urban farms all but eliminate fear and loathing at the grocery store.
Even a few tomato-bearing plants can offset what you need to purchase at the store. (Photo: ChiccoDodiFC/Shutterstock)
The thing about urban farming, whether you grow your own food or have a local farmer on speed dial, is that it's always a good thing — even when we're not living in pandemic times.
"Having some extra food coming in this summer sounds like a pretty good idea, rather than having to worry about paying for our next meal," an urban farmer in Ontario, Canada tells Maclean's magazine.
It's the same steady refrain heard across this quarantined continent.
"I decided that I would grow a garden because we're finding in my work-related job that there's going to be some food shortages, so I wanted to prepare for my family," Michelle Casias of Fargo, North Dakota tells KVRR News.
Of course, this wouldn't be the first time a nation has turned to hyper-local farming in times of crisis. During the lean years of World War II, so-called "victory gardens" emerged in yards across the U.S. By the end of the war, America boasted nearly 20 million victory gardens, generating enough fruit and vegetables to feed 40 percent of the population.
If we had built on that homegrown momentum — rather than letting large-scale rural operations almost entirely take over food production — fewer neighborhoods would have become food deserts.
This victory garden was grown in a London bomb crater close to Westminster Cathedral during WWII. (Photo: Office of War Information [public domain]/U.S. Library of Congress)
Urban farms won't feed entire cities. Large-scale operations still do a pretty good job of that. Nor are they necessarily better for the environment. Urban growers probably don't use pesticides and fertilizer as carefully or as efficiently as their big-scale brethren.
In an essay for Gastronomica, Jason Mark sums up the real value of the urban farm:
"Spend a few months taking broccoli from seed to harvest, and you'll soon have a much deeper appreciation for the natural systems on which we depend. Our connection to the earth becomes gobsmackingly obvious when you watch the crops grow (or fail). The garden produces a harvest of teachable moments about what it means to live in an environment."
Lead Photo: Spanning about an acre, New York City's Battery Urban Farm gardening project is the largest educational farm in Manhattan. (Photo: littlenySTOCK/Shutterstock.com)
The Scalability of Urban Farming
Harvester City: Interview with David Proenza, Founder of Urban Farms Global. David is the founder of Urban Farms Global a company dedicated to developing indoor farms around the world. He is also the president of the “Foundation for the Development of Controlled Environment Agriculture.”
Harvester City: Interview with David Proenza, Founder of Urban Farms Global.
When I first got into Urban Farming, I dreamt of meeting people like David Proenza. David is the founder of Urban Farms Global a company dedicated to developing indoor farms around the world. He is also the president of the “Foundation for the Development of Controlled Environment Agriculture.” A non-profit dedicated to promoting knowledge of Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) based on science and research. David has spent over 35 years in the food industry; he is indeed someone who has embraced the future of food while still understanding the importance of a human-centered approach. Technology has continued to redefine all aspects of our everyday life. I wonder what does the role of technology mean for the future of food? Will traditional farmers be a thing of the past? I had the pleasure of asking David all these questions and more in our interview below.
What sparked your interest in the food space?
“I got into this industry by accident; it wasn’t planned. I’ve been in the food business now for over 33 years. It started when a friend of mine asked for some help with a new company that he started that involved marketing for the food business. The job then began to take a life of its own, and it ended up becoming a full-time thing. At the time I was also working at AT&T.
In 3 decades, I have done pretty much everything in food. I have a packaging company and a processing company and a production company. I always wanted to have a restaurant, but I haven’t gotten there just yet.
Around five years ago my company started to experience a lot of different issues due to climate change.
We started having water problems, labor issues and this need to add more pesticides to our food continually. We weren’t happy about this, and it didn’t feel right. Over time the problem just kept getting worse.
I read an article by Dr.Toyoki Kozai in the newspaper. towoki kozi is one of the founding fathers of urban farming. After reading this article, a few of us jumped onto a plane and visited Chiba University to gather some ideas and knowledge. The first thing we did when we got back was to establish our research center and buy some LED lights. We were like little kids in a candy shop when we saw the first batch of lettuce growing.
Urban Farms Global — Growing Facility
We had spent years in the business growing food the traditional way and were amazed that food could grow just from LED lights alone.
We were very systematic from there on and started going step by step. We grew strawberries, watermelons, cucumbers you name it.
We started testing different nutrition and LED lights and other elements. We then thought how are we going to package this food and distribute it, so we started getting involved in those processes. We then thought about how we could compete with traditional farms and greenhouse farms. We didn’t need to worry about competing with urban farms since there were so few. So then we started developing our business model, and all of this came out of research and development. Now we have a pipeline of 10 different food products that we are trying out. Not all of them will be available for the market, but we are getting them ready for a few years down the road.”
What are your views on climate change and sustainability?
“When I grew up food, and social consciousness wasn’t there. That has been introduced through my kids. They were doing projects at school, and this green movement started. So I realized yes I do need to improve on this and we do need to change. Even my 9-year-old and most people here in Panama are becoming super conscious about recycling and saving the planet.
