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JD’S Plant Factory Sparks Children's Early Interest In Agriculture
JD hosted nearly 100 primary school students and their teachers for a field trip at its hydroponic plant factory in the Tongzhou district of Beijing on March 22
by Ella Kidron
March 31, 2021
JD hosted nearly 100 primary school students and their teachers for a field trip at its hydroponic plant factory in the Tongzhou district of Beijing on Mar. 22. The event was part of a larger program which started last year in which JD offers the plant factory as a high-tech educational facility for elementary and middle school students as well as families to learn hands-on.
JD Plant Factory in the Tongzhou district of Beijing
During the activity, the general manager of the plant factory, Zhongsheng Wu, gave a lecture on basic crop growth knowledge, providing the group with a preliminary understanding of hydroponic planting. Following the lecture and observation, the children got to have a taste test.
As quality and food safety is of utmost importance to JD, every student and teacher donned a white lab coat, shoe covers, masks and head coverings, and stepped into the air shower for a disinfection prior to entering the factory.
Zhongsheng Wu, general manager of JD Plant Factory, teaches students about hydroponic planting
On the weekends, the factory is usually full of parents and their kids. It is a good way for kids to get outside and have much-needed contact with nature. Parents are also delighted by their kids’ newfound love of vegetables. Wu said: “Parents come to us and say, ‘my kids never eat vegetables at home no matter what, but here they are eating veggies like little rabbits!’”
Parents show their children veggies at the plant factory
They often come home with bags of vegetables, and will also adapt to buying them online through JD.com, enhancing omni-channel conversion. Furthermore, parents will often post on their WeChat Moments (similar to a Facebook wall) too, helping raise overall awareness of the plant factory.
A boy excitedly enjoys a salad with veggies from JD Plant Factory
As the younger generation becomes increasingly tech-savvy, there are concerns that fewer people will choose to go into agriculture. According to Statista, the percentage of the workforce in agriculture from 2009 to 2019 has declined from 38.1% to 25.1%. The plant factory visit can help to pique children’s early curiosity. Wu explained: “Children are the foundation of the future of agriculture. Through our programs, they learn that agriculture can be fun, interesting, and high-tech.”
One of the teachers said at the end of the activity, “It was so well-organized. Students not only got to learn and understand the growth of a seed but also have hands-on practice.” Immersion education for kids is much needed and critical to their development. “Apart from ensuring the farm-to-table supply chain, being able to provide this type of education gives the plant factory an even greater purpose,” said Wu.
Built by JD in partnership with Mitsubishi Chemical of Japan, the plant factory gives JD an entry point at the very beginning of the supply chain and creates high-end vegetables using advanced hydroponic technology, artificial LED light source, and Internet of Things technology in a fully-closed environment. Covering 11,040 square meters, it is the largest plant factory with the combination of sunlight and artificial light in China.
(ella@jd.com)
Tags: Social Responsibility
Bowery Farming Lettuce Now In 275 Acme, Safeway Stores
The company now serves almost 800 grocery stores and major e-commerce platforms after this partnership with Albertsons Cos. Inc.
By AMY SOWDER
03/23/2021
New York City-based vertical grower Bowery Farming has placed its products in 275 Safeway and Acme stores in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic.
The company now serves almost 800 grocery stores and major e-commerce platforms after this partnership with Albertsons Cos. Inc., which oversees the Acme and Safeway banners, according to a news release.
“Whether our customers shop with us in store or through our websites and apps, they expect to find fresh and sustainable produce for delicious meals at home,” Ricardo Dimarzio, produce sales manager of Albertsons’ Mid-Atlantic division, said in the release. “We’re proud to offer Bowery Farming’s innovative and sustainable produce to help meet customer demand for high-quality local indoor-grown greens and herbs.”
*700% growth is only for brick-and-mortar store sales
Bowery builds high-tech indoor farms close to the cities it serves. BoweryOS, its proprietary operating system, uses sensors, vision systems, machine learning and automation to monitor and control the variables in crop growth.
Every new farm the company builds benefits from the collective knowledge of the operating system, improving the entire network of farms.
Bowery’s greens and herbs grow in completely controlled environments year-round, independent of weather and seasonality.
“We’re proud to partner with Albertsons Cos. to bring millions of shoppers our local, wildly delicious protected produce and meet unprecedented demand for our growing category, which we believe is the next frontier of agriculture,” Katie Seawell, Bowery’s chief commercial officer, said in the release.
Five of Bowery’s most popular stock-keeping units are now available in 164 Acme stores (Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Delaware and Maryland) and 111 Safeway stores (Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C.).
The initial five products are baby butter lettuce, crispy leaf, spring blend, kale blend and basil.
Bowery has seen nearly 700% growth in sales since January 2020 with brick-and-mortar grocery retailers, and more than quadrupled its sales with e-commerce platforms, including Amazon, according to the release.
To sustain this growth and meet demand for its produce, Bowery is building its largest and most technologically advanced farm yet in Bethlehem, Pa., which will further automate the growing process from seed to store and expand its reach throughout the East Coast.
The company also has two commercial farms in Kearny, N.J., and Nottingham, Md.
Providing Farming Solutions At Every Customer Level
Currently, the company is running a pilot farm in Japan, in collaboration with Kaneya Co., LTD. Kaneya operates the farm, whereas Own Greens patented growing technology is used
“Since we’ve started the pilot farm in Japan, we’ve had several parties reaching out for large-scale projects throughout the country," says Lennart Bijl, Operation Manager at Own Greens. The Dutch-based company is currently finetuning farming techniques in order to create a concept that can be quickly rolled out throughout Japan, and later on worldwide.
"We’re focusing on promoting our Own Greens brand in the fresh produce market. Whereas we’re also currently expanding partnerships with market players,” Lennart adds.
Japan pilot
Currently, the company is running a pilot farm in Japan, in collaboration with Kaneya Co., LTD. Kaneya operates the farm, whereas Own Greens patented growing technology is used. The facility grows up to 300.000 crops per year, which is supplied to several local supermarkets in the area.
The growing facility in Japan
“Our large-scale solution is designed to produce large quantities of leafy greens and fresh herbs in the most efficient way possible. This unique technology makes full automation possible and ensures an ultra-clean growth chamber to prevent contamination in the system. Key terms in this concept are Safe, Simple and Scalable and multiple elements are patented by Own Greens.” The company provides solutions with a floor space of 1000-5000m2, with a cultivation area that consists of more than 5000m2.
Own Greens' products and services, can be divided into three divisions. Namely, large-scale farming projects, B2B growing chambers (PlantHome Pro) and Own Greens Home, a small grow-kit used by consumers. The Vitro Plus-owned company, works closely with Nijssen, Bever Innovations, KV techniek and Kaneya. These collaborations are focusing on three keystones, namely production, presentation and product.
Lennart Bijl checking the PlantHome Pro produce
Product testing
Own Greens has been piloting its products, at a local supermarket, Albert Heijn. “Initially we started the project to gain more awareness on vertical farming and its benefits, says Lennart. “We used flyers that visitors could take along, and our product packaging has a removable paper wrap around it which explains the production process of each product.”
As the project gained lots of attention from visitors, Own Greens is now supplying its vertically grown basil, mint and lettuce crops to the store. The living herbs and lettuce are sold on bamboo paper pots, which contain water to increase the shelf life. Customers can keep the products in their home outside the fridge for up to a month.
