The Technology on Your Plate
With the world’s population growing, developing new ways to efficiently grow our food is at the forefront of the agtech industry. And if we can’t expand our fields out, why not go up? Vertical farming is one of the solutions. Expanding across the globe, vertical farms are mostly located indoors, such as in a warehouse and crops are stacked on top of each other, saving enormous amounts of space. But that’s not the only benefit. Since plants are indoors, producers can control the environmental conditions for plants to grow all year round regardless of the weather outside.
Bowery Farming, the largest vertical farming company in the US, has several farms across the country. But farming isn’t just about harvesting crops. Investing in research and development is a core part of the company and integrating parts of machine learning, artificial intelligence, and new software into their farms allows them to analyze and improve faster.
The logistics of getting fresh food from farms to consumers is a colossal math equation. From collection centers and wholesalers to storage and processing plants and then getting it to markets, grocery stores, or restaurants, there are a lot of stakeholders involved.
One Moroccan startup is cutting out the middleman. Terraa has created a platform that connects farmers directly with retailers, restaurants, and service providers. This allows farmers to earn higher incomes and contribute to a more environmentally-friendly food supply chain.
Cutting the chain down even further is Barn2Door, a Saas solution for farmers to sell their goods directly to consumers. With coaching, courses, and marketing advice, Barn2Door’s solution empowers farmers to take control of their businesses and grow their own farm brands.