We need to make sure that young people have a healthy world to live on.
The thing about being in farming is that we live through all kinds of change. We see all the chemical runoff that is going into the lakes. It is so much more than just talking points for us. As farmers, we live through all these changes, and we have to be more conscious. I think people do not give enough credit to farmers. However, I ask the question about what happens if we don’t farm? The answer is that nobody eats. Most farmers try to do the best they can.
Soon we will start packaging our food in a material that is made from cassava. So going forward we will be a lot more sustainable. Our packaging will be biodegradable, and therefore it will be a bit more expensive. We will fit this into the production cost and will not raise the price for consumers.
If we are going to develop a better food system, we need to do it in every aspect.
If you are producing healthy produce why would you want to then put it in plastic that harms the planet?”
You don’t see a lot of traditional farmers getting into urban farming. How did you make the switch successfully?
“At that point in the first year, we did nothing in hydroponics. We needed to train people and send them off to be trained over at The University of Arizona. We needed to send people off to learn about controlled environment agriculture. We sent our people out to all different parts of the world to get trained.
We had to go through a learning curve ourselves despite having had this vast experience in the food business.
Growing food indoors and using this type of technology is very different. There are a couple of other things that differentiate us from other indoor farms. One we don’t go public. The second would focus on our work and not the work of others.
There is this quote that I love by Chris Higgens — “When a farmer buys a new tractor he doesn’t go out and post it on social media.”
This can be good or bad because we are not as well known as other indoor farms. However, it is also the attitude we have when we look at indoor farming. Some people think its all about technology. We on the other hand focus on being a food company that uses technology to produce food. You have to grow food, you have to know how to grow food, and you have to have that first-hand experience. If you set a culture in the company, you need to decide what that culture will look like if we are focused on producing high-quality food that is where the focus is.
The other thing is that we are continually training our people because there is always something new to learn.
Four years ago we worked out an agreement between The University of Panama and The University of Chiba and The Technology University of Panama. We negotiated to send three students and one professor from each of the two Panamanian university to train at Chiba University for 30 days or more. Then Chiba sends a group of 8 –10 of their students to Panama. The Japanese students spend some time at our R&D and get to visit several other farms in Panama. While the Panamanian students that return from Chiba continue their development with us at our R&D.
Urban Farms Global — Growing Facility
We need to start training more people in this field because the number of people who are knowledgable in this industry is very few.
We are now negotiating with other universities in The United States and Europe to do the same with us. These initiatives help us to grow a larger pool of people to come and work as we expand the industry. It may be a lot of costs, but it is well worth it.”
What role do you think technology should play in the future of food?
“I believe it should always be a bit human-centric. Many people today think that the algorithms and devices will be the solution to tell you how much nutrients a plant needs. I cannot entirely agree with this; a person needs to be able to understand plants as living things. The plants can tell you more than any algorithm. It is essential to know how to grow food. I believe that human reaction is so important when it comes to growing food. Even if a sensor tells you this is wrong, you have to understand how to correct it.
Although we apply a lot of technology, we will always need a farmer.
It is going back to this statement of companies worrying about indoor farms taking over. A few years ago this was going around peoples minds. This idea is impossible the demands for food are so significant. Indoor farms will not be able to grow apples, mangos, avocados and more. It is just not economically feasible.
One day I was doing a talk, and someone said to me “you are going to be putting farmers out of business.” I said “no way” this is a compliment to traditional farming just like how greenhouses compliment traditional farming. It is not going to take over. Our population is going to grow to over 10 billion in the next few years, and there is no more land to grow food. Wouldnt it be better if we have another system like indoor farming that would be a lot more healthier to help? I think people are begining to wiser up and realize that some farms are going out of business. However, when I hear of new indoor farms, I wish them complete and utter success. Because when an indoor farm goes out of business, it gives all of us a black eye.”
Urban Farms Global — Growing Facility
What would you say to those who doubt the profitability of indoor farming?
“We believe indoor farming is profitable if you do it right. A lot of the doubt has to come from problems with management and the fact that you have to look long term at these business models. Everything for us is about our consumers and intending to create consumer loyalty. It is no different from any other business.
You see a lot of indoor farming companies generating millions of dollars in funds. I know what it cost to start an urban/indoor farm. I know what the cost is and what they are not. I then have to ask “Where exactly are these companies putting these funds?”
What are the three things you advise an urban farming business to watch out for?
“You need to keep your cost low.
You have to keep your yields high.
It would be best if you remembered this is not a dollar business; it’s a penny business.”
What is your favorite food at the moment?
“I am eating a lot of salad, but then again I am eating my product, so that helps.”
Call to Action?
“The world is enormous, and the food industry is massive. I encourage young people to look into the food industry seriously.
Someone very wise once said “you may need a doctor once a year and an attorney once a year, but you need a farmer three times a day”
I encourage all young people to get in and learn.”
