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South Korea has almost zero food waste. Here’s what we can learn

Every few months or so, 69-year-old Seoul resident Hwang Ae-soon stops by a local convenience store to buy a 10-piece bundle of special yellow plastic bags. Since 2013, under South Korea’s mandatory composting scheme, residents have been required to use these bags to throw out their uneaten food. Printed…

Healthy seeds, and good germination with Plasma Activated Water seed treatment

Over 40 Seed-pathogen combinations were tested in September, October, and November on germination and seed health after treating them with Plasma Activated Water (PAW). Fourteen well-established seed breeding companies send infected seeds to VitalFluid to do the trials. A wide range of seeds are tested:…

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Jamaica: Youth for Excellence to Host Symposia in Grants Pen and Rose Town

Youth for Excellence (YFE) Limited, a non-profit organization, will host two symposia in the communities of Grants Pen in St. Andrew North Eastern and Rose Town in St. Andrew South. They are scheduled to take place on Wednesday, November 30, and Wednesday, December 14, respectively, from 10:00 a.m. to…

Photo courtesy of Batangas State University

Batangas students bag top award at Singapore engineering contest

Five students from Batangas State University (BatSU) bagged the championship at the university level of the 2022 Engineering Innovation Challenge in Singapore with their small-scale aquaponics system using artificial intelligence (AI) technology.  “AI-quaponics 360,” which was developed by fourth-year engineering…

US (TX): Laredo agtech finds success, one microgreen at a time

One local produce company is trying to revamp the way people eat by offering healthy and nutritious options while changing the way people get products by offering farm-to-table deliveries.  The Palo Blanco Farm and Ranch is a local and sustainable farm and ranch operation in Laredo that is family owned. It…

Image: Vertegrow

UK: Step inside the north-east’s first vertical farm as it reaches new heights

Peter Ranscombe goes behind the scenes at the north-east’s first vertical farm on the outskirts of Newburgh, Aberdeenshire, to see how technology is giving farming a helping hand. Walking along the path towards Vertegrow’s vertical farm near the beautiful Ythan estuary in Aberdeenshire, the collection of…

Chris Whiteoak / The National

Inside the mushroom growing farm in the Abu Dhabi desert

There is a part of Abu Dhabi where the vast desert is broken up by date palms, irrigated fields, and rows of greenhouses. These are farms that yield everything from dates to honey to plump aubergines. But behind the tall, white gates of “Below Farm” in Al Rahba, something even more special is happening.…

Belgian company Protealis speeds up development of European soybeans

Ghent-based Protealis, a Belgian seed developer, has commissioned two growth chambers to rapidly develop local soybean and pea varieties. The facilities mimic ideal growing conditions. Protealis is building on research by ILVO and the Flemish Institute for Biotechnology. As early as next year, farmers…

Courtesy Legacy Co-op

CAN: Legacy Co-op announces sustainable modular farm project

The Board of Directors at Legacy Co-op have approved a modular farm project to be operated on the Yorkton food store site. "Through this project, we will secure safe, healthy leafy greens grown to own our own locations as a part of our sustainability pillar. Given the volatility in price and supply of…

Photo courtesy of NYPA

US (NY): Astoria Queens Energy Tech High School welcomes new hydroponic greenhouse

Astoria Energy Tech High School students and their families joined the New York Power Authority (NYPA) on November 15 to celebrate the school’s new hydroponic lab that will grow herbs and vegetables year-round in a soil-less garden and be supplemented by a sustainability and food justice curriculum.  NYPA…

South Africa: Western Cape's first urban rooftop farm launched

Redefine Properties has unveiled the first retail urban rooftop farm in the Western Cape at its Kenilworth Centre in Cape Town’s southern suburbs. The HandPicked CityFarm, developed in partnership with Mr. Price Foundation’s HandPicked program and other key partners, aims to create community-based…

NASA funds study after food grown during human space exploration

Growing food in space is fraught with daunting challenges, including extreme environmental stressors like radiation and microgravity. Qingwu (William) Meng, a University of Delaware assistant professor of controlled-environment horticulture, is an expert on plant growth and light, which, as you’ll…

Rachel Boyd / Spectrum News 1

US (NC): Hydroponic units supply food pantry

Many food pantries depend on donations from the community to keep their shelves stocked, but a food bank in Lee County is pioneering a way to not only be sustainable but also self-sufficient. Christians United Outreach Center is the latest home to a hydroponic farm in North Carolina. Now they can grow…

"High-tech farmer AppHarvest is running out of money"

Kentucky-based controlled environmental agriculture company AppHarvest has warned in its latest financial report that it only has enough capital to continue its operations…

Courtesy of Nongshim

Korean agtech to export container farm for pilot project in Oman

Nongshim, a food and beverage company in South Korea, will export a container-type vertical smart farm for a pilot project in Oman, which has launched a state smart farm initiative to decrease its reliance on food imports. Nongshim said its smart farm enables crop cultivation up to 18 times a year.  This is…

Photo by Akil Simmons

Bermuda: "Economic recovery is too important to rely on ideas like vertical farming"

The opposition One Bermuda Alliance has criticized the Government for failing to listen to farmers before moving ahead with plans to develop a vertical farming industry on the island. The project – a key pillar in the Government’s Economic Recovery Plan – was put on pause after the US company brought in…