PlantHome indoor garden
The PlantHome can be installed in any space wanted. It’s just a case of plugging in and growing. Both the PlantHome Pro and regular PlantHome home-kit make use of separated containers that contain plugs or pads with seeds. The PlantHome Pro device has multiple layers and can grow up to 30 plants per layer. Whereas it doesn’t include automation and a climate system, the indoor farm is easy to use. The mineral- and plant capsules can easily be applied into the trays so the crops will intake all nutrients needed. Customers now include restaurants, day-care centers, and canteens.
For more information:
Lennart Bijl, manager of operations
Own Greens
lennart@owngreens.com
www.owngreens.com
Publication date: Tue 30 Mar 2021
Author: Rebekka Boekhout
© VerticalFarmDaily.com
Grower Turns To Indoor Saltwater Farming To Grow Sea Beans
Heron grows its sea beans via an indoor saltwater farm using hydroponic technology for a few reasons
Salicornia. Picklegrass. Sea asparagus.
Sea beans are a salty, long, thin vegetable that grow in saltwater.
These are just a few of the monikers Sam Norton has heard in talking to chefs about his new vegetable. However, he prefers to call them sea beans--them being a thin, long asparagus-like vegetable that grow in saltwater. It was a vegetable Norton knew of growing up in Southeastern U.S. and in turn, he studied sea beans and seawater agriculture in grad school at College of Charleston. It was there he won the Department of Agriculture’s inaugural ACRE (Agribusiness Center for Research and Entrepreneurship) startup competition in 2018 and so, Charleston, SC-based Heron Farms was born.
Seawater agriculture
Heron grows its sea beans via an indoor saltwater farm using hydroponic technology for a few reasons. “We found after a few experiments that if we kept growing them outdoors that we would run into the same problem other outdoor growers were running into--land-use constraints, salt management, seasonality, etc,” says Norton. “We decided we could solve those problems by taking them indoors.”
Sea beans are grown using hydroponic technology at an indoor saltwater farm.
Heron’s first harvest was April 14th of 2020--admittedly a challenging time. “We realized on March 10th all the restaurant customers that were going to carry our products were about to shut down,” says Norton. So the company, which was growing indoors in a shipping container farm temporarily on loan via fellow Charleston grower Vertical Roots, pivoted to retail to position its product as a premium vegetable versatile enough to eat raw, boiled, sautéed and many more ways. It’s since moved out of the Vertical Roots facility to launch its own indoor farm where it has been since August of 2020 with 30,000 square feet of saltwater marsh planted.
Retail interest
Heron’s pivot to retail has paid off in an age where home cooking and trying new products are trends that have emerged in the pandemic. Consumers are sharing on Instagram the different ways they’re using sea beans. (Norton notes it’s largely used as a garnish or as a replacement for micro greens.)
Consumers use sea beans in a number of ways, though most often as a garnish or a replacement for micro greens.
Yet, as the vaccines roll out throughout North America, restaurants and other foodservice operations are coming back online, demand could change again for Heron. “We’ve seen demand pick up actually in the past 30 days, especially in the Northeast,” says Norton.
However, that increased demand is in rhythm with Heron Farms’ plan to scale up its indoor production by launching another site in Charleston in the next six months.
For more information:
Sam Norton
Heron Farms
Tel: +1 (847) 224-3242
Sam@heronfarms.com
www.heronfarms.com
31 Mar 2021
Author: Astrid Van Den Broek
© FreshPlaza.com
Three Ways Singapore Is Designing Urban Farms To Create Food Security
Securing food during a crisis and preserving land for a livable climate is changing the focus of farming from rural areas to cities
FARMING IN THE CITY
Urban farming in Singapore
How Singapore has stimulated innovation in urban farming on a massive scale
By Clarisa Diaz | Things Reporter
March 31, 2021
Securing food during a crisis and preserving land for a livable climate is changing the focus of farming from rural areas to cities. At the forefront of this shift is Singapore, a city-sized country that aims to produce 30% of its own food by 2030. But with 90% of Singapore’s food coming from abroad, the challenge is a tall order. The plan calls for everyone in the city to grow what they can, with government grants going to those who can use technology to yield greater amounts.
“This target took into consideration the land available for agri-food production and the potential advances in technologies and innovation,” said Goh Wee Hou, the director of the Food Supply Strategies Department at the Singapore Food Agency. “Local food production currently accounts for less than 10% of our nutritional needs.”
The food items with potential for increased domestic production include vegetables, eggs, and fish. According to the Singapore Food Agency, these three types of goods are commonly consumed but are perishable and more susceptible to supply disruptions. Alternative proteins such as plant-based and lab-grown meats could also contribute to the “30 by 30” goal. In 2020, there were 238 licensed farms in Singapore.
Only 1% of Singapore’s land is being used for conventional farming. That created the constraint of growing more with less. The government has put its hopes in technology, stating that multi-story LED vegetable farms and recirculating aquaculture systems can produce 10 to 15 times more vegetables and fish than conventional farms.
Since 2017, land has been leased in two districts on the edge of the city—Lim Chu Kang and Sungei Tengah—to large-scale commercial farm projects. While the optimization of these farms to produce at maximum capacity is being determined, the idea of growing food in the more urban spaces of Singapore has emerged: from carpark rooftops to reused outdoor spaces and retrofitted building interiors.
Urban farms in Singapore
Urban farms using hydroponics on parking structure roofs
Citiponics is one of Singapore’s first rooftop farms. The hydroponic farm is on top of a carpark, a structure that services almost every neighborhood in Singapore.
Read more: How a parking lot roof was turned into an urban farm in Singapore
Installing urban farms into existing buildings
Sustenir Agriculture has created an indoor vertical farm that can retrofit into existing buildings (including office buildings). The company grows foods that can’t be produced locally, displacing imports and cutting carbon emissions.
Read more: The indoor urban farm start up that’s undercutting importers by 30%
Building a better greenhouse for urban farms in tropical climates
Natsuki’s Garden is a greenhouse in the center of the city, occupying reused space in a former schoolyard. The greenhouse is custom designed for the tropical climate to allow for better air circulation. Yielding 60-80 kg of food per square meter, the greenhouse caters to a small local market.
Read more: How a Singaporean farmer is building a better greenhouse for tropical urban farming
High production urban farms still need to be sustainable
Open to applications later this year, a new $60 million government fund will provide funding for more agritech businesses. According to the Singapore Food Agency, the fund will assist with start-up costs catering to large-scale commercial farms, no matter the location.
But as Singapore tries to advance, there are some left behind. The traditional farms that do exist in Singapore are being displaced, their knowledge no longer valued because they are not seen as hi-tech, according to Lionel Wong, the founding director at Upgrown Farming Company, a consultancy that helps equip new farming business owners across Singapore. “While we are trying to increase production, the net result could actually be reduced production because the traditional growers are being removed from the equation in the long term.”
In the long-run, high production of food within Singapore will need a sustainable market of consumers, to Wong that market isn’t completely clear at the moment. “‘30 by 30’ is really just a vision. The Food Agency deserves a lot of credit in terms of what they’re trying to push, but there’s a lot of room for improvement.” Wong continued, “productivity doesn’t necessarily equate to sustainability or profitability.”
Whether Singapore is able to produce its own food sustainably for the long-run remains to be seen. But the endeavor is certainly an exciting moment for entrepreneurs pushing the boundaries of what farming and cities can be.
Lead photo: COURTESY CITIPONICS | Singapore aims to produce 30% of its food by 2030.
Founders Future: A New Fund For Impact Startups
The fund's particularly interested in vertical farming, circular economy, mobility and alternative packaging
The Fund's Particularly Interested In
Vertical Farming, Circular Economy,
Mobility, And Alternative Packaging.
