Company – greenhub

From Monitoring to Control: Smarter Greenhouse Management

admin — Mon, 17 Nov 2025 12:15:32 +0000

Your greenhouse computer knows everything, but can it act on it? Most greenhouse computers do a great job of showing what’s happening, temperature, humidity, CO₂, irrigation, but not at doing anything with that information.

If you want to adjust your irrigation strategy, change a lighting schedule, or test a new climate setting, it often means calling a technician, waiting for days, or navigating a complex interface. That costs time, money, and sometimes valuable opportunities for your crops.

And if you work with an advisor or researcher, their recommendations usually end up in Excel sheets or PDF reports that never connect to your control system. The computer records, but it doesn’t respond.

The result? You have the data, but not the control. You want to anticipate, prevent issues, and optimize your crops proactively yet too often you’re stuck reacting and correcting day after day. So why is it still so hard to turn insights into action?

Why It’s Still So Complicated

Most greenhouses operate with multiple systems for lighting, irrigation, and climate, each with its own software, logic, and sometimes even its own units of measurement. These systems rarely communicate with each other.

The outcome: your data stays locked in separate silos, comparisons are difficult, and small adjustments become unnecessarily complex. Even simple experiments, like testing a slightly higher temperature during the night or a new irrigation rhythm, require planning, coordination, and sometimes compromise.

This fragmentation keeps greenhouses in a reactive loop: you can see what’s happening, but taking action is slow, cumbersome, or even impossible without external support.

The Shift to Adaptive and Preventative Growing

Greenhouse technology is evolving. The sector is moving from monitoring toward management, from passive observation to adaptive, preventative control.

The new standard? Open systems that allow you to connect equipment from different suppliers, compare settings, and adjust conditions yourself, without waiting for outside help. These systems are designed to empower you, the grower, not replace you.

In this future vision, your greenhouse becomes anticipative. It doesn’t just respond after the fact, it uses past decisions, real-time measurements, and predictive insights to act before stress or inefficiency occurs. Every adjustment builds toward a smarter strategy: watering schedules respond to plant needs, lights adjust to growth stages, and climate changes support crop goals before any negative impact arises.

Imagine a greenhouse where your systems foresee changes in weather, energy costs, or crop development, automatically suggesting or implementing optimal adjustments. Instead of reacting to problems, you’re always one step ahead, your greenhouse becomes a partner in strategic growth.

One Platform, All Systems

This is where GreenFarm OS from greenhub comes in. It links your existing climate computer, sensors, and controllers in a single platform.

No new hardware is needed, just one interface where you can see, compare, and control everything. You decide when to change irrigation timing, temperature setpoints, or light intensity, and the system executes your decisions immediately.

For instance, if your advisor suggests changing CO₂ strategy, you can now apply it instantly. No waiting, no technician. The result is clear: less downtime, faster decisions, and a better understanding of what truly works for your crops.

Data You Can Trust, Insights You Can Use

We also take care of your data. It’s stored safely, the way you feel most comfortable, with full control in your hands. Even offline, your insights remain accessible, allowing continuous optimization without interruption.

GreenFarm OS focuses on crop monitoring while staying compatible with the partners and tools you already trust. That means your workflow stays familiar, only smarter.

Why It Matters

It’s not about collecting more data, it’s about making the data you already have actionable, comparable, and traceable.

When your greenhouse can anticipate your goals, respond intelligently, and implement strategies before problems arise, you gain time to focus on what matters most: growing better crops, creating new strategies, and preventing issues before they occur.

Instead of maintenance, your greenhouse becomes a strategic partner, one that helps you optimize results, foresee challenges, and continuously improve your crop strategy.

This is the future of greenhouse control: proactive, adaptive, and anticipative growing, where every decision builds on the last and every system works in harmony with your expertise.

Read the full whitepaper: Bridging the Data Divide – Building a Common Standard for CEA

Discover how growers across Europe are moving from monitoring to adaptive control in our whitepaper and learn more about the impact of sensor placement and interpreting results from other farms, -Dynamic CO2 dosing and how indoor farms and greenhouse differ in strategy, also HPS vs LEDs where is the difference.

Growing is Hard. So, Who’s Doing It Next?

admin — Fri, 24 Oct 2025 09:59:22 +0000

When you picture a farmer in Europe, who comes to mind? Most likely an older man living in the countryside and the statistics confirm it. Nearly 68.4% of farm managers in the EU are male, while 31.6% are female, even though women’s share has grown from 26.4% in 2005 (Eurostat, 2020). This means that when someone searches for a farmer online, the images rarely show women, nearly one third of farms are being managed by women in europe.