Image Courtesy: Beyond2020

Peru: New aquaponic project launched in indigenous community

Beyond2020, the UAE-driven humanitarian initiative, has expanded its reach with its first deployment in Latin America. An estimated 2,000 people in the Yarinacocha district of Ucayali, Peru, are being trained to operate an innovative aquaponics system recently deployed there, which will significantly…

Marina Riker / Civil Beat

Hawaii: Maui trout farmer is closing up shop after rough year

Farming is a tough business, but lately, it’s been especially hard on John Dobovan. In the last year alone, Hawaii’s first commercial aquaponic trout farmer steered his small business through the massive December 2021 storm that flooded his hatchery — and that was after losing much of his income and…

India: Man grows veggies in PVC pipes

Mithilesh Kumar Singh, who is from the village of Ballia in Uttar Pradesh, spent the majority of his youth playing outside and watching his family work in the fields. But when he moved to Azamgarh for his schooling and then to Delhi for a career, everything changed. "Like many young people, I relocated…

Photos/Michael J Ssali

Uganda: Former teachers’ story of successful urban farming

Two professional teachers, Ritah Nakitto and her husband Benjamin Ssentongo Banadda decided to quit teaching about ten years ago and set up Banadda Smart Farm at Gangu in Busaabala, Kampala.  Their farm, measuring 156 feet by 89 feet, today easily passes as one of the most successful stories of urban farming…

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Bermuda: Kalera's farm plans put on hold

The Government's plans to create a vertical farming industry on the island have been put on hold after the overseas company behind the scheme reported massive losses. The Bermuda Economic Development Corporation had partnered with Florida-based Kalera to set up a Bermuda subsidiary of the company. In…

Ireland: Lockdown project spawns mushroom farm with big ideas

A project which began in lockdown in 2020 has spawned a small business with big ideas of becoming a model sustainable food system in Dublin. 'Revolution Farm & Kitchen,' set up by urban farmers Paddy Arnold and James Egan, operates out of a retrofitted 45ft container at University College Dublin (UCD).…

JohnnyGreig/E+ via Getty Images

‘We can’t stand still and farm like we’ve always farmed’

Could tackling the climate and biodiversity crises make our food system healthier? That’s the hope of Ciara Heuston, who swapped out a career with pharmaceutical giant Pfizer to become a vertical farmer. Bowfield Farm is near Borris-in-Ossory in Co Laois and is owned by her brother-in-law Clive Allen.…

Canada: Local hydroponic farmers seeing boom amid leafy green shortages

For Mike and Becky Newhook, the duo behind Vertical Roots Canada, business is booming amid drought-caused production shortages and high prices in box grocery stores. "Unless you walk to your backyard and pull it out of your garden, we're the next best thing," Mike said. The couple first ventured into…

Scaling out aeroponics technology for potato mini tuber production in Rwanda

Rwandans eat more than 100 kg of potatoes per capita per year, and the hilly nation has good environments for growing the crop, yet the average yield is less than half what it could be under optimal conditions, in large part because most farmers plant low-quality seed potatoes. The aeroponics technology…

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Bermuda: Clubs consider hosting vertical farming

An idea to combine the Government’s emphasis on vertical farming with the future of Bermuda’s cash-strapped football clubs has been hailed by an international football legend. A 40-person thought leadership round table hosted by the Bermuda Football Association focused on the concept of establishing a…

US (AL): Empty warehouse converted into Yellow Hammer Farms

Commitment to a sustainable planet through supporting farmers is a key company value here at Harvest Returns. By connecting agriculturists with passive investors, we believe we can build a more resilient food system and help farmers stay in the business of farming. Our team is proud to share in our…

Gulftoday.ae

UAE: Sharjah’s first Saffron farm project unveiled

Agritech leader Veggitech unveiled the first ever Saffron farm in Sharjah, the first of its kind in the UAE, spanning only 165sqm but equivalent to 3.5 hectares of land typically. Working in line with the UAE’s National Food Security Strategy for 2051, Sharjah-based Veggitech is bringing agriculture to…

AeroFarms signals Middle East expansion with new commercial indoor vertical farm in Qatar Free Zones

Qatar Free Zones Authority (QFZA) and AeroFarms announced their plan to expand further in the Middle East through a partnership with QFZA and Doha Venture Capital (DVC) to build a commercial indoor vertical farm in Qatar Free Zones (QFZ), offering unparalleled connectivity and access to the region.…

Saudi Arabia: New indoor farm to supply local strawberries

Kolon Global, a construction engineering company affiliated with South Korea's Kolon Group, will create a smart farm infrastructure for strawberries in Saudi Arabia. Most strawberries in the middle eastern country are foreign-made, as cultivating strawberries is difficult due to the lack of agricultural…

3-in-1 sensor to simultaneously monitor soil-based production

Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd is a Japanese manufacturer of electrical components and multi-functional modules ever since 1944. Among the company's product catalogues are various soil sensors that are designed to continuously measure the conditions in agricultural environments. Murata soil sensors have…

A mushroom boom in Africa?

