“We are a technology company that is trying to put different farming solutions together to produce fish, insects, and vegetables in a circular manner,” says Nelson Wei Tan, co-founder / CEO of V+ Agritech.
V+ Agritech was founded in Singapore in 2021 with a mission to develop sustainable, circular, and hyperlocal farms, especially in cities and arid regions of the world. V+ Agritech’s system consists of aquaponics, V-Gro towers, microbial management with the NuBioFix Microbial Analysis Kit, Brite Solar’s “solar glass,” and waste management. Recently, the company won the Republic Poly-Trendlines Agrifood Incubation Programme.
Click here to see the photo report of our visit
V+ Agritech wants to introduce 300 and 1000-square-foot farms with a fixed design that is easy to deliver, either individually or in multiples. These farms could easily be installed at hotels, schools, catering companies, and nursing homes, among other locations. V+ Agritech has already set one up at a school, where it is being used both to educate children and to provide food to the central kitchen.
Click here to see the photo report of our visit
Patent-pending, microbe-driven grow towers
Vegetable production in V+ Agritech’s system happens in its patent-pending V-Gro towers, whose design enhances microbial activity and thus increasing the nutrient availability to plants. As aquaponics is another piece of the puzzle, converting the fish waste into usable nutrients is done by microbes. However, vertical farming systems is often framed as a sterile, microbe-free environment. The design of V-Gro towers will allow growers to rely more on organic fertilizers and less on synthetic products, all while promoting biodiversity in the farm.
“Our farms will become their own ecosystems. If we can’t access fertilizer for whatever reason, our system will still work,” says Nelson.
Nelson and the new V-Gro towers
Farms to be operated under SaaS-like business model
As founding member James Yin explains, V+ Agritech hopes to implement a SaaS approach to farm management, whereby the company would run the farm for the owners. This is especially useful when the farm is installed at schools, offices, or other facilities that may not have a workforce dedicated to the farm.
Click here to see the photo report of our visit
Desert greenhouse design
V+ Agritech is currently working on developing a collaboration in the Middle East in order to collect data in a desert environment and adapt its system to different environments. The company is also currently awaiting the patent for its V-Gro growing towers and has recently submitted a grant proposal for $1 million, which will include innovations incorporating agrivoltaics robotic automation and its new grow towers.
For more information:
V+ Agritech
https://vplusagritech.com/
[email protected]