Why cooling is an important asset in vertical farming

“Although crops in vertical farms have a highly controlled environment, cooling remains an essential part of the entire growing process needed to guarantee the preservation of the product quality for its end consumers,” shares Sylvia van Uden, Sales manager at Weber Cooling. Weber Cooling is a Dutch…

Eden Green Tech: 11,600m2 hybrid farm will deliver up to five million pounds of produce a year

Eden Green Tech, a vertical farm company, based in Texas, USA, has opened its new hybrid farm of 83,000 sq ft with the second phase on its way. Phase one of the North Texas farm expansion, which is now open, was completed about a year ago, despite supply chain delays and roadblocks. The latest vertical…

US (SC): Local elementary school installs its first soilless garden

Lex-Rich Five school Leaphart Elementary STEAM Magnet has installed a new hydroponics tower from Lettuce Grow on campus. Hydroponic gardening is water-based, growing plants and herbs without soil. The tower will be an instructional tool to engage students while learning about food production, nutrition…

US (VA): Teachers can win a free hydroponic system

Virginia educators interested in growing produce with their students can enter for a chance to win a free hydroponics system from Virginia Agriculture in the Classroom (AITC). Virginia AITC is hosting a 2022 Back-to-School Giveaway through which it will award three lucky Virginia teachers with a HYVE®…

India: Over 200 households adopt aquaponics as side food stream as trend rises

Wish to grow vegetables and fish but don’t have the space for it? More than 200 families in Cherai, Ernakulam, have found the answer by implementing aquaponics.   Cherai embraced it as part of the initiative launched by Pallipuram Service Co-operative Bank (PSCB) in 2006 in association with Marine Products Export…

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UK investor plans to boost investment in vertical farms up to £500 mln

Gresham House, a UK alternative investment specialist, plans to boost its investment in vertical farms by 10 times over the next three to five years, boosting its total commitment to between £300 million ($344 million) and £500 million. Chinese tech giant Tencent Holdings Ltd. invested in an…

"More than 100 full spectrum designs for plants in wider range of wavelengths"

With the increase of extreme climate events and the lack of soil resources, traditional soil cultivation is facing increasing challenges, and modern soilless cultivation is rapidly emerging. "One of the most popular methods of cultivation is the vertical farm, which is being developed in different…

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Circular design helps LED grow lights deliver on green potential

Across the LED lighting industry, manufacturers and researchers are exploring materials innovations to push LED solutions beyond energy efficiency to prioritize the circular economy in product design. One innovation is the 3D printing of luminaires from recyclable polycarbonate. They are typically not…

How lightweight expanded clay comes in beneficial

Leca stands for lightweight expanded clay aggregate. To put it simply, Leca comes in baked clay balls that soak up a little water, after which they expand slightly. It’s a…

Photo: Saga Robotics

"Increasing adoption of ag robots as more growers ‘get it’"

According to Anne Dingstad, the brand-new CEO of Saga Robotics, the time for ag robots is now. “The technology delivers, the numbers stack up.”  In 2021, Saga Robotics launched Thorvald, an autonomous robotic platform that focuses on reducing powdery mildew through UV-C treatment. In August of this year, Anne…

Eighth edition of Seed meets Technology is over

Seed meets Technology is over. We already did a tour on Tuesday, on day 1 of the three-day international seed technology fair. We have already published the report of that day. The photos are now also online. Johan Kos of host Vertify and Dimmie Vervorst-Haakman of Syngenta. Johan expressed his pleasure…

How to reduce water consumption by 95% and achieve 400 times more efficiency?

A German vegetable company has shown that it is possible to reduce the area under cultivation by 99% and the consumption of water by 95% without using pesticides or chemicals…

Oman: researchers succeed in farming Asian seabass and cherry tomatoes in aquaponics system

Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) succeeded in farming and producing Asian seabass (barramundi) and cherry tomatoes through an aquaponics system. Dr. Wenresti Gallardo, Associate Professor at the Department of Marine Sciences and Fisheries in the College of Agricultural and Marine Sciences, tested more…

EnviroCrops app – a decision support tool for the biomass sector

The EnviroCrops web app project has been awarded £1.57 million of funding from BEIS through the Biomass Feedstocks Innovation (BFI) Programme. The project is led by the Agri…

US East Coast: "CEA products are becoming the top search on our website"

“In the case of indoor farming, FreshDirect as an online grocer has the advantage of already working with short supply chains, which fits nicely into CEA principles. Currently, the typical produce chain involves growing food, sending it to a warehouse, then to another warehouse in another country and…

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The power of genetics to unleash the potential of indoor farming

How can the biology of a crop be manipulated for greater profits in this fast-growing market through breeding?  Since early farmers began collecting seeds for propagation, they focused on varieties that performed best in unpredictable field conditions, not in highly controlled environments. Specifically, crop…

Mokena-based Ditto Farms provides Chicagoland with organic vertical farmed produce

A farmer in south suburban Mokena is on a mission to increase access to fresh produce. He's growing lush greens, herbs, and vegetables without soil, fertilizer, or even sunlight. It's a process called hydroponic farming, and it's happening right here in the Chicagoland area. Derek Drake and Brad…

Then and now

Jessica Naomi Fong, founder of Common Farms, a Hong Kong-based vertical farm, shared a lovely photo where the progress of her business can be seen. The 'now' represents Common Farms participating in a project inside a museum, which you'll be hearing more about soon.  

UK: Grow It York wins award for indoor community farming initiative

A community farm, established by the University of York and based at a container park, has been awarded the Best Community Initiative Award at the World Vertical Farming awards 2022. The farm, Grow It York, was created by the FixOurFood team at the University in 2021 when Prof Katherine Denby teamed up…

WUR and GIANT LEAPS partner to accelerate transition to alternative dietary proteins

Wageningen University & Research is delighted to announce our participation in a new Horizon Research and Innovation Action called GIANT LEAPS. This EU-funded project aims to accelerate the transition from animal-based to alternative dietary proteins. This dietary shift is key to reducing the footprint…