Africa is currently undergoing what scientists call a mycelium revolution. In Kenya, mushroom farming is expanding at an alarming rate because the fungus mushrooms are made of can produce everything from plastics to plant-based meat.“Many people are becoming more concerned about what they eat and are going for healthier…

Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times

US (CA): Turning 4 yards into low-water mini-farms

It’s a warming Sunday morning at the Atwater Village Farmers Market, and close to the entrance on Garden Avenue, a chipper voice is beckoning shoppers. “Red vein sorrel!” The voice belongs to Mike Wood, the owner-farmer of Huarache Farms. He stands behind a table, wearing glasses, sandals, running…

US (NY): Governor announces indoor farms to advance urban farming in Harlem

Governor Kathy Hochul announced an indoor farming pilot project in Harlem that will increase the year-round availability of fresh fruits and vegetables for local underserved families and further national research about optimal indoor growing conditions and crop production. Part of a multi-state…

Austria: Innovation award for indoor farming company

Zelosplant indoor solutions GmbH was founded in 2018, and four years later, the company from Oberwart can be pleased about the state's innovation seal of approval. For automated container solutions for indoor farming, Zelosplant won the overall prize of 5,000 euros at the Innovation Awards ceremony,…

Soli Organics

Why a US herb grower has moved 90% of production indoors

Growing food is a tough business, and growers, whether they are tilling fields or managing lighting schedules in a warehouse, can face difficult choices on how to conduct their business. Virginia-based Soli Organic, which claims to have a ~35% share of the US herb market, is familiar with such choices:…

Francis Tessier-Burns/CKLB

Canada: Growing tower set up introduced for science experiment

Seven-foot tall towers line the far wall in the cafeteria at Chief Jimmy Bruneau School in Edzo. The towers are actually hydroponic systems and are part of a new science experiment for students where they’ll get to grow their own food. Hydroponic systems are a type of gardening without soil. All the…

Image: Clarke Willis

UK: Fischer Farms boss reveals £1bn vertical farming ambitions

Fischer Farms is due to start trial production early next year following its initial £33m investment on a five-and-a-half acre site on the Food Enterprise Park at Easton, outside Norwich. Tim Smith, general manager of the company's "Farm 2" operation, said another three vertical farms are planned at the…

Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune

US (IL): Suburban hydroponic farm owner seeks to democratize the food system

If it hadn’t been for the pandemic, Derek Drake would have never discovered his purpose. Furloughed from his job at Northwestern University in 2020, he asked himself: “What’s the right next move?” That move was taking his 25-year working experience in hospitality and restaurants and starting a farming…

Lake Geneva News

Badger High School FFA students growing lettuce in Fork Farm systems

The Badger High School FFA chapter is hard at work with its new Fork Farm growing systems. Recently, students planted two varieties of lettuce, Buttercrunch and Red Sails, in the six towers installed in the agricultural department. The six towers, donated by the Walworth County Food and Diaper Bank, use…

Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times

The fungi future is here, just south of downtown L.A.

A mushroom revolution is taking place on the grocery store shelves of Southern California: In the produce sections of markets across Los Angeles, Agaricus bisporus, commonly known as the white button mushroom, is giving way to other fungi species such as blue oyster, lion’s mane, maitake and royal…

St photo: Lim Yaohui

Fully automated facility at ITE to train students in high-productivity urban farming

A fully automated farming facility was launched at ITE College East on Thursday, as part of Singapore’s efforts to boost training in high-productivity agricultural skills. Known as the Horticulture Technology Hub, or HortITEch Hub, the 92 sq m lab – about the size of a four-room HDB flat – will train…

The science of growing without soil

Katie sits down with Brandon Hebor, owner of Boreal Greens Co., an agriculture company using sustainable vertical growing systems and hydroponics to produce high quality gourmet greens. Brandon shares how he started growing plants hydroponically (with lettuce, in his parents’ kitchen), plus how he came…

In Toulouse, Neopouss grows superfoods for astronauts

Nothing suggests what is going on in a cellar at Place Arnaud-Bernard in Toulouse. Out of sight, Nicolas Auriac, 45, and Quentin Jeandel, 44, the two founders of Neopouss, and friends for many years, have set up a real indoor urban farm. In the production room, sorghum, corn, sunflower, aniseed,…

Hortidaily.com

Singapore: "Rooftop greenhouse made more sense due to lower energy requirements"

“At ComCrop, our mandate is to grow cost-effective vegetables and bring these into Singapore’s food chain to offset the volume of imports,” says Peter Barber, CEO, and co-owner of ComCrop. Peter Barber ComCrop is reportedly the first and only commercial rooftop farm in Singapore, with 5 CEA greenhouses…

Have a look inside at Atlantic Beach Urban Farms

In this Discover Ponte Vedra video, team leader Lisa Barton, from the Lisa Barton Team - Keller Williams Realty Atlantic Partners, visits Atlantic Beach Urban Farms, right in our Ponte Vedra and Jacksonville Beaches area. Tracey Westbrook, founder of the farm, and Lisa discuss aeroponic farming - a…

