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ABU DHABI, 15th February, 2023 (WAM) — AeroFarms, a certified B Corp and world leader in indoor vertical farming, has officially launched AeroFarms AgX, its latest cutting-edge indoor vertical farm focused on Bringing innovative research and development (R&D) to the UAE and the Middle East.
AeroFarms AgX is advancing sustainable Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) and indoor vertical farming to help address broader global agricultural supply chain challenges.
World-class, state-of-the-art R&D Indoor Vertical Farm focuses on the latest developments in indoor vertical farming, innovation and AgTech.
The facility is supported by the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) as part of its aim to create sustainable investment opportunities for next-generation agriculture in arid and desert environments.
At 65,000 square feet, AeroFarms AgX is the largest indoor vertical farm of its kind in research and development worldwide, leading the way in breakthrough innovations that solve some of the world’s most pressing agricultural challenges.
AeroFarms AgX has made several key local hires and will employ more than 60 highly skilled engineers, horticulturalists and scientists for its high-tech laboratories, conducting sensory studies and precise phenotyping, phytochemical analysis, and next-generation machinery Vision, machine learning, robotics and automation.
AeroFarms AgX plays a key role in Abu Dhabi’s AgTech ecosystem by conducting research projects in partnership with local companies and universities to address agricultural issues in desert and arid climates.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony and grand opening began with a keynote speech by the Minister of Climate Change and Environment, Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri, including the signing of a partnership agreement with Silal, led by David Rosenberg, Co-Founder and CEO of AeroFarms, and a tour of AeroFarms AgX’s lead R&D program.
“AeroFarms has been expanding our commercial and R&D indoor vertical farms globally, leveraging our growing expertise and proprietary technology platform to help solve broader farming challenges,” said David Rosenberg, AeroFarms co-founder and CEO. 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 farming, accelerate innovation cycles, and provide The region and the world of commercializing new products.”
Abdulla Abdul Aziz Al Shamsi, Acting Director General of ADIO, said: “Abu Dhabi has made it a priority to advance technological solutions to foster economic progress in the region and beyond, and AgTech falls squarely into this category. ADIO’s mission is to provide Access to the UAE’s innovation ecosystem and infrastructure helps innovative companies like AeroFarms get off the ground, scale and succeed in Abu Dhabi. We are delighted that AeroFarms is embarking on the next stage of its journey with its state-of-the-art facility in the UAE capital Contribute to solving global agricultural challenges.”
One of AeroFarms AgX’s goals is to become an innovation hub, bringing 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 collaboration agreement with Silal, advancing earlier exploration work under a Memorandum of Understanding.
The signing ceremony was attended by AeroFarms co-founder and CEO David Rosenberg and Silal CEO Salmeen Obaid Alameri.
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 be carried out at AeroFarms AgX.
AeroFarms will also host its second annual AeroFarms AgTech Innovation Summit at Rosewood Abu Dhabi on 16 February 2023, bringing together 24+ speakers and 750+ participants from over 60 different countries to discuss The future of food and agriculture.
The summit will include keynote presentations by Abdulla Abdul Aziz AlShamsi, acting director general of ADIO; Sonny Ramaswamy, president and CEO of the Northwest Council of Colleges and Universities and former director of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture; and Sonny Ramaswamy, CEO and co-founder of AeroFarms David Rosenberg . The panel discussion will be moderated by Becky Anderson, Executive Editor of CNN Abu Dhabi and Anchor, and Kelsey Warner, future editor of The Emirates National.
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