BY FREYA PRATTY
15 FEBRUARY 2021
Founders Future, a French investment firm for European startups, is launching a new fund focused on supporting the next generation of impact-driven entrepreneurs.
MARC MENASÉ
Founding partner
The fund is the firm’s second and will focus on seed and Series A investments. It’s targeting a close of €50m and has raised €20m of that so far. Most of the money has come from angel investors, including Thierry Gillier, the founder of clothing brand Zadig and Voltaire; Bris and Yves Rocher, from the French cosmetics brand Rocher; and Michael Benabou.
The fund’s primary goal is finding impact-driven startups that show transformative potential, explains serial French tech entrepreneur Marc Menasé, who started Founders Future.
“Impact is everything now,” he says. “The consumer now wants to buy products that are more respectful across many criteria, and employees want to work for companies that take into account their impact on the planet and other ESG criteria.”
Founders Future is particularly interested in finding startups working on vertical farming, last-mile delivery, mental health, mobility, cleaner alternatives to packaging, and those working on the circular economy.
It’s a slightly different focus to the firm’s first fund, which looked to invest in the future of work, the future of banking, and the future of health. This included investments into French fintechs Lydia, Alma, October, and Memo Bank.
The food industry
Within the sectors Founders Future is now looking to fund, Menasé is particularly excited by startups looking to transform the food industry.
“I came to impact investing through the food transition,” he says, “and I’m super keen to fund projects in the food transition, I really have this in the gut — not meaning to make a joke there.”
One of the companies Menasé founded himself is Epicery, a delivery service for fresh grocery products, and he’s made investments in dark kitchen company Taster and Yuka, an app that tells you what’s in your food.
Founders Future also has a ‘venture studio’ within it to build new companies. The latest being created is focused on food — dietary supplement company Epycure.
Analyzing impact
Within its straight investment arm, Founders Future has developed a “highly structured way to invest”, Menasé says.
“We have new software called Zei which we use to assess businesses. Along with the founders, we plug in all the information we have about a startup and then we can share their impact trajectory, highlighting areas they need to improve on.”
The software could highlight that a company needs to change to a renewable energy supplier for its manufacturing process, for example, and that would be set as a target for a quarter.
“We want to back products that will make the 21st-century cleaner,” Menasé says. “Tech has incredible leverage in that and there’s a great younger generation of mission-driven entrepreneurs, we see real ambition for income in this group.”
Freya Pratty is Sifted’s news reporter. She tweets from @FPratty
Securing Food Supply For The Long Term
While officially classified by the United Nations as ‘food secure’, its arid climate and widespread desert conditions, mean that the GCC is heavily dependent on food imports to meet local demand. In the UAE for instance, nearly 90 percent of demand is met through imports.
The region’s dependence on imports is a significant food security risk to the region. The Covid-19 pandemic has further exposed the vulnerabilities of the global food supply chain, making it clear that any long-term disruptions to global food networks could have catastrophic consequences.
Investing in food security
Even before Covid-19, the region’s food industry was undergoing radical transformation as governments implemented new strategies in response to population growth and climate change, while producers were reacting to rapidly changing consumer behavior, and the need for greater efficiency and sustainability.
To counter the effects of the region’s arid climate, the UAE, along with other governments in the region, has invested in cutting-edge food production and distribution techniques such as hydroponics and vertical farming, smart irrigation, and aquaponics. And it is clear that advanced technologies such as robotics and AI offer exciting new opportunities for the food F&B sector.
Building food security
Countries that have steadily worked towards strengthening their internal production capabilities and logistics networks over recent years find themselves much better placed to ride out the crisis. This is evidenced by the relative ease with which GCC governments were able to manage food demand during the pandemic.
Securing Supply, the latest briefing paper produced by MEED in partnership with Dubai-based Mashreq Bank, discusses the food security strategies underway in the GCC and Egypt, including the shifting focus on self-sufficiency in sectors such as fisheries, dairy, and poultry; enhancing in-country reserves; and growing investments in agricultural technology.
Download the paper here.
29 Mar 2021
Certhon Found In Favor In Proceedings Against Plantlab
Companies receive final decision in patent dispute
Is indoor farming patentable or not? That's the question at stake in a legal battle that has raged for several years between Certhon and PlantLab.
Last week, the Court of Appeal in The Hague confirmed the annulation of PlantLab's Dutch patent on their indoor farming cultivation system. This is a victory for Certhon. As the Court of Appeal has declared that the company has not infringed the patent in any way, Certhon speaks of 'a victory for the entire indoor farming sector'. In the meantime, PlantLab is holding on to the patent and is awaiting the European ruling and therefore the case is not yet closed.
PlantLab has a pending objection against the rejection of its Dutch patent. The decision on this is subject to the Technical Board of Appeal's (TKB) judgment on the validity of PlantLab's European patent. In 2017, the European Patent Office (EPO) declared the patent as valid. Objections by Certhon and others against the ruling were rejected.
Sharing knowledge
Both parties have responded to the recent court ruling. Certhon advocates transparency to push the sector forward. "The judgment of the Court of Appeal is a victory for the entire sector," Lotte van Rijn, General Manager at Certhon noted. "The ruling is a positive stimulus to further develop and optimize indoor farming across the board.
"At Certhon, we take our product development and clients very seriously. If we bring technology and plants together, the growing possibilities for our clients are endless. Optimal growing recipes, extreme water savings, grip on growth, ingredients and quality, combined with yield optimization by autonomous growing systems and robotization; that is where the added value of our systems in indoor farming lies."
John van der Sande, Chief Innovation Officer at Certhon noted, "On the one hand, we are extremely pleased with this ruling. However, on the other hand, it is a shame that these proceedings have cost so much extra effort and energy. Fortunately, with this ruling, we can continue with what we are good at. Namely, developing reliable technology to improve cultivation processes. We are only at the beginning of the enormous potential of indoor farming. We are ready to take the next steps, as this ruling strengthens us tremendously."
LED as a heating component
PlantLab says it is surprised that the court does not consider LED lights as a heating component that can be used to warm up leaves. This leads to the heart of the matter: The patent in question is about a closed environment growing system where the temperature of the cultivation system and substrate is controlled, for example lighting.
PlantLab, therefore, believes that its patent has a broad reach. "The minute you start to control the cultivation by influencing the temperature, the patent applies," they stated in 2017. It is unknown when the ruling of the TKB can be expected. After this ruling or other potential proceedings, Certhon can reinstate the case.
For more information:
Certhon
ABC Westland 555
P.O. Box 90
2685 ZH Poeldijk
The Netherlands
Tel: +31 174 22 50 80
Fax: +31 174 22 50 81
www.certhon.com
For more information:
PlantLab
info@plantlab.com
www.plantlab.com
Publication date: Wed 31 Mar 2021
Author: Rebekka Boekhout
© HortiDaily.com
AeroFarms And Hortifrut Announce R&D Partnership To Advance The Next Generation of Blueberry And Cranberry Production In Vertical Farms
Together, this R&D partnership will identify and optimize blueberry and cranberry plants for indoor growing, allowing both companies to further expand their knowledge in sustainable farming
Multi-Year Partnership Will Optimize Plants
For indoor Growing And Commercialize
Blueberries And Cranberries Are
Grown In Vertical Farms Globally
March 30, 2021
NEWARK, N.J. & SANTIAGO, Chile--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AeroFarms, a certified B Corporation and leader in vertical farming, and Hortifrut S.A., a certified B Corporation in Chile and a global business platform leader in berries marketing, distribution, and production, today announced a multi-year partnership to jointly research and develop blueberry and cranberry production in fully-controlled indoor environments and vertical farms.
