Alyssa Carnevali | Staff Photographer

Pitt brings eco-friendly growing machines to the dining halls

Walking into the dining halls this semester, Pitt students can find Pitt Eats staff using four large glass machines flourishing with herbs. These transparent fridge-like structures represent the next step toward a more sustainable campus. These machines, known as “Babylon Micro-Farms,” use controlled…

Simon Whitehouse/NNSL photo

Growing microgreens in Northern US

What if Northerners could get their vegetable greens year-round on the day of harvest? Chris Shaver and partner Nicolinea Minakis began offering pre-orders from their brand new, vertical indoor farm Northern Greens. The couple announced that after two years of preparation, their Old Town-based company is…

Europe: Challenges and opportunities in CEA

"The potential which lies in the proper use of urban farming and CEA for cities is huge. There's even more added value when you get to talk about circular solutions, using waste energy and streams for food production," said Thera Rohling, Program director at the Sustainable Urban Delta Foundation (SUDF).…

Manufacturing license and distribution rights available for rotating table stand system

“Every stage or level would need a lighting source. By having a light source in the center with crops rotating around it, it reduces the amount of light required giving plants equal growth potential for upper and lower portions. Thus reducing electrical costs and our carbon footprint on the earth,” notes…

Norway: New 15.000m2 farm to supply the country’s 5 biggest cities

“We decided to make a change in Norway first. Since the cold impacts grower’s potential in agriculture, we wanted to offer a way to extend this to year-round growing. One of the key components to do so is using renewable energy,” says Thomas Apelthun, co-founder of Vertical Agri. Vertical Agri is a…

Yanko Design

Smart flower system grows plants without human involvement

Arguably, greens inside the house spread healthy, positive vibes to relax the body and mind. But caring for these plants inside the house is not everyone’s piece of cake. Some people try very hard but to no avail. This is where smart planters step in. Using high-tech monitoring and growing techniques –…

Aeroponic cell grows garlic

This is an aeroponics cell – a contraption that creates suitable conditions for a plant to grow. As it doesn't use  This aeroponic cell design only takes up a tiny bit of space on the kitchen countertop, and, in a week’s time, at least half of the cloves have sprouted! This aeroponic cell is also a CellSol node. The CellSol project…

India: Institute of Horticulture comes up with hydroponic growing solution for consumers

The State Horticulture Mission — Kerala (SHM) may have a solution for people looking to grow vegetables in small spaces. The SHM is introducing the Arka Vertical Gardens where all you need is just 1 sq m of sunlit space. Designed by the Indian Council of Agriculture Research-Indian Institute of…

China: Spiral growing towers are a hit globally

"Products can be customized into any feature based on a grower’s preference since we manufacture everything ourselves,” says Zhang Yinchao, Sales Manager at Hebei Lantan Import and Export Trade Co., Ltd., a Chinese manufacturer of indoor farming equipment. Lantan’s clientele is mainly greenhouse growers,…

How to sustain a climate-friendly diet

We eat to live (or live to eat?), and food is our culture and comfort. As a warming climate disrupts ecosystems, we find out how this will affect the future of our food plates. Will we develop a taste for what is sustainable, and is reconnecting with traditional agricultural methods and ancestral diets,…

US: Steadily growing demand for vertical towers

“Our towers range from 4-foot mini-towers to 10-feet tall, with a diameter of 2”, 3” or 4” depending on what the customer wants,” says Gunnar Shaffer, founder of Agrowponics LLC, an indoor agtech company that designs and manufactures vertical farming systems. Agrowponics’ system consists of vertical…

Malaysia: New farm opening allows company to specifically target ASEAN market

Saturn Agtech has worked hard in optimizing its CEA system since 2018. "After 3 generations of system R&D, our latest Model 3 promises to modify the farming industry with its unmatched efficiency of more than 2,300 ton/ha/year, which is easily 20-30 times more efficient than the conventional farming,…

More sustainable and cheaper vertical farming by combining textiles and fogponics

“We moved away from conventional hydroponics to fogponics, which reduces heat stress in roots and improves root zone surface area, which both results in higher metabolism and lower maintenance requirements,” says Martin Peter, co-founder and CEO of Lite+Fog, a German agtech company that builds…

Sprout AI

AI-controlled growing habitats to grow for Singapore

Sprout AI aims to solve food insecurity with its grow habitats, that are hermetic, aeroponic and AI-controlled Sprout AI, a Canadian company with manufacturing headquartered in Panama, designs and manufactures scalable, hermetic, AI-controlled aeroponic grow habitats that can be installed in any existing…

growingourfuturemn.com

US (MN): Teen helps to spreads awareness on indoor farming through home kits

Despite the bitter Minnesota cold, Bemidji homeschool senior Bridget Westrum hopes that her Growing Our Future free youth gardening initiative will continue to sprout. After the program's first distribution cycle last March when around 135 youth received "starter garden" kits, Westrum is aiming to…

