The challenge to change: the future of Asia’s fresh produce business

The fresh produce business is changing rapidly – not only in Asia but also worldwide – and the coronavirus outbreak has further accelerated the changes. On 28 September, Jan Doldersum, Chain and Retail Manager at Rijk Zwaan, will participate in a panel discussion with two other experts. They will talk…

Photo credit: Gurvinder Singh

India: Growing vegetables hydroponically on a floating island

Majuli is the largest river island in the world. Majuli, in the northeastern state of Assam, is a 553-sq-km island in the Brahmaputra River. Around 1,70,000 people belonging to 11 ethnic groups live on the island. Irshad Ali, the sub-divisional agricultural officer for Majuli, said that around 9,270…

How to acclimate seedlings

How to acclimate seedlings Sowing seeds indoors allows you to use all the environmental controls of a grow-room to manipulate conditions such as light, temperature, and humidity. This gives your seedlings optimal conditions for success and a head start in creating a healthy and robust root network to provide them with their…

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"There’s not enough land to feed the world with organic food"

Organic food producers, which eschew synthetic crop protections for “natural” ones, regularly market their products as more sustainable than conventional offerings, but they’re not, writes Ross Pomeroy at geneticliteracyproject.org. An analysis of 71 studies by Oxford University researchers revealed that…

Inisdewalessport.co.uk

Two hydroponic barley production units to come to Western Sahara

The Regional Directorate of Agriculture of Dakhla-Oued Eddahab, in the arid region of Western Sahara, is committed to carrying out projects allowing the emergence of an agricultural middle class and the encouragement of young investors in the agriculture sector. Breeders of the Dakhla area will soon have…

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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…

What the police could be doing in your irrigation system

Traditionally, when Dutch soccer clubs Ajax and Feyenoord play, police units are present. "As a rule, they don't do anything. They are passively present, sometimes out of sight. If it goes wrong, they intervene. This is just how 'police filters' work in irrigation systems," says Stefan Bakker of Netafim…

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Optimization of basil production in LED environments

Light intensity, light duration, and spectral distribution characteristics significantly affect the growth, nutritional properties, and sensory characteristics of basil. Optimization of basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) production in LED environments - a review summarizes the effects on basil growth and the…

VerticalFarmDaily.com

Vertically cultivated mushrooms are blossoming in Brussels’ cellars

“Once the summer break is over, our 10 growing rooms, consisting of 1000m2 in total, will be fully occupied and deliver 1000kg of mushrooms a month in total for 4000kg coffee grounds recycled,” says Julie Jacqmain, Production- and communication manager at Permafungi. “About four rooms are in use now, as…

Great Lakes Growers vs vertical farming

The team at Great Lakes Growers often gets asked about the differences between a hydroponic greenhouse and a vertical farm operation. Here's a video by John Bonner, CEO of Great Lakes Growers discussing the similarities as well as one big difference. For more information:Great Lakes Growers15145 Kinsman RoadPO…

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Kilnwick Percy firm’s fresh produce from container base sows seeds of micro greens success

Ben Conway had wanted to be a farmer when he was younger, having spent holidays with his uncles and aunts in County Mayo. Ben said his fledgling micro greens enterprise called Short Stack utilizing a decommissioned refrigerated shipping container on a neighbor’s farm may not be traditional in the sense…

Making local, fresh produce accessible in Vancouver

Forward Greens is an indoor farm located in Vancouver, WA providing fresh, local produce to the residences of Clark County. Forward Greens is a local cosmopolitan farm, focused on serving the environmen. "We believe in change, planting the seeds to create a cleaner future for generations to come. We now…

Ozone water for irrigation and produce treatments

Among the various products showcased at Macfrut, a series of devices to 'produce' ozone to sterilize irrigation water, perform treatments and for storage units were particularly popular. The company that develops this technology is Ecofarm Storti. Left to right: Massimo Bizzarri, Enrico Storti and…

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UK green jobs: The new generation of workers making it work for them

From running huge wind farms out at sea to making new devices to heat our homes, the UK is seeing a rise in interest in so-called green jobs. What counts as a green job? The simplest answer is that it directly contributes to tackling climate change, although many think it should also cover roles that…