Depending on the country, this picture can look very different: in Lithuania and Latvia almost half of farms are managed by women, while in Malta and Germany it’s fewer than one in ten (Eurostat, 2020). Age adds another layer to the story. The average farm manager is 57 years old, with 57.6% aged 55 or older, and just 11.9% under 40 (Eurostat, 2020; Eurostat, 2023). In other words, the farmer you imagined at the start isn’t just a stereotype; it’s today’s reality. At greenhub, we are aware that we currently reflect the status quo of agriculture. A male-dominated team that wants to bring about change and lead by example?

Globally, the FAO reports that 43% of farm workforce are women (FAO: The role of women in agriculture, 2011), yet when you search online for “farmer” or “farm manager,” images of women are still rare. At greenhub, we’re part of that redefinition, too. We know that our own team and network don’t yet reflect the full diversity that agriculture deserves. But we’re working on it by opening new entry points, collaborating across disciplines, and amplifying stories that challenge traditional images of who a farmer is.

The mismatch between perception and reality matters, especially as farming faces a perfect storm: fewer farmers overall, disappearing knowledge, and growing pressure on food systems. The question of who will produce our food naturally arises when you see the figures below.

Fewer young people are stepping into agriculture, regardless of gender. The sector has a reputation problem: it doesn’t look like an appealing career. Why? Because farming today is often seen as isolating, financially unstable, and incredibly demanding. It requires deep knowledge and experience that’s hard to acquire unless you grow up in it.

Losing the Farmer, Losing the Knowledge

When you visit a grower, you rarely see a grower B, a younger one in training. In bigger operations with multiple growing locations, when you ask how old the growers are at that location, you rarely hear someone below 50. In a few years these top growers and talented people will retire, and it is nearly impossible to train someone new into the job without being worked in for at least 3 years, to make decisions on your own based on intuition, this was told to us by a chicory company. One of the most profound threats to agriculture today isn’t just climate change or global trade pressure. It’s the loss of people. Human capital, the knowledge and experience that farmers carry with them, is disappearing fast (Farmer-led Research on Europe’s Full Productivity | EARA, 2025).

When older farmers retire, they don’t just leave their land. They take with them decades of experience, intuition, and practical wisdom that can’t be captured in textbooks or software (Generational renewal in EU agriculture, 2025). This “tacit knowledge” is essential for sustainable land management and for adapting to climate change (Generational renewal in EU agriculture, 2025). Lack of access to this knowledge is a major reason young people do not pursue a career as farmers. Even though theoretical knowledge is reportedly higher than ever, practical knowledge is lacking and causes insecurity (Generational renewal in EU agriculture, 2025).

What is this tacit knowledge exactly, and why is it so hard to capture with AI? In traditional environments, especially in the open field or in greenhouses that are not fully controlled, farm management is complex and highly site-specific. The environmental context is decisive and changes every minute, sometimes every second (Farmer Intuition Improves Management Decisions, 2023). Success depends on adapting to shifting conditions that cannot be fully represented by standardized models, let alone directly reflected in impact.

A tangible example: how much has higher wind impacted my transpiration if it didn’t rain? Are my roots long enough to access the groundwater today, or am I losing a valuable growing day by not irrigating right now? Farmers often face situations where decisions must be made too quickly for detailed calculations, relying instead on intuition and accumulated experience to manage risks in a constantly changing environment.

This kind of learning includes practical details such as how soil and climate conditions ultimately shape productivity more than technology or capital; how keeping a soil cover improves water retention and stabilizes temperatures; or how to choose crop varieties that are adapted to local growing conditions. It also involves the knowledge shared through farmer-led breeding and seed exchange (Adapting to Smart Farming: Communication Media and Local Knowledge in Overcoming Technical Challenges, 2024). While formal education may provide formulas for irrigation, in practice success often comes down to knowing the best moment in the day to irrigate, and how much, depending on wind, temperature, clouds, and shade. These subtle but constant adjustments are what allow experienced farmers to maintain healthy, productive systems.

Why Automation Is Not the Enemy

For many, the idea of automation in farming raises alarm bells. We understand this, too many times farmers and growers have been asked to give their data away. For it to be sold back to them later, with insights on top, often inapplicable and not in the right context. While their data is being used for free to train AI tools, only to have to chat with a chatbot later that is not helpful either. We are delighted Laura that you came to talk to us. They are fed up churn on AI solutions is rising due to this inhuman way of handling problems, and it raises the question “what is the AI even supposed to think about for me?” (Fruit logistica trend report, 2024). Growers want solutions, not just tech for techs sake as Loretta di loro stated in the Igrownetwork earlier.

