[ad_1]
US-based AeroFarms has officially launched its latest state-of-the-art R&D indoor vertical farm in Abu Dhabi.
At 65,000 square feet, AeroFarms AgX is the largest R&D indoor vertical farm of its kind in the world.
The facility is supported by the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) as part of its aim to advance next-generation agriculture in arid and desert environments, the state news agency reported. Wan.
Abdulla Abdul Aziz Al Shamsi, Acting Director General of ADIO, said: “ADIO’s mission is to help innovative companies like AeroFarms get started, scale up and succeed in Abu Dhabi by providing access to the UAE’s innovation ecosystem and infrastructure.”
The indoor vertical farm will employ more than 60 highly skilled professionals such as engineers, horticulturalists and scientists for its high-tech laboratory. The labs will conduct sensory research and precision phenotyping, phytochemical analysis, and research into next-generation machine vision, machine learning, robotics, and automation.
The facility will collaborate with local companies and universities on research projects to address agricultural issues in desert and arid climates.
David Rosenberg, co-founder and CEO of AeroFarms, said the company has been expanding its commercial and R&D indoor vertical farms globally, leveraging its growing expertise and proprietary technology platform to help solve broader farming challenges.
“We are incredibly proud of the incredible international turnout and support of the highest level for the grand opening of AeroFarms AgX, and our continued partnership with ADIO reflects our larger commitment to help transform agriculture and accelerate innovation in the region cycle and commercialize new products and worlds,” he added.
The facility will bring together key strategic partners such as Cargill and the Foundation for Food and Agriculture’s (FFAR) Precision Indoor Plants (PIP) Alliance for R&D collaborations.To this end, AeroFarms has signed a formal partnership agreement with Silal to advance early-stage exploration work under a Memorandum of Understanding, reportedly Wan.
best partner @ Aviation Farm A new indoor growth chamber has been launched at the AgX factory in Abu Dhabi.This new R&D indoor vertical farm focuses on indoor vertical farming, innovation and #AgTech. pic.twitter.com/LhxQwKYcJU
— Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR) (@FoundationFAR) February 15, 2023
AeroFarms and Silal partner up
The collaboration is expected to focus on improving the genetics and seedling quality of vegetable and fruit varieties for increased resilience and tolerance to extreme growing conditions. Seedling quality is an important factor in crop establishment, growth and yield.
The partnership will also focus on evaluating and testing crops with high consumer demand, including tomatoes and peppers. Trials and experiments on crops will take place at the facility.
Abu Dhabi Summit
The company will also host its second annual AeroFarms AgTech Innovation Summit at Rosewood Abu Dhabi on February 16. More than 24 speakers and more than 750 participants from more than 60 different countries attended the event to discuss topics related to the future of food and agriculture.
It was recently announced that Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) has signed a joint venture agreement with AeroFarms.
read: Saudi’s PIF partners with AeroFarms to build indoor vertical farms in MENA
The two entities will form a company in Riyadh to build and operate indoor vertical farms in Saudi Arabia and the wider MENA region.
The first farm in Saudi Arabia is expected to be the largest indoor vertical farm in the MENA region, with an annual production capacity of up to 1.1 million kilograms of crops.
The partnership also promises to enable year-round sustainable sourcing of local crops grown using AeroFarms’ proprietary smart farming technology platform. It will optimize the use of natural resources, including water and agricultural land, without the need for arable land.
[ad_2]
Source link