Sri Lanka: Moving towards transformative, inclusive and resilient food systems

In less than two weeks, the United Nations Food Systems Summit (UNFSS) will take place during the United Nations General Assembly in New York, USA. Leading up to this event, countries are convening national dialogues to gather issues, challenges, and solutions for their own food systems that will feed…

Internet of Things monitoring of rocket growth supplemented by LEDs lighting

In this study, the Internet of Things (IoT) was employed for monitoring the growth parameters of rocket (Eruca sativa) plants cultivated in a greenhouse under supplemental LEDs lighting. Red (R), blue (B) and the combination red and blue in different ratios (75R:25B, 50R:50B, 25R:75B), were employed, as…

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Atlanta’s new policy to allow urban farms to sell directly

Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced urban farms in Atlanta will sell fresh, affordable food directly to consumers in residential zoned areas of the city. Prior to this development, the City’s Code prevented many of the city’s urban farms from operating farm stands that sell produce grown on-site…

Square Roots

Indoor farm introduces two new salad mixes

Square Roots is expanding its retail presence with two new salad mixes, entering the $8.1 billion packaged salads and greens category1. Square Roots’ salad mixes include a boost of healthy microgreens and crisp baby leaves grown across the company’s network of cloud-connected and climate-controlled…

Building resilient indoor farms with earthworms, fungi and beneficial bacteria

“I’d like to see the indoor farming industry include the ecosystem of waste and develop robust, biodiverse systems,” says Ketil Stoknes, a biologist and ecologist from the University of Oslo specializing in the integration of waste into controlled environment agriculture. During his TEDx presentation…

Microgreens in space with Christina Johnson

In this podcast of The Unconventional Gardener, Emma the Space Gardener talks with Dr. Christina Johnson, who works with microgreens at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. She explains the benefits and challenges of growing microgreens in orbit, and what it’s going to take to get them onto astronaut menus.…

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Singapore: Local produce is fresher and lasts longer

Now, more than ever, it is easy to eat sustainably in Singapore. The choice of eggs, vegetables, and seafood produced here has widened, and so has the range of sustainably produced groceries such as instant noodles and milk alternatives. As Singapore moves towards 30 by 30, with the aim of producing 30…

"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…

Studying salinity stress in hydroponic basil

Salinity is a major concern in several ecosystems and has a significant impact on global agriculture. To increase the sustainability of horticultural food systems, better…

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Zimbabwe: Mother and daughters practice hydroponics in their backyard

“In Zimbabwe, we have a mentality that the youth has, they think that you need lots of land to be able to start a farming business, so this has been very good, you know, with a little bit of space you can actually produce a lot of vegetables and produce which you can use to generate an income,”…

How the pandemic and gardening startups fed our home-grown cravings

My plant obsession began early last year when I broke my leg just one week before the US descended into COVID-19 lockdown. Stuck at home with a 4-year-old whose Seattle preschool had closed, I bought a lemon tree that we could tend together -- something to keep us occupied and out in the sunshine. By the…

Growing on Mars: Soil is not the problem

If humans want to live on Mars for a longer period it will be necessary to grow their own crops there. And what is more logical than growing the crops in a greenhouse on the surface, profiting from the sunlight, as seen in many scientific designs and Sci-fi movies? However, will this be possible giving…

Bio-enzyme water cleaner receives OMRI certification

Trusted by California growers for their wastewater cleaning needs for over a decade, Aquabella® Bio-Enzyme is now also better for organically minded farmers. The product just received organic certification from the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI), which assures the suitability of products for…

Researcher seeks to minimize loss of fresh fruit and vegetables

University of Saskatchewan PhD candidate Nazanin Charchi and her research team in the Department of Biological and Chemical Engineering are investigating how to minimize losses of fruits and vegetables by regulating emissions of ethylene in controlled agricultural environments. Each year, more than one…

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How to maximize water resource efficiency

One of the challenges farmers face in a soil-free environment is ensuring that plants are getting proper nutrient balance. In these types of operations, water recycling and water management are essential. For soilless agriculture, water reclamation and water reuse help reduce the overall water footprint.…