Fertilpot: a biodegradable pot that saves time, labor and money

The French fruit and vegetable sector has been particularly dynamic lately to offer plastic-free packaging but it still has a long way to go. Indeed, before the products can be placed on the shelves of wholesalers and supermarkets, they very often first grow …in plastic pots, which creates tons of waste…

dezeen.com

Stefano Boeri Architetti unveils vertical forest towers for Dubai

Italian studio Stefano Boeri Architetti has adapted its Vertical Forest concept for a pair of skyscrapers in Dubai, which will be covered in thousands of trees. Revealed by Stefano Boeri Architetti yesterday at the COP27 climate change conference in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, the project comprises two…

IAEA and FAO

IAEA and FAO send seeds into space

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) launched seeds into space as they intensify their joint efforts to develop new crops able to adapt to the ravages of climate change here on Earth. The seeds from the IAEA and FAO…

UK: A blooming business, powered by father and son

A Hull family of growers stretching back five generations is transforming modern farming. Graham and Matt Dunling are the father and son team behind Worldwide Local Salads, based in Malmo Road, east Hull. The first of its kind in Yorkshire, the farm is built upon the family's wealth of expertise and…

US (SD): Council considers to tweak ordenance to allow facility be used by indoor farm

As a South Dakota company is eyeing to produce crops in a vacant Mitchell building, the Mitchell City Council will consider the first reading of an ordinance change today, November 7, that would allow the business to operate. The city’s zoning codes lack a specific language for indoor crop production,…

India: University in Bengaluru to promote hydroponic farming in urban areas

The University of Agricultural Sciences-Bengaluru, which has set up the State’s biggest multi-model hydroponics unit, is set to popularise this method of soilless cultivation in a big way through training programs. It will launch free training courses in various hydroponics models for the general public…

Anthropocene magazine

Growing rooftop spinach in CO2 recycled from building ventilation quadruples growth

Researchers have grown a farm of rooftop vegetables bathed in the CO2-rich exhaust air from city buildings—a somewhat dystopian idea which nevertheless boosted plant growth by an incredible 400%.   Their research turns building vents into an unlikely companion to food production. Many people will recognize these…

Photo: VNA

HCM City and South Korea foster cooperation in smart agriculture

Ho Chi Minh City has a high demand for investment, high-tech agricultural technology, and smart farms for sustainable development, while the Republic of Korea (RoK) is one of the partners with advantages and cooperation experience in the field, experts said in a series of seminars under the Vietnam-RoK…

MIGAL's AI quadruples cucumber postharvest life

The MIGAL Galilee Research Institute (MIGAL), a regional mega-R&D center supported by Israel's Ministry of Science and Technology, announced that its researchers have more than quadrupled the postharvest life of cucumbers - from two to nine weeks - using a "smart" sequential treatment protocol suggested…

South Korea: A Mars-themed cafe with its own vertical farm

South Korean studio Unseenbird has designed a cafe in downtown Seoul where vegetables are grown in a glass-fronted cultivation room before being harvested, prepared, and served to customers on a conveyor belt. Sik Mul Sung cafe was set up by agri-tech start-up N.Thing, which also runs a vertical farm on…

Photo from Metro Taipei

An organic farm sprouts inside an underground train station in Taiwan

A busy metro station in the middle of Taipei, the capital city of Taiwan, is paving the way for more accessible fresh produce. The Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation (TRTC) just inaugurated its “Metro Fresh” indoor vertical farm last week. An entire floor in the underground station was transformed into a…

The Associated Press

India: Farmers in Kashmir try growing saffron indoors

As climate change impacts the production of prized saffron in Indian-controlled Kashmir, scientists are shifting to a largely new technique for growing one of the world’s most expensive spices in the Himalayan region: indoor cultivation. Results in laboratory settings have been promising, experts say,…

Siberian Federal University: city farm opens in Krasnoyarsk

The grand opening of the city-farming laboratory of the School of Gastronomy took place at Siberian Federal University on 12 October 2022. The presentation of the laboratory was held within the framework of the first Russian Gastronomic Forum (Gastro Forum 2022). The farm laboratory is an…

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Research: Grafting reduces root-to-shoot cadmium translocation

The heavy metal cadmium (Cd) can migrate and accumulate in the soil-plant system and threaten food safety and the health of people. Therefore, it is thus important to develop pollution control techniques for Cd-contaminated soils and to explore the mechanism affecting cadmium absorption, transportation,…

UAE to grow saffron in vertical farm

Earlier this year, the UAE announced its robust efforts to build a vertical farm near the Expo 2020 site to boost the country's food production and future-proof its agricultural systems. Taking another step forward, the UAE is now home to one of the largest indoor vertical farms growing saffron in the…

© Aquaponics Iberia

Aquaponics Iberia seeks €4.5 million investment

Aquaponics Iberia, a Portuguese startup that aims to grow fish and greens in an integrated system, is looking to raise €4.5 million to establish an urban farm. The startup recently approached BlueInvest for funding support for its Fish n' Greens project to set up a facility in the Torres Vedras region,…

Photo by SWNS

US: Ventilator turns fumes into fertilizer for rooftop farms

New carbon dioxide ventilators could turn fumes into fertilizer to bring vegetable patches to high-rise rooftops, suggests a new study. It wasn’t just suggested. The study included an experiment that found spinach by the new air vents grew four times larger than the other plants. The breakthrough is a…

Sam Fosness / Republic

US (SD): Company seeking to turn vacant Mitchell building into indoor crop facility for horse feed

