© Hoxuanhuong | Dreamstime.com

What if food could build biodiversity and tackle climate change?

Fast-moving consumer goods companies (FMCGs) and retailers have the power to make nature-positive food that's good for farmers and business mainstream, writes the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. FMCGs and retailers have a substantial influence on the food system. For example, in the EU and UK, 40% of…

© Worldshots | Dreamstime.com

Filtered sewage water used for indoor farms

The capacity of Treated Sewage Effluent (TSE) to be a key enhancer of the nation’s food security was explored at a workshop held yesterday, with the activity outlining a specialist research project that is being conducted in the UAE. Undertaken by four main partners; the UAE-based International Center…

Antonie Robertson / The National

How this AgTech company is ripe for growth

Almost a decade ago, Khadija Hasan couldn’t help but notice the lack of local produce sold in supermarkets and grocery stores in the UAE. At the time, the former investment banker was attending business school and already working on her own start-up that focused on oil purification methods to clean up…

JohnnyGreig/E+ via Getty Images

The world is spiky, not flat

High-tech entrepreneurs have started to bring farming closer to where the food will be eaten. Urban vertical farms, popular in Japan and spreading elsewhere, are unusually efficient. In this setup, the traditional field is chopped up and assembled in indoor stacks. A modern vertical farm may run up to 12 or 13 stories high,…

© Roman Rodionov | Dreamstime.com

Financing a sustainable global food system

The global food system is unsustainable. While it is worth approximately $8 trillion annually, its negative impact is valued at roughly $12 trillion. And this is not the system’s only contradiction. Around the world, food systems are affected by climate change (due to disruptive weather and rising…

US (PA): $500,000 program opened to improve urban agriculture

Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding today announced the opening of the 2021-22 PA Farm Bill's $500,000 Urban Agriculture Grant Program to grow agricultural infrastructure in…

© WFP/Andy Higgins

Zambia: Youth changing lives one plant at a time

Just like millions of teenagers around the world, Daniel has a dream: to help make the world a better place. Having just turned 16, he recognizes one of Zambia’s biggest challenges: food systems are not robust enough to meet the needs of the population. “When I grow up, I want to use technology to…

Uncontrolled growth of apps causes issues in food sector

Apps are often very useful, provided they are compatible with other apps and the underlying larger information systems used by businesses. If this is not the case, the convenience and advantages quickly give way to extra administrative burdens and, thus, disadvantages. This is an example of what…

Urban Tiller

24-year-old built agtech startup delivering fresh produce to Singaporeans

At the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, the panic buying phenomenon had highlighted the need for long-term food security in Singapore. As such, the Singapore government aims to produce 30 percent of the country’s nutritional needs by 2030, as a buffer from supply disruptions. This resulted in the emergence…

Africa.com

Four Kenyan companies win award for initiative to create employment opportunities

The Ministry of ICT, Innovation, and Youth Affairs and the World Bank have today awarded KSh 120 million to Afya Research Africa, Hydroponics Africa Limited, Life In Abundance-Kenya and TakaTaka Solutions Limited, the four organizations that emerged winners of the Future Bora Grant competition. The…

Photography courtesy of Gardyn

Indoor hydroponic gardening growing in popularity

With intelligent indoor gardening systems, you can now grow leafy greens, vegetables, herbs, and fruits in your living room, kitchen, even tiny studio apartment.  April Rolle had a leafy green problem. The busy doctor loved salads, but she hadn’t had any luck growing lettuce or other salad components in her…

UAE: Boosting local food production by offering vital facilities for vertical farming

Mainland business park National Industries Park (NIP) contributes to the UAE’s agenda of enhancing local food production by providing UAE-based companies with the ideal environment to thrive. The Park, which is an emerging hub for manufacturing in the Middle East and is home to over 278 companies…

India: Growing microgreens at home

With just a small bowl, some soil, coco coir and readily available kitchen ingredients like mustards, fenugreeks or green grams, one can start their journey of growing microgreens, in their homes. Archana Deiva, an experienced terrace gardener from the city Madurai, says, “Microgreens are quicker and…