Singapore: Two news farms on their way, one fully powered by solar

“We’re building two farms in Singapore at the moment. The first farm is 7-layered and comprises 1000m2, providing 210 tons of Asian greens annually,” says Edwin Ong, Founder and CEO at ArianeTech Singapore. ArianeTech is a Singaporean tech company that specializes in researching, developing, and…

No-nonsense vertical farming solution for strawberry cultivation

Strawberries are tastiest when eaten as quickly as possible after being harvested. Unfortunately, many markets are prevented from having access to the red gold. From inappropriate local growing climates to seasonal differences or even the lack of space to cultivate them, strawberries aren’t always easy…

"Vertical farming an ideal option for dairy and beef producers"

The increase in the demand for locally produced food in the last few years can in the future lead to the establishment of more vertical farms in Ireland. So says John Paul Prior, co-founder, and strategy and sales director at Farmony. The company designs and builds controlled environment, vertical…

Mark Brown, University of St. Thomas

US (MN): Students plot indoor vegetable-growing kits for home use

University of St. Thomas senior Dagmawe Mamo works with an indoor vegetable and herb-growing unit he and a group of fellow engineering students developed for use by a Twin Cities nonprofit that promotes food security. Rappaport is the founder of Seeds Feeds, a small but expanding hunger-fighting…

Learn why and how to prune the plants in your rise garden

Pruning your plants is an essential part of gardening! From the health of your plants to the health of your garden, Rise Gardens' plant science team walks through why and how to prune your plants.  For more information:Rise Gardenswww.risegardens.com       

South Korea: Conveyor systems combined with automation improve efficiency

“I’m convinced our technologies will bring stability to farming operations, which ultimately leads to an increase in profit. I do not doubt that these technologies are going to change the way we farm,” says Kevin Lee, CEO of CESeL Primus. Kevin Lee The company started indoor farming in 2018 on about 660…

scxxb.com.cn

China: Three-dimensional strawberry system ushers in a good harvest

In the cold winter season, this three-dimensional strawberry growing system, planted by strawberry growers in Bolan Town, Shandong Province in Eastern China ushered in the harvest season. In recent years, the local agricultural department of Bolan town has promoted the three-dimensional cultivation…

Singapore: The balance between reasonable technology and proper ROI

“As a manufacturer, we can deliver a total solution, so buyers only have to deal with us. We are building a system around a customer’s request,” says Cecilia Ku, General Manager at Delta Singapore. “Let’s say a farmer wants to grow a head of lettuce that weighs 100 grams - we will build the system…

Eclo

BE: New vertical farm inaugurated in the Abattoirs of Anderlecht

Eclo moves its production of microgreens and baby herbs out of the Cureghem Cellars and inaugurates its brand new vertical farm on the Abattoirs of Anderlecht site. This new installation will double the production of microgreens & young herbs. In addition, production will now be entirely on cellulose…

Photo: GIC

Singapore: Bus stops transformed into urban farms

Seven bus stops in Singapore have been transformed into urban farms and are expected to produce more than 100kg of fresh produce for a local charity kitchen by mid-January, GIC said on Friday (Dec 17). The initiative is a partnership between the sovereign wealth fund and local urban farming school…

thehindu.com

Kerala farmer harvests his vertical 'field'

1.5-acre of farmland at Pulpally in Wayanad is a laboratory of sorts for its owner, C. Varghese. It is here that he conducts experiments in agriculture, for instance regarding vertical farming. Mr. Varghese’s crops are grown on PVC pipes which are fixed on soil in a vertical position. Twenty tomato…

US (UT): Teaching children hydroponics in a library

For centuries, libraries have been centers of learning and helped shape cultures around the world. Today, with the digital revolution in full force, many libraries are reinventing themselves. In one library in a tiny Utah town, Parowan, the seeds have been planted to help teach, feed, and grow their…

A farm grows atop a convention center in NYC

New York City’s iconic event space at the Javits Center in Manhattan’s Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood shut down during the pandemic and hosted a hospital and mass vaccination site. Now, with apple and pear trees and more than 50 crops growing on its rooftop, it has reopened with in-person events that serve…