Trained labor workers and even untrained ones are getting more and more expensive. There are also less of them by the day, If getting laborers is a problem for you, automation can be a solution. About 5.5 million people work as farm laborers and gardeners, making up nearly 3% of total EU employment in 2022, and this number has been shrinking even as overall EU employment grows (CEDEFOP, 2023). Most of these workers are men (71%), and just over half have upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education (CEDEFOP, 2023). Pay varies widely, and for seasonal and migrant workers about one in four experience tough conditions: long hours, low pay, limited healthcare, and often substandard housing (EU Reporter, 2023; Oxfam International, 2023; European Commission, 2024; Eurofound, 2023). First, automation can relieve the hardest, most repetitive work (The Agriculture Labor Shortage: Challenges and Solutions Through Automation, 2025). Modern farming is physically demanding and often unattractive to young people, partly because it is seen as isolating, unstable, and punishingly hard (Futureproofing the vision for agriculture and food, 2025). Robots and smart machines can take over repetitive, time-consuming, or unsafe tasks, like weeding or hours of manual inspections. By reducing the physical burden, technology gives farmers the chance to focus on higher-value, decision-based work and makes the job itself more dignified as human decision-making is still needed (Adapting to smart farming: communication media and local knowledge in overcoming technical challenges, 2024; Fruit Logistica trend report, 2024).

Most research in the sector is not applied, insights covered under academic lingo and in units that do not match what growers work with, without clear instructions on how to scale the insight or make it commercially viable and applicable. So much of the investment going into research, which is done with high hopes of impact, gets lost after a publication. Automation can help preserve and expand knowledge and help put it in the right context. Artificial intelligence, sensors, and digital archives can capture the wisdom of traditional farming practices, heirloom seed traits, and local crop behavior, ensuring these insights are not lost when older generations retire (How Do We Preserve Cultural Farming Traditions Amidst AI Integration?, 2025). Indoor farming systems, such as vertical farming, remove much of this environmental context and unplanned variability (Fruit Logistica trend report, 2024). By creating a controlled climate, they make production easier to standardize and replicate across different locations.

Attracting the Next Generation

We often get approached by people wanting to start a microgreens side business. Usually they have a background in software development and it or are engineers. They lack biological knowledge but found us through the thing we have in common which is software. Only 6.5% of farm managers are under 35 (Strategic Dialogue on the Future of EU Agriculture, 2024), meaning a whole generation is stepping out of farming. Without young people entering the sector, Europe risks losing not just food production capacity, but also the diversity, resilience, and cultural identity of rural areas (Strategic Dialogue on the Future of EU Agriculture, 2024). Fresh generations bring energy, innovation, and the willingness to invest in long-term sustainability. They are more likely to adopt new practices, experiment with climate-friendly methods, and see returns from these choices over time (Strategic Dialogue on the Future of EU Agriculture, 2024).

The European Council of Young Farmers (CEJA) lists issues including low ambition of beginner courses, difficult accessibility and affordability of higher education, limited opportunities for lifelong training, and suboptimal bridges with research (Generational renewal in EU agriculture, 2025).

But the reality on the ground in Europe is harder. About 5.5 million people work as farm laborers and gardeners, making up nearly 3% of total EU employment in 2022, and this number has been shrinking even as overall EU employment grows (CEDEFOP, 2023). Most of these workers are men (71%), and just over half have upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education (CEDEFOP, 2023). Pay varies widely, and for seasonal and migrant workers about one in four experience tough conditions: long hours, low pay, limited healthcare, and often substandard housing (EU Reporter, 2023; Oxfam International, 2023; European Commission, 2024; Eurofound, 2023).

Another unutilized gain: Men and Women in Farming

Agriculture in Europe has always carried a gender gap (Ensuring food security and the long-term resilience of EU agriculture, 2023). Women account for only about 30% of the EU’s agricultural workforce, and just a third of farms are managed by women (Eurostat, 2020). This is not just a question of equality it is a structural weakness. Limited access to land, credit, and decision-making roles has meant that half of Europe’s potential talent pool remains underutilized at precisely the moment when renewal is most needed (Ensuring food security and the long-term resilience of EU agriculture, 2023).