US (CA): Free consulting service for agtech entrepreneurs and start-ups launched

The University of California Davis has launched a new free consulting service for entrepreneurs and startup companies in ag-tech and biotech in the Sacramento region and…

Thailand: Pushing education on agtech through new farms

“We can offer very reasonably priced vegetables to consumers as we saved a lot on lighting,” says Krisana Tamvimol, founder and CEO of Wangree Fresh. “Now, we’re using different lights than in our previous farm which helps us to reduce operating costs. Therefore, our products can now be sold at a price…

2021 Vertical Farming World Awards finalists announced

The finalists for the 2021 Vertical Farming World Awards have been published. Winners will be announced on Tuesday 21 September in a virtual awards ceremony during the 2021…

USDA invests $700 million in grants to provide relief to farm and food workers impacted by COVID-19

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that $700 million in competitive grant funding will be available through the new Farm and Food Workers Relief (FFWR) grant…

"Technology key to solving Gulf food security riddle"

In the desert nation that lacks water, the UAE government has made food security a priority, aiming to be among the top 10 food-secure countries this year and achieving zero hunger by 2051 – the year its National Food Security Strategy culminates and the country will seek to be dubbed the most…

© Lovelyday12 | Dreamstime.com

US (CA): Congressman introduces Local Food Production Enhancement Act

Rep. Mike Thompson, D. St. Helena, announced the introduction of the Local Food Production Enhancement Act. This bill would use the tax code to increase investment in agricultural production, particularly in low-income communities and those that lack access to large grocery stores, by expanding…

New inspiration to increase high tech food production in Wales

A new way to increase high tech food production in Wales has been launched by the Welsh government. It should also have a positive impact on climate change. The new Controlled…

'Entire world is short-staffed'

Whether it's fruit pickers, slaughterhouse workers, truckers, warehouse operators, chefs or waiters, the global food ecosystem is buckling due to a shortage of staff Across the world, a dearth of…

Photo by CMC

Caribbean countries commit to building agricultural resilience

On Monday Caribbean agriculture ministers committed themselves to build the resilience of their agrifood systems to tackle the challenges they are experiencing as a result of the region's vulnerability to climate-change-related natural disasters. The regional agriculture ministers met with their…

British heavy goods driver says 40% pay rise shows industry's desperation

A survey by the Road Haulage Association (RHA) estimates there is a shortage of about 100,000 drivers. It is affecting all kinds of deliveries. An HGV driver says his 40% pay…

Australian farmers plead with consumers to buy strawberries

Australian strawberries are facing another crisis due to the current lockdowns. Farmers plead with shoppers to buy now or the fruit will be destroyed. Farmers across…

Growers would rather give fruit and vegetables away for free than see it wasted

Farmers hit by a shortage of seasonal workers have resorted to giving produce away for free. Richard Morritt is a York-based raspberry grower who invited in the public after…

Duyet Le/Unsplash

Strawberries are opening doors for vertical agriculture

A major criticism of indoor agriculture is poor economics, which many experts attribute to the variable value of its common crops and the high cost of growing equipment. "But with technology costs dropping and vegetable prices affecting both traditional and indoor farming, we could argue that something…

"There will never be a silver bullet to solve the food security problem,"

In China, diets have changed along with bank balances. Since the 1960s, annual meat consumption has rocketed from an average of less than 4 kilograms per person at the start of that decade to over 45 kilograms today, spurred on by rising economic prosperity. However, in 2016, dietary guidelines drawn up…

Impatiens necrotic spot virus confirmed in desert lettuce

A plant virus first found in 2006 in the Salinas Valley of California, was discovered last season near Tacna, Arizona. This a farming community east of Yuma. It was also…

Photo 172996582 © Roman Rodionov | Dreamstime.com

Powering the plant-based revolution

Supermarket aisles today are packed with more great-tasting meat- and dairy-free products than ever before. With seven in 10 Brits now choosing to reduce the amount of meat and dairy they eat, we could be at the start of a societal shift in our eating habits. This rapid change has been driven by a…

