Asia’s new agricultural revolution: planting a high-tech future

Pham Thi Huong went from the back-breaking job of coaxing coffee out of Vietnam’s central highlands to an inconceivable one: growing strawberries on rocks. Huong and her husband threw in the shovel on their days of toil at the mercy of volatile commodity prices in 2019 and joined vertical agriculture…

US (IL): Something magic’s growing here

Vivid green fluid silently courses down a vertical stack of cascading glass tubes on the third floor of the Plant, the sustainability-oriented Back of the Yards small business…

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Passion for urban farming takes Singapore by storm

Singaporeans' increasing interest in urban farming reflects the urgent need for healthy and sustainably-grown food along with tighter communities where individuals aren’t left to fend for themselves. The exhilarating experience of living on a self-sufficient farm in Australia where the family managed to…

"Horto Professional makes vertical farming customizable"

Hydroponics and vertical farming are increasingly important concepts for farmers and plant growers. However, meeting demand for sustainable, deseasonalized and high-quality produce all year-round often involves the tricky process of identifying an advanced, completely automated and customizable solution.…

Shreveport Green

US (LA): Shreveport's Urban Farm, SWEPCO uses new tech for year-round growth

Southwestern Electric Power Company announced this week that they have collaborated with Shreveport Green and EPRI to create the first indoor agriculture facility that utilizes new technology to grow nutritious food year-round.  “SWEPCO is proud to collaborate on this exciting project that will help increase…

Is indoor farming sustainable?

Is indoor farming sustainable? This important question was fielded at GreenTech 2022 in Amsterdam four weeks ago. Dr. Mary Ellis, chairwoman of FarmtechSociety, hosted Annie Wissemeier (InfiteAcres), Tim Bongartz (FLUENCE), Jack Farmer (LetUSgrow), and Carrol Plummer (Vivent) to cut through the maze of thinking around…

Designing aquaponics systems suitable for Mars

A post-graduate research scholarship to investigate the potential for aquaponics to provide fish and vegetable produce in extreme conditions – including on the Moon and Mars – is being offered by the University of Greenwich. The successful applicant will investigate the use of aquaponic waters and…

Vertical strawberry farm thrives in Northern Italy

At a vertical farm for strawberries, the sky is the limit. Growing strawberries is a fine art – you need the right blend of water, light, and nutrients – but agriculture technology is making things easier. At the strawberry farm that plants upwards, they produce so much fruit that they also sell…

Ditto Foods and FullCircle26 team up

Ditto Foods, LLC., one of Chicago's innovators in hydroponic vertical farming, announced that it has partnered with FullCircle26 Inc. (FC26I), North America's sales, distribution, service, and training organization for OPCOM Hydroponic Growing systems, an all-in-one hydroponic growing system designed for…

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CAN: Agtech applies for $250,000 CAD to build new farm

A historic building on the southeast edge of Crescent Heights that started its life as a grocery store more than a century ago could soon be providing food to Calgarians in a very new way. Sunspring Farms will be making its pitch to establish an urban vertical farm to members of the Calgary city council…

Skytree launches onsite carbon capture unit at Growy

Skytree, developers of decentralized direct air capture technology (D-DAC), announced the launch of its first carbon capture units for indoor farming. The company is the first to deploy an onsite carbon capture unit at Growy vertical farms in the Netherlands. Skytree is reimagining the entire current…

What is beneficial bacteria?

Beneficial bacteria have made a strong impression because they can be used as a soil or medium additive or even a foliar treatment. When added to the soil or medium, beneficial bacteria quickly…

Boise farm offers second-chance employment for people recovering

“Growing green stuff and growing people.” This is how Jeff Middleton, co-founder of Boise Vertical Farm, describes the partnership between sustainable farming and the rehabilitation of people in the community. Middleton and Crystal Spencer have witnessed the ways a second chance can affect a person.…

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UK: Cubes of Perpetual Light travel across Edinburgh with miniature vertical farm

Cubes of Perpetual Light will feature in two key events in Edinburgh in August. The cubes are part of the Dandelion creative program, inspiring people to ‘Sow, Grow and Share.’ Each is one meter square and contains hundreds of tiny plant plugs growing under LED light, combining design craft, traditional…

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Adjusting irrigation water: bicarbonates vs. pH