City leaders are looking to make way for a fast-growing South Dakota company to produce indoor crops in Mitchell. Through a hydroponic method, DGI Feeds grows indoor crops and nutrient-rich grasses that are then broken down into horse feed. The Renner, South Dakota-based company, is eyeing a Mitchell…

US (TX): Cultivate Academy in Temple expands with a hands-on, seven-acre learning environment

Students at Cultivate Academy, a full-time learning environment for students of all ages in Temple, now spend a few days a week at a seven-acre farm, learning entrepreneurial, agricultural, engineering, and STEM skills. “Cultivate Academy has been established just this year,” Doree Collins, Owner and…

Solar-powered ‘farm of the future’ could feed all of Cayman

The heavy steel door of a nondescript shipping container swings open to reveal a forest of green and purple within. Romaine lettuce, arugula, oak leaf, bay leaf, and basil – pungent and peppery – hang from the walls of the chilled container. The lights flicker through the infrared spectrum. Blue light…

Mari Maloney / Detroit News

Vertical farms grow popular in Michigan, allow year-round production

In a reclaimed industrial building on the shore of Lake Michigan, crops of leafy greens are stacked 20 feet high and grown year-round with no soil or sunlight. Artesian Farms opened in New Buffalo in 2011, when vertical farming was not unheard of but was far from the growing, billion-dollar industry it…

Credit: Schaduf

Egyptian supermarket uses hydroponic farm to grow veggies onsite

An Egyptian company has built a hydroponic farm inside a grocery store — giving customers a chance to buy the very freshest produce while also combating climate change. An Egyptian company has built a hydroponic farm inside a grocery store — giving customers a chance to buy the very freshest produce…

"A specialty blend of beneficial microbial organisms formulated specifically to bolster plant health"

TerraGrow Liquid’s versatility allows growers to not only treat tissue to enhance plant vigor and boost stress tolerance when used as a foliar spray, but it also establishes beneficial microbes to improve nutrient availability when it’s applied to the soil. TerraGrow Liquid can also benefit seed…

US (ID): Boise Vertical Farm hosts festival to raise funds for recovery

For the second year in a row, Boise Vertical Farm hosted its annual Fall Harvest Festival to continue its mission to help Idahoans living in recovery. The non-profit offers a safe space for those recovering from drug or alcohol addiction to gain meaningful employment and complete court-ordered community…

Photo courtesy: WGB

Inside the newest Sendik’s: A hydroponic garden

Family-owned Sendik's Food Market opened its 18th store Wednesday, a classy, highly experiential store at 1450 Olympia Fields Drive in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, about 35 miles west of Milwaukee.  The 60,000-square-foot grocery store features the grocery chain's usual items but includes several new features as…

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Bermuda: Farmers query viability of vertical farming plans

Farmers have poured cold water on government plans to develop a vertical farming industry on the island. Jason Hayward, the Minister of Economy and Labour, unveiled the initiative at a press conference last month, claiming that — on the advice of consultancy firm KPMG — vertical farming could be a key…

Rwanda: Varsity graduate reaping big from urban farming

When Juvenal Kabagambe graduated from the University of Rwanda with a Bachelor’s Degree in agricultural mechanization in 2016, he thought hard about how to leverage his newly gained knowledge and skills. The 34-year-old entrepreneur, who previously got sponsorship for training in agriculture in Israel…

US (NC): New hydroponic growing system will help Jacksonville Salvation Army feed more people

One Salvation Army in Eastern North Carolina has a brand-new way to feed even more families ahead of the holidays. With the simple snip of a ribbon during a special ceremony, people in the Onslow County area will now have better access to healthy food going forward. The system has actually helped them…

Dennis Doeden / Bemidji Pioneer

From Thailand to Puposky: a mushroom farm

Thamrong “Keng” Dechawuth grew up in a small farming village in Thailand. Now he has his own farm, half a world away from there in Durand Township north of Bemidji. The Puposky Pearl mushroom farm is the latest in a series of ambitious business ventures for the 49-year-old. He and his wife, Farah, bought…

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Literature review shares potential efficiency opportunities

Dr. Greenhouse announced the public availability of “Literature Review of Energy and Water Use in Controlled Environment Horticulture and Potential Efficiency Opportunities.” This literature review, a collaboration among Dr. Greenhouse, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), and 2050 Partners aims to…

Germination and seedling establishment for hydroponics: the benefit of slant boards

Germination and seedling establishment for transplanting into hydroponics often use porous substrates, but fine roots grow into these substrates, and they cannot be removed without damaging these roots. Seedlings transplanted without the removal of substrates can cause interactions with solution…

Evolving labor trends turn mushroom farming into attainable option

Nearly everyone has heard about recent workplace trends said to have arisen from the pandemic, like "quiet quitting," when in fact people have been re-assessing their priorities and career choices for years in an effort to strike a more equitable work-life balance. There's generally more awareness about…

© Giacomo d'Orlando

How to start a farm under the sea

Dive beneath the turquoise waves off Noli, Italy, and you’ll find biospheres just meters under the surface. Within these domes, researchers look after herbs, strawberries, tomatoes, and tobacco, in order to explore the limits of farming on Earth, with the hope that they may one day be able to do the same…