“We are very excited to have reached this agreement with such a successful and thriving vertical farming company like AeroFarms”
Together, this R&D partnership will identify and optimize blueberry and cranberry plants for indoor growing, allowing both companies to further expand their knowledge in sustainable farming. The goal of the partnership is to advance the production of the next generation of commercial blueberries and cranberries in vertical farms.
The first phase of the partnership is already underway with blueberry plants arriving this spring at AeroFarms global headquarters in Newark, New Jersey U.S.A. where they have over 100,000 square feet of vertical farming space for R&D and commercial production. Hortifrut, through its state-of-the-art genetic program, has bred compact blueberry plants ideal for vertical farming and AeroFarms has optimized its grow systems for berry production. Both companies envision a long-term partnership working together to formulate the commercialization of blueberries and cranberries grown in vertical farms globally. The teams are focused on delivering the most flavorful, nutritious, fresh blueberries to consumers at any time, anywhere in the world. The agreement considers the experimental site setup, planting of Hortifrut varieties, feasibility, data analysis, and potential further expansion.
“We are thrilled to announce our blueberry partnership with Hortifrut,” said David Rosenberg, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of AeroFarms. “As we started sharing our mission and values with Hortifrut, we found deep alignment between our corporate goals and agricultural technologies. Hortifrut’s legacy of plant breeding and global blueberry production is unsurpassed in the industry, and we are excited to work together with the industry leader in delivering berries to the world every day. We look forward to bringing our mastery of controlled environment growing to commercial blueberry production. New Jersey has a rich history in blueberries dating back to 1910 when blueberries were domesticated for the very first time. Now AeroFarms and Hortifrut will be pioneering the next chapter for blueberries by domesticating them again in New Jersey – this time in a fully controlled environment.”
“We are very excited to have reached this agreement with such a successful and thriving vertical farming company like AeroFarms,” commented Juan Ignacio Allende, Hortifrut’s CEO. “Now we will put the efforts and know-how of both teams to work side by side, allowing us to succeed in growing blueberries and cranberries under this new technology. Responsible farming, high-quality fruit, and a commitment to customer service are in our DNA. We believe this is only the
beginning of a successful partnership focused on growing, supplying, and marketing the best berries, every day all over the world.”
About AeroFarms
Since 2004, AeroFarms has been leading the way for indoor vertical farming and championing transformational innovation for agriculture. On a mission to grow the best plants possible for the betterment of humanity, AeroFarms is a Certified B Corporation Company with global headquarters in Newark, New Jersey, United States. Named one of the World’s Most Innovative Companies by Fast Company two years in a row and one of TIME’s Best Inventions, AeroFarms patented, award-winning indoor vertical farming technology provides the perfect conditions for healthy plants to thrive, taking agriculture to a new level of precision, food safety, and productivity while using up to 95% less water and no pesticides versus traditional field farming. AeroFarms enables local production to safely grow all year round for its commercial retail brand Dream Greens that has peak flavor always®. In addition, through its proprietary growing technology platform, AeroFarms has developed multi-year strategic partnerships ranging from government to major Fortune 500 companies to help uniquely solve agriculture supply chain needs. For additional information, visit: https://aerofarms.com/.
On March 26, 2021, AeroFarms announced a definitive business combination agreement with Spring Valley Acquisition Corp. (Nasdaq: SV). Upon the closing of the business combination, which is expected in the second quarter of 2021, AeroFarms will become publicly traded on Nasdaq under the new ticker symbol "ARFM". AeroFarms is expected to receive approximately $357 million in gross transaction proceeds, enabling the company to fully fund the equity needs of its growth strategy, including expanding retail distribution and market penetration, constructing additional farms, introducing future generations of proprietary farming technology, and entering new product categories. AeroFarms has a platform approach to farming, utilizing its expertise in mechanical design, environmental design, operations, and digitization and genetics to both understand what a plant wants as well as how to influence environmental stresses to optimize plant growth. This data science-driven platform approach enables the company to better understand plants, optimize quality and reduce costs. Using its expertise in leafy greens, AeroFarms has a tremendous amount of data on plant biology to leverage coupled with years of experience with berries, having grown over 50 different types of berries to date. We have developed ways to grow berries with a higher sweetness than industry averages, and we now will be focused on blueberries and cranberries as well. Additional information about the transaction can be viewed here: https://aerofarms.com/investors/
About Hortifrut S.A.
Hortifrut is a global business platform and Certified B Corporation in Chile, that connects dedicated berry producers in the two hemispheres with the most important customers and markets around the world. It stands out for its unique business model based on innovation, varieties breeding, sustainability and digitization. Currently, the company has operations in North America, Central America, South America, Europe, Africa and Asia. Hortifrut is known for having a leading genetic program for berries, sales platforms attending top tier customers around the world, over 4,500 hectares of top-notch berry farms, in order to deliver all berries to more than 35 countries every day. For additional information, visit: https://hortifrut.com/en/
No Offer or Solicitation
This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy, or the solicitation of any vote or approval in any jurisdiction in connection with a proposed potential business combination among Spring Valley and AeroFarms or any related transactions, nor shall there be any sale, issuance or transfer of securities in any jurisdiction where, or to any person to whom, such offer, solicitation or sale may be unlawful. Any offering of securities or solicitation of votes regarding the proposed transaction will be made only by means of a proxy statement/prospectus that complies with applicable rules and regulations promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or pursuant to an exemption from the Securities Act or in a transaction not subject to the registration requirements of the Securities Act.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements included in this press release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions under the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements generally are accompanied by words such as “believe,” “may,” “will,” “estimate,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “expect,” “should,” “would,” “plan,” “predict,” “potential,” “seem,” “seek,” “future,” “outlook,” and similar expressions that predict or indicate future events or trends or that are not statements of historical matters. All statements, other than statements of present or historical fact included in this presentation, regarding Spring Valley’s proposed acquisition of AeroFarms, Spring Valley’s ability to consummate the transaction, the benefits of the transaction and the combined company’s future financial performance, as well as the combined company’s strategy, future operations, estimated financial position, estimated revenues and losses, projected costs, prospects, plans and objectives of management are forward-looking statements. These statements are based on various assumptions, whether or not identified in this press release, and on the current expectations of the respective management of AeroFarms and Spring Valley and are not predictions of actual performance. These forward-looking statements are provided for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to serve as, and must not be relied on as, a guarantee, an assurance, a prediction, or a definitive statement of fact or probability. Actual events and circumstances are difficult or impossible to predict and will differ from assumptions. Many actual events and circumstances are beyond the control of AeroFarms and Spring Valley. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including changes in domestic and foreign business, market, financial, political, and legal conditions; the inability of the parties to successfully or timely consummate the proposed transaction, including the risk that any regulatory approvals are not obtained, are delayed or are subject to unanticipated conditions that could adversely affect the combined company or the expected benefits of the proposed transaction or that the approval of the stockholders of Spring Valley or AeroFarms is not obtained; failure to realize the anticipated benefits of the proposed transaction; risks relating to the uncertainty of the projected financial information with respect to AeroFarms; risks related to the expansion of AeroFarms’ business and the timing of expected business milestones; the effects of
competition on AeroFarms’ business; the ability of Spring Valley or AeroFarms to issue equity or equity-linked securities or obtain debt financing in connection with the proposed transaction or in the future, and thehose factors discussed in Spring Valley’s final prospectus dated November 25, 2020 under the heading “Risk Factors,” and other documents Spring Valley has filed, or will file, with the SEC. If any of these risks materialize or our assumptions prove incorrect, actual results could differ materially from the results implied by these forward-looking statements. There may be additional risks that neither Spring Valley nor AeroFarms presently know, or that Spring Valley nor AeroFarms currently believe are immaterial, that could also cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements. In addition, forward-looking statements reflect Spring Valley’s and AeroFarms’ expectations, plans, or forecasts of future events and views as of the date of this press release. Spring Valley and AeroFarms anticipate that subsequent events and developments will cause Spring Valley’s and AeroFarms’ assessments to change. However, while Spring Valley and AeroFarms may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, Spring Valley and AeroFarms specifically disclaim any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing Spring Valley’s and AeroFarms’ assessments of any date subsequent to the date of this press release. Accordingly, undue reliance should not be placed upon the forward-looking statements.
