Mushroom growers seek inclusion in CBN program

The National Mushroom Growers, Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria has called on the government to address challenges hindering growth in the mushroom subsector in…

New veggie burger has potential to transform UAE home-grown crops sector

The agricultural sector of the UAE has come quite a long way. There is now a new range of burgers made from salicornia, grown in the UAE using reject brine from inland…

Courtesy of Valor Aquaponics

US (WI): New Market Hall opening soon is adding an organic greens vendor to its lineup

The new 3rd Street Market Hall opening soon in downtown Milwaukee is adding an aquaponics vendor to its lineup. Pewaukee-based Valor Aquaponics LLC, which grows organic greens and raises fish, is seeking an occupancy permit for a kiosk at the food hall, 275 W. Wisconsin Ave. Valor Aquaponics will be…

“Coaching for building integrated greenhouses”

The GROOF consortium has released its new initiative supporting the accelerated adoption of the Building Integrated Greenhouse concept by offering up to 10 early adopted one-year individual and collective coaching programs.  Through thematic days and individual coaching sessions, this guidance will enable project…

'Greenwashing’ a challenge in CEA crop production

Greenwashing, future production, and sustainability metrics were front and center in the 2021 Global CEA Census Report released today. In the third annual Census Report, produced by Agritecture and WayBeyond, growers in the Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) sector shared their insights on…

Photo by Andy Hirschfeld

"Vertical farming is the best way to stop future food crises in US cities"

“We build farms close to the communities we are serving in and that cuts down on food miles,” Seawell, the chief commercial officer for Bowery Farms, explains. One of those communities is the New York metro area, which has become a case study for what the impact of vertical farming can be and a model for…

Photo by Jesse Winters / Reuters

"B.C. floods stress the need of rethinking the food system"

Since the devastating floods in the Fraser Valley, the market has been an island surrounded by flooded roads. The area around it is under an emergency order. The past week’s events have made the vulnerabilities in B.C.’s food system glaringly obvious – weaknesses that exist not just in B.C., but across…

Chinese company to help Malaysian agriculture to become more self-sufficient

Farming indoors is on the rise in Malaysian agriculture, with private companies like Sananbio supporting the government’s bid to raise the self-sufficiency level on vegetables to 70% in 2025. “Relying on Sananbio’s technical background, I hope Sananbio will be able to support the Malaysian government in…

Can electricity be used to reduce water hardness in hydroponics?

Beginning hydroponic growers are faced with large amounts of information when first getting started, which can pose a significant barrier to entry. One such product claim, which has found its way to the Iowa Supreme Court, involves a non-chemical process called electromagnetic water treatment (EWT).…

Vertical farms as the interface between local food production and urban energy balance

“Particularly in cold and moderate climates, we can use vertical farms to create a sort of electrical or energy flywheel to balance cities’ energy while also producing food locally,” said Luuk Graamans during his talk at the Vertical Farming Conference. Luuk is a PhD researcher at Wageningen University &…

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Calgary's large indoor veggie farms aim to match the price of California imports

When the price of growing produce in a local, high-tech warehouse edges down low enough to rival the California imports, it's called 'field parity'. NuLeaf Farms hit that target with basil and thyme, they are close with lettuce and kale, and the dream is ripe strawberries, on which the company is working…

"NASA research has provided the CEA industry with lots of research"

Feeding astronauts during long-term space exploration means stretching resources to grow plants in space, including minimizing water use and energy consumption and eliminating soil. NASA initially pioneered these techniques on the ground by building the country’s first vertical farm. Inside a…

"Horticulture is left unprotected against the real danger of international hackers"

Successful companies are a target for hackers. If you generate a high turnover and are digitally active, they will find you sooner or later, according to Ronald Prins. He created a furor with cybersecurity company Fox-IT, and now he is helping the fresh produce trade and horticulture, among others, to…

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"Future of vertical farming remains to be seen"

Vertical farming has become one of the buzzwords for a new type of modern farming, but is vertical farming the boon to feeding the world that it claims? Is vertical farming economically viable? A lot of these answers are still up in the air because the concept is so new, and what we call 'vertical farms'…

"Ethical hacking provides better security for our cloud applications"

To optimize the security of their products and services, Priva has them tested annually by independent, ethical hackers. For this, they partner with Onvio, a specialist in conducting pen tests that actively look for weak spots. The issues found are then resolved so that the level of security is…

Financing resilient food systems

"There’s a lot of interest out there from investors: they're just waiting for an improved business model of vertical farms. In return, they can employ larger amounts of funds, not only venture capital but also private equity and infrastructure capital," said Henner Schwarz (Kalera) during an Asia-Pacific Agri-Food Innovation…