Microgreens provide homegrown nutrition without the garden

Tiny edible vegetables known as microgreens have been rising in popularity with Americans searching for ways to add nutrition to home-cooked dishes. As many found themselves seeking do-it-yourself projects during the 2020 COVID-19 outbreak, microgreens became a favorite miniature gardening project. LSU…

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How the specter of food insecurity can be banished from the Arab region

“Everybody is concerned about the transformation of food systems,” Jean-Marc Faures, program leader at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Regional Office for the Near East and North Africa (NENA), told. “We are all part of this global food system that has done marvels in terms of feeding a…

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Spallumcheen farm turns over new leaf(y) produce

Picture this: it’s November in the North Okanagan. The first dusting or big dump of snow has hit the region and the ground is all white-covered. You get a last-minute dinner invitation and your friends want you to bring your legendary Caesar salad. Except now, instead of going to the local grocery store…

Photo: EDEN ISS

Growing vegetables an essential part of astronaut self-care

Polar night is finally over at Neumayer Station III, a remote research station perched on Antarctica’s Ekstrom Ice Shelf. For almost 64 days, the 10 members of the skeleton winter crew, the overwinterers—a cook, a doctor, and eight engineers and researchers—did not see the sun. For those 63 days, 23…

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NZ: Micro is set to go macro

Supermarkets are now selling customers the freshest seasonal greens out of season, and it is all sourced from indoor vertical farms in the industrial hubs of Auckland and Wellington. The launch of 26 Seasons - a local company that sustainably grows and sells microgreens to restaurants and consumers - is set to shake up the way…

Sweden: Farming made easy through dense and automated pallet system

Ljusgårda in Tibro, Sweden delivers salad that is available to the trade within 24 hours after harvest. An important part of the cultivation is carried out in Constructor's Pallet Shuttle system. Sustainable from seed to finished saladLjusgårda's cultivation plant uses only renewable energy sources with…

Photo: Embla Egelund Simonsen

The story behind these Danish growers

From a closed room above a zoo restaurant, the company Nextfood grows fresh produce in their own vertical farm. The plants are grown in a shelf system, and the technology allows the farm to simulate the mountains of northern Italy or create an environment that doesn't already exist. "We are absolutely…

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US (GA): "We wanted to bring a sense of community"

Walk along the path between the BeltLine Eastside Trail and Ponce City Market’s Food Hall and you’ll see green towers spouting chard, basil, and other vegetables and herbs. These vertical aeroponic farm towers are bringing new meaning to the term urban farming. Once a month, office workers and residents…

Joshua Bessex

US (WA): Microgreens business turns bountiful during pandemic

Patrick Brown, the co-founder of Moms Micro Garden in Buckley, never imagined the difference the company’s microgreens could make. The business, which grows and supplies microgreens, was started by Brown and his wife, Rachel, and sparked from an idea after his mom contracted E. coli from tainted lettuce…

Gulf Times

Qatar advancing ag development by applying research and latest tech

"In spite of harsh climate and adverse circumstances, Qatar’s Food security program is the best in class", Lulu Group International director Dr Mohamed Althaf told a panel discussion on the sidelines of Qatar National Food Systems Summit Dialogues which concluded on Wednesday. “Qatar is advancing…

Self-sufficient food production units

Eat This, an internationally expanding platform that strives to bring food production closer to society is proud to present and support project Ahora, initiated by its Colombia contributor Saenz Fety. Inspired by the exhibition Countryside, the Future curated by Rem Koolhaas that featured in the…

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Malaysia: Gaming with veggies

Thousands were left cropless and devastated last year when Zynga’s popular game FarmVille announced the end of its 11-year legacy. But fans in Malaysia have something to look forward to as two locals are working on a real-life version of the game – and this time, you can finally taste your veggies. With the help of artificial…

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German investor brings aquaponic farming to Southern Africa

A German investor, Desert Foods International, DFI has partnered with a South African Farmer to implement a historic climate-resilient agriculture vegetable and fish farming project. The project, which will spread to the entirety of Southern Africa, commenced operations most recently at a farm in South…

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How to identify and treat a calcium deficiency in plants

If your plants are not looking their best, your plants may be suffering from a nutrient deficiency. While it’s not always easy to pinpoint a particular deficiency, if your plants have a low growth rate, have curling leaves, or browning apical meristems (growing points), low calcium may be the culprit.  Calcium…

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US: Where does our lettuce really come from?