Contacts
AeroFarms Contacts
Investor Relations:
Jeff Sonnek
ICR
Jeff.Sonnek@icrinc.com
1-646-277-1263
Media Relations:
Marc Oshima
AeroFarms
MarcOshima@AeroFarms.com
1-917-673-4602
Hortifrut Contacts
Investor Relations:
Gabriela Rojas
grojas@hortifrut.com
56-2-2-4792618
How To Grow Better Lettuce … In Space
The key to better eating on Mars might be a technology whose main commercial use today is enhancing the colors on television screens
Larissa Zimberoff
March 27, 2021
(Bloomberg Businessweek) -- The key to better eating on Mars might be a technology whose main commercial use today is enhancing the colors on television screens.
Quantum dots, or QDs, are tiny man-made particles whose properties can be manipulated so they emit specific colors when exposed to light. In consumer electronics, this proves useful for making brighter, more energy-efficient screens. In agricultural settings, quantum dots can be integrated into films that convert sunlight to orange and red light, colors that boost plants’ photosynthetic efficiency.
Directing the light from high-intensity lamps through a film-coated in quantum dots increased leaf size and yield in romaine lettuce by 13% in a recent study published in the journal Communications Biology. (The type of romaine the researchers used is called “Outrageous.”) Such films could significantly improve the prospects of extraterrestrial crops, by converting the ultraviolet radiation common in space into light that’s nourishing to Earth plants. It puts a new spin on the long-standing assumption that the way to higher yields is more light. Now growers can turn the light they already have into something better.
The NASA-funded study was conducted by the University of Arizona and UbiQD Inc.—pronounced “ubiquity”—a New Mexico-based startup that makes the film. Gene Giacomelli, a professor of horticultural engineering at the university who oversaw the study, says the technique is attractive because it requires no energy to operate, needs only lightweight materials, and can be easily installed. He’s confident it could be used to grow food on the moon, where he envisions densely packed rows of lunar lettuce. “They’ll grow to a foot tall,” he says. If we create a way for people to survive on the moon or Mars, “then I’m quite sure the plants would thrive, grow, and produce.”
© Photographer: Cassidy Araiza for Bloomberg Businessweek tech_food_07 This image can only be used with attached article for period of 90 days from publication
For now, there aren’t enough humans living in space to support a market for salad. Until that happens, UbiQD is primarily selling its films to agricultural clients on Earth. The company has conducted more than 60 trials, including the largest cucumber grower in North America and a tomato grower in Spain that reported a 20% yield increase in one crop cycle.
UbiQD produces rolls of film that are 4 feet wide, and it’s working on a 60-foot-wide version that would be more useful in large-scale agricultural operations. UbiQD, which has partnered with Solvay SA, an industry leader in producing greenhouse films, closed a $7 million Series A funding round in December. Nanosys Inc., the largest manufacturer of quantum dots, joined the round as a strategic investor.
“I believe that advanced materials underpin every technological advancement in the history of civilization,” says Hunter McDaniel, a former materials scientist at New Mexico’s Los Alamos National Lab who is UbiQD’s founder and chief executive officer. He hopes to use the prospect of space as a way to make quantum dots seem like an essential part of any serious growing operation. “What’s the ultimate in ubiquitous if not going off the planet?” he asks. “You leave the planet, you’re in the lead.”
It wouldn’t be the first time NASA’s research affected Earth-bound agriculture. The agency was early in funding tests of LED lights, which have been adopted by vertical farms—indoor facilities with growing trays stacked high on top of one another. Vertical farmers spent more than $1.2 billion on LED lighting in 2019, according to Emergen Research.
Margins in farming are very low, so any technique that can squeeze additional yield is attractive. But many operations are wary of new capital expenses. UbiQD’s film costs about $3 a square foot and has no operational costs. McDaniel says most customers can earn back their investment within two years, though more profitable crops, such as cannabis, may do so in a single season.
Although persuading a traditionally conservative industry to invest in QDs has been slow going, UbiQD thinks the market could be significant. For his part, Giacomelli is halfway through a study for NASA testing varieties of light specifically tuned for different crop types. “There’s going to be a recipe for every plant, every variety, and every age,” he says.
Lead photo: © Photographer: Cassidy Araiza for Bloomberg Businessweek tech_food_grid
For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com
©2021 Bloomberg L.P.
The Stock Market Discovers Indoor Ag In A Big Way
Special purpose acquisition companies are a faster cheaper way to raise company funds than the traditional IPO process. What role may they play in our ever growing vertical farming industry?
Robinhood antics aside, there’s no hotter topic in finance right now than SPACs (special purpose acquisition companies), and even indoor agriculture has become caught up in the buzz.
SPACs, or special purpose acquisition corporations, are a shell company that lists itself on a stock exchange and then uses the listing proceeds to acquire or merge with another company. It’s an attractive route to raising funds for companies looking for a faster and cheaper way to list than the rigours of the traditional IPO process.
Though SPACs have been around since the 1990s, they have had a reputation for being “the buyer of last resort”, primarily owing to a spate of failures in the early 2000s. The approach has once more taken off in recent years. There was nearly 8x as much raised in 2020 as in 2018, and 2021’s total has already surpassed last year’s[1]. The approach has become so hot that even Goldman Sachs junior investment bankers recently complained that they were burned out by the sheer volume of SPACs they’re working on[2].
This newfound enthusiasm is generally traced to a combination of tighter SEC regulations, efforts by cash-rich private equity companies to exit portfolio companies and fewer traditional IPO listings. Higher quality sponsors, such as 40-year old private equity firm Thoma Bravo, lead some to believe that things are different this time around. The lustre of famous SPAC participants – such as baseball player A-Rod and basketball legend Shaquille O’Neal – has helped things along.
Detractors point to post-listing underperformance by SPACs, high fees to sponsors and opaqueness around the acquisition of companies. SPAC rules mean that institutional investors sometimes get to see information on potential acquisitions ahead of retail investors.[3] On a recent Clubhouse chat, one investor compared SPACs to the risky no-revenue internet listings of the late 1990s. Another questioned whether retail investors’ appetite for such vehicles would cause greater market volatility[4].
Dan Bienvenue, the interim CEO of mega public pension fund CALPERs, recently described SPACs as “fraught with potential misalignment, potential governance issues”.[5] That said, similar dire warnings have accompanied the rise of many a new approach in finance, most recently equity crowdfunding, and have proven wrong as often as right.
As is so often the case in indoor agriculture, cannabis companies have led the way when it comes to SPACs, generally listing in Canada owing to the US federal prohibition on the crop. One example is Choice Consolidation Corp, which raised $150mm in February, and says that it plans to acquire “existing strong single-state operators”[6].
Historically, food-focused indoor agriculture companies have sourced little of their capital from public markets, preferring instead to work with private equity and strategic investors. To be sure, there is a small cadre of listed CEA firms, such as Canadian greenhouse operator Village Farms (TSE: VFF) and Canadian grow system tech company CubicFarm Systems Corp (TSXV: CUB) are exceptions to this rule.
