Hong Kong has more skyscrapers than any other city, so it's not surprising that just 0.6% of its land is farmed. The city currently produces less than 2% of the fresh vegetables eaten there, but one agritech startup wants to change that.
In a 20,000-square-foot industrial warehouse in Hong Kong's Tai Po district, Farm66 grows plants on stacked shelves under LED lights. Protected from pests and pollution, this indoor farm uses no soil, and minimal water, says Gordon Tam, co-founder, and CEO of Farm66.
Making effective use of limited space and indoor farms in urban areas could help to reduce transport-related carbon emissions and improve food security in cities that rely on imports, says Tam, an issue that was thrust into the spotlight when supermarket shelves emptied during the pandemic.
So far, the company has raised more than $4 million in Series A funding, says Tam, with backers including the Alibaba Entrepreneurs Fund and startup accelerator ParticleX. Now, Tam is looking to scale up production of his smart farming technology, as well as exploring ways to grow crops in extreme environments, including outer space.
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