UAE: Plans unveiled for region’s 'largest' high-tech' fresh produce farming hub

ADQ on Tuesday unveiled its plans to launch the UAE’s first fresh produce AgTech Park to accelerate sustainable innovation-centric food production and distribution. The new AgTech Park project in Al Ain Industrial City (AAIC) under Abu Dhabi Ports’ Industrial Cities & Free Zone Cluster will also help…

One News

Philippines: Around 500 families will benefit from newest additions to farm

Around 500 families are set to benefit from vertical farm towers put up by a unit of Delgado Brothers (Delbros) Group in Navotas City amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The immediate surrounding communities are the beneficiaries of the project in Navotas.   In October last year, Good Greens & Co. (GGC) launched an urban…

Aspire Food Group

The automation of alternative protein

Investments in alternative-protein manufacturing companies have risen in recent years, as numerous start-ups sell plant-based proteins. Food Engineering Magazine spoke with a couple of automation suppliers to understand the role it plays in alternative protein production.  Aspire Food Group specializes in…

Global Food Security Index, The Economist Intelligence Unit

Addressing water scarcity in the Middle East and North Africa

The United Nations have suggested that there will be a water scarcity soon, projecting concern for the Middle East and North Africa (Mena), where only 5 percent of the total land area is arable. The dry climate necessitates irrigation for about 40 percent of this arable land, with little scope for…

Stuff

NZ: This is a way of expanding our horticultural activity, rather than replacing it"

Matt Keltie​ business, 26 Seasons,​ first farmed microgreens in vertical farms in a former Wellington nightclub but has recently expanded his operation to Auckland. But Keltie​ said it was not just about stacking plants on top of each other but rather using technology to farm smarter. According to data…

Photo 27145029 © Spunky1234 | Dreamstime.com

China: Growing rice in CEA proves to be succesfull

China has halved the rice growth cycle to around 60 days in a nursery using innovative technology for crop breeding, said Yang Qichang, a researcher of the Institute of Urban Agriculture at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences. Yang, also chief scientist of the nursery team at the institute, said…

Growing demand in training other microgreen entrepreneurs

In comparison to last year, many things have changed at InstaGreen. “Not only in relation to what we do but also as a team,” says Anneke Stolk, co-founder of InstaGreen. The Barcelona-based startup originally started as a microgreens farm, delivering greens to multiple well-known restaurants and caterers…

"Investors can see through a little volatility in the horticultural sector by now"

The number of mergers and takeovers in the greenhouse horticulture sector is set to rise sharply this year and in the coming years. The number of private equity parties entering the sector will also rise, although there are more options for growth. Including for growers, who in comparison with the high…

"There’s a need for innovative farming techniques in Canada"

Vertical farming has proven to be extremely beneficial in this regard, particularly in an agrarian economy like Canada. Steve Maxwell of Maxwell Capital shares his thoughts on vertical farming stating, “There’s a need for innovative farming techniques in Canada. We rely on our exports and crop production…

VerticalFarmDaily.com

US (MI): Automated farm pilot to be constructed in Saginaw

Agrolytics Corp, a Midland-based company developing vertical farming technology, has partnered with the Saginaw Youth Development Corporation (YDC) to build an automated indoor farm pilot. The pilot will be the basis for a future, and much larger scale indoor farm, to be built for YDC's Food Scarcity…

Photo 119549542 © Saw San Teo | Dreamstime.com

'Huge potential for vertical farming in South Africa'

“In the future, open field and greenhouse farming will become museum exhibits,” says Richard Lomax with FutureAgri in South Africa. His strong confidence stems from research and previous working experience for his LED company, which he established in 2007.   Based on this work and on his own vertical farm laboratory,…

Farmscraper: Office spaces and hydroponic farm combined

Greenery covered skyscrapers have become fairly commonplace in recent years, but what if, as well as bringing some nature into cities, they could also be used to grow food? Such is the thinking behind the "Farmscraper" by Italy's Carlo Ratti Associati (CRA), which the firm says could feed up to 40,000…