When it comes to irrigation water and water quality, you’ve probably heard the terms pH, alkalinity, and bicarbonates threw around. Many growers focus on pH targets when adjusting their irrigation water. This is likely based on the fact that there is an optimal pH range for growing media that allows for…

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How Microsoft’s Redmond campus inspired this Zambia agritech startup

A small idea born in the Microsoft Redmond campus in Seattle, Washington, has grown to become a full-blown digital farm marketplace in Zambia. Between September 2017 and August 2021, Chris Chileshe, a Zambian-American, worked as a software engineer at Microsoft on its Redmond campus, where he got exposed…

Meet the couple running Mumbai's first hydroponic farm

Mumbai-based couple Sakina Rajkotwala & Joshua Lewis started the city's first hyperlocal indoor farm, Herbivore Farms back in 2017, with an aim of providing freshly harvested and sustainable produce to city dwellers. The farm uses hydroponic techniques to grow a variety of fresh greens, saving a bunch of…

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Kenya: WFP project to help Kibera become food secure

Kibera, a neighborhood in Nairobi, will soon be food secure, thanks to two programs by the World Food Program Innovation Accelerator and the Human Needs Project organization. Hydroponics 2 Grow, abbreviated as H2Grow and Empowerment in Action (EMPACT) are aimed at improving the living standards of the…

ReFeed

How six million worms are digging into B.C.’s big food-waste problem

Lilley, founder, and chief visionary officer of Langley-based ReFeed Canada Farm, is seeing the spring launch of his company's vertical worm farm, a chrome, three-level setup featuring a pair of 14-meter-long beds on each level, where more than 450 kilograms of worms and feed reside in each bed. "We…

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Company starts growing hydroponic fodder in the UAE

The UAE has proven to be a visionary nation time and time again. The past 50 years are a testimony to this, with the changing skyline and incredible history. The country has raced towards innovation while firmly holding on to their tradition and values, and has achieved this because the rulers put the…

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SpaceX Dragon docks with ISS carrying research and fresh vegetables

An uncrewed SpaceX Dragon cargo ship has arrived at the International Space Station (ISS), carrying a variety of scientific experiments and supplies for the crew. The Dragon craft was launched on Thursday, July 14, at 8:44 p.m. ET from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida,…

Emirates Flight Catering opens vertical farm in Dubai

Bustanica has opened the doors to the world’s largest hydroponic farm, backed by an investment of US$40m. The facility is the first vertical farm for Emirates Crop One, the joint venture between Emirates Flight Catering (EKFC),a catering operation serving more than 100 airlines, and Crop One, an agtech…

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US (CO): Software developer leaves corporate life for community farm

At the corner of 25th and Lawrence, the block is transformed by the verdant visages of edible greens visible through the glass panes of a second-story greenhouse. Inside, a sea of growing towers in an impeccably clean space is surrounded by natural light and dotted with various stages of growth—a…

What's happening in southern Utah: Switchpoint Rise Gardens

Switchpoint's vision is to defeat homelessness. Their Rise Garden Towers will make over 100,000 leafy greens per year that will help feed their residents, as well as be sold to the community to help provide jobs and sustainability for Switchpoint. Their other project, Stepping Stones Daycare, provides…

State Fair of Texas photo

Texan urban farms donates one million servings

Big Tex Urban Farms, a signature program of the State Fair of Texas, donated one million servings of fresh produce to the local community. Since the goal was announced in 2018, the Fair has made that goal a reality in less than four years. They have donated 1,000,000 produce servings to the South Dallas…

Optimizing vertical farming methods and bringing agriculture to cities

AVF member, Yasai, is a vertical farming start-up and ETH spin-off. The company was founded in 2020 by Mark E. Zahran, Stefano Augsburger, and Philipp Bosshard in Zurich, Switzerland. Starting out focusing mainly on growing herbs, they intend to branch out into leafy greens and berries at a later date.…

Offering seed needs tailored to growers' requests

"Nowadays, farmers are working with unique and specific varieties. Agortus has a well-developed range of tailored seeds  for vertical farmers and microgreen growers. There are even specifications on seed quality for individual growers," says Olof H. Christerson, director of Agortus. Olof H. Christerson Every successful…

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Rooftop greenhouse planned in NYC

New York City Mayor Eric Adams, the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), the New York City Housing Development Corporation (HDC), and homeless services nonprofit Project Renewal opened the first phase of Bedford Green House — a project that will bring 117 affordable and…