Romania: First vertical farm unit launched following €350k investment

Kaufland and Ultragreens (formerly known as Microgreens Romania) are inaugurating the first vertical farming unit in Romania, whose production will be entirely directed to the sale in the retailer’s stores. Green Hub Kaufland by Ultragreens is an extensive environmental and smart agriculture project…

©Simone Casetta

Italy: Planet Farms installs farm at three star restaurant

The owners of Da Vittoria di Brusaporto, the Cerea brothers, have partnered with Italian vertical farm company Planet Farms to grow indoors and experiment with vegetables in their restaurant. Meanwhile, the company is preparing 'to conquer the rest of Europe'. The Cerea brothers are chefs of the famous…

CEA complex opens at Ohio State University with industry support

When The Ohio State University opened its new Controlled Environment Agriculture Complex (CEARC) on Friday, September 30, it represented a culmination of efforts between the school and industry. Companies such as Nationwide Insurance, Current (formerly GE Current), Priva and General Hydroponics (to name…

channelnewsasia.com

Chye sim, mint, basil: Singapore vegetable farm wants more consumers for its greens

Hidden among the concrete facades of factories in the Woodlands East Industrial Estate is a tranquil rooftop space flourishing with homegrown chye sim, mint, and basil.   The rooftop farm is owned by ComCrop, one of Singapore's companies in urban farming, and it is on track to ramp up its production tenfold. This…

Kuala Lumpur: Serenia City’s first urban farm unveiled

Sime Darby Property Bhd (SDP) announced a collaboration with BoomGrow Productions to introduce its first urban farm in Serenia City on October 7. The initiative is part of the property developer’s “The Greener Good” sustainable farming initiative, which aims to shape resilient and healthy communities by…

Connecticut’s first non-profit indoor hydroponic farm grows fresh produce year-round

nOURish Indoor Farm is a project of nOURish Bridgeport and Connecticut’s first non-profit indoor hydroponic farm, where farmers grow vegetables and fruits year-round using only water, light, and nutrients. The volunteer-powered community program’s goal is to decrease food insecurity and increase…

Lisa Burd / Stuff

NZ: Hydroponic hobby becomes full-time job for former project manager

A former council project manager has turned his hydroponic hobby into a full-time job and is now making and selling plant nutrients and all-natural fertilizers. German-born entrepreneur Frank Lachmann worked at New Plymouth District Council before turning his passion into a profession. Three years ago,…

Photo by Jaosn Malmont, the Sentinel

US (SC): Boiling Springs High School uses hydroponics as part of agriculture internship program

It took a student to plant a seed to flower a need for innovation.Five years ago, Boiling Springs High School didn’t offer an agriculture internship. Today, the program is thriving with four hydroponic vertical garden systems producing a harvest of herbs, lettuce and other vegetables. “We grow everything…

Department of agriculture

Can vertical farming and hydroponics work in the Philippines?

Vertical farming and hydroponics are viable solutions to increase food production in the Philippines, given the country's dwindling land and water resources. The Department of Agriculture (DA) during the Duterte administration actively advocated the adoption of vertical farming and hydroponics under the…

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India: Academics receive UK government funding for CEA research

A team of Harper Adams researchers has recently been awarded funding by the UK Government for a project titled: Review of Technology Utilisation within Controlled Environment Agriculture. The researchers – Professor Jim Monaghan, Director of the FPRC, Dr. Andrew Beacham, Lecturer in Sustainable Crop…

Photo by Azizul Julirin

Malaysia: 2023-budget gives hope to Ranau modern farming agropreneur

Youths and entrepreneurs will benefit from the 10 percent increase in the agricultural allocation announced in the 2023 Budget. Azizul Julirin, an agropreneur based in Kundasang, said the RM5.32 billion allocation announced by Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz will encourage…

Image: Israel Space Agency

Israel teams up with Australia to grow plants on the moon by 2025

Scientists from Australia and Israel have teamed up to grow plants on the Moon by 2025, thus ensuring food security for the planned lunar colonies. Seeds of a few plants will be sent on the Beresheet 2 spacecraft, which is targeted for launch in 2025 as part of Israel's Moon mission. According to plant…

US (WA): Pair turns sandpit into hydroponic farm

Tracy Lang and Mark Taylor are turning an old sandpit into farmland by using chicken tillage, cover crops, and wood chips to amend the soil and rewild the area. Nearly 40 people turned out on September 25 to see how Lang and Taylor operate the hydroponic Vireo Farm on Bainbridge to grow herbs and…

More clean water for agriculture and horticulture in times of drought

Is it possible to safely use treated wastewater (effluent) from sewage treatment plants (WWTPs) as irrigation water in agriculture and horticulture? A group of water boards, knowledge institutions, and companies, led by Wageningen University & Research, have launched a study to investigate how this can…

Real-time insights for sustainability and higher profits

“In vertical farming, numerous companies are positioning themselves around sustainability through reduced food miles and fewer chemicals, but there has been less conversation around carbon dioxide equivalence emissions. Retailers, grocers, and consumers are now asking for that reporting,” says Daphne…