Korean market ready to accommodate vertical farming as investor interest grows

“In Korea, there aren’t many people who have joined the industry yet,” says Leo Kim, CEO of N.Thing.  However, there’s a lot going on in terms of a green movement. ESG’s (Environment Social Governance) are now a trend for many companies. So more and more are getting interested in agtech, which is definitely…

Yanko Design

Polestar-inspired aircraft mobility design features a built-in greenhouse

The Polestar Forest Air Mobility concept is an aircraft concept from Pan Ziheng that has its own greenhouse to work in an environmental solution for modern deforestation issues while bridging a human need for mobility with today’s COVID-19 health and safety concerns. Social distancing is one of the many…

© Old Man Photographer | Dreamstime.com

UAE: The importance of hydroponics to boost food security

The UAE’s agriculture sector has developed by leaps and bounds in the last decade. To boost the country’s production, the Sharjah Research Technology and Innovation Park (SRTI Park) has been developing innovative technologies, including hydroponics, that will also help ensure food security in the region.…

Urban AgNews

Who will be the first in CEA to challenge the future of medicine?

"For the past year we have been talking about how to boost the immune system with plant phytonutrients and how this can present new opportunities for farmers, particularly if plant pharmaceuticals can be extracted from plants grown in a controlled environment," says Janet Colston with Urban AgNews.  With an…

VerticalFarmDaily.com

UK: Vertical farming on the rise

There have recently been a number of stand out developments in the vertical farming space.  Challenges in vertical farming Jim Monaghan is a Professor of Crop Science at Harper Adams University. He told Farming UK: “The key challenge is producing a product that can command a high enough price, but of a sales volume that supports…

How do cybersecurity gaps threaten our electric infrastructure?

Cybersecurity threats to electric infrastructure continue to be a top-of-mind topic for many business executives. From healthcare and data center facilities to commercial and industrial buildings, businesses depend on electric power to continue their operations. Moreover, this dependence has been further…

Scotland: Local food strategy consultation launched

Opportunity to shape food policy.The public are being urged to help shape the first ever local food strategy produced by the Scottish Government. Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi…

Italo M. R. Guedes

Why Brazil is investing in vertical farms and CEA research

"Despite the abundance of land with agricultural potential in Brazil, the production of vegetables depends less on territorial extension than on adequate climatic conditions for production," says Italo M. R. Guedes, Research Agronomist in Plant Mineral Nutrition and Soilless Horticulture at Emprapa, a…

Helping indoor farms benchmark sustainability metrics

“Don’t regulate farmers to death” are the words CEO & Founder of WayBeyond Darryn Keiller uses when discussing sustainability in Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA). CEA…

Several technology providers qualified for AgTech Breakthrough Awards

The spirit of the AgTech Breakthrough Awards is to highlight the products, solutions and companies within the crowded digital agricultural technology markets. AgTech…

UAE government wins AVF award for innovative food production

The Association for Vertical Farming (AVF) announces the Inaugural 2021 AVF Vanguard Award for Government Leadership in Harnessing Innovation for Sustainable Food Production.…

15 years of horticultural development in the Horti Science Park

Wageningen University & Research (WUR), Delphy Improvement Centre and the Lansingerland council are celebrating fifteen years of knowledge development for greenhouse horticulture. Save the date: from 20 September to 8 October, various activities will be organised during the 'Horti Science Park Event…

© Wirestock | Dreamstime.com

'The rise of indoor farming is exploding, but Canada is lagging behind'

There’s a popular vision among academics and executives in the agriculture world that involves windowless warehouses outside every city, each growing commercial amounts of fruit and vegetables indoors with LED lamps. It apparently isn’t so bizarre to imagine a Canadian supermarket stocked, in the dead of…

Steel pricing, freight costs and global trade: an update

There have been front-page headlines all across the United States about steel pricing and the state of domestic and international shipping. Director of Supply Chain of…

US: They ditched the office for the farm and stayed

The origin story of the Dream Harvest Farming Co. sounds straight out of Silicon Valley. College friends Zain Shauk and Harmeet Singh, while on a 2014 trip to Las Vegas, became absorbed in a discussion of hydroponic farming, which involves growing plants without soil. They talked about it nonstop,…