HydroGreen

"Hydroponic fodder is more nutritious than conventional fodder"

“Cattle feed agriculture consumes a large amount of water, which makes it challenging to grow in the Middle East considering the water scarcity. The domestic meat and dairy industry are constrained to import over 90% of its feed requirements. With our solution, those farmers can now get access to fresh…

FreightFarms

Bringing food production indoors

Last month the Indoor Agtech Innovation Summit was held in New York City. It featured the technologies and businesses associated with “Controlled Environment Agriculture,” or CEA which includes everything from greenhouses that still utilize sunlight to “vertical farms” that are completely independent of the outdoor environment.…

Closely monitoring the nutrient intake of plants

The more information you have about your growing environment the more precise you can be with your action, hence the term precision agriculture. “Step one is to know what is taking place in your grow room and step two is to take corrective actions to bring your environment to the optimal levels,” says…

NASA / MSFC

Space agriculture grows food where no one has grown before

Whether to spend money on outer space exploration or to apply it to solve serious problems on Earth, like climate change and food shortages, is a contentious debate. But one argument in favor of space exploration highlights benefits that do, in fact, help study, monitor, and address serious concerns like…

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UK: Sky is the limit for vertical farming project thanks to success of microgreen growers

An innovative vertical farming project will grow even further with the launch of a new accelerator program. For two years, the Tech Tyfu pilot initiative – delivered by not-for-profit organization Menter Mon – has worked with growers in Gwynedd and Anglesey to develop fresh micro greens using…

Growing cucumbers vertically brings future for Finnish growers nearby

It’s a remarkable sight. Trusses of stems hanging sideways over a growing rack, with cucumbers hanging neatly underneath. The goal of this research project is not only to enable growers in Finland to grow cucumbers indoors year-round but also to enable them to minimize the labor on the farms by…

Small farm making big waves from underground car park in Sydney

“Right now, being a farmer is tough, but on the other hand, desperation can sometimes drive innovation,” says Noah Alessandro, founder, and CEO of Urban Green Sydney (UGS).  UGS is a vertical farm based in Sydney that targets restaurants, wholesalers, and, more recently, home consumers. UGS produces living…

CAN: A walk through Vision Greens' newest Welland facility

A new trend in growing and harvesting vegetables is gaining steam in the Niagara region. Start-up Vision Greens launched a vertical farming facility in Welland. Vision Greens is an indoor and soil-less operation that aims to fill in the gaps of a supply crunch and high food costs. They say they’re…

Let's talk farm to fork: OnePointOne

In this episode of "Let's Talk Farm to Fork," Sam Bertram from OnePointOne joins, who we will be talking to about how their advanced vertical farming system is working towards reducing the amount of annual food and resource loss within the fresh produce industry.

UK: New vertical farm site at Discovery Park holds topping out ceremony

A topping-out ceremony has been held at Discovery Park to mark the external build of the fourth vertical farm for company GrowUp – and the start of recruitment for farm operatives. The ceremony marked the handover of the building to complete the internal fit-out of the farm. GrowUp Farms has spent almost…

Dr. Greenhouse's testimonial on sensors in a little office farm

Dr. Nadia Sabeh, Ph.D - President and Founder, Dr. Greenhouse, shares her experiences testing WayBeyond's Folium sensors in their little office vertical farm. "This is a really cool sensor. It includes temperature, air temperature, and relative humidity sensor, as well as a carbon dioxide sensor. You can…

South Africa: graduates bring back aquaponic skills to their rural communities

Two Nelson Mandela University (NMU) graduates intend to use their new innovative agriculture skills in the rural Eastern Cape communities where they grew up to assist with food security in a resource-scarce region. Sinazo Tomose, from Cacadu, and Unathi Mgcebele, from East London, were awarded their…

Photograph: Stefan Weiss

Plant-based prawns solution to protect marine environment

Around the world, people are consuming more and more fish and seafood, such as mussels and prawns. Realizing that urgent action is required, ETH Zurich researchers Severin Eder and Lukas Böcker have turned their efforts toward developing seafood alternatives made from microalgae. Despite their many…

Credit: NASA

Which microbes grow on space crops?