As Europe’s farmers age and farm numbers decline, inclusion becomes critical (Strategic Dialogue on the Future of EU Agriculture, 2024). The sector cannot afford to exclude women if it is to remain productive, resilient, and secure. As the European Environment Information and Observation Network wrote, mMore women in farming means more innovation, stronger rural communities, and a more balanced approach to food system challenges (Exploring multiple pathways and policy mixes for transforming European food systems, 2024).But especially the stronger rural communities become a challenge. Urbanization continues to draw especially young and educated women from rural to urban areas, creating demographic imbalances and accelerating population decline in the countryside. While women in rural Europe often achieve higher education levels than men, they face lower employment rates and fewer opportunities due to limited infrastructure, childcare, and flexible work options. This gender-biased migration leaves rural areas older, more male, and economically weaker, reinforcing cycles of out-migration and service loss. (Our world in data – Urbanization, March 2025 Young women in cities: Urbanization and gender-biased migration; Urban-rural Europe – women and men living in rural areas)

Encouragingly, the transition toward digital and sustainable farming is creating new entry points (Farmer-led Research on Europe’s Full Productivity, 2025) for people moving to urban areas, especially women, to create a more diverse future for agriculture. Emerging roles in data analysis, robotics, system maintenance, and agri-entrepreneurship are opening the sector to diverse skill sets. Regenerative farming movements are already attracting young female farmers, while technology-driven models such as vertical farming are drawing in a digitally skilled and sustainability-focused generation (Urban vertical farming: innovation for food security and social impact?, 2025).

Policy frameworks are essential. Member States can make rural life more accessible by improving services like childcare and elder care (Ensuring food security and the long-term resilience of EU agriculture, 2023). EU instruments such as EIB loan packages should adopt gender-transformative budgeting to actively support women and young farmers (Strategic Dialogue on the Future of EU Agriculture, 2024). Stronger legal rights, better access to entrepreneurship support, and formal inclusion in food security decision-making are all necessary steps.

Redefining who gets to be a farmer

European farming is losing people and with them, decades of experience and intuition. Veteran greenhouse and field growers know exactly how subtle shifts in wind, sunlight, or soil moisture affect crops. They understand which varieties thrive in specific microclimates and when to intervene to save a harvest. When these growers retire, this tacit knowledge often leaves with them, creating a gap that textbooks and research alone can’t fill.

Meanwhile, young people and women who could bring fresh ideas and skills often face high barriers to entry: land is expensive, practical experience is hard to acquire, and traditional farming can feel inaccessible. An inpopular and unused resource for europe.

greenhub bridges these gaps. Our GreenFarm OS and Growing Algorithm capture the experience of veteran growers, preserve it digitally, and make it usable for both beginners and experts. For the experienced greenhouse grower, this means decades of practical intuition can be combined with the latest research, automatically contextualized through sensors, digital twins, and data-driven insights. Our GreenResearcher and the network that it fosters is a living testament of making innovation actionable in our commercial systems GreenConnect and GreenPro. Suddenly, they can test new crop varieties, optimize nutrient recipes, and refine climate strategies without guesswork, turning their hard-earned knowledge into ongoing innovation.

At the same time, young aspiring farmers can learn in a hands-on, safe, and accessible way. They can transform empty buildings into vertical farms, run microgreen operations alongside other work, and see exactly how environmental conditions impact plant growth. Through hybrid systems, beginners also get guided exposure to traditional greenhouse practices, creating a living bridge between generations.

Collaboration is key. By bringing together diverse disciplines agronomy, biology, software, engineering greenhub ensures knowledge flows both ways. This is also, where AI can actually help. Automation complements intuition; CEA lowers entry barriers while preserving and amplifying the wisdom of experienced growers. Both beginners and veterans benefit: one gains a place to start and learn, the other gains a platform to innovate further.

Conclusion: Shaping the Farmer of Tomorrow

The farmer of tomorrow is not the image most people still picture: an older man in a rural field. Farming in Europe is changing, and it’s time for the world to see it. Women are leading innovation, young people are starting vertical farms in cities, and tech-savvy growers are combining science, coding, and traditional know-how to produce food sustainably.

At greenhub, we see these stories every day. We capture and preserve the knowledge of experienced growers, make it accessible to newcomers, and connect diverse talents across disciplines. But knowledge alone isn’t enough, the image of agriculture must change. Hidden women, innovative beginners, urban growers, and new green-collar professionals need to be visible, celebrated, and recognized.

This is where you come in. By sharing your story, your experiments, or even a single photo of your farm, you can inspire the next generation. Every story makes agriculture more approachable, more exciting, and more inclusive. At a time when Europe desperately needs new farmers, your visibility could be the spark that brings someone into the sector, whether they choose a traditional greenhouse, a vertical farm, or a hybrid path.

The future of farming is hybrid between generations, genders, and technologies.

If we redefine who can be a farmer, preserve their knowledge digitally, and make agriculture visible and inspiring again, we can turn today’s crisis of succession into an opportunity for renewal or simply put the farmer of tomorrow could be anyone the challenge is making them want to be.

Find out more about our new innovation.