Auburn University feeds students with aquaponic lettuce

Auburn University students have a new dining facility, The Edge at Central Dining, with literally homegrown food from the College of Agriculture, from salads with fresh tomatoes and lettuce to fish and burgers, and more. “We recently completed the construction and have already started serving,” said…

Singapore: How agritech is creating an urban farming ecosytem

To ensure sustainability and availability of food, urban farming is growing in popularity in most urban areas. With the global urban farming market expected to reach US$ 236.4 billion by 2023, community gardening tools and home gardens are generating more revenue for small-scale farmers today. Urban…

Chinese universities launch Smart Agriculture Competition

Pinduoduo, China Agricultural University and Zhejiang University have jointly announced the launch of the 2021 Smart Agriculture Competition, an agricultural technology competition with the aim of fostering innovation and promoting agricultural modernization. Contestants will take a multidisciplinary…

"Climate change widespread, rapid, and intensifying"

Scientists are observing changes in the Earth’s climate in every region and across the whole climate system, according to the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change…

Green Sense Farms

Investing in CEA: How to minimize risk

The two limiting factors that are most vital to feeding the growing global population are soil and water. Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) conserves both of these resources and can be the answer to feeding more people, using fewer inputs. Many are looking to place capital into companies working…

Aerospring Gardens becomes Aerospring Hydroponics

Aerospring Gardens, a six-year-old Singapore start-up, has changed its name to Aerospring Hydroponics. The company has seen global interest in growing hydroponic food at home. Thorben Linneberg, Co-Founder and CEO, says “For many years there wasn’t much knowledge of hydroponics and the benefits that it…

NL: Celebrating 15 years of horticultural development at the Horti Science Park

Wageningen University & Research (WUR), the Delphy Improvement Centre, and the Municipality of Lansingerland are celebrating fifteen years of scientific development in the field of greenhouse horticulture. Save the date: various activities will be organized during the ’Horti Science Park Event Weeks’,…

Manila Standard

Philippines: Farm expands with eight growing towers

Good Greens & Co. (GGC), the vertical farming solutions unit of the Delgado Brothers Group, recently turned over 8 additional vertical farm towers to Navotas City, expanding the project into a 12-tower urban vertical farm in less than a year since its launch.  Good Greens & Co.’s eight additional Vertical…

Agriculture is blooming in the desert

The UAE typically imports 85% of its food. Mainly produce and fruit, the UAE must import food because the arid environment is not conducive to growing a variety of leafy…

Feeding astronauts with space food production system

Roto-Gro is capitalizing on the space exploration boom, as it applies to a NASA challenge developing novel food production technologies to feed astronauts on long-term…

Hedging against global supply chain shortages

COVID-19 has had an enduring, adverse impact on global supply chains. What started as a hand sanitizer and toilet paper shortage has evolved into a multifaceted supply chain breakdown affecting numerous manufacturing pipelines. At the heart of these disruptions is something small and unsuspected by those…

Summer break

Throughout the year, we bring you the latest news from the vertical farming industry, but even we need a break sometimes. For the next two weeks, we will not publish any news and will not send out…

Common Farms

“It's a marathon and not a sprint for us”

The product demand keeps growing. Inevitably, the pandemic has accelerated this demand for food quality and availability in Hong Kong. “I think it’s because of the following reasons. One being that Common Farms can deliver with consistency, speed, and quality. Secondly, as people aren’t traveling they…

Manila Times

Pushing a fresh food revolution in Manila

The agriculture sector continues to seek effective solutions to achieve food security and safety given the country's rising population. But while the government has implemented various initiatives to boost local farming and elevate livelihoods, it can only do so much. This is where private companies like…

Searchable database of FDA/USDA food recalls launched

The Food Industry Counsel, LLC launched its “FIC Recall Reporter™” business tool, a new, searchable database of all FDA and USDA published Class I, Class II and Class III food…

© Olga Lupol | Dreamstime.com

What is the role of CEA in the worldwide strawberry product?