If you or someone you know would be interested in connecting, collaborating or supporting David and his mission, please share this article or reach out using the information below:
david@urban.farm
If you enjoyed this piece, you might also like…”The Truth About Packaging When It Comes to Sustainability.”
For more information on Harvester City click here.
WRITTEN BY Alex Welch
Startup Enthusiast: Passionate about all things Plants + Tech + Social Impact related 🌱www.harvestercity.com
THE ARCTIC CIRCLE - This Greenhouse In A Sea Can In Gjoa Haven Is Powered by Wind And Solar Energy
Betty Kogvik and Susie Kununak are making sure those little fruits — which will mark the second harvest from the community's new agricultural research station — have all the warmth and light they need, despite the dark winter outside
'It was so fresh, not like what we get in the store,' says technician at shipping container research station
Beth Brown - CBC News
These sea cans in Gjoa Haven are actually a new research station and grow pod used for growing vegetables. The solar and wind-powered project is called Naurvik, which means, the growing place. (Submitted by Thomas Surian)
In a sea can outside Gjoa Haven, Nunavut, there are rows of ripening cherry tomatoes working to grow from green to red.
Betty Kogvik and Susie Kununak are making sure those little fruits — which will mark the second harvest from the community's new agricultural research station — have all the warmth and light they need, despite the dark winter outside.
The two women are technicians, or guardians, for a new wind and solar-powered greenhouse that the Kitikmeot community named "Naurvik." That means "the growing place" in Inuinnaqtun.
The first harvest, of lettuce, grew in around four weeks. It was given to Gjoa Haven elders who have played a large role as advisors for the Naurvik project, which is led by the not-for-profit group, the Arctic Research Foundation.
One elderly lady even danced with joy when she got her lettuce.- Betty Kogvik"It was so fresh, not like what we get in the store. Sometimes when we get [lettuce] in the stores it is almost rotten. The ones we harvested are really fresh and tasty," Kogvik said. "One elderly lady even danced with joy when she got her lettuce."
Agriculture could grow new economy
The research station is built of two sea cans (shipping containers brought up on the summer sealift), two windmills and a row of solar panels. It has a generator for backup when the wind and sun both fall short.
It's on a hill, near a bay, in a place that elders said gets a lot of wind, and is only a few minutes ride by snowmobile from town.
Naurvik technician Betty Kogvik harvests the first lettuce grown in the sea can greenhouse in Gjoa Haven. (Submitted by the Arctic Research Foundation)
Every day, the technicians, including Kogvik's husband Sammy, spend time monitoring the station. The current harvest only uses a quarter of what the station could grow. Come summer, they want to run a trial growing cloudberry and blueberry plants, and other tundra plants used for medicine and tea.
"At the beginning, it was really confusing," Kogvik said. "We didn't know what to do, but we've got the hang of it now."
In the spring, Sammy says he wants to travel to Taloyoak to help that community start its own version of the Naurvik grow pod.
For the Arctic Research Foundation, the focus of Naurvik is on improving food insecurity, and on researching how to most efficiently grow food in remote and harsh environments, said project lead Adrian Schimnowski.
But it's also meant to foster the economy. Schimnowski said he'd like to see a local product grown to a scale where it's ready for export. For now, he's working to be able to employ and train students, as well as community-based technicians.
The Arctic Research Foundation is calling its new Naurvik greenhouse project in Gjoa Haven the most northern agriculture pod to be powered by wind and solar electricity. (Submitted by Thomas Surian)
The foundation is funding the program with help from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, the National Research Council of Canada, and the Canadian Space Agency.
"It's a mini, mobile research station. We can add as we expand," said Schimnowski. "It's directed by the wishes of the community."
Space agency looks to Gjoa Haven
Because Naurvik is working on more efficient technology to grow vegetation in an environment it usually wouldn't survive in, that same research can also be used to help scientists understand how to grow food in harsh environments — like space.
"We are hoping to find strategies that could help astronauts grow food in space," Christian Lange, head of exploration strategic planning with the Canadian Space Agency, said in a news release. Research from "extreme or remote environments," like Gjoa Haven, could be part of that, he said.
This crop of potted cherry tomato plants are thriving under LED grow lights. They will be the second kind of plant harvested at the Naurvik grow pod in Gjoa Haven. (Submitted by the Arctic Research Foundation)
The research station itself is built to be hyper-efficient, project lead Schimnowski said.
"It's very narrow and tight, similar to what it would be like in a spaceship, but everything is well organized and everything has purpose."
While gardening isn't an Inuit tradition, using the land to care for and store food is. Elders who are working with Naurvik said using the green energy to run the research station made them think of a community freezer, the kind built into the ground. Those elders said the hill near the station could be used to build a traditional freezer.
"When I first heard of [the project] I thought it would never work up here," Gjoa Haven elder Peter Akkikungnaq is quoted in the news release. "Not in this 40 below zero. Now I know anything is possible if you have the right idea ... I had a taste of the vegetation. It was fresh."