Costa Rica: In-school growing teaches kids on vertical farming

"The new Tower Garden Home is ideal for indoor gardening, while the Tower Garden Flex is slightly larger and can be used indoors or outdoors." Grow a Garden in Your Classroom Tower Garden is a school gardening system that allows you to grow plants indoors without dirt. Plus, with more than 30 lesson…

Press Herald

Phippsburg students growing fresh produce with hydroponics

Students in Phippsburg are eating more fresh produce, thanks to their school’s self-watering, self-fertilizing hydroponic planter that began supplying the cafeteria with fresh greens at the beginning of November. The space age-looking planter, called 'The Farmstand', stands nearly five feet tall and is…

Bringing multi-level, silo-style indoor farming to Spain

“Farmitank’s silo design, equipped with plug-and-play technology, allows modularity and flexibility. It makes it a very attractive turnkey product,” says Esther Verdú, Director of Agricultural Operations at Foodiverse, a Spanish multinational company, expert in the production of fresh and healthy food.  Farmitank…

Increased demand for automated indoor residential gardens

“We’ve seen a 300% increase in demand in comparison to last year,” says Kevin Jakiela, Co-founder and President at Just Vertical. “Overall, with the pandemic, people have more spare time and at home to grow their own food. It’s a fun way to keep kids busy, as well as the educational aspect of growing…

Creating climate-resistant indoor solutions, using fewer natural resources

Growing food is a process that reaches far beyond growers only. Although they are, of course, vital to the process, many other things are instrumental too. AgriFORCE is a Canadian agtech company that recognized that aim to transform agriculture in various sectors, from growing to the production process.  A…

SOG

UK: 'Edible wall' allows people to pick whatever greens they like

An “Edible Wall” has been launched in Runcorn in a bid to improve access to healthy fruit and veg. Liverpool-based social enterprise Farm Urban teamed up with the Heath Business and Technical Park to bring its Greens For Good campaign to Halton. The Edible Wall is located in the Heath Café and gives…

Spain: Biologists bring indoor farming to Asturias

Cantábrica Agricultura Urbana is a start-up founded in 2021 by  Teresa Portillo and Javier Espina, biologists specializing in Plant Biology. The idea arose in 2020 in the middle of the pandemic. They saw a business opportunity in bringing to the city fresh, safe products with high nutritional value thanks…

“Back to the future” with terraponic growing

“Using our proprietary NexGen farming model and methodology, we grow nutritious, insect-free, and soil-enhanced food. We have pioneered and developed 'terraponics' to enhance our success in organic farming,” says Ray Urrutia, president and CEO of Terra Firma Foods. Terra Firm Foods has developed a 'back…

Big projects happening in Canada and Australia, worth $91 million

“We’ve been working on this deal for 2-3 years to get the right solution for the growers. We’re now on our way to delivering by June next year,” says John Leslie, executive director and design engineer at Vertical Farm Systems, an agtech provider based in Queensland, Australia. Vertical Farm Systems was…

High-pressure aeroponics to cultivate with air at 70 bar and water mist

FRM produces vertical aeroponic cultivation systems that can be installed in all kinds of buildings and structures. "The high-pressure aeroponic Vertical Farming system has a series of considerable advantages. Plant roots are sprayed with water, so the quantity of water necessary is really low. This is…

Aerosprings Hydroponics

Can decentralized (home) farming help Singapore’s 30x30 initiative?

In 2019, the The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) announced a target of producing 30% of Singapore’s nutritional needs by 2030, up from less than 10%. The aim is to hit the target by producing more vegetables, fruit, and protein sources, such as poultry and fish. In April 2020, the SFA also announced it is…

“There’s a foreseeable future with hydroponics in every home”

“Aerospring’s mission is to make fresh produce accessible to everyone by creating versatile and efficient hydroponic products that can be used in homes and commercial settings,” explains Mark Newton, chief operating officer at Aerospring Hydroponics. Aerospring Hydroponics is a Singaporean agtech company…

Transformation of a 1938 building brings the farm to the urban table

The renovation taking place at 2401 Larimer St. is not your average office or retail conversion, and the business going into the property is not your average tech startup. When it is complete next year, this quirky 1938 building, often overlooked by passersby, will become a high-tech hydroponic farm that…

Helping Hands in Warren County features new hydroponic system

The Helping Hand in Warren County has a new hydroponics system, growing fresh herbs and vegetables for those in need. Executive Director Sue Wilson tells that  Helping Hand recently harvested their first crop, which included lettuce and basil, and it will be a huge benefit to the community and those in need…