The production of strawberries across the world was more than 8.89M tons in 2019. Between the five continents, the vast majority of strawberries produced globally is in Asia, which produced 4.17M tons in 2019: that’s the equivalent in weight of the weight of 8.34 Burj Khalifa buildings in strawberries.…

Secretary of agriculture to visit Pennsylvania's urban gardens

This week, Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding will visit 11 urban farms and ag operations in the cities of Reading, Lancaster, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia. At these and…

The Green Architect Tower

Combining benefits of vertical farming to create self-sufficient buildings

Introducing green buildings to cities has been something of a trend in recent years. However, Berlin architects Svenja Spinkler and Kathy Colino have been designing a new building of its own kind. “We want to influence and put our mark on the world of architecture, adding a new modern and futuristic feel…

“As we demystify the growing process, we can show consumers why indoor farming makes sense”

“The Food and Drug Administration has released new thinking on traceability requirements in food and I think it’s a scenario where indoor farms can be an example. With indoor farms, we can track everything that has ever touched a plant,” says Marni Karlin, executive director of the CEA Food Safety…

Vertical farming is growing by leaps and bounds

Vertical farming is growing by leaps and bounds. Quite simply, the concept “has gone viral,” said Dr. Dickson Despommier, a professor at Columbia University. And Despommier…

Swedish food trends are shifting, highlighting many opportunities

“When it comes to producing food, Sweden needs to take the leap from rain-fed fields to food factories and greenhouses,” says Johan Jörgensen, co-founder at Sweden FoodTech. Johan states that data and transparency should be improved. Without proper data, preferably open data, it is really hard to…

© Josefkubes | Dreamstime.com

Organic farming battle pits aquaponics and hydroponics against soil farms

The global organic farming market is expected to hit $103 billion dollars this year, up 8% from last year. In the U.S., part of the growth is due to high-tech indoor farming. The growing trend is raising questions about the true meaning of organic. Organic shoppers rely on the U.S. Department of…

© Tzidos | Dreamstime.com

"Sky no longer the limit": considerations in rooftop leasing

What used to be forgotten, unused space is now becoming one of the most innovative areas in real estate development. From cellular installations to bars, gardens, and even micro-farm beekeeping, rooftops are being transformed to accommodate many uses; however, this newfound versatility brings unique…

"New York City should transform empty commercial real estate into indoor farms"

Some of the most poignant images from the pandemic are from long lines at food pantries and food distribution centers. People who were once donors and volunteers at food banks…

Dubai water authority supports development of sustainable architecture

The Solar Decathlon Middle East (SDME) organized by the Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (DEWA) is supporting Dubai’s ambitions to maintain a globally leading position in sustainability, competitiveness, and green economy. As an example of DEWA’s efforts to achieve sustainability, the BaityKool team…

Partnering key to success for profitable horticulture in Gulf region

“Above all, growers in the Gulf region need to partner with other companies. There is no way of doing it all by yourself. The market is not large enough to have one big greenhouse growing just one variety. To enhance local production here, many partners have to come together," says Sky Kurz with Pure…

Data visualization tool brings victory to US team in autonomous greenhouse challenge

“It is a gaming environment, you have to experience challenges and surprises. With only a few assumptions, you have to create a complete picture,” says Silke Hemming with Wageningen University. Yesterday, the first round of the third edition of the Autonomous Greenhouse Challenge was finished. For the…

Smart Farmers

Why are microgreens often referred to as cash crops?

Food prices have been dropping for a couple of decades. These days they are barely covering the costs of a farming business. Microgreens in particular are an exception to this paradigm. If you grow smart, these little shoots can help create a very profitable operation. Smart Farmers elaborates on how…

Alexander Arnholm Dandora

Kenya: Introducing urban farming solutions to provide income and healthy produce

“Life is tough here, and there wasn’t much healthy food available, says Charles Lukania, Project Coordinator at Voices4Change in Kenya. “When Erik Lundgren from Ljusgårda came to visit in 2019, he provided farming materials so we could start the first hydroponics demo site in the informal community of…

Courtesy Dhaka Tribune

Are hydroponics the future of farming in Bangladesh?