"Water scarcity is by far the biggest challenge in the Gulf region"

In twenty years' time, many regions on the world map will turn red in terms of freshwater availability. According to Sander van Golberdinge of Grodan, this will pose an enormous challenge for food production. "This is very alarming, but it also represents a great opportunity for high-tech greenhouse…

Klokhuis viewers visit Future Crops 'vegetable apartment'

Stacking crates of vegetables in a greenhouse will not be enough in the long run, as shown last week in the Dutch children's program Het Klokhuis. The world population is growing, and in order to feed all mouths, 'vegetable flats' offer a solution.  One of these 'vegetable flats' is in Poeldijk. Here, Future…

South Africa: Bringing vertical farming to food deserts

“My vision is to bring vertical farming to food deserts: in villages to grow fresh vegetables and mushrooms, and on farms to help expand seed production,” says Richard Lomax, an operator and constructor of vertical farms. During his recent bicycle trip on the 2,000-km stretch between Johannesburg and…

Asia Sustainable Foods Platform to accelerate commercialization of sustainable foods in Asia

Temasek is launching the Asia Sustainable Foods Platform to focus on addressing the challenges of scaling up the production of alternative proteins, as well as accelerating…

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Transforming agriculture from the ground up

Large-scale governmental initiatives and commercial advantages such as employment opportunities, as well as globally appealing investment opportunities, mean that scalable agri-tech solutions are attracting increasing attention from major players in this space, writes Kenny McCrae, managing director at…

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In-house farm-to-table: How hydroponics is changing the way we eat

As only the freshest regional ingredients — preferably foraged in a nearby forest — became the trend for most Michelin-starred joints in Europe, it was only a matter of time technology entered the picture. Why leave it to circumstance and the whims of the atmosphere? What if you can grow your own produce…

Courtesy of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs

Promoting agriculture under millennials and minecraft fans

South Korea's agriculture ministry has released metaverse content based on a worldwide popular "Minecraft" game. The metaverse-based game offers various experiences through virtual tours of agriculture museums, smart farms, and government facilities. Minecraft, which has some 126 million monthly users as…

BRIAN PETERSON, STAR TRIBUNE

US: Minnesota vertical farm has ambitious indoor produce plans

The lettuces and herbs at Living Greens Farm, bursting from holes in towering plastic racks, are nourished by Christmas-colored grow lights and sprays of nutrient-rich mist. The leafy greens never touch a speck of dirt and will be chopped and bagged into grocery store salad kits moments after harvest.…

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After mealworms, EU approves locusts for consumption

The European Commission authorized the placing on the market of a second insect, Locusta migratoria (migratory locust), as a novel food. According to the Commission, locusts will be available in the form of frozen, dried, and powder and are intended to be marketed as a snack or a food ingredient, in a…

What is the new role of farmers in the future?

“I noticed that there’s a lot of questions about vertical farming from traditional farmers,” says Christine Zimmerman-Loesll, Chairwoman at the Association for Vertical Farming. She was recently invited to speak at an annual meeting of the Bavarian agriculture society.  During the event, the delegates raised…

The state of vertical farming in Italy

The vertical farming market spans the world, including Italy. In vertical farming, crops are cultivated in indoor environments, without soil, and on several layers. The benefit of vertical farming is all variables that determine the growth process of the plant can be controlled. Increasing technological…

PHOTO BY JVDEGUZMAN, DA-6

Philippines: Aklan university seeks to grow soilless plants

To further increase the Philippine Aklan province’s food sufficiency efforts, the Department of Agriculture (DA) in Western Visayas recently turned over a P1-million greenhouse facility with hydroponics to the Aklan State University (ASU). Fresh lettuce was the first greenhouse crop harvested from the…

A 'Farmside' chat on policy, finance and innovative agtech

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and U.S. Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow join us for a ‘farmside’ chat moderated by S2G Ventures Chief Investment Officer and Managing Director Sanjeev Krishnan, on-site at Intelligent Growth Solutions’ demonstration…

Dutch King and Queen visit UAE expo

On the 4th of November 2021, Certhon participated in the trade mission to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the visit to the SuprimAir greenhouse they have built for Pure Harvest. This trade mission, of which Their Majesties King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima were part, was about sustainable urban…

Vertical Field

Vertical improvements in Israel's agriculture

Israel has grown in terms of economic influence lately. Focus on foreign investment and resources has increased during the past few decades. The country approved a pipeline deal with Europe in August 2020 to use Tamar deposits to supply natural gas to the continent. With these changes, there is another…

Victor Besa / The National

Abu Dhabi launches sustainable agriculture plan to boost local farming

A new agricultural development plan aimed at increasing the efficiency of sustainable farming has been launched by Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority. It is designed to encourage all of the emirate’s farmers to adopt a climate-smart approach. “The comprehensive plan for agricultural…

Will CEA need frontier crops to diversify?

