Regulatory changes expected to restrict smaller companies’ ability to provide beneficial microbes

While early 2020 cast a dismal outlook for Green Search Inc., the biotech company quickly bounced back amid the pandemic and finished the year with its high revenues yet. According to Remco Kostwinder, president of Green Search Inc., “The magic was in being flexible and seeing where we could fit in the…

France: Containers to grow fruit and vegetables in La Courneuve

In the French department of Seine-Saint-Denis, an urban production of fruit and vegetables is being grown in 12-meter long containers. The products grow inside, under a pink…

BBC

How to grow food in a concrete jungle

Guillaume Fourdinier has lived in Paris for six years, but he still misses the taste of the fresh cereal grains, beets, carrots and more that grow on his family's farm in Verton. There, in northern France's countryside, eating locally is a way of life – not simply a trend or a sticker on an apple at the…

Study on basil growth in aquaponics system with catfish

Basil (Ocimum basilicum) was cultivated in Rostock, Northern Germany, in a decoupled aquaponic system with African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) under intensive rearing…

Is there a future for vertical farming in New Zealand?

New Zealand has a large focus on outdoor, pastoral farming. Is there a need for Vertical Farming? Some say yes, others say no. NZ has some unique features to it, including high levels of sunshine hours and generally good growing conditions. On VerticalFarming.com, benefits of the system for the NZ…

Photo by Sundayvision

What vertical grow light exist for indoor farming?

If the indoor place you want to grow your plants doesn’t have access to natural light, using vertical grow light is the solution. Suppose you require additional lighting for the growth of your plants. This usually happens during the winter seasons, where vertical grow lights can be used as another light…

Hyderabad's agri-startup using modern tech for pesticide-free vegetables

A Hyderabad-based techie who had returned from Australia after a span of 20 years, has recently set up an agri-startup that offers modern technology such as machine learning,…

New compostable packaging can double shelf-life of fresh produce

Compostable packaging producer TIPA and shelf-life extension specialist PerfoTec have partnered to offer fully compostable packaging that extends the shelf-life of fresh produce. The resulting laser microperforated compostable film provides retailers and suppliers with the ideal packaging qualities to…

Study on outdoor vertical farming on textile substrates

Vertical farming may solve the problem that in many regions of the world, more area would be necessary to produce food, than it is available. Especially in large cities and other densely crowded areas, vertical farming can provide an efficient and eco-friendly way to feed people. While indoor vertical…

The warehouse of the future

The future of warehouse logistics. These are the STO Express logistics robots in the sorting centre of Xuzhou, China.    

Webinar on shifting approaches to farming in Canada

Canada’s agriculture sector is in the midst of a number of changes, from automation to sustainability to shifting demographics. The Globe and Mail hosted the second event in its Future of Farming series on February 25 to provide a forum for discussion on what these changes mean. Missed the live event or…

Photo by Yanni Yacial

Israel-UAE agriculture and water conference: "Desert agriculture can be the answer to food security"

As climate change continues to impact agriculture worldwide, a conference aimed at advancing technological cooperation in agriculture and water was held in Tel Aviv this week with senior government representatives from Israel and Africa along with investors from the United Arab Emirates and Israeli…

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Study on bacillus as an aquaculture friendly microbe

Bacillus species are Gram-positive, endospore-forming bacteria having a vital role in the sustainable aquaculture production. Bacillus as gut probiotic significantly enhances growth, immune response, and disease resistance in several aquatic cultured organisms. The supplementation of Bacillus as pond…

"No green thumb is needed for this computer-led growth chamber'

When you think of agriculture, do you think of technology? If not, you should. Innovative agriculture techniques play a vital role in the next generation of food production—which explores how technology can address important issues related to food. One of those issues is disparities around access to…

Guide to photosynthetically active radiation (PAR)

There are several different terms that are essential to understanding grow lighting and the optimisation of plant yields across multiple climates, grow spaces and plant types. One of the most important of these is photosynthetically active radiation, commonly referred to as PAR. In a recent blog post,…

"A childhood dream come true" with a vertical farm in Africa

At the age of nine, Josephine Favre uttered the words of her passionate dream: “When I grow up, I am going to feed Africa.” Interestingly, the little child was then thousands of miles away from her continent, Africa.  Born in Tanzania, Josephine’s parents had moved to Geneva, when she was eight years old.…

"Ontario horticulture is at a forefront in automation and robotization"

Koat and Crux Agribotics are investing in a local sales and service organization in Canada to serve the horticulture and fresh produce market. For this expansion, the company is looking for a local Sales manager and multiple Service Engineers. Koat and Crux Agribotics are growing extensively, also in the…

"What is the sweetest strawberry?"

Since March 2019 strawberry on iFarm vertical farms were cultivated using 4 ways: aeroponics (1), low-volume hydroponics with drip irrigation on coconut substrate (2) and on coconut mats (3) and low-volume hydroponics with watering using the method of periodic flooding (4). For the research we used…

State-of-the-art lab is MU effort to raise awareness of the university’s first Black teacher

The University of Missouri today honored Henry Kirklin, a celebrated Black farmer and educator who lived in and around Columbia from 1858 until his death in 1938, with the naming of the Henry Kirklin Plant Sciences Learning Laboratory in his honor. Nearly a dozen of Kirklin’s descendants were in virtual…

New LED solution launched

Hydrofarm Holdings Group, an independent wholesaler and manufacturer of hydroponics equipment and commercial horticultural products, unveiled Photobio TX and Photobio T linear top lights— the newest additions to the Phantom Photobio series of next generation LED tech solutions. The high-performance products, optimized for…

Study on mechanisms that protect plant fertility from heat stress

Plant fertility is dramatically affected by spikes in temperature, directly resulting in yield reduction and economic loss. Understanding the molecular mechanisms that…

Ready for some greens!

Couple goals: from smartphone to smart farm

Rob Flanders pulls out his smartphone and with a few taps, he turns off a hydroponic water system. “This,” he says, referring to the farmhand app on his phone, “is the brains of the farm.” Located in a shipping container in his backyard, the entire “smart farm” is less than .15% of an acre. Rob and his…