Farmers across the Khulna region have not been able to make good use of the land for the cultivation of crops and vegetables. This is due to the region being flood-prone and the salinity of the soil. “We can neither cultivate crops nor fishes,” says a 45-year-old farmer from Satkhira district in the…

© Wirestock | Dreamstime.com

US: Indoor farming gains interest from retailers

As a testament to the sunny future of the agtech niche, the U.S. Department of Agriculture started a new Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production last year. More than $3 million in initial grants were made available through that department in 2020. Several grocers are already buying into…

© Rechitan Sorin | Dreamstime.com

India: Kerala farm varsity sets aside €600k for research

The general council of the Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) has approved an annual budget of ₹695.24 crore (about € 87,5 mln) for the year 2021-22. Expecting an annual revenue of ₹456.96 crore (about € 57,5 mln), the budget will be a ₹238.28-crore (about € 30 mln) deficit budget. The budget has…

© Saw San Teo | Dreamstime.com

"Time is ripe for African countries to grow urban agriculture"

Across Africa, the third wave of COVID-19 infections are rolling through, with South Africa leading the new surge. This is worrying, particularly for urban dwelling communities, where access to land, water, and other resources needed to sustainably grow food is still a big challenge, writes Esther…

Qatar: 760 tons of local vegetables sold in June

Total sales of local vegetables through the Premium Qatari Vegetables and Qatar Farms programs amounted to about 760 tons in June, according to the Ministry of Municipality…

Nick Grube / Civil Beat / 2018

"Hawaii does a lot to help growers, but it's not enough"

The state of Hawaii needs to take a hard look at all its efforts to help farmers and bolster agriculture ,says University of Hawaii economist Sumner La Croix. And La Croix isn’t just talking about the Agribusiness Development Corp. — though he has few positive words for that state agency, which was…

90% goes into our story and branding now”

"As Spain is suffering more drought problems, we have started to look into renewable energy and sustainable farming. It’s not that dry in the Barcelona area, where we’re based, but we will become a desert within 50 to 80 years from now on,” says Alessandro Calcagno, co-founder of Groots. Alessandro…

Professor Suh, university of Manitoba

CAN: Vertical farm to expand in Northern Manitoba

UM’s professor Miyoung Suh’s will work with Opaskwayak Cree Nation (OCN) on developing a smart vertical farming initiative for the community that will benefit many Manitobans. This is part of The Implementing Smart Cities Interventions to Build Healthy Cities (SMART) Training Platform, for the City of…

"Central and Eastern Europe can be the powerhouse of global food security"

"Closed-system farming helps tackle the biggest challenges in global food supply security", says Tungsram president & CEO Joerg Bauer.   Climate change causing extreme weather conditions in certain areas, overpopulation, soil contamination, the depletion of areas suitable for agricultural production, urbanization, and growing…

European Commission joins ranks of algae supporters

A growing receptivity, a flagrant interest and a better understanding emerge from the exchanges between the actors of the world of algae and our institutions. The latest proof is a 24-page document dated May 17, 2021, which specifies the future role of algae, among others: "Communication from the…

The future of food: here’s a look at the foodtech industry landscape in S’pore

Singapore has recently emerged as the foodtech hub of Asia, largely thanks to the government’s heavy support in the industry. According to the Asia Alternative Protein Industry Report, several leading startups in the food technology (foodtech) field are headquartered in Singapore. This includes firms in…

"Calling vertical farming companies unicorns is based on emotional judgement"

“Contrary to Robert’s statements, there is quite a bit of real partnering going on between the Netherlands and the US. The only ‘reticent’ actions are by those remaining on the sidelines stuck in the stale paradigm, and dare I say, xenophobic, viewpoint on how best to tackle the challenges of indoor food…

Photo credit: Aerofarms

SPAC listings are fueling indoor growing industry, but does it make sense?

With billions in funding, yet limited sales, the indoor growing industry is hitting an inflection point.  A stunning $1.9 billion in funding poured into the industry globally in 2020, according to Pitchbook, which amounts to more than the industry pulled in over the past decade combined. Now, a roster of well-funded…