Over the last few years, it has become increasingly apparent that we are not alone. Each and every human being comes complete with their own microbiome – a collection of microbes that they take with them wherever they go. For example, if we move home, it only takes about 24 hours for your microbiome to…

Sydney carpark farm delivers fresh herbs and microgreens

One of the nation’s smallest, and most unique, farms is located in a basement carpark in the heart of Sydney’s central business district. The vertical indoor farm grows herbs and microgreens, which are delivered fresh to cafes and restaurants within hours of picking.  Watch the video here. 

How Singapore's agritech startups help strengthen domestic food security

Many of us might be surprised to hear that Singapore actually has farmers — and these are not farmers from the kampung that many of us may imagine when we think of the agriculture industry in Southeast Asia. Instead, the agritech and agrifood industry in Singapore is quintessentially Singaporean,…

US (CA): Aeroponic vertical gardens to provide LA citizens fresh greens

Wendy Coleman is the founder of LA Urban Farms. "Our passion, our mission is really just to inspire and to empower people to grow their own healthy food. And we do that by using these aeroponic vertical gardens, which make it super simple and possible for us all to be 21st-century urban farmers," she…

Flooded aquaponics farm evaluates damage, starts to rebuild

For Sophia Koopmeiners, greenhouse manager at Montana Roots, June 13 started as just another normal Monday at work.It had been raining on and off for the past few weeks, but…

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UK: Veteran opens hydroponics farm with focus on microgreens

Things that come in small packages can deliver a big nutritional punch. That’s the philosophy of David Derkits, the owner of Bangor-based nuHydro Farms. Derkits installed a hydroponics farm in his home that grows microgreens, other vegetables, and fruits. Derkits said people would have to spend over $20…

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US (WA): Mushroom farming grows in the Inland Northwest

Josh Yake, founder, and owner of Gourmet Foragables & More, of Spokane, says he remembers when he was the only mushroom vendor at Inland Northwest farmers' markets. But over the last couple of years, he's seen growth in fungi vendors here, particularly among boutique mushroom farmers. Krysta Froberg,…

Sierra Space

How astronauts on the ISS are growing crops without soil

In order to enable long-term space missions, it’s important for astronauts to be able to grow their own food — for both their physical and mental health. There are a number of experiments into growing crops on the International Space Station (ISS), but recently astronauts there have been harvesting from…

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Vertical farmer set to bring more produce to Hongkong

From experimenting with growing tomatoes on a 400 sq ft plot of land on Hong Kong’s Cheung Chau island to moving into a brand new 9,000 sq ft (840 square meter) indoor space in Kwun Tong, East Kowloon, Jessica Naomi Fong’s urban farming journey is now bearing some serious fruit. Over the best part of…

Finnish propagator Sigg-Plant expands capacity with 40%

Finnish propagator Oy Sigg-Plant Ab was established back in 1955. During the last 15 years they have grown rapidly and are now active on a total of eight different markets in Scandinavia, the Baltic states and Poland where they delivered over 6 million young plants in 2021. Figure 1. Grafting of tomatoes…

Keeping your climate stable: HVAC and vertical farms

“We provide one of the best-controlled environments possible for plants, whether it’s in a greenhouse, indoor facility, urban farm, or rooftop. Anywhere that is growing plants, we have the tools for that,” says Luis Trujillo, General Manager of Hoogendoorn USA. Hoogendoorn is among the top providers of…

Photography: Markus Ravik

Australia: Urban Valley, the mushroom farm right in the heart of Fortitude Valley

Boxing gyms and dive bars are what you'd find deep in the guts of the Valley, in and around the short stretch of Brunswick Street, west of the mall. But also a mushroom farm.  Take a left onto Alfred Street, and left again onto Esther Street, wander down the hill, and Joel Schiller hits the switch on an enormous…

Welland vertical farm growing leafy greens with NASA technology

Quality over quantity. That’s the goal of Vision Greens, a vertical farm in Welland’s industrial park near Highway 140, which has been growing lettuces, arugula, and basil since last May. Products are shipped to grocers the same day they’re plucked — many stores being in the Greater Toronto Area, as well…

Canada: Calgary Tower new home to vertical farming operation

Big changes are on the way at one of Calgary’s best-known landmarks, which means Calgary Tower will soon have a garden in a surprising spot. The project involves putting in an indoor system for growing produce in vacant commercial space at the bottom of the tower. For the man in charge of the project,…