All of that changed last month when Kentucky-based greenhouse company AppHarvest raised $475mm through NASDAQ listed SPAC Novus Capital. The funds will fuel the expansion of up to a dozen new farms through 2025.
Naturally, the move has led to speculation that vertical farms and greenhouses will follow suit, though it’s worth noting that the rules that govern SPACs aren’t necessarily friendly to CEA companies. They favour large, highly valued companies that easily capture the attention of retail investors, and those are not plentiful in CEA.
Regardless of whether the SPAC trend becomes a permanent feature of the indoor farm fundraising landscape, one more method of accessing capital for CEA can only be a good thing. For the moment at least.
For more information:
Contain
www.contain.ag
Note: None of the above constitutes investment advice.
Sources:
[1] SPACInsider figures
[2] “Goldman’s junior bankers complain of crushing workload amid SPAC-fueled boom in Wall Street deals”, CNBC, March 18, 2021
[3] For instance, where a PIPE is being considered by the SPAC
[4] “SPACS: IPO 2.0 & Agrifoodtech Exits”, March 4, 2021
[5] “CalPERS’ Bienvenue: SPACs are fraught with potential misalignment”, Private Equity International, March 16, 2021
[6] “New cannabis SPAC raises $150 million in IPO for US acquisitions”, Marijuana Business Daily, February 19, 2021
Publication date: Wed 24 Mar 2021
Author: Rebekka Boekhout
© VerticalFarmDaily.com
SINGAPORE: Green Fingers For GKE As It Moves Into Indoor Farming Obtains License From SFA
Warehousing and logistics company GKE Corporation, via its wholly-owned subsidiary GKE Agritech, has received its farm license from the Singapore Food Authority to commercialize indoor farming.
Lim Hui Jie
March 30, 2021
Warehousing and logistics company GKE Corporation, via its wholly-owned subsidiary GKE Agritech, has received its farm license from the Singapore Food Authority to commercialize indoor farming.
The receipt of the farm license allows GKE Agritech to grow and sell its produce commercially in Singapore.
In a press release on Mar 30, GKE explained that with consumers becoming increasingly aware of healthy living, there is a higher demand for better quality and higher nutritional value produce.
This, together with Singapore’s dependence on imported food, motivated it to broaden its businesses into agriculture, it said.
GKE took into account, among others, that its strategic investment in GKE Agritech would enable it to achieve better utilization of its office premises and to align with the Singapore Government’s initiative to produce 30% of the nation’s nutritional needs locally by 2030.
The company revealed that its unutilized office premise located at 6 Pioneer Walk has since been converted into an indoor farm, and has obtained approvals from all relevant authorities to grow vegetables indoors.
It added it has adopted the controlled-environment agriculture approach, where automation and sensors are deployed to provide protection and maintain optimal growing conditions throughout the development of the crop.
GKE then said the initial focus of GKE Agritech is to grow kale as its key product for local consumption and believes that indoor cultivation of kale will provide consistency in the quality and quantity of pesticide-free vegetables,
Neo Cheow Hui, CEO and Executive Director of GKE explained that the kale is cultivated indoors vertically via a racking system, which allows the company to enjoy higher utilization of the office space.
Furthermore, Neo said the current cultivation area for kale is about 2,400 square feet, and with the farm license, the company is looking to increase the cultivation area gradually to 12,500 square feet.
As the business of GKE Agritech is still at an early stage, GKE does not expect this to have any material contribution to the Group in the current financial year ending 31 May 2021, and said it will update shareholders on material developments as and when they arise.
Why The 'Tesla Of Strawberries' Cost $5 Each
"This is an oh my god berry," one Omakase berry enthusiast gushed in Oishii's promotional Instagram video
BY HANNA CLAESON
MARCH 17, 2021
Why does the "Tesla of strawberries" cost $5 each? "This is an oh my god berry," one Omakase berry enthusiast gushed in Oishii's promotional Instagram video. To give you a more precise idea: Oishii's strawberries, berries that the company's CEO, Hiroki Koga, calls the "Tesla of strawberries" or the "happiest strawberries that you can find on this planet," are sold in three-packs (via Food Navigator and Instagram). Oishii suggests you pair your first "with a sip of perfectly brewed Japanese Oolong Tea," you're second with "a bite of creamy, bloomy rind cheese" and your third "with a glass of natural wine."
The whole experience will cost you at least four McDonald's Happy Meals; be prepared to dish out between $15.00 and $18.75 for these strawberries (they retail, says Grub Street, at between $5.00 and $6.25 a pop, depending on size) in addition to your tea, cheese, and alcohol investment.
If you do buy an Omakase berry, you shouldn't wait to eat it. Oishii, Time reports, guarantees that upon purchase, their strawberries will have been harvested and delivered on the same day to ensure that each berry is perfectly, exquisitely ripe. The company's farmers are trained, intensively, to identify the optimum "shade of red" (via Instagram). "When you bite into it, the aroma just spreads into your mouth," Koga told NPR. "Our customers say when they leave a tray of our strawberry in their room, and they come back after two or three minutes, the entire room smells like strawberry."
The science behind the "happiest strawberries on the planet"
When Oishii's CEO moved to the United States and tasted strawberries here, he was crestfallen. "It almost reminded me of cucumbers," he told NPR. So Koga traveled back to Japan and taste-tested nearly 50 varieties of strawberries before he settled on the one he'd grow in his vertical farm in New Jersey, a 15-minute drive from New York City. The variety Koga painstakingly selected contains twice as much sugar as any-old-American-supermarket strawberry. Besides that, Oishi promises "an airier texture and unexposed seeds."
To achieve perfection, Koga relied on Japanese experts to simulate the weather conditions of a "perfect day in Japan." And he doesn't simply control the temperature in his vertical farm, he also regulates "humidity and levels of CO2 and wind speed" (via NPR). Additionally, with the help of an AI machine, real, live bees pollinate the farm's strawberry flowers. Oishi claims that it's the first indoor vertical farm to achieve such natural pollination (via Instagram). The result, says Grub Street's Adam Platt, is a "diabolically uniform" berries, "you would call [them] monotonous, except they're really quite delicious."
For now, you'll only be able to try these strawberries with non-cucumber-like taste profiles if you have easy access to Manhattan. But a recent $50 million investment into Oishi may soon change that. Koga, according to Food Navigator, has already developed simpler-to-grow, cheaper, grocery-friendly strawberry varieties. He swears they have similar taste profiles to the original Omakase berry.
PODCAST: Vertical Farming Podcast - Season 3 Episode 28 - Robert Laing. Rob Is The Founder And CEO At Farm.One
Join Harry Duran, host of Vertical Farming Podcast, as he welcomes to the show founder, leader, and author, Robert Laing. Rob is the Founder and CEO at Farm.One, an organization that has reinvented specialty farming, and now supplies some of the best chefs in New York.
In this episode, Harry and Rob discuss Rob’s background in design and how Rob’s entrepreneurial drive led him to launch Farm.One. Rob talks about how the pandemic impacted his business and how he was able to pivot to different business models to combat those challenges. Rob shares the work he and his organization are doing to help underrepresented groups as well as the work they’re doing with Google to address sustainability.
Listen & Subscribe
Season 3 Title Sponsor
If you are starting a vertical farm and don't know where to begin, or which technology would suit your needs, Cultivatd can help. As indoor farm brokers, they help connect you to the right technology and ensure your project is successful. Best of all, their service is free. They work on behalf of their partners.
