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The Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (ADDED) has introduced 15 new economic activities for small-scale producers in the agricultural sector in Abu Dhabi, in cooperation with the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA), bringing the total number of economic activities to 46 in this field.
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The latest package of activities is aimed at small-scale producers who cultivate wheat, corn, barley, leguminous vegetables, oil seeds, vegetables, roots, tubers, melons, flowers, buds, palms, fruits, citrus fruits, nuts, and fruit seeds from which spices and aromatic plants are extracted.
H.E. Rashed Abdul Karim Al Balooshi, Undersecretary of ADDED, emphasized that the launch of the new package of agricultural activities reflects the Abu Dhabi Government's commitment to support the agricultural boom witnessed by the UAE, that contributed to increasing the local production of various vegetables and fruits with more than 70 types of highquality agricultural produce.
H.E. Al Balooshi explained that the latest set of economic activities in the agricultural sector will contribute to strengthening Abu Dhabi’s efforts to introduce and adopt new high-yielding crops after ensuring their compatibility with the local environmental conditions. In line with this, around 27 citrus crops were recently produced, following evaluation and approval. He highlighted that the move helps enhance the sector's contribution to the emirate's gross domestic product (GDP).
Abu Dhabi is home to the largest number of farms in the UAE. Against this backdrop, ADAFSA is taking necessary actions to prepare an annual agricultural plan to organize the work of the emirate’s farms, in line with the needs of the market and consumers. The Authority is keen to introduce and adopt new high-yielding crops after ensuring their compatibility with the local environmental conditions. These include figs, olives, papaya, pineapple, cranberries, raspberries and blackberries. Around 27 citrus crops have been successfully produced so far, after thorough evaluation and approval by ADAFSA.
WORLD-LEADING COFFEE HARVESTING TECHNOLOGY COMES TO SOUTH EAST ASIA WITH CASE IH COFFEE EXPRESS
South East Asian coffee growers will soon have access to a new, worldleading coffee harvesting machine thanks to the launch of the Case IH Coffee Express ® 200 Multi. The Coffee Express delivers the same levels of innovative product engineering, efficiency, service and support that for decades, grain, sugar and cotton growers around the world have come to expect from Case IH. Coffee Express harvesters have been manufactured by Case IH for many years, and are well-proven in other markets around the world, such as in Central and South America. The machines are now available to coffee growers across South East Asia, an increasingly important coffee-growing region. Potentially the Coffee Express will find a place in Vietnam and Indonesia, currently the region’s most significant coffee growing countries, as well as in Laos, Cambodia and the ‘Golden Triangle’ of north-west Thailand.
According to Case IH Asia, Middle East and Africa Product Marketing Manager, Michele Monzio, the brand’s coffee harvesting equipment employs the world’s best in bean harvesting technology.
“Our exclusive design executes high performance harvesting with the lowest damage to plants and less pulling off of leaves,” Monzio said.
“As well as the gentlest handling, this unique system provides greater versatility, allowing the producer to choose selective or full harvesting. Equipped with a fuel-efficient engine and easy maintenance, Case IH harvesters benefit from reduced operating costs, increasing profitability for producers.”
With the Case IH Coffee Express 200 Multi, harvesting efficacy, while preserving the health of the plant, is second to none. Plant damage is minimised thanks to a pair of vertical rollers, revolving at up to 0.5 turns/ minute, which are fitted with nylon fingers to gently remove the coffee cherries.
WITH VALAGRO e-HUB, OVER 3,500 SOLUTIONS FOR CROP NEEDS ARE NOW JUST A CLICK AWAY
Valagro, a leading company in the development and sale of biostimulants and other speciality nutrients, announces the opening of its solutions on e-Hub to registered users on the platform.
With just one click, customers, partners and farmers can access over 3,500 solutions, available in English and in the languages of 15 local markets, quickly and easily using the mobile app and the website ehub.valagro.com. This reinforces Valagro's ability to support farmers' decisionmaking by providing them with an increasingly versatile and easy-to-use tool to help them obtain more abundant, better quality and more sustainably sourced harvests. The solutions, carefully tailored to each market, offer information on how Valagro products are applied in each phenological phase of many different crops.
The idea behind e-Hub is to make Valagro's know-how on biostimulants and plant nutrition available to distributors, farmers, and users in general. On e-Hub, as well as solutions, you can find articles about agriculture written by Valagro experts, scientific publications in the Ag-articles section, a social section to share experiences in the field or ask for support, and a utilities section. What’s more, e-Hub is updated with new content every month.