Stepping Stones Residential Treatment Facility

Foster Care Farm teaches trade skills

After loading up their crops and setting up a stand at the Ceredo Farmer’s Market, youth from the Stepping Stones Residential Treatment Facility sold their first $100 dollars of produce that they grew on their commercial farm, Growing Hope. Located in Lavalette, West Virginia, Stepping Stones is a child…

Tarannum Malik, Managing Director talks about the beginnings of Al Aliyo HydroFarms

Al Aliyo HydroFarms is a hydroponic fodder farm that aims to fill the need for local animal fodder instead of depending on imported ones. This idea came to her during the pandemic when local farms and zoos were hard-pressed to find alternative solutions when supply was low. She stressed that the easy…

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The challenges of farming indoors: from organic food to medicinal cannabis

The vertical farming market has been growing exponentially in recent years, and though the industry is proving to be increasingly more profitable, the practice of vertical farming is not without its challenges. Here, Ian Hart, Business Development Director at adi Projects, a division of the…

Sprout AI announces partnership with Active 20-30 Las Cumbres

Sprout announces it has signed an agreement as of June 8, 2022, to partner with Active 20-30 Las Cumbres, Rep. of Panama, on their Rice, Beans, and Greens initiative. Through…

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India: Vertical gardens start coming up at main intersections in Prayagraj

Presently, the work of installing a vertical garden at Subash crossing of posh Civil Lines locality of Prayagarj is underway. Besides, these vertical gardens will be set up at MLN Medical College crossing and Balson crossing soon. Continuing with the task of beautifying Sangam city and minimizing air…

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The RISE Garden at SwitchPoint

SwitchPoint, the organization that runs the St. George area's only major homeless shelter, a local food bank, work programs, and other initiatives designed to help people in need, recently opened its latest effort, an "aeroponic tower" high-efficiency garden where vegetables can be grown in a water-efficient setting and then…

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Philippine government launches indoor vertical farming garden in Makati

The Department of Agriculture (DA)’s Bureau of Agricultural Research launched an indoor vertical farming garden in Makati City on Thursday. In a statement, the DA said it provided initial funding of P3 million for the garden, which is supposed to produce lettuce, kale, basil, and tomato. Agriculture…

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Sioux Falls' planning coalition to expand food access with urban farming

Sioux Falls city officials are partnering with a group of organizations to create a coalition aimed at expanding food access within the city. The Sioux Falls Urban Agriculture Coalition will also "support sustainable, economic, and educational opportunities involving urban agriculture and innovative…

Container farm allows growers to cultivate 14 different gourmet mushrooms

"We can grow 14 different strains of gourmet mushrooms in our container farms, with 3-4 strains per container and up to 2,000 lbs of mushrooms per 20-ft container per month, depending on the strain," says Jonathan Murray, co-founder, and CEO of Adapt Agtech. The company supplies container farming systems…

NZ: The benefits of farming upwards

Strawberries available year-round that are fresher, cheaper, and even eco-friendlier – this is the promise of an indoor vertical farm. Kiwi Arama Kukutai – the chief executive of Plenty – is about to open a large vertical farm. Using LED lights and robots, the US-based facility can grow a full lettuce in…

"Vertical farming is not the magic bullet"

Robert Jordas of Robbe's Little Garden is building a new cultivation facility for baby leaf lettuce in Helsinki, Finland. For this facility - about 15 minutes drive from three large retailers' distribution centers - he did not opt for a fully-fledged vertical farm but rather a hybrid solution: a…

How a poker prodigy accidentally created a booming vertical farm

Clayton fostered his love for numbers by playing poker - a lot of poker. Now, he’s using that mentality to launch a vertical farm company. “We think everyone deserves access to reliable local food year-round,” says Nebullam co-founder Clayton Mooney. “Our vision is to replace the produce aisle.” When…

Increasing the natural vanilla market by creating bigger demand for existing players

“We integrated all growing processes of vanilla production; the vertical, the active-  and the industrial part at the same time. Bringing an innovative solution into agriculture that hadn’t existed yet was a great opportunity ahead for the company. We want to expand the vanilla market, but not lead it,” says…

Korea: Growing vegetables in city buildings

In Korean cities nowadays, there's a growing number of so-called urban farms, where people use efficient methods of growing vegetables. The plants grow in a vertical framework and are sprayed with mist. "The growth rate of these vegetables is very fast because the roots are exposed to the air," the manager…