With GreenConnect, we link existing indoor farms to the latest automation technology.

greenhub updates GreenResearchers at long term partner/client alfred wegner institute and continues to learn from their aquaponics research

admin — Fri, 22 Nov 2024 13:28:11 +0000

Yesterday, Kay Plat and Julius Riegger visited our long-term partner/client, the AWI Alfred-Wegener-Institut, Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung (ZAF), to update our GreenResearcher systems with an additional layer.

It’s always a great exchange and an enriching experience discussing topics like aquaponics, hydroponics, aquaculture, and innovative circular approaches. Thank you, Kai Lorkowski and Isabela Pinheiro, for your time, collaboration, and trust in our technologies!

Want to learn more about the GreenResearcher?

If you want to learn more about the GreenResearcher and how it can support your research efforts please visit the following subpage for more information.

Steps Toward a Viable Indoor Farm: Learning from Vertical Farming Successes, Mistakes, and Reliable Data Sources

admin — Wed, 13 Nov 2024 13:59:16 +0000

Abstract:

Indoor farming is at a pivotal moment, learning from early pioneers’ successes and setbacks to shape a more sustainable future. This article summarizes key challenges, mentioned by industry experts at the moment—such as scaling too quickly, high costs, and market pressures—while highlighting promising shifts like hybrid farming, incremental growth, and integrating vertical farms with traditional agriculture. We respect the remarkable strides made by the vertical farming pioneers in advancing technology and consumer acceptance, laying a foundation for progress for the whole industry. At greenhub, we are eager to learn and acknowledge that we don’t have all the answers. By fostering collaboration, innovation, and practicality, we believe that the industry can unlock its potential for a resilient, sustainable future. Collaboration is at the core of what we do.

Part one: Overview of the Current State of the Industry

This week, we’re beginning our journey towards building a more viable indoor farm. At greenhub, we don’t claim to have all the answers, but we’re committed to understanding the challenges and opportunities shaping this field. In this post, we’ll explore some of the core issues currently sparking conversation—from industry and academic debates to supplier insights. We’ll take an honest look at where things stand, why some of the early pioneers faced setbacks, and how these lessons might help us move forward.

Next week, we’ll dive into potential solutions and practical steps, sharing what we’re learning from EuroTier to understand how vertical farming fits into the larger agricultural landscape.

1. Building on the Lessons of Indoor Farm Pioneers

At greenhub, we have a lot of respect for the vision and determination shown by vertical farming pioneers like Bowery Farming. Bowery had $700 million in funding and partnerships with major retailers like Whole Foods and Amazon Fresh, aiming to redefine how we grow and distribute food by creating high-tech, indoor farms to bring fresh produce to urban areas. But despite these bold efforts, the financial reality of scaling up—high costs for infrastructure, energy, and labor—ultimately forced them to close when they couldn’t secure further funding or a buyer.

Bowery’s story isn’t unique. Other well-known vertical farming companies, like Infarm, Jungle, and Future Crops, have faced similar challenges and had to either scale back or shut down. Stephan Dolezalek, managing partner at Grosvenor Food & AgTech and a former AeroFarms board member, sees these setbacks as part of the natural cycle for new industries. There’s often a lot of enthusiasm at the start, leading to big investments, sometimes before the market is mature enough to support them. As Dolezalek suggests, this phase of adjustment could help the industry stabilize, setting the stage for a new era of resilient, profitable vertical farming businesses (source: AgTechNavigator.com).

Academia acknowledges these events and is reflecting on the developments regarding the pioneers too. Vertical farming received substantial venture capital investment up until 2021, totaling $1.2 billion. Major investments included:

Plenty: $500 million from SoftBank and Amazon

AeroFarms: $240 million from IKEA and Dubai-based investors

Bowery Farming: $170 million from Google Ventures

80 Acres Farms: $200 million

Infarm: €400 million

PlantLab: €20 million

Nordic Harvest: €10 million

By 2022, the “hype” began to fade as companies like AeroFarms and Kalera faced bankruptcy, marking what Marcelis calls a natural industry “shakeout.” He notes that vertical farming isn’t dead, as new projects like Growy in Amsterdam and 80 Acres are still seeing high demand. Academia is acknowledging this valley of despair stage of the industry but also recognizes that we are at a pivotal point of change.