With the launch of its crop solutions for registered users on the e-Hub platform, Valagro boosts its capacity to support farmers in their efforts to combine productivity and sustainability in the field.
SICIT AND SYNGENTA STRENGHTEN THEIR COLLABORATION ON BIOSTIMULANTS TO PROMOTE SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE
SICIT Group and Syngenta strengthened their collaboration to promote an even more sustainable agriculture. The agreement provides for, on the one hand, a 15-year exclusive supply contract for ISABION and HICURE biostimulants and, on the other, for the further development of collagen-based biostimulants.
As natural and eco-compatible products that make it possible
to optimise the use of crop protection products and chemical fertilisers, the use of biostimulants in the agricultural sector is growing rapidly. The benefits of their use are many and range from increased tolerance to abiotic stresses to improved nutrient assimilation, thus leading to an increase in yield and crop quality, while favouring a more efficient use of water.
With a global presence of over 20 years, ISABION is one of the leading products in the biostimulants market and helps plants mitigate the impact of abiotic stresses like cold, heat and transplant shock. ISABION delivers consistent results as well as a high return on investment for vegetable, fruit and specialty crop growers in different geographies and growing conditions. ISABION also helps growers to minimize the impact of climate change, fulfilling increased demands of high quality yields.
BIOME MAKERS OPENS ITS ADVANCED SOIL HEALTH TECHNOLOGY TO RESEARCHERS, FARMERS AND AGRONOMISTS
fields4ever is a global initiative for the conservation and monitoring of soil health, promoted by Biome Makers, biotech startup specialized in the identification and understanding of the microbiome via DNA and Intelligent Computing technologies. For the first time, Biome Makers is opening this advanced technology to the global research community, farmers and agronomists in order to support around 200 soil health action projects contributing to the scientific, technological or economical break through of agriculture in relation to the soil bioactivity and functionality.
The first action within fields4ever consists in the monitoring of up to 1M acres (0.4M ha) in the next 18 months, which will result in a detailed insight into the soil health status. Specifically, the initiative pursues the following goals: to unravel the soil health status of agriculture fields and to restore their health; to sequester 0.5M metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions; to reduce by 5M pounds the nutrients loss to the environment; and to save 1M metric tons from soil erosion.
As its first contribution to fields4ever, Biome Makers has contributed with 10,000 of these monitoring tools, valued at €4 million that will be granted via this open call to researchers, besides additional open calls and initiatives involving agricultural players worldwide.
“We are really delighted to promote fields4ever; it is the best way to support our researcher colleagues by giving them open technology for their soils project. This will help them to provide important and specific data related to the soil analysed. The projects under fields4ever initiative will help to resolve our soil health
DENSO AND CERTHON ESTABLISH DENSO AGRITECH SOLUTIONS
DENSO Corporation (DENSO) and Certhon Group (Certhon) announced they have established on May 29, 2020, DENSO AgriTech Solutions, Inc., (Head office: Minato-ku, Tokyo, President: Osamu Shimizu) a sales company focused on providing innovative horticulture solutions.
The joint venture will offer customers DENSO’s agricultural products, such as the Profarm T-cube, and Certhon’s world leading horticulture products and service. Moreover, it will provide nextgeneration turn-key horticulture solutions, including agronomy consulting and after market-services tailored to customer needs. Supported by a business collaboration with Toyota Tsusho Corporation, DENSO AgriTech Solutions will strengthen sales of greenhouse solutions in Japan and other Asian countries.
DENSO and Certhon formed a capital alliance in March 2020 with the objective of uniting DENSO’s automotive technology and Certhon’s horticulture technology to meet diverse demand of agricultural solutions globally. By establishing the sales company, DENSO and Certhon will build a sustainable agricultural business by providing the cuttingedge technologies to global growers.
Through global expansion of next
generation greenhouse technology, DENSO will contribute to sustainable agricultural production as well as aim to create the food value chain business providing new value for food-agro sector.
DENSO and Certhon will contribute to achieving the SDGs by helping resolve social issues through their business operations.
problem, to improve the worldwide food quality and to prevent the effects of climate change,” explains Alberto Acedo, co-founder of Biome Makers. fields4ever open call for researchers, farmers and agronomists grants free of charge services from the fields4ever partners. In this specific call, the research beneficiaries will access to BeCrop ® tests, an advanced soil microbiome testing technology developed by Biome Makers. Researchers will also receive digital data coming from soil samples including full microbial profiles (bacterial and fungal species) and functional soil data in the form of different agronomic indexes to support their research and help to achieve their goals.