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India: students are shown the hydroponic agri-business model

Pritpal Singh, who has developed a brand of his hydroponic produce as farm-cult, elaborated PAU, Ludhiana, students on hydroponic cultivation, value chain, market orientation, and consumer orientation for various hydroponic crops such as lettuce, cauliflower, and spinach. The School of Business Studies…

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Partners growing mushrooms in former shipping container

If there is one thing that excites Josh Peitzman, it’s the promise of rain. A saturated forest floor is a fungal breeding ground, and Peitzman, 24, spends much of his free time post-rain on the hunt for mushrooms to identify. It’s become second nature for him to walk through Granger’s Jester Park, eyes…

Photo courtesy of Abdullah Mahmoud

Jordanian farm owner plants seeds of food sustainability using "Dutch bucket" system

A Jordanian man has transformed his father’s abandoned nursery in west Amman into a family-run food sustainability project with the aid of the Dutch bucket system. Dutch bucket is a hydroponic system that uses two or more connected containers for growing plants indoors. “The whole idea of the system is…

UHI Business Awards: 'Vertical farming' is best engineering project in University of the Highlands and Islands Business Awards

Calum Macdonald, a BEng (Hons) Energy Engineering student, picked up an award for his vertical farming idea at the 2022 UHI Business Awards. Calum (26), from Lewis, presented his idea for a small modular vertical farming unit that integrates sensors and is standalone but can integrate with other units.…

Greenhouse and Kitchen provide food and education in the fight for good nutrition

In South Central Fort Wayne, in close proximity to hospitals, doctors’ offices, and other healthcare facilities, is a place devoted to producing and teaching residents about food for health: the Parkview Community Greenhouse and Learning Kitchen.  Greenhouse Farmer Camille Schuelke says Parkview launched the…

“We’d like to develop our own ecosystem, because we measure a lot of different data”

Optimization, optimization, and optimization. Sometimes it feels as if there’s no end to optimizing your vertical farming operation. Now, imagine how difficult that would be if it weren’t for sensors. The company Leaf AI knows that quite well, and their understanding of the importance of sensors is…

Denmark: Alfred Pedersen & Søn build new vertical lettuce facility

In the spring of 2023, Alfred Pedersen & Søn will become the first Danish company to invest in a local production of environmentally friendly lettuces. Their new facility for lettuce production will ensure that the climate footprint can be drastically reduced compared to vertical farming and outdoor…

How this Singaporean duo built their own indoor farming system from scratch

Singapore is not particularly known for agriculture or vegetable production, and for a good reason. In land-scarce countries like Singapore, large areas being set aside for farming would simply be an inefficient use of resources. But where there is a will, there is a way. Archisen founders Sven Yeo and…

"The market for multi-layer grow racks is a lot better than I thought"

KG Systems is known for its rolling tables and container systems, but about two or three years ago, they saw increasing demand for multi-layer grow racks. "It's really just simple tables in a rack, stacked in layers," Matthias Haakman of KG Systems explains. "We then made a few of those and got more and…

Pink Farms flourishes in São Paulo

Pink Farms is an indoor, vertical farm in São Paulo, Brazil, that practices precision agriculture. Luana’s story and perspective inspire people to think differently about the food value chain, and the impact innovation can have on our way of life in the future.

Image credit: YesHealth Group

Leafood raises $6.75m to develop a vertical farming network for the Baltics

Lithuanian vertical farming company Leafood has secured $6.75 million (€6.45 million) in seed funding. The majority of the proceeds will go towards financing a partnership with Taiwanese indoor agriculture company YesHealth Group to build and operate a network of indoor vertical farms in Lithuania and…

US (GA): 80 Acres Farms to build in Newton County through $120 mln investment

Governor Brian P. Kemp announced that 80 Acres Farms will create 150 new jobs in Newton County. The $120 million investment in Covington, Georgia, will help the company meet growing consumer demand for local, fresh produce.  "We are excited to welcome 80 Acres Farms to Georgia as we continue finding new, exciting…

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Israel: Cultivated scallops made using low-cost aquaponics technology

Mermade Seafoods is an Israeli company developing cultivated scallops. The company claims to be the first in the world to use aquaponics technology in cellular agriculture. Essentially, Mermade takes nutrient-rich spent growth medium — a byproduct of cultivated meat and seafood production — and places it…

