The Association for Vertical Farming e.V. (AVF), based in Munich, has officially entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Christ University in Bangalore, India. The partnership marks a significant step toward strengthening educational outreach and industry collaboration in Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) and vertical farming practices across South Asia.
The MoU outlines plans for the development of distance learning courses tailored to indoor and vertical farming, as well as the hosting of an international conference from November 18–20, 2025 at Christ University. The conference, titled "Elevating the Value of Medicinal & Herbal Plants through CEA," will explore the intersection of ancient herbal traditions and modern agricultural innovation.
"This is our second major event in India," shares Christine Zimmermann-Lössl, Chairwoman of AVF. "We held our first international vertical farming conference in Bangalore back in 2016. Now, nearly a decade later, we return with intentions to open new markets and create tangible opportunities for collaboration between academia, industry, and agriculture."
© Association for Vertical Farming (AVF)
A focus on medicinal plants
India's long-standing tradition of medicinal and herbal plant use provides a unique platform for vertical farming technologies. As climate change and erratic weather patterns threaten conventional agriculture, CEA offers a reliable alternative to ensure consistent quality and supply of these high-value crops.
"Medicinal plants are deeply rooted in India's heritage," she notes. "But due to the climate crisis, be it drought, floods, or unpredictable seasons, the quality of these plants has been compromised. Our goal is to introduce vertical farming methods that can offer year-round consistency and higher quality, with less water and land use."
The conference will bring together stakeholders from across the pharmaceutical and agricultural spectrum. Key themes will include climate-resilient farming, the science behind medicinal plant cultivation, and emerging technologies in vertical farming.
Building capacity through education
As part of the broader collaboration, AVF will establish its first distance learning centre in India at Christ University. The centre will support capacity-building through tailored courses in CEA and indoor farming techniques.
"Christ University is the ideal partner for this initiative. They have a beautiful, forward-thinking campus with over 35 000 students, and they are eager to become a hub for agricultural innovation in India."
The conference will also mark the launch of a new AVF initiative, the AVF Asia Forum, a series of regionally-focused events that will rotate topics and locations annually across Asia.
"With the AVF Asia Forum, we're starting a long-term journey of knowledge exchange and network-building across South and Southeast Asia. Each edition will focus on local relevance and regional collaboration," she adds. "The project is strongly supported by our AvF India chapter under the leadership of Dharmendra Rai Country director AVF India."
Local adaptation and industry partnerships
Christine emphasizes that technology transfer must be adapted to local contexts, pointing out the mismatch between high-tech Western models and Indian realities.
"It doesn't make sense to implement fully automated vertical farms where electricity is unreliable and labor is affordable. Instead, we aim to develop scalable, region-specific solutions together with local partners."
One such partner is Growpipes, a long-standing AVF member that has recently established a registered entity and patent in India. Growpipes will serve as one of the primary technology providers for the training program and will participate in the upcoming conference.
"We're not stopping there. We're also engaging with international scientists, universities, and government agencies, like AYUSH Karnataka, to ensure this is a truly cross-disciplinary, globally-connected initiative."
A broader vision for South and Southeast Asia
The collaboration between AVF and Christ University is just the beginning of a much larger vision. The initiative aims to spark a movement across South and Southeast Asia, supporting local farmers, entrepreneurs, and researchers in building sustainable food systems for the future.
"We want to foster technology development that is not only cutting-edge but also relevant to the region," Christine concludes. "Together, we can create educational, business, and innovation ecosystems that empower the next generation of agri-preneurs in Asia."
With international speakers from Germany, the U.S., and beyond, and a diverse network of public and private partners, the conference in November promises to be a groundbreaking moment in the future of sustainable agriculture in Asia.
Click here for summit registrations.
For more information:
Association for Vertical Farming e.V.
Christine Zimmermann-Lössl, Chairwoman
[email protected]
vertical-farming.net