South Korea: Yoon vows to support smart farming and young farmers

President Yoon Suk-yeol visited a smart farm complex in the central city of Sangju on Wednesday, pledging to support the growth of smart farms and young farmers. Yoon visited the Smart Farm Innovation Valley in Sangju, 166 kilometers southeast of Seoul, where he met with young farmers growing…

An uprooted tree helped Kerala farmer start aquaponic farming

Back in 2012, when Palakkad-native Vijayakumar Narayanan returned from Muscat after various jobs for 20 years, he was unsure of what to do next. He could always farm at his ancestral house in Nanniyode, but what? So he pored over books about new farming techniques and crops which were suitable for…

Mokena-based Ditto Farms provides Chicagoland with organic vertical farmed produce

A farmer in south suburban Mokena is on a mission to increase access to fresh produce. He's growing lush greens, herbs, and vegetables without soil, fertilizer, or even sunlight. It's a process called hydroponic farming, and it's happening right here in the Chicagoland area. Derek Drake and Brad…

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Growing tall: trees being grown six times faster in vertical farm saving water and time

Growing 40-50cm tall in just 90 days – something that in a field would take up to 18 months - the tree trials could potentially transform the forestry sector and help UK to meet its net zero targets faster. Vertical farms are more commonly associated with growing herbs, leafy greens and vegetables but…

Investing in vertical farming

Partner Stuart Dunbar visits a vertical farm to explore how our thinking about environmental, social, and governance factors helps us back great growth companies to tackle big problems.

Podcast: Using agriculture & storytelling to make a positive difference in society

Founder and Chief Content Director of From Farms to Incubators Amy Wu joins the show today to share her mission of highlighting women in food, farming, and farmtech,…

Mega aeroponic greenhouse multiplies potato seeds in Rwanda

The SDGP Potato Value Chain Project Rwanda was launched to support the entirety of the Rwandan potato supply chain, from seed to table. "Our job is to optimize and maximize the potato value chain," says Aimable Uwihanganye, project manager Rwanda from Delphy. "This project involves many different…

Canada: Two brothers an the cream of the crop

Founded in 2018 by brothers Shahram and Bahram Rashti, Fresh Green Farms is an indoor vertical farm producer of leafy greens, producing fresh salad greens. Now four years into their business, the Rashti brothers are about to enter the agriculture industry with their research and innovative technologies.  The…

Growing microgreens in a Danish vertical farm

Get a full tour of one of this microgreens vertical farm that is operated in Denmark. Vertical Greens grows 20 different species of microgreens. When starting your own vertical farm, be sure to start it up with people who know what they are doing and have done it before making a profitable vertical farm.

From garden to growth: This urban garden cultivates young leaders

Yahir Hernandez thought he was signing up for a routine summer job at the Cadillac Urban Gardens in southwest Detroit when he was 15. Back then, the job appealed because he worked with his hands planting, caring, and harvesting plants, and everyone he met at Southwest Detroit Environmental Vision had…

India: Engineering professor grows vegetables in recycled refrigerators

Thayumanavan Kunabalan from Tamil Nadu is setting an example for urban gardeners by growing almost all varieties of vegetables in 200 grow bags and 25 old refrigerators. Neyveli-resident and engineering professor Thayumanavan Kunapalan’s Facebook cover photo is a painting of a farmer plowing the land…

26 Seasons

NZ: 26 Seasons' first vertical strawberry farm aims high in Foxton

Slip behind a bee-proof mesh curtain in an old Foxton factory building, and a sweet surprise awaits. "Welcome to our secret laboratory," Matthew Keltie said. This is 26 Seasons' first vertical strawberry farm and R and D hub for the indoor growing technology Keltie and his colleagues are developing.…

Start-up harvests vegetables on floating farm

A start-up presented its newest prototype of a floating greenhouse, where vegetables can be grown on a plantation without soil, as the footage filmed in Almere shows.

Aquaponics farming in Kenya

Learn how these growers are growing crops with hydroponics technology using water pumped from fish ponds. The fish benefit when the ammonia in the pond water is taken up by the plants as a source of nutrients.

Picture: Katlego Jiyane / Eyewitness News

SA: Johannesburg engineer build hop farm on rooftop

Hops are a key ingredient in brewing beer. One might argue it is the lifeblood of beer manufacturing. Very much like wine grapes, these green leafy cones are geography-specific. In South Africa, farmers typically grow and harvest hops in George once a year as the climate conditions are optimal for the…

Fresh Food for Thought: Using parametric design to address food insecurity in New York and Lagos

Fresh Food for Thought was designed by Claire Tokunaga & Dami Akinniyi as part of PAACADEMY‘s “Parametric Design as a Catalyst for Social Innovation” with Nuru Karim. During the studio, participants explored computational design’s role in creating resilient, sustainable environments catalyzing social…

Nathan Hunsinger / Staff Photographer

Big Tex Urban Farms growing to help feed South Dallas

After all the corny dogs and cotton candy tacos at the State Fair of Texas are gone, a steady stream of fresh produce will continue to flow out of the fairgrounds and into South Dallas through a network of community groups. Big Tex Urban Farms, based at the foot of the Texas Star Ferris wheel in Fair…

"It's a tricky balance between environmental and financial feasibility"