Jon Greene, Senior Technical Specialist at Bluelab, talked with Joseph Chidiac (JC), CEO and Horticultural Engineer of CultiBio, on CEA needing frontier crops to diversify during Bluelab's Future of Controlled Agriculture webinar series.  Jon and JC refer to frontier CEA crops, by which they mean crops beyond…

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A chat with the "godfather of vertical farming"

Dickson Despommier is widely regarded as the godfather of vertical farming. It was in his Columbia University courses that many of the fundamental concepts around vertical farming were developed over a number of years. His 2010 book, “The Vertical Farm,” has also proven a foundational text for many. Last…

By FAO

FAO and partners present innovative water-energy solutions in the Caribbean

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and under the Mexico – CARICOM – FAO Initiative Cooperation for Adaptation and Resilience to Climate Change in the Caribbean (Resilient Caribbean Initiative), is currently implementing a Water Energy Food (WEF) Nexus subproject in Antigua…

UK: Establishing the Cavendish Community Food Hub

Hutton House Association for Adults with Disabilities will establish the Cavendish Community Food Hub – a full-scale, accessible urban farm located in Cavendish Park in London’s Kensington Village area on land provided by the City of London. With additional community partners like the Nathan T. Deslippe…

The CEA space expected to grow heavily in 5-10 years, boosted by cannabis innovations and governments

“I think that the future of CEA will be about health and wellness, and being able to ensure nutrition,” says Tisha Livingston, CEO of Infinite Acres. “With CEA and technology, we can advance technology growth and control product diversification, such as working with seed breeders to get the right…

jll.com.au

Why green rooftops are sprouting around the world

Whether it is carefully cultivated gardens or urban farms, a growing number of green roofs are growing atop buildings across the world’s cities. Amid a broader push from companies and governments driving toward net-zero goals, for which the built environment can play a critical role, the rising number of…

edie.net.

Algae-based plastics and energy from tomatoes: green innovations of October 2021

As is to be expected in the final run-up to COP26, October has been an extremely busy month for sustainability-related news. The UK Government published 21 green policy documents in a 72-hour window last week, including the long-awaited Net-Zero Strategy.  Innovation will, of course, play a key role in delivering…

thenationalnews.com

UAE: More investments needed for Agtech and vertical farms says Saudi prince

Saudi venture capitalist Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed called for more investment in budding businesses and technologies that can help address food security challenges that the world faces. "Governments see the problem, but now they need to adopt the innovative technologies to solve the problem," Prince…

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Why is farming & food absent from COP26 discussions?

After being rescheduled due to the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, COP26 is now right around the corner. This Sunday, October 31st, the United Nations Climate Change Conference will begin in Glasgow in an attempt to discuss how we will work to keep global temperature rises below 2C.  It seems strange that food…

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"CEA not recognized in EU strategy"

The Members of European Parliament (MEPs) voted on October 20th in favor of the Farm-to-Fork Strategy (F2F). This followed a debate that was spurred by the Joint Research Center’s Report (July 2021), concluding that the EU Green Deal and F2F will lead to betterperformance of agri-food sectors in…

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Japan: Philip Morris-backed group to launch first plant-based Covid vaccine

A unit of a Japanese company backed by Philip Morris International is planning to launch the world’s first plant-based Covid-19 vaccine that is potentially cheaper and easier to transport and store than conventional jabs. Toshifumi Tada, head of vaccine business development at Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma,…

How the UAE grew from 50 to 1000 hydroponic farms

Food insecurity is complex for the Middle East, with the region facing a number of threats to stability and progress. Tackling these daunting threats requires an overhaul of…

Will indoor vertical farming address help meet future food demand?

