A project in the UK is looking to improve the energy efficiency of indoor farming using spectral imaging and AI.
The Advanced Crop Dynamic Control (ACDC) project is set to transform the landscape of Total Controlled Environment Agriculture (TCEA) within the UK.
The primary goal of the project is to address and rectify the inefficiencies in TCEA operations by harnessing cutting-edge technologies and innovative approaches to significantly enhance energy efficiency across the board.
The consortium, led by LettUs Grow, is comprised of Fotenix and Vertically Urban (providing technological input), alongside research organization Rothamsted Research and Crop Health and Protection (one of the Agri-Tech Centres).
Energy not only represents a significant portion of operational costs in TCEA but also poses sustainability challenges. Addressing both cost and environmental impact, the ACDC consortium aims to introduce innovative TCEA cultivation techniques that fine-tune environmental controls, including lighting, irrigation and nutrient delivery, to reduce the carbon footprint associated with these systems.
In addition to this, the project will utilize adaptive management to look at the automation of traditionally manual tasks and improve the safety, consistency, quality and shelf-life of produce, benefiting both retailers and consumers.
Crop physiology data will be generated from a spectral imaging system coupled with AI-based plant screening designed by Fotenix/ This data will guide and inform decisions on the intensity and composition of illumination, as well as the management of energy and the incorporation of renewable energy sources – all controlled by the Ostara software platform, a creation of LettUs Grow. With an emphasis on plant health, the project aims for environmentally friendly production formulas through the use of sophisticated, responsive control techniques.
Innovate UK announced its support for the ACDC project with £757,151 in funding through the Novel Low Emission Food Production Systems competition. ●
California, U.S.-based Hippo Harvest, a controlled environment agriculture (CEA) startup developing advanced greenhouse systems announced the close of its $21M Series B funding round.
The funding will be used to scale the company's greenhouse operations
and to expand its product offerings into new categories of leafy greens.
Founded in 2019, Hippo Harvest operates a repurposed greenhouse facility in Pescadero, Calif. that it says out-competes traditional greenhouses in scalability and unit economics, and is comparable to traditional outdoor-grown produce prices. The company utilizes a closed-loop, non-recirculating, direct-to-root fertilizer system, machine learning and autonomous mobile robots to calculate and distribute water, fertilizer, light and heating on a micro-climate basis throughoutits greenhouses.
"We're excited by the opportunity to scale our production and reach more consumers with high-quality,
sustainable produce," said Hippo Harvest CEO Eitan Marder-Eppstein. "Our team's work over the past 12 months demonstrates our ability to create modular, cost-effective growing systems that can be deployed across the country."
The company's farming methods include plants that are irrigated with purified water and a customized nutrient blend from below, rather than above, reducing the risk of pathogen and fungus formation. Off-the-shelf robots with customized attachments are used to tend to and harvest the plants, delivering precise levels of water and nutrition. The company uses beneficial insects, natural oils and other pesticide free practices.
The funding round was led by Standard Investments; Congruent Ventures, Amazon's Climate Pledge Fund, Hawthorne Food Ventures and Energy Impact Partners also participated in the round. ●
Intelligent Growth Solutions (IGS) has raised £22.5 million in a Series C fundraise to support global expansion as the business deploys its vertical farming technology to customers worldwide.
The investment comes after IGS announced at COP28 it would be joining Dubai-based partner ReFarm to build a 900,000 square foot GigaFarm in the United Arab Emirates, capable of replacing one percent of food imports to the country. The waste-to-value farm will have the ability to recycle more than 50,000 tonnes of food waste and grow two billion plants each year.
ReFarm was established in the UAE by SSK Enterprise and Christof Global Impact (CGI) as a group of companies with a focus on projects with circularity and clean technologies. The brand chose vertical farming technology developed by IGS and is set to start construction in mid-2024 at Dubai’s Food Tech Valley, a master development launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and being led by major Dubai property developer, Wasl.
Six complementary technologies will be co-located on the Dubai Food Tech Valley site as part of a closed-loop circular waste-to-value system, establishing a self-contained ecosystem designed to maximize resource efficiency and prevent any waste going to landfill.
Capable of growing more than three million kilos of produce annually, the site will support the UAE’s move towards decarbonising food production, replacing one percent of the country’s fresh produce imports. Construction is due to begin in mid-2024, with the site expected to be fully operational by 2026.
Food waste will be recycled on-site by black soldier fly larvae, with byproducts including organic compost used in traditional agricultural practices, animal feed for replacing unsustainable fish meal and soy oil, and water for use in the vertical farming towers. The technologies on site will also recover up to 90 percent of ammonia sulphate from wastewater for use in plant fertilizers, and produce organic biodegradable polymers designed to gradually release water and nutrients to crops in arid regions.
The Series C fundraise was led by existing institutional investors, with COFRA Holding AG, DC Thomson, and S2G Ventures, supported by Cleveland Avenue LLC, Ospraie Ag Science, and ScottishEnterprise. Private shareholders and IGS staff also contributed to the Series C raise. ●
UK-based Fischer Farms announced the completion of what it claims isthe “world’s biggest” vertical farm.
Constructed by Clegg Food Projects, the climate-controlled facility is located in Norfolk and covers 25,000 square metres of combined growing space. The facility will supply leaf salad, leafy herbs and other fresh produce to UK supermarkets and other customers.
According to Clegg, at the moment, the facility has the largest footprint of growing space - no other facilities within the UK currently surpass it, they claim.
The facility, known as Farm 2, utilizes an energy-efficient LED-based lighting system to produce crops on four acres of land, yielding 240 tonnes more leafy greens than conventional farming, the brand claimed. The company’s first vertical farm – Farm 1 – opened in 2019 in Burton-on-Trent, providing 3,200 square metres of growing space.
According to Tristan Fischer, CEO of Fischer Farms, the facility was completed to the “highest spec, and is at the cutting edge of vertical farming technology, enabling us to provide customers with the very best, sustainably grown fresh produce.”
According to its website, in the next few years, Fischer Farms plans to scale up the production of salads and herbs significantly, while expanding into other crops such as soft fruit. “Our long-term vision is to grow soya beans, rice, and wheat in significant volumes and at price points that compare favourably to global commodity prices.” ●