Water scarcity is a major challenge for growers all around the world. To some, this may come as something new to deal with, but other growers have faced this reality for many years. Yet, they found ways to thrive, nonetheless. DANA Global is a company specializing in desert tech, and they have been…

New Dubai residential project includes vertical garden

As with any major property launch, an experience center usually elevates a developer's portfolio to greater heights. Developer Fakhruddin Properties' dedicated experience space in Business Bay did just that. Their CEO, Yousuf Fakhruddin, talks about what people should expect from its newest residential…

The use of data science in modern agriculture

In this episode, Jason talks to Natalia Connolly, the Vice President of Data Science at Infinite Acres, about Agricultural Tech (AgTech) and how it is helping the agriculture industry keep up with increasing demand. With the assistance of technology and data, the agricultural industry's not just been…

Denmark: The five most profitable red microgreens

This video shows the best top 5 microgreens to grow according to microgreens farm Micro Greens in Denmark. They grow red microgreens, and you can visit the website at www.micro-greens.dk. 

Talking gourmet shrooms and urban farming with The Mushroom Guys

Love 'em or hate 'em, you can't deny that there is nothing else like them. Gourmet mushroom cultivation has exploded in recent years. The demand for sustainable, locally grown, delicious produce has never been higher. Enter The Mushroom Guys. They have been providing the urban farming movement since 2018…

Smart irrigation collaboration results in new grower-trained watering technology

Growers spend an average of 240 hours per acre managing and monitoring their irrigation systems. This manual process leads to costly crop management, inconsistent yields, or even crop loss. “For the past three years, Vineland has worked in close collaboration with LetsGrow.com to develop a machine…

Iceland farm grows carbon-neutral algae

Most vertical farms grow greens like lettuce or spinach, but a facility in a remote corner of Iceland, run by a startup called Vaxa Technologies, grows microalgae instead. The farm is on the site of a geothermal power plant so that it can run on the plant’s renewable energy. It uses natural carbon…

Shely Reeves / Chillicothe Gazette

Grahams Greens of Chillicothe recognized by Secretary of State

Agriculture is currently the biggest industry in Ohio, with almost 77,000 farms. Secretary of State Frank LeRose knows this, which is why this month, as part of the Ohio Business Spotlight, he highlighted seven unique businesses in the agriculture industry. One of the businesses recognized was Grahams…

Photo by NASA

NASA crew grows space agriculture

Astronaut Bob Hines explores how a crew member’s cognition and perception are affected in microgravity for the GRIP experiment.Farming, foam, and fire research kept the astronauts busy at the end of the week aboard the International Space Station. The pace of microgravity research is picking up with the…

Foto by TecNM

Mexico producing organic lettuce on a mini vertical campus farm

At the Tecnológico Nacional de México (TecNM) campus in Pabellón de Arteaga, they are developing a project to produce organic lettuce in small, controlled spaces. This is a mini vertical farm built in the Artificial Lighting Laboratory (LIA), where 135 lettuces were obtained in a space of two square…

Bob Rider

US (AK): Beggs man works to create sustainable food program in Green Country

A Beggs man is creating a new sustainable food program in Green Country. He’s using aquaponics and wants more people to get involved in it with a new project called the “Aquaponics Oasis Project.” Bob Rider is growing vegetables in his greenhouse, but they aren’t growing in dirt. That’s because he’s…

Pest and disease management for the mushroom industry

This TIA-led research project has developed an extensive library of resources for the Australian mushroom industry. Like all crops, mushroom yields can be adversely impacted by pests and diseases. However, mushrooms lack protective skins, as well as the defense compounds often produced by parent plants.…

FarmBox Foods launches indoor farm that grows livestock feed

FarmBox Foods LLC announces the official launch of its Hydroponic Fodder Farm. The company will host a public open house from 3-7 p.m. Sept. 27 at 5389 Plum Ave. in Sedalia, CO. Guided tours of the new indoor farm — the third product line offered by FarmBox Foods — will be provided. Attendees will also…

"The market calls for smaller units"

Swegreen plans to broaden its portfolio, presenting newcomer Swegreen Saga. This is a high-tech but small-scale unit that gives approximately 70% of all Swedish grocery stores the opportunity to offer their customers locally produced leafy greens, salads, and herbs. With no need to set aside more floor…

Canada: Dryden startup grows up with vertical farming

Benjamin Feagin is painfully aware that food security in northwestern Ontario is a complex, multi-faceted problem that's not going to be solved overnight. But after launching AgriTech North earlier this year, he and his partner are aiming to make the problem a little less daunting. Based in Dryden, the…

Photo: Stephanie Cook / Country-guide

A new era of world-class Indigenous agriculture in Canada?

Business thinking is helping lead the way to a new era of world-class Indigenous agriculture in Canada. But how do we eliminate the remaining barriers? The story of the Opaskwayak Smart Farm at Opaskwayak Cree Nation in The Pas, Man., starts with an improbable rescue. It was 2013. A group of hunters from…

Elianna Cuevas/VIBE

Island entrepreneur takes on aquaponics with tilapia farming

To empower, encourage and inspire. Kurason I-sengsong, more commonly known as Island Girl Power, has been providing support and education to the young girls of Guam since 2001. Director Juanita Blaz, who’s been with the organization since the very beginning, built the community center from the ground up…