The U.S. is the second-largest user of lettuce after only China, but when we look at lettuce consumption and production as an example, we can see why vertical indoor farming can be such a great way to supplement what we eat. Americans consume on average, 30 pounds of lettuce each per year. That’s because…

High Ridge Hydroponics

Capacity increased with newly installed vertical racks

“Installing vertical racks from Pipp was one of the major improvements, which brought us from five levels to seven levels of production,” says Joe Alvarez, owner, and farmer at High Ridge Hydroponics, an urban shipping container farm in Connecticut. When first founded in 2019, High Ridge Hydroponics…

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Effect of the flow rate on flow visualization of nutrient solution in hydroponics

In hydroponics, the flow pattern of nutrient solution in a cultivation container affects the growth of plants. Even if the flow rate of nutrient solution is the same between containers, the flow pattern may differ based on the size and shape of the containers. Therefore, the flow pattern cannot be…

Bluelab

The pros and cons of using pH testing strips for growing

For most growers, tending plants for pests and weeds is a common exercise that is usually done on a regular basis. But did you know that measuring the pH (potential Hydrogen) of your soil or hydroponic solution is just as important?  Measuring pH (potential Hydrogen) is important to help you maintain optimal…

Green Bronx Machine

UAE’s “green sheikh” visits Green Bronx Machine and Gotham Greens

Yesterday, Green Bronx Machine founder Stephen Ritz and his students welcomed His Royal Highness Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Ali Al Nuaimi, to their classroom at the National Health and Wellness Learning Center (NHWLC) at CS 55 in the Bronx. A member of the ruling family of Ajman of the United Arab Emirates and…

"Besides a greenhouse, good growers and good protocols are also needed for food-safe production"

"Mapping and standardizing business protocols are becoming an increasingly important issue, both in terms of food safety and operational security. At the same time, a greenhouse is not an autonomously running object. Cultivation in greenhouses and vertical farms is a lot safer than open cultivation, but…

Yanko Design

Mexico: Residential building comes with on-building vertical forest

Living The Noom’s design is everything you want from a building – an unusually beautiful organic structure, covered with a lush tone of green brought about by the vertical forests running along its surface, and running almost entirely on renewable energy. Designed by Mexico-based Sanzpont Arquitectura,…

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AI is learning to understand how vegetables taste

With the global demand for food escalating, vertical farms are becoming a critical component of agriculture's future. Fifth Season, a vertical farm in Pittsburgh with $35 M in funding, uses software and robotics to run their fully automated farming systems. And, by combining big data and AI, they aim to…

Photo by Todd Johnson, OSU Agricultural Communications Services

US (OK): Graduate student first to use aquaponics with grafted plants

Che Deer, a master’s student in the OSU Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, is conducting research with grafted plants in three different types of environments — outdoor, greenhouse, and residential indoor. Grafting is when the root system of one plant is combined with the scion (upper…

Hydroponic history of Singapore shown in video

Join host Mervin, as he shares fun facts about soilless cultivation, soldier farmers, food gardens, and urban farmers in Singapore.

South Dakota farmers grow new take on farm-to-table trends

While South Dakota’s No. 1 industry of agriculture is best known for its rolling fields of small grains, rows of corn and herds of cattle, there are plenty of producers that offer a variety of ready-to-use ingredients. Some, like Cherry Rock Farms, a fourth-generation vegetable farm in Brandon, South…

Single wavelengths of LED supplements promote biosynthesis of cyclic monoterpenes in Japanese mint

Environmental light conditions influence the biosynthesis of monoterpenes in the mint plant. Cyclic terpenes, such as menthol, menthone, pulegone, and menthofuran, are major…

"We are looking forward to establishing commercial operations"