Smart Acres, UAE''s Latest Hydroponic Vertical Farm, Reaches Significant Milestones Within One Year of Launch
At the moment, the team is currently garnering a large amount of interest amongst industry chefs due to the consistent weights of its crops and especially the shelf-life of these tasty greens reaching up to 14 day
3/30/2021
(MENAFN - Mid-East.Info) Having only launched in August 2020, the vertical farm has surpassed industry-targeted weights with its clean, and locally-grown produce in the UAE
Dubai, United Arab Emirates: Smart Acres, the UAE's latest addition to the hydroponic vertical farming industry, has accomplished a series of achievements within its first year since launching. In its inception, Smart Acres has begun distributing a variety of lettuce to various partners and has since then obtained its record-high numbers in producing some of the largest and heaviest greens in the UAE.
Within the last year, Smart Acres has been producing a line of the freshest, most nutrient-dense greens for UAE residents and businesses alike, and in recent months it has successfully dominated its system of cultivating and harvesting mature species of lettuce exceeding industry-targeted weights for vertical farming, a rare achievement amongst all vertical farms in the GCC region. The AgriTech farm has grown Green Glace up to a record-breaking 419 grams, and has broken maximum weight records with all of their other varieties as well, reaching above 300 grams per lettuce head. This has been a tremendous effort by the company as the produce is not only maintaining large weights, but it is also consistent in its quality and taste. Despite achieving such results, size plays a secondary role when deciding which crops meet the quality standard as their main focus is shape, colour, and taste. At the moment, the team is currently garnering a large amount of interest amongst industry chefs due to the consistent weights of its crops and especially the shelf-life of these tasty greens reaching up to 14 days.
The accomplishments of Smart Acres are in large part due to the internal research and development their team completed prior to and post-launch in 2020. Thanks to the efforts of their team, not only have they produced some of the highest quality lettuce in the region, but there has been a steady increase in demand for purchasing from Smart Acres for food services despite the challenges brought on throughout 2020. Additionally, the vertical farm has achieved a planting ratio of 95% and above when transplanting seedlings. The company takes into consideration the overall size, root health, and health of the leaves when deciding which seedlings are healthy or not to achieve the best results. Smart Acres has managed to cultivate exceptional quality crops with its current farm module technology, and for its upcoming expansion, the company will be installing even newer technology with updated physical systems that will allow for better resource consumption and airflow.
Smart Acres was founded with the mission of improving food security within the United Arab Emirates and developing the country's farming capabilities, providing a solution to potential socioeconomic threats such as pandemics and climate limitations the Middle East currently endures. The vertical farming company, developed by a team of experts, CEO Abdulla Al Kaabi, Director Sean Lee, Lead Project Manager, Aphisith Phongsavanh, and Farm Operations Manager, Vishakh Nath, is a one-of-a-kind agriculture system which is designed to produce some of the highest yields of crops within the UAE's vertical farming industry, whilst introducing a new future for clean foods and allowing both B2B and B2C sectors to locally sourced produce.
Smart Acres'' vision is to shape a balanced well-being for communities and connect them with readily available clean foods. Through their technology and growth methods, Smart Acres will easily provide the UAE with ultra-high quality produce farmed sustainably. The future expansion plan of the company will lie at the development of ''Smart Acres Institute of Food Security & Agriculture'', which will be built on the existing land owned by their CEO, Abdulla al Kaabi.
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This Indoor Vertical Farm Relies On Hydroponics To Grow Crops Anywhere During Any Season!
Hydroponic vertical farming is a form of farming that ditches the need for soil, substituting in different root-supporting materials like peat moss or Rockwool, allowing plants to grow in nutrient-rich water
Since 2013, the Green Concept Award has functioned as a platform for networking and been awarded to designers who have made globally sustainable and innovative products. The awards recognize products already on the market or in their conceptual stages that stand out for their design, innovation, and commitment to sustainability. Each year, the Green Concept Award jury members finalize a pre-selection list before awarding the winning product with the year’s title. One of the products on 2021’s pre-selection list is Farmhouse, a hydroponic vertical farm conceptualized by designers at Kingston University’s School of Art.
Hydroponic vertical farming is a form of farming that ditches the need for soil, substituting in different root-supporting materials like peat moss or Rockwool, allowing plants to grow in nutrient-rich water. The five-tiered Farmhouse is stocked with trays that contain all the materials necessary for optimal hydro-plant growth, like filtered, nutrient-infused water, oxygen, and root support.
Additionally, the vertical farm comes equipped with bright lights, either LEDs or HIDs, to replace the natural sunlight outdoors so that each plant can receive special lighting according to its own Daily Light Integral (DLI). Hydroponics is a sustainable farming practice for many reasons, but a significant one might be that by tending to a hydroponic farm, like Farmhouse, crops can be grown anywhere, during any time of the year.
The food we eat on a day-to-day basis travels about 1,500 miles before reaching our plate. While picking produce up at the supermarket seems simple, a lot of pollution takes place behind the scenes, all before hitting the shelves. Delivering produce to grocery stores across the globe requires lots of plastic packaging and plenty more fuel for transportation, increasing levels of microplastic and air pollution in the process. The designers behind Farmhouse aim to cut those unsustainable practices by designing a hydroponic farming solution that can be used in any home, during any season.
Designer: Kingston University (Kingston School of Art)
The five shelves of the Farmhouse contain all the necessary materials required for hydroponic farming.
Outfitted with shelves, Farmhouse grows crops using metal trays that guide the plant’s direction of growth.
A water system, filter, and root-support material all work together to help produce crops through hydroponics.
Without the convenience of natural sunlight, hydroponic farming relies on LEDs and HIDs to feed crops with light.
Thanks to a ribbed glass pane and warm color scheme, Farmhouse can fit into any room.
Coming in denim blue, moss green, rose pink, scarlet red, and blonde yellow – the Farmhouse also comes with a simple frame and intuitive build.
A raised top shelf feeds the plants inside the Farmhouse with plenty of airflow and oxygen.
Indoor Farms Are Particularly Environmentally Friendly
Vertical farming has long since moved beyond the experimental stage. The market research company Global Market Insights forecasts a growth rate of around 28 percent by 2026
Glass display cases in grocery stores are nothing unusual. But what is this one doing in the vegetable section of a Frankfurt supermarket? In fact, there is neither sausage nor cheese behind glass; instead, herbs stretch out into the purple artificial light. It is a small greenhouse.
The customers look on with interest and skepticism. The lush green doesn't quite match the trays on which the plants are arranged in rows, as if in a laboratory. One shelf further on, the private label parsley finally makes its way into the shopping cart - origin: Germany, Morocco or Spain, may vary depending on the offer.
Photo by Satish Kumar on Unsplash
Spanish greenhouses are not exactly known for their economical use of water, fertilizers or pesticides. These glass showcases are quite different. They were developed specifically to allow crops to grow in them in a way that conserves resources as much as possible. This is because food production is increasingly reaching its limits worldwide: Arable land and drinking water are already scarce in many places, and climate change and its accompanying effects are likely to exacerbate the problem in many parts of the world in the future. Added to this is population growth. According to United Nations projections, some 9.7 billion people will inhabit the earth in 2050, around one-third of them in the metropolitan areas of large cities. More than two decades ago, Dickson Despommier of New York's Columbia University, therefore, began looking at ways of creating particularly economical greenhouses. This idea is also behind the glass showcases that the Berlin-based company Infarm is installing in supermarkets.