2. Common Challenges in an Indoor Farm: Are We Ready to Move Forward?

With each big-name closure, we’re getting a clearer picture of the recurring challenges that vertical farming faces. Here are the key issues that keep coming up and I am sure you must have read before:

Growing Too Big Too Fast: Many vertical farms scaled up quickly to satisfy investor expectations, which often led to them losing focus on stability and core farming practices.
Identity Crisis: Vertical farms sometimes position themselves as tech companies rather than farms, which might help with fundraising but can detract from what’s most important: producing and selling quality food.
Misunderstanding Retail Market Dynamics: Some farms underestimated factors like pricing pressure, retailer demands, and competition for shelf space. No matter how innovative a farm is, it still has to compete on price.
Profit vs. Revenue: Emphasizing gross revenue over net profit is a common mistake. Without a clear grasp of actual costs, high revenue alone isn’t enough to sustain a business long-term.

While it’s good that the industry is calling out these issues, we’re still mostly at the “problem identification” stage rather than moving toward solutions. Posts that simply list these challenges get a lot of attention, with responses like “spot on” and “well said,” but actionable solutions are still rare. And while there’s often a call to “share data,” we know it’s more complicated than that. If it were as easy as copying someone else’s “growing recipe,” vertical farming would already be thriving without these setbacks.

It is interesting that academia is defining the problems slightly differently but also similarly across research papers. Again, Marcelis is a good example and summary of the academic point of view:

Energy Costs and Consumption: The cost and sustainability of energy use are critical concerns. Vertical farms typically require significant energy, especially for lighting.
High Labor Costs: Smaller-scale operations often struggle to automate tasks, making labour-intensive processes a burden. Many positions, from office staff to technicians, are required even for small farms.
Lack of Knowledge and Knowledge Sharing: Vertical farming suffers from limited knowledge-sharing on effective practices, which hinders industry-wide improvement.
Product Price and Market Viability: Pricing remains a challenge, as high operational costs make it difficult for vertical farms to compete with other forms of agriculture on price.

Prof. Dr. Leo Marcelis highlights that while vertical farming faces significant challenges, the industry is in a pivotal phase of learning and growth. Through targeted strategies in labor, energy use, crop selection, and technology, vertical farming has the potential to overcome its current obstacles and move toward a more sustainable, economically viable future.

3. A Shift Toward Openness and Incremental Growth

One positive shift is the openness with which industry leaders are now addressing challenges. For the first time, we’re seeing people acknowledge both the struggles and the potential, which signals a real turning point. This honesty shows that we’re moving into a more grounded phase where we can start having practical conversations about what actually works.

Another trend we’re seeing is a move away from rapid, large-scale expansions toward smaller, adaptable farms. This steady, incremental approach prioritizes sustainable growth, energy efficiency, and resource management. At greenhub, we believe this is the best path forward, as it allows operations to adapt without taking on the high financial risks associated with scaling up too fast.

4. Integrating Indoor Farms into a Broader Agricultural Ecosystem

In addition to this trend toward smaller, resilient farms, vertical farming is finding a role within traditional agricultural systems, like greenhouses and Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) setups. Universities, research institutions, and suppliers are conducting trials within these environments, focusing on crop optimization, resilience, and innovative growing practices. This blended approach reduces financial risk and boosts productivity, making vertical farming a valuable partner to conventional methods.

Marcelis suggests that vertical farms and greenhouses could benefit from a hybrid approach. For instance, young plants could be cultivated in vertical farms where they’re protected from external stressors, while larger plants could be transferred to greenhouses where cost-efficiency is better established.

Presence of the inhouse pavilion in Hannover at EUROTIER also shows that indoor farming is already a part of the broader agricultural ecosystem. Vertical farming in indoor farming will be represented by Alexander Jaworski during the theme day of Aquaculture and Algae at the inhouse farming pavilion during the roundtable ‘ Fish, Algae, Shrimp, Insects, and Vegetables from Indoor Farms – Out of the Marketing Desert!?’, moderated by Fraunhofer and DLG e. V.

At greenhub we learn everyday if you want to find out more about us check out:

We learn by collaboration with suppliers, research institutes and farms. At our technology we explain and go more in depth how we learn through our collaborations. Sharing insights is at the core of what we do.

Want to find out where we got these insights?

Here are some of the sources we used to help us write this article!

Big News: SBG – Sächsische Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH is backing greenhub solutions through the StartupLab Sachsen program!

admin — Wed, 06 Nov 2024 14:04:01 +0000

We’re beyond excited to share that greenhub solutions has teamed up with Sächsische Beteiligungsgesellschaft (SBG)! This support marks a huge step forward in our mission to make food production possible worldwide by making indoor farming more sustainable, efficient, and resource-friendly.

Being chosen as one of the winners of the #TUCLab competition was an incredible moment, and SBG’s investment now gives us the boost we need to take our projects to the next level. Together, we’re shaping the future of indoor farming and bringing “Innovations Made in Saxony” to the world stage.

