Neurodiversity in vertical farming: bringing an overlooked workforce to the forefront

“We want to demonstrate the importance of neurodiversity in the workplace, and now have 60 participants learning the process of agriculture. Our participants end up with excellent work experience setting them up for future employment,” says Jen Faust, Operations Director at Greens Do Good. Lisa Goldstein…

© Photomall | Dreamstime.com

Living lab advancing food sovereignty for rural Indigenous communities

As part of a national network of college and institute campuses showcasing ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Canadore College is going one step further to advance a key goal for the region: food security for rural and Indigenous communities. “As part of the ImpAct Climate project, Colleges and…

Minister Josephine Connolly visits Primitive Greens Farm in Cayman Islands

Josephine Connolly, Minister of Tourism, Environment, Fisheries and Marine Affairs, Culture and Heritage, Agriculture, and Religious Affairs, visited the Primitive Greens Containerized Farm in the Cayman Islands on Monday, February 13th, 2023. A government press release said the government, in its quest…

Growcer

Canada: How the Growcer has 50 vertical farms in place

In 2016, Ellis and Burke began retrofitting shipping containers so they could be used as vertical farms, which led to the birth of their Ottawa-based social enterprise Growcer. It seemed the right fit for the pair who had been looking into social enterprise, i.e. the concept of using business tools to…

Winchester Star

US (VA): Couple supplies range of greens to Winchester using two container farms

Recently two container farms have been added to a gravel lot at 1001 S. Loudoun St. in Winchester. John and Ann Fox of Fox Urban Farms have been planting the seeds to get Winchester’s first urban farm up and running. Currently, the couple is focused on growing greens. The first harvest should be ready by…

© Teerawat Winyarat | Dreamstime.com

UK: British-grown samphire can now be served year-round thanks to indoor ‘water’ farm

Samphire, which has grown in popularity as an accompaniment to fish dishes in the last decade, is cultivated in the summer months, when it also grows wild on Norfolk’s salt marshes. But during winter months, the UK relies on imports from Morocco, Israel, and Mexico to supply top-end restaurants and…

© Marlene Vicente | Dreamstime.com

From shipping containers to table: bringing mushroom farms to the US

Canadian vertical farming startup Adapt AgTech is partnering with Reef Technology to bring its mushroom-growing shipping containers to major cities across the United States, starting with Austin. Reef transforms urban real estate-like parking lots into mobility and logistical hubs and currently operates…

US (FL): Salvation Army working toward hydroponic produce container

Downtown could be a site for a hydroponic container farm to grow kale initially, and additional produce later, for Salvation Army participants and its food pantry. The Salvation Army of Northeast Florida and city utility JEA are working on a deal with Boston-based Freight Farms to grow produce in “a…

The feasibility of growing Euphorbia peplus in a container farm

In a study by Bafort, Kohnen, Maron, Bouhadada, Ancion, Crutzen, and Jijakli, the feasibility of growing Euphorbia peplus in a container farm has been investigated.  Vertical farming is considered a potential solution to increase yield while decreasing resource use and pesticide impacts compared to conventional…

Vertical farming is proving itself technically, but the economics need to catch up

"Over the last five years, the operations of vertical farms have matured, and the technology has advanced to a point where the unit economics begin to make sense. AmplifiedAg aims to support the industry's evolution through this as a facilitator of infrastructure," says Don Taylor, CEO of AmplifiedAg.…

© Wirestock | Dreamstime.com

Taiwan: Metro stations morph into vertical farms

Metro Fresh is located in Taipei Nanjing-Fuxing station, reported Euro News. The 40-meter big space hosts rows upon rows of produce being grown vertically under sterile LED lighting.  Vertical farms have become more and more popular in Taiwan, as the younger generations are more interested in more lucrative technology…

"Our farm consumes 600 kW/h per m2 of cultivation area per year"

"We can present very good figures, both in terms of cultivation yields and operational costs," says Vincent van der Gaag at the Pijnacker office on a rainy December afternoon. Urban Agrotech, a Dutch startup introduced its patented caroussel container farm just about when Covid started. Now it's time to…

© Eugenesergeev | Dreamstime.com

Are container farms all the same?

With a turn-key solution, everything that you need comes with the farm, making it a “plug-and-play.” In a DIY scenario, the operator needs to source, purchase, and coordinate all aspects of the initial installation and set-up, as well as forming the processes needed to maintain and service the farm. It’s…

CTV News

CAN: Canadore College adopts farm to grow their own veggies

The college is one of 10 sites across Canada that developed a campus living lab aimed at showcasing ways of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Angela Proudfoot, Canadore's sustainable food and clean water project administrator, was busy tending to the plants inside the pod Monday morning. "We grow things…

Ashley Geddes

CAN (AB): The couple behind Vertical Roots' site in Edmonton

Mike and Becky Newhook never dreamed they'd become farmers. Now, the couple owns and operates a container farm business in south Edmonton, a thriving operation that's become even more competitive because of inflation and supply chain shortages.  "Five years ago, if you had told us we were going to be farmers,…

The Free Press

CAN (BC): Recently added container farm to supply leafy greens to Fernie

WildSight Elk Valley is looking to bolster local food production with a container farm project on the horizon. The container farm will be in front of the community EcoGarden, with operations slated to start in the spring. Dawn Deydey, container farm project manager, said, “Our region, in the Elk Valley,…

Why 2023 is the year to start a hydroponic farming business

Freight Farms has examined the latest national and global trends. And good news! They indicate that 2023 is a great year to start hydroponic farming. From food safety to local purchasing and supply chain to healthy eating and environmental sustainability, recent studies and events suggest that now is the…

Chile: 10% more expensive than supermarkets but product quality makes it worthwhile

“Building a vertical farm is not rocket science. With all of the information available online and a little creativity, you don’t need a lot of money to begin a small operation,” says Alberto Riesco, founder of Verde Vertical, a vertical farming company located in Puerto Varas in Chilean Patagonia.   Alberto Riesco…

VerticalFarmDaily.com

UAE: The rise of “Farming as a Service”

“We work with standardized, modular boxes of 14.8 x 3.2 x 3.6 meters, which contain a sink, nursery, and prepping area. With this, we can produce a minimum of 10 kilograms per day,” says Maan Said, Founder, and CEO of CRYSP Farms. Maan Said CRYSP Farms is based in Dubai and offers “Farming as a Service,”…