HOW VERTICAL FARMING DISRUPTS THE FOOD SUPPLY CHAIN
The traditional supply chain for fresh produce is notoriously complex and opaque. In the US, about 35% of the produce on supermarket shelves is imported, with the rest coming from California and Florida. Currently, the average item travels about 2,000 miles to reach stores, taking up to two weeks to get there and passing through several middlemen along the way. Not only does this mean that produce in stores often loses quality and freshness, but it also risks contamination. Hundreds of people in the US have been hospitalised over the last few years following E. coli outbreaks stemming from contaminated produce. Vertical farming could help overcome these problems. It is a process where crops are grown indoors under carefully controlled environmental conditions, enabling growth for 365 days a year, with yields hundreds of times higher than traditional agriculture. By setting up vertical farms in and around major urban population centres, companies could significantly cut the distance travelled and time taken for produce to reach consumers, cutting out many of the middlemen in the supply chain, with local farmers directly supplying retailers or consumers. However, growing produce indoors using artificial lighting and environmental controls is not
cheap and vertical farming companies charge a premium for their produce – Bowery Farming kale retails for $3.99 for 4.5 oz in New York City Whole Foods, about three times more per lb than Whole Foods Organic baby kale.
Could the potential for supply chain disruption help vertical farms reach price parity with conventional agriculture? Is this even the right approach, when vertical farms are growing a product clearly superior to conventional produce? “Vertical farming: 2020-2030”, a new report from market intelligence company IDTechEx, explores and compares the supply chains and economics of conventional agriculture and vertical farming, evaluating whether vertical farming has a future and identifying the key factors that could lead to the success of the industry.
Cobb-Vantress’ ability to achieve critical genetic progress relies on uncompromising biosecurity — a commitment Cobb has made for decades. Now, customers from around the globe can better tap into Cobb’s biosecurity expertise through a new resource hub. Available at cobb-vantress.com/biosecurity, the hub includes a wide range of free resources, such as videos, posters and articles, all available in multiple languages including English, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, Italian, French, Turkish and Chinese. This new biosecurity section was built to be simple and provide a great user experience.
“In the middle of a global health crisis, the importance of protecting our product and our team members is
FARMVEST SEALS MORINGA CONTRACT, EYES GLOBAL MARKET
Farmvest Agricapital a SA based company with Operations in Zimbabwe and South Africa announced that they have sealed a 5-year offtake agreement contract for the production and processing of Moringa in Zimbabwe and South Africa with a Big regional exporter of Moringa. In addition to the off take agreement Farmvest has also sealed a deal to grow and process Moringa for a South African based manufacturer who is currently producing Moringa Powder, Capsules, Tea and are currently developing Moringa Pellets to be used as feed supplement for Livestock.
The Global Moringa Market is currently a $5.8 Billion Market growing at over 9% per year and it is estimated to be a $10 Billion market by 2025. The market is driven by several factors such as a growing need for nutritional supplements, improving health awareness among people and shifting focus towards organic medication and with current events happening in World like the rapid spread of COVID 19 has encouraged people to re-evaluate their lifestyles and diets.
The Moringa Tree also is known as the tree life is a good source of iron, calcium, vitamin C, vitamin B6, and riboflavin and has notable amounts of potassium, vitamin A, vitamin E, and magnesium. In fact, the leaves contain 2 times the Protein of Yoghurt, 3 times the Potassium of Bananas, 4 times the Calcium of Milk, 7 times the Vitamin C of Orange. It is also known to contain 92 Nutrients, 46 Antioxidants, 36 Anti-Inflammatories, 18 Amino Acids, 9 Essential Amino Acids.
That means moringa can contribute to strengthening your Immune System, Promote Healthy Circulation, Support Normal Glucose Levels, Natural Anti-Aging Benefits, Provides Anti-Inflammatory Support, Promotes Healthy Digestion, Promotes Heightened Mental Clarity, Boosts Energy Without Caffeine, Encourages Balanced Metabolism, Promotes Softer Skin, Provides Relief From Acne, Supports Normal Hormone Levels amongst a wide range of other things. Moringa has the opportunity to transform communities all across the country. Farmvest will be working exclusively with small scale farmers and cooperatives. They will provide training and extension services to our Outgrower Farmers.
paramount, and we know our customers share this priority,” said Roger Vessell, senior director of global marketing at Cobb. “We created this hub on our global website to share our rigorous biosecurity program, guidelines and recommendations with our customers and provide them access to our top experts’ knowledge, regardless of where they are in the world.”
The hub features expert advice from poultry industry veterans on topics ranging from best practices on house hygiene to animal welfare. The best practices included in this content have a long history of helping prevent the introduction of disease to produce healthy, disease-free chickens in a safe and secure environment, while also helping to protect employees operating in the same facilities.