A big thank you to SBG for believing in our vision. Here’s to a more sustainable tomorrow!

Beyond Leafy Greens: Can Vertical Farming Expand its Reach? – a response to VertiFarm

admin — Fri, 25 Oct 2024 14:22:33 +0000

Exploring Viable Crops, Data Sharing, and Industry Collaboration to Propel Vertical Farming Forward

Introduction: The Current Landscape of Vertical Farming

Can Vertical Farming Evolve Beyond Microgreens?

VertiFarm, the only trade fair in Germany focusing solely on vertical farming/CEA, is a good reflection of the current situation in the sector. Everyone knows it will be part of the future but is uncertain about how it will integrate into a global food system. A natural reaction to this uncertainty is for players to withdraw from the market. With the failure of some promising business models that were somewhat ahead of their time in terms of technical and infrastructural feasibility. A few have remained. A few who are now looking for new ways to integrate effective approaches into local, regional systems.

VertiFarm Insights: Uncertain Times and New Directions

Reflecting on VertiFarm: Navigating Uncertainty and Uncovering New Solutions

A first step is microgreens: less mechanized, fast-growing, and requiring manageable amounts of energy. Will it fulfill the promise of vertical farming to create food security? Probably not. However, it does contribute by educating communities on how locally produced food can be integrated into the supply chain, fostering community building, and supporting reasonable unit economics. Almost every major city in Germany now has microgreens suppliers, marking a first step towards more decentralized agriculture.

Diversifying Crops: Tomatoes, Peppers, and Protein Peas

Exploring New Crops and Energy-Saving Solutions for Vertical Farming

Another approach involves crops like tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and cannabis. The first three are still in the development stage, as the holistic concept needs to be refined. Dynamic electricity pricing models, potentially incorporating renewable energy, exploiting negative electricity prices on the electricity exchange, and dynamic lighting models for energy-optimized cultivation all need to be considered. Although there are already promising approaches in the market, these were unfortunately not represented at VertiFarm. One approach that was represented was the cultivation of peas for protein extraction for the vegan market. This is an interesting strategy that can be viable on the Arabian Peninsula due to favourable electricity and labour costs.

Data Sharing: Is Collaboration Vertical Farming’s Missing Ingredient?

Data Collaboration: The Panels and Presentations at VertiFarm All Had a Similar Conclusion

And then, yes, we still need the plants. Growth strategies and models that are plant-centered and produce a homogeneous, predictable harvest are essential. The panels and presentations at VertiFarm were unanimous in emphasizing data sharing as a shift in the industry. Moving away from silo thinking towards an industry created through cooperation and collaboration will help to generate demand.

We at greenhub identify with this approach, working in partnerships and leveraging data insights to scale from research to industry. We were honoured to win the pitch event in the scaling businesses category with this approach, a recognition from peers in the industry.

Overcoming Industry Growing Pains: Challenges with Equipment, Knowledge, and Transparency

Lessons from Early Mistakes, should we Start Sharing this Information First?

Data sharing in vertical farming is complex. What data can we share, and with whom? Despite being around for almost 15 years, the industry remains highly competitive across academia, suppliers, and farms. Funded farms, especially, are protective of their IP and data due to contractual obligations. This lack of transparency means we miss out on learning from each other’s challenges. What one farm has solved could benefit the whole industry. As David Meszaros from Smartkas said at VertiFarm, “Where is the Volvo seatbelt for vertical farming?” Sharing successful strategies can help the industry grow and enable local fresh produce worldwide, alongside traditional farming and CEA.

Many speakers at VertiFarm expressed that we need to share data. These are not new ideas; we’ve been advocating for data sharing for several years. Yet, to this day, data sharing is minimal. Is it perhaps because we don’t yet know how to make sense of it? If you had data from another farm, how would you generate insights? What data would we even analyze? Some might focus on cultivation strategies or when automation becomes viable. With no standardization in hardware, software, or sensor placement, can we even compare farms? Should we share all data?

Perhaps starting with failures is a good first step. Why repeat each other’s mistakes? Many vertical farms claim to model growth, climate, and cultivation data, but can we really translate those insights into actionable strategies across different farms? Or will one farm’s successful strategy be copied globally?

How to Use Data: Navigating Through the Current Insights Publicly available

How Standardization Can Bridge the Knowledge Gap for Vertical Farmers

Imagine purchasing the hardware to start a vertical farm but lacking the knowledge to optimize the growing process. Unfortunately, this scenario is not as uncommon as it sounds. A 2021 Agritecture study found that 73% of operators would change their equipment, technology, or plant species if they could go back in time. The same study revealed that 49% of Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) operators had no prior experience in agriculture. It makes sense that a grower new to the industry would seek answers.

