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

Alexander Jaworski co-founder of greenhub pitching at VertiFarm industry fair

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.

Win of startup competition with GreenResearcher and GreenFarm OS at Vertifarm

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

Data sharing with GreenResearcher and GreenFarm OS as farm management software

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?

Vertical farming panel german agrifood society moderated by Alexander Jaworksi founder of greenhub

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

 

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