The saving starts with the space. Plants are stacked on top of each other on shelves in a very confined space - this new form of agriculture is called "vertical farming. If, in addition, sunlight is completely avoided in a completely enclosed space, this is known as "indoor farming. In principle, this can be implemented on any size scale: While agricultural entrepreneurs produce salads and herbs in industrial halls the size of a soccer field or set up glass showcases in supermarkets, hobby gardeners grow their greens in miniature farms that look like extravagant microwave ovens at first glance.
Vertical farming has long since moved beyond the experimental stage. The market research company Global Market Insights forecasts a growth rate of around 28 percent by 2026. Vertical farming is already being practiced on a large scale in America, Japan, Denmark, and the Netherlands. One pioneer is the German company Infarm, which says it already produces salads and herbs indoors on an area of 50,000 square meters - mainly in supermarkets and restaurants. With central indoor systems in factory buildings, so-called growing centers, the company wants to increase this area tenfold within five years. Meanwhile, researchers and entrepreneurs around the world are working on indoor farming technologies.
"By growing crops vertically, we can produce more than a hundred times as much food on the same amount of land," says Simon Vogel, a biology lab technician working on indoor farming concepts at Fraunhofer IME in Aachen. The demand is considerable: food is now grown on half the land in Germany, and yet around 65 percent of vegetables in this country are imported. "With the help of indoor farms, less food needs to be imported," Vogel says. Space-saving greenhouses even fit into urban centers. Herbs and salads then grow where they are consumed, reducing the need for transport and therefore CO2 emissions.
Underground Agriculture In London Is Gearing Up
By 2022, Growing Underground aims to produce 60 metric tons of vegetables across an area of 528 square meters. That should be enough for 10,000 households and is 12x more than what is produced on a regular farm
Growing Underground In London Is One
of The Largest Underground Vertical Farms
In the World That is Controlled Entirely
By A Digital Twin At The University of Cambridge.
29 March 2021
All the good things an old World War II bunker can bring, right? Thirty meters below ground, near the London New Covent Garden food market, two entrepreneurs have been working together for several years with the British University of Cambridge on an underground farm that has great ambitions.
Their intention is not only to significantly increase production on-site over the coming years. The project also serves as an example for the whole world, according to co-founder Richard Ballard,
By 2022, Growing Underground aims to produce 60 metric tons of vegetables across an area of 528 square meters. That should be enough for 10,000 households and is 12x more than what is produced on a regular farm.
Energy and water
Vegetable cultivation takes place without soil, as the plants thrive on a kind of ‘woolen carpet’ that uses very little water. “70% less than on a conventional farm,” claims Growing Underground. Energy consumption is also low due to the great depth – which ensures few temperature fluctuations – and thanks to the energy-efficient LED lighting.
Nevertheless, energy is the one thing that still stands in the way of a global breakthrough. Ballard: “Vertical agriculture is on the verge of exponential growth due to ever-improving LED technology, the Internet of Things, cloud computing, and wireless sensors. But the really big breakthrough will come once more and cheaper renewable energy becomes available that can also be stored.”
Ballard believes vertical agriculture can make a significant contribution to the food problem we undoubtedly have in store as a result of an ever- growing global population. For a techie, the fun part is that it also requires a lot of high-end sensor technology.
Melanie Jans-Singh
A digital twin
There are 25 sensors in the underground farm that constantly track how the plants are doing. E.g., whether something needs to be done with the amount of CO2 in the air, nutrients, temperature, humidity and light. In total, 89 variables are involved. Even the speed at which the plants grow is measured, says researcher Melanie Jans-Singh from the University of Cambridge.
Jans-Singh: “The digital twin provides us with a 3D representation of the situation in London here in Cambridge. That image is even better than if you were there on site yourself. The digital twin can do much more than a human being. It can monitor, learn, give feedback and make predictions. All factors that will help increase productivity.”
A great deal of research into vertical farming is also being done in the Netherlands, such as by the company Plantlab.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Maurits Kuypers graduated as a macroeconomist from the University of Amsterdam, specializing in international work. He has been active as a journalist since 1997, first for 10 years on the editorial staff of Het Financieele Dagblad in Amsterdam, then as a freelance correspondent in Berlin and Central Europe. When it comes to technological innovations, he always has an eye for the financial feasibility of a project.
Polygreens Podcast Episode: 19 Grahame Dunling - WorldWide Local Salads
Grahame Dunling, together with son Matthew, has launched WorldWide Local Salads, bringing vertical farming to the city where the rich rural hinterlands served his family well for more than 100 years
Joe Swartz & Nick Greens | 3/26/2021
In this episode Joe and Nick interview Grahame Dunling about his extensive career in vertical farming. Vertical farming allows us to grow healthy, accessible foods within a few acres of land, close to home.
Grahame Dunling, together with son Matthew, has launched WorldWide Local Salads, bringing vertical farming to the city where the rich rural hinterlands saw the family well for more than 100 years.
More about Grahame Dunling:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/grahame-dunling
More about Joe Swartz:
Website: https://amhydro.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/HydroConsultant
More about Nick Greens:
Website: https://www.nickgreens.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/InfoGreens
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/nickgreens)
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CALS Researchers Imagine Future of Urban Farming
Making the case for urban agriculture, Cornell researchers have presented a vision for greener cities and a more equitable future for farmers
March 26, 2021
By Rory Sheppard
Making the case for urban agriculture, Cornell researchers have presented a vision for greener cities and a more equitable future for farmers.
The Cornell Small Farms Program, housed in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, is responsible for a body of research that advocates for the development of viable small farms throughout New York State.
Cornell Small Farms continues to advocate for urban agriculture through emerging projects such as Urban Ag, which focuses on highlighting the considerations farmers need to make to farms in urban environments and cites examples of successful urban farming.
As part of the program’s mission to ensure a future of rural and urban agriculture through research and educational opportunities, Director of the Cornell Small Farms Program, Dr. Anusuya Rangarajan and Urban Agriculture Specialist of the Cornell Small Farms Program, Molly Riordan published “The Promise of Urban Agriculture” in 2019.
The authors argue in the report that urban farms have the potential to become commercially viable, adding that up to now, much of the existing research has focused on the impact of urban agriculture on social indicators, such as community development and educational attainment.
According to Riordan, the make of a viable urban farm depends on factors such as the laws and regulations of a municipality, the availability and affordability of land, and opportunities available for season extension.
To produce a more comprehensive picture of the future of urban agriculture, Rangarajan and Riordan started by collecting data, speaking to an active network of growers.
“Every time we spoke with someone, we asked, ‘Who else should we speak with about commercial farming in cities?’” Riordan said in an email. “Inevitably that led us to more conversations that broadened and deepened our understanding. We spoke with over 160 individuals in the course of the study.”
Since publication, the multiple findings and recommendations of the report have started to take effect. Partnering with Rooted, an urban agriculture training organization, Cornell Small Farms has been working to introduce training for urban farmers to help improve commercial viability.
Riordan said that the farms, specifically those in controlled environments, have been known to generate considerable finances and interest from venture capital, alongside the development of more technology-focused urban farms. Likewise, technical assistance, research, and training will be essential in increasing the number of urban farms in the coming years.
As the researchers envisioned the future of urban agriculture, they were acutely aware of the concerns that still impact the field. One of the major challenges for urban farmers is, despite the typically smaller nature of the farms, urban land access.
“Knowing that urban growers struggle for access to land, especially Black, Indigenous, immigrant and other farmers of color, institutions can do more to lift up their voices and put the weight and the funding of the
Lead photo: Ben Parker/Sun Senior Photographer -
Housed in CALS, the Cornell Small Farms Program seeks to build more diverse, equitable, and sustainable food systems.