Now, you can find data about vertical farming and potential problems, and there are also many solutions out there. The data that’s publicly available mainly comes from academia and industry suppliers, who tend to focus on sharing success stories. Academic failures rarely get published; you might only spot them by reading between the lines of the discussion sections. Suppliers also avoid highlighting failures, as this isn’t the message they want to send. For breeders, if they make their “how to grow” guidelines too specific and farmers don’t achieve the promised results, they risk losing customers.

The downside of well-intentioned recommendations becomes apparent when things don’t go as planned. Given this status quo in this young industry, the question remains: How can we ensure that the next generation of business owners and growers receives the support and knowledge they need to use their systems effectively and achieve successful crop production? Our goal with greenhub is to learn how to scale results and make sense of the data shared by those heroically offering insights today

Standardizing Data and Data Modelling: A Path Forward with greenhub and Industry Partners

Building Scalable Models in Controlled Environment Agriculture

It’s no surprise that some suppliers have stepped away from vertical farming; demonstrating relevant use cases in such an unstandardized industry is frustrating and often leads to disappointment. Even in academia, it’s hard to compare researchers using the same setup, let alone when data is collected manually. This issue mirrors the greenhouse industry, where no grower collects plant data the same way. Comparing research across universities with different setups is even more challenging. We’re starting by interpreting futuristic data from both suppliers and academia, focusing on standardization while also adapting when necessary.

Partnering with companies and research institutes that are already sharing data is invaluable and central to our growth as a company. Our aim is to support the adoption of findings, technologies, and products that advance the industry with data that’s directly accessible and usable from the start. We are looking forward to the next steps of standardizing data collection through the GreenResearcher.

In developing nonlinear regression models for Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA), what are the complexities involved in creating adaptive and scalable models that account for variability among different greenhouses and vertical farming systems? Specifically, what types of sensors and measurement points are essential to accurately capture the necessary data? Additionally, is it essential to start with high-tech setups to manage this complexity and gradually reduce it through iterations, or could a 90% reliability rate be achieved across different systems with a more simplified approach?

Conclusion: Lets Collaborate in CEA and Vertical Farming

Let’s Connect: We Look Forward To Explore What We Can Share!

Whether you are a grower, researcher, or supplier in the CEA industry, let’s connect! If this has sparked your interest, reach out, and we’ll find a way to collaborate. Let’s start with sharing what we can share and create applicable use cases together.

Want to see more of greenhub?

Explore how the press at vertifarm captured us

Team meals from own harvest

admin — Tue, 09 Jul 2024 12:56:56 +0000

Kay Plat – A nice side effect of working with plants are the harvests and the team meals at greenhub solutions GmbH!

greenhub gave a workshop on Vertical farming at Leipzig University

admin — Mon, 08 Jul 2024 12:46:54 +0000

Isabelle van Doorn on behalf of greenhub – Hosted my very first workshop on Vertical Farming at Universität Leipzig!

It was an incredible hour delving into the future of hashtag#verticalfarming. I had the honour of sharing insights on behalf of greenhub solutions GmbH with a delegation of esteemed agricultural professors, postdocs, docs, and researchers.

I am still glowing from the energy of the active participants and the passion they have each in their own discipline to boost the future of agriculture. It is great to share some of the results today!

Grateful for the opportunity to explore innovative solutions, applications and potential ways to collaborate together especially during the discussions!

Major thanks to Martin Schieck for inviting me to host this discussion about vertical farming at Smart Farming Lab at Universität Leipzig.

GreenResearcher in use in the CEA lab at Technical university of Chemnitz

admin — Mon, 08 Jul 2024 10:18:30 +0000

It is wonderful to see the hashtag#GreenResearcher in use at Technische Universität Chemnitz, your lettuce looks great! We can’t wait to hear more from Automatic Control and System Dynamics on how the research is proceeding !

What a year it has been!

admin — Tue, 02 Jul 2024 09:31:35 +0000

At the beginning of the year we had a pilot project that gave us great feedback on the development we need to be doing with our GreenResearcher to make it market-ready. After 12 months, we have made our first sales as a now registered company and have a pipeline for more GreenResearchers in 2024. All these developments are helping us get closer to our vision – to make vertical farming a viable solution. BUT we need to start with databased businesses that can fulfil their promises. Every day we and our customers or say partners are collecting valuable data for these improvements. As the year draws to an end, we would like to thank you for the partnerships we have built in 2023. Your support and collaboration has pushed us forward in our progress. We look forward to the results and feedback on the GreenResearcher as we continue to work together.

Thank you for being part of our journey. We wish you all a prosperous new year!