Vertical and indoor farming operations have gained popularity over the past decade, mostly in urbanized environments of developed countries. Some such farming operations rely solely on artificial lighting, and some still rely on sunlight. With the Covid-19 pandemic unabated at this point in time, many…

NL: Trial vertical farming database launched

“Information regarding vertical farming can rarely be found in one place as most is spread over different platforms, making it difficult for researchers to find all the information they could need,” says Amora Amir, lecturer at Inholland University of Applied Science. Now, the Inholland University of…

Vertical farming’s role in non-fresh produce sector

“What we grow is often dictated by the problems in the existing supply chain. We’ve built our platform, the mechanical environment pulled together by the data science, to grow different plants,” says David Rosenberg, CEO and co-founder of AeroFarms. In September 2021, AeroFarms announced its partnership…

Providing carbon dioxide and oxygen to indoor farms and greenhouses

“Through our network of production sites and selected sources, we can guarantee a reliable and sustainable supply of carbon dioxide and oxygen,” says Peter Jansson, Head of Business Segment Food of Linde Europe North, an international industrial gases supplier. Linde’s gases are used across virtually all…

Famous tennis brothers stop playing to support vertical farming start-up

After 26 years of tennis stardom, identical twin brothers Bob and Mike Bryan have hung up their rackets and formed a philanthropic partnership with a vertical farming start-up called Willo in the hopes of bettering the planet. With that goal in mind, the foundation identifies and supports charities and…

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OptiBiomass: where anti-COVID research and Artificial Intelligence meet

Since 2017, the OptiBiomass project has been considering molecules of interest to the pharmaceutical and parapharmaceutical sector. Hemp, euphorbia, pelargonium, and echinacea have been successively studied in order to extract the most efficient active ingredients. In the context of Covid-19, the…

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Global food security index shows overall decline

Today, Economist Impact released the 10th annual Global Food Security Index (GFSI), which revealed a decline in global food security for the second consecutive year. The GFSI aims to serve as a resource to enable a more resilient and secure food system. Now, with a decade of data, the global report…

The state of North American organic produce: a closer look at trends and issues

After years of slowing, the growth rate of retail organic food sales increased threefold in 2020 in the aftermath of the pandemic. However, it is expected to slow down once again but remain higher than the pre-pandemic rate. The impacts of the pandemic on retail prices, volumes, and premiums differed per…

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Meeting place for vertical farming companies and qualified candidates

“We can definitely say that vertical farming will grow and so the number of available jobs will grow as well, as companies are in need of specialized experts for indoor agricultural and modern growing technologies,” according to Petr Kirpeit, founder of IndoorFarming-Jobs.eu. IndoorFarming-Jobs.eu is a…

Urban revitalization: Making indoor farming accessible through lower upfront costs

The cost of indoor farming should not be taken lightly. Over the last few years, many indoor farms started up and have maintained growth successfully. Unfortunately, there is also the opposite end of the spectrum; some indoor farm owners have underestimated the capital expenditure as well as operational…

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US: Case filed against secr. of Ag concerning hydroponics industry

Appellate briefing has begun in the Ninth Circuit in a food safety case filed against the Secretary of Agriculture, Thomas J. Vilsack. The suit was appealed by the plaintiffs earlier this year, including the Center for Food Safety and a group of farms. The case concerns the growing hydroponics industry.…

Jamaica Observer

Jamaica: 5-year plan in strengthening agri sector through CEA

The Draft National Five-Year Agribusiness Strategy is scheduled to be approved by Cabinet later this month and tabled in Parliament shortly thereafter so that implementation can start as soon as possible. Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries Audley Shaw made the disclosure on Tuesday while giving an…

Yorkshire Post

Meatless sausage producer beats driver shortages by growing herbs in 'vertical' farm

The company's founder Andrew Keeble appears on Channel 5's This Week on the Farm to show presenter JB Gill around the 'vertical' micro-greens growing operation. Basil for the brand's vegan sausages, which make up 20 percent of their business, is grown inside the £100,000 facility. Mr. Keeble said: “ We…

Newsismybusiness.com

Walmart expands in-stores supply of lettuce harvested in Puerto Rico

Walmart Puerto Rico has established a new agreement with Lettufresh to increase the purchase and export of lettuces that the company harvests. The agreement with Lettufresh, located in the Frontón neighborhood in Ciales, increases the purchase in Walmart stores of its romaine and Salanova lettuces, in…

FarmBoxFoods

Rise of community-supported ag during pandemic: a signal from consumers

From the outset of the pandemic, CSA programs throughout the country saw a surge in demand as the worldwide food supply chain ground to a halt. Health-conscious consumers wanted to ensure they had access to a reliable source of fruits and veggies, and farms large and small in communities across the…

Robot fleet management for vertical farms

With the ever-increasing world population, the decrease of arable lands, and urbanization trends on the horizon, it is no surprise that the agricultural sector is looking into alternative ways of farming. While rapid advances in technologies are reshaping the ways agriculture is being practiced, robots…