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US (IA): Fungi Fresh Farms takes mushrooms to new heights by growing them in a Grimes lab

If there is one thing that excites Josh Peitzman, it's the promise of rain. A saturated forest floor is a fungal breeding ground, and Peitzman, 24, spends much of his free time post-rain on the hunt for mushrooms to identify. It's become second nature for him to walk through Granger's Jester Park, eyes…

Sedative salad: what you didn’t know about lettuce

Crisp and tender leaves of salad crops are usually green but may also be red or bronzy, curly or flat, whole or lobed vary in shape and flavor, texture, and size. You put it in sandwiches and your salads every day. Yes, you’re right. It is lettuce. Probably the most popular of salad crops with hundreds…

Growing to make Stockholm self-sufficient

Grönska is a Swedish tech-company that has been developing, building, and testing vertical farming technology since 2014. With a vision to make the city self-sufficient through sustainable greens and by supplying food for a growing population without consuming the planet's resources. Their first system…

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Malaysia: rooftop garden a hit with employees

Once a neglected space, the rooftop of Wisma MBSA on Persiaran Perbandaran in Shah Alam, Selangor, has been converted into a flourishing vegetable and fruit garden. An assortment of leafy vegetables, medicinal plants, and even roselle flowers and passion fruit vines are being grown in planter boxes and…

Michele Stueven

US: Smallhold urban mushroom farm sprouts up in Vernon

You'll find the Smallhold Mushroom Farm under the City of Vernon Water Tower. The Erewhon distribution center is just across the railroad tracks.   Urban mushroom farmers Smallhold, pioneers in indoor agriculture technology, have opened the first Certified Organic Mushroom Farm in Los Angeles County in a 34,000 square…

How do plants know how big to grow?

Organisms grow to fit the space and resources available in their environments, leading to a vast diversity of body sizes and shapes within a population of the same species. What are the genetic and physiological mechanisms that determine how big an organism can grow? In insects and mammals, the cellular…

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Malaysia: Greens fresh from a mall’s rooftop

Entrepreneur Emil Jihad is offering people the second option with his organic farming, with vegetables that are pesticide-free. His smart greenhouse cultivation uses an aquaponic system on the rooftop of the 1 Utama shopping mall in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, over an area of about 7,000 sq feet. Customers…

Grow tent kits with LED lighting help us grow flowers and food at home

Active Grow, a horticultural lighting manufacturer, announces the launch of two new 3-Tier LED Walden Grow Tent Kits: The Flowers and Fruits High-Intensity Kit and The Vegetables and Greens High-Intensity Kit. These innovative and easy-to-use systems allow growers of all experience levels to grow…

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National coordinators meet in Sweden to discuss plant genetic resources

The diversity of plants essential to our food production and bioeconomy is at constant risk of decline and neglect. Immediate action is needed. One important step in a positive direction is the recently launched Plant Genetic Resources Strategy for Europe. On 7-9 June, the European network ECPGR will…

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The case for the vertical farm

The fastest—and frankly, perhaps only—way to reverse climate change is neither the retooling of the energy sector nor the retrofitting of every building on Earth, supported by an all-electric fleet. The answer to solving food insecurity is literally underfoot (and overhead), and the numbers are stunning. Marion Nestle, one of…

India: Retired banker has 1,000 plants of 400 varieties in his house

In congested Shahganj, the house of a retired banker has become a point of attraction for local residents and foreign tourists from countries such as Germany, Japan, and Bangladesh. Former State Bank of India employee Chandrashekar Sharma calls his 300-year-old residence a “greenhouse” as it is home to…

Can high-tech urban farming reduce Singapore's reliance on imports?

The so-called "economic miracle" that transformed Singapore into a prosperous city-state saw most of its arable land redeveloped. With less than one percent left to grow crops, the government hopes advanced urban farming and the development of alternative protein technology will help produce 30 percent…

Sunway XFarms to launch indoor vertical farm in KL City

Sunway XFarms, a Malaysia agritech company, will launch a vertical farm in Kuala Lumpur's city center in the third quarter of 2022.  The urban farm will occupy three floors spanning 37,000 square feet in the 33-story Sunway Tower. The farm is expected to produce at least 13,000 kilograms of fresh, healthy,…