Green Queen

Urban roof top farm in HK for food production and team building

Partnering with Taikoo Place and Rooftop Republic, DBS Bank is making a concerted effort to raise awareness on food sustainability by turning the rooftop of One Island East into an urban farm. As food waste accounts for 30% of Hong Kong’s municipal solid waste, this partnership will launch a revamped…

Century City. Credit: Google

"Our system is like a 1950s Cadillac: Real and sturdy"

Seedlings have begun sprouting in a Century City industrial building in Milwaukee. Hundred Acre, an indoor farm located in the city’s 30th Street Industrial Corridor, is prepared to begin supplying customers next month with its fresh greens. The farm, which is run by New York-based Planet to Plate Inc.,…

inhabitat.com

Design released of new Chinese VF project

“Small-scale urban farming is happening in cities all over the world – from Paris to New York to Singapore,” said Carlo Ratti, founding partner of CRA and professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “Jian Mu Tower, however, takes it to the next level. Such approach has the potential to play a…

“Grow plants from your kitchen with a limited carbon footprint”

As consumers are looking for hyper-local produce, some agtech companies are already bringing it all the way home – right into the kitchen. Natufia is such a company that is offering an automated growing system called the Natufia Smart Kitchen Garden. The Natufia Smart Kitchen Garden is a plug-and-play…

Australian vertical farm employs insects to combat food waste

The team at Melbourne startup Bardee has a deep appreciation for the power of insects, and even snacks on them in the office. “We have those nut dispensers, where you turn it and a snack falls out. We have nuts and dried fruit, and we also have fried insect larvae with all sorts of different herbs and…

'Time for action, not words"

“Increasing knowledge about humankind’s impact on the planet has given us strong signals on how we are damaging the environment, but also potential solutions to manage our natural capital better,”…

Cultivating cost-efficient with hybrid growing solutions

“After we developed a container farm, we noted that there is a lack of small start-up systems to start with," says Anthoney Lacey, Founder and CEO of Kalliergo Micro Acre Farming. "Therefore, we decided to develop kits for every budget. People can expect a high return on their money eventually, depending…

Hydroponic growing systems offered to US schools

Whole Kids Foundation, a nonprofit focused on children’s nutrition and wellness, announced its partner Lettuce Grow will donate 1,000 Lettuce Grow Farmstands, a commitment of over $500,000, to K-12 schools and school garden-support organizations across the U.S. By growing with the Lettuce Grow Farmstand,…

Photo by Intelligent Growth Solutions

UK wellbeing resort includes vertical farms thanks to new partnership

Therme Group, the developer and operator of water-based wellbeing resorts, will roll out the development of large-scale vertical farms at all its resorts worldwide, enabling sustainable and locally grown, nutrient-rich fresh produce to be available to its millions of guests.  The rollout will be carried out…

CAN (ON): Orangeville supermarket adds vertical farm after renovation

After 10 months of renovations, the Orangeville Sobeys has celebrated the completion of the work, hosting its grand reopening/unveiling on November 3. While the store did remain open throughout the renovations, the work was only recently completed. According to the company, this is the first store to be…

Greenhouse Canada

Pick your own strawberries at Canadian vertical farm

Business was booming at Saskaberry Ranch, a pick-your-own strawberries farm north of Calgary. Operated by Phil and Christine Trenholm along with their four children, the mixed farm and U-pick ranch is on a 140-acre site they first planted in 1999. “We wanted something sustainable on a quarter-section for…

www.obj.ca

Vertical mini-growing installation wows customers

As soaring grocery bills eat a bigger chunk of Canadians’ paycheques, an Ottawa company is seeing growing demand for its hydroponic technology that aims to make customers less dependent on global food supply chains. Founded in 2016, The Growcer sells specially designed weatherproof containers that grow…

Is lettuce grown in space nutritious and safe to eat?

Growing safe and healthy food in space is important for human space travel: NASA and supporting teams have been working on this issue for 40 years. Dr. Khodadad, along with a team at Kennedy Space Center and a crew on-board the International Space Station (ISS), grew lettuce to measure their nutrient…

"Starting from the ground up with a modular farm"

If you are stoked about investing in a Modular Farm but you are unsure if it is the right fit for your business goals, romaine calm! Whether you are a first-time framer or your family is filled with multi-generational growers, getting involved in modular farming is an exciting opportunity with bountiful…

Images courtesy of N-ARK

Growing in a floating salt-resistant greenhouse

Japanese start-up N-ARK combines salt-tolerant technology with sea-adapted architecture to tackle the issues of sea-level rise and salt damage, which are worsening progressively due to climate change. In partnership with agritech R&D company Cultivera, the new firm aims to build a prototype of a floating…