As controlled environment agriculture continues to prove itself for a broadening array of food and medicinal crops, Seedo Corp. is pushing the boundaries even further by producing one of the most challenging crops and the world’s most expensive spice indoors: saffron. Seedo Corp. is an Israeli agtech…

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Signs that your plants may be struggling with incorrect electrical conductivity

EC (electrical conductivity) is an essential measurement of the total amount of food or nutrients available to your plants. EC is really important, as it communicates with you if your plants are receiving the correct amount of food.  Therefore, if your plant has an incorrect EC level, it may start to show…

VerticalFarmDaily.com

"Strawberries are a pain point for consumers"

80 Acres Farms is expanding operations and has its sights trained on a new product: strawberries. Sweet and low-down to the ground, strawberries get hosed down with pesticides because they attract so many bugs. Since vertical farm 80 Acres grows produce indoors in bug-free controlled environments without…

Underwater vegetable garden reopens growing lettuce and basil in the ocean

A project called Nemo’s Garden was launched by the Ocean Reef Group as a means to experiment with food supply diversity, should climatic changes make parts of Italy too dry to farm. The biospheres, which sit eight meters under the surface off the coast of Noli in Liguria, use solar energy for their…

UAE’s AgTech potential takes center stage at National Food System Summit

The potential of the UAE’s advanced agricultural technology sector to meet the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) was a key topic taking center stage at the UAE National Food System Summit Dialogue, which was held virtually recently. Hosted by Mariam Hareb Almheiri, Minister of State for Food…

Élever

New growing cabinet introduced

In this article, Élever Group explains its take on the agricultural industry and its challenges.  Although the advancement of science in agronomy in the last decade has helped farmers grow their crops in a more ecological manner, in terms of pesticide reduction and smarter water dispersion. It yet has to show any great advantage…

Wdnu.com

US (IN): Educating kids on the various ways of farming

Some youngsters from the Robinson Center Preschool are learning how Green Bridge Growers turn seeds into salads. These kids are learning about aquaponics, where fish provide nutrients to help the plants grow and help the plants filter the water to keep the fish habitats clean. Green Bridge also addresses…

"Crops from the vertical farm have more flavor and a longer shelf life"

"In a closed cultivation cell, you have maximum influence on conditions such as temperature, humidity and light. This allows you to precisely control plant growth, full flavour and aroma", says Lennart Bijl, Operations Manager at Own Greens. "Moreover, the cultivation environment is very clean. Bacteria,…

Mastering microgreens

Here we take a look at growing microgreens in a controlled environment with the use of a GrowRack™ or vertical farming setting. With the use of LED grow lights you can achieve great results. Technical expert M. S. Karla Garcia discusses the details.  For more information:Hort Americas Chris Higgins, CEO chiggins@hortamericas.com  www.hortamericas.com   

Photo by Sandy Ong

Singapore cultivates "Silicon Valley of food"

"It's no coincidence that Singapore is the world's first cultivated meat market," said Mirte Gosker of the nonprofit Good Food Institute Asia Pacific (GFI APAC). "The government has invested the resources necessary to create a welcoming ecosystem for food innovation." The city-state makes up Asia's…

Italo M. R. Guedes

Indoor agriculture is not just technology - Agronomy remains essential

There is some overconfidence with the promises and perspectives of actual indoor agriculture. Enthusiasts believe that the technology will solve everything and that it will easily be possible to grow anything with LEDs and air conditioning. I've heard people say that the success of a vertical farm or a…

Growing vegetables in Antarctica in the EDEN ISS project

Scientific research studies to determine how to grow plants in extreme environments on Earth will help NASA understand how to grow plants in extreme conditions on the moon or Mars.  Growth of crop plants in lunar or Mars habitation systems will be essential for meeting astronaut nutritional needs and maintaining…

Hydroponic farm, restaurant, and learning center set for Westfield

Two town residents are planting the seeds for an indoor vertical hydroponic farm anticipated to provide locally grown foods, alongside a teaching kitchen, banquet hall, and educational not-for-profit space. But before they can break ground, they’ll need some more government approvals. Michele Modestino…