“Biosecurity is nothing new for Cobb, as it has been part of a core tenet of our business for decades,” said Dr. Aldo Rossi, vice president of research and development at Cobb. “From required disinfection of the interior and exterior of all Cobb trucks to mandatory showers for all personnel entering our farms and hatcheries, we have an extensive biosecurity program at Cobb. We’re excited to have a vehicle to better share these resources with customers and distributors around the world.”
EU AGRI-FOOD EXPORTS TO GCC INCREASE AS COVID-19 ACCELERATES CONSUMER DEMAND FOR HEALTHY AND TRACEABLE FRESH PRODUCE
When it comes to F&B exports to the GCC region, the COVID19 crisis has stressed the need for open trade, international safety standards and greater industry collaboration to address the challenges of a more sustainable global food system. This was the view of expert panelists gathered for the European Union’s webinar: “Beyond COVID-19: Rethinking
MSD ANIMAL HEALTH LAUNCHES NOBIVAC ® MYXO-RHD PLUS VACCINE FOR PET RABBITS IN EUROPE
MSD Animal Health, a division of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, N.J., USA, introduced NOBIVAC ® Myxo-RHD PLUS vaccine to reduce mortality and clinical signs of the three most common viral diseases in rabbits: myxomatosis and rabbit haemorrhagic disease (RHD) caused by both classic (RHDV1) and variant (RHDV2) strains.
Rabbits have become increasingly popular as a companion animal and are now the fourth most popular pet in Europe, after dogs, cats and birds. Rabbits are meticulously clean animals and are easy to housetrain. Also, much like a dog, a pet rabbit can be taught to respond to his/her name, sit in your lap, and do simple tricks.
“MSD Animal Health is proud to introduce NOBIVAC Myxo-RHD PLUS, the first and only single injection vaccine to protect pet rabbits against the three most common, and often fatal, viral diseases affecting rabbits, as part of our ongoing commitment to innovation that improves the health and welfare of animals,” said Ingrid Deuzeman, Global Lead Companion Animal Vaccines at MSD Animal Health. “With one vaccination, pet rabbits can now be protected against these diseases.”
Myxomatosis, a leading cause of death in rabbits, with up to 100% mortality, is caused by the myxoma virus and spread between rabbits by close contact and biting insects such as fleas and mosquitoes. The virus typically causes severe tumor-like swelling around the eyes, nose, mouth, ears and anogenital region, as well as immunosuppression leading to secondary bacterial infections that can cause severe respiratory disease.
Rabbit hemorrhagic disease (RHD), a highly infectious and widespread disease, is caused by either classical or variant strains of the RHD virus (RHDV1 or RHDV2 strains respectively). The RHD virus causes an acute necrotising hepatitis and a widespread coagulopathy resulting in haemorrhages in many organs which can very rapidly lead to a high level of mortality in susceptible animals. The variant strain (RHDV2), which has spread throughout Europe since 2010 causing disease in both wild and pet rabbits, often results in a longer course of disease with a lower overall mortality; surviving and subclinical animals can potentially shed the virus for two months. Unlike RHDV1, very young rabbits (<6 weeks of age) are also susceptible to disease caused by RHDV2.
Food for the Future.”
Organised by the EU as part of its More Than Food communication campaign, the event was held recently and was attended by more than 150 F&B industry professionals from the GCC region.
Panelists included: Taina Sateri, Trade Counsellor at the Delegation of the European Union to the UAE; Miguel Angel Povedano, Chief Commercial Officer, Majid Al-Futtaim Retail; Monique Naval, Senior Analyst Euromonitor International; and Mohammed Nasser, Chief Executive Officer, NRTC Group. The session was moderated by Caterer Middle East editor Simon Ritchie.
Discussion focused on the impacts of COVID-19 on consumer demand and food related businesses across the GCC, as well as what the European Union is doing to ensure the region is supplied with high quality and safe agri-food products.
According to Euromonitor International, the GCC countries have fared well in terms of adequate food supply, helped in part by national food security measures put in place well before the crisis. However, the pandemic has accelerated the implementation of these measures to secure supply chains and saw immediate action centred around four main response nodes of business continuity, labour planning, logistics and communication.
European Union farm exports to the GCC during the height of the coronavirus pandemic have sufficiently met the needs of the region, growing 25% in the first quarter compared to Q1 2019.
BÜHLER PARTNERS WITH BIG IDEA VENTURES TO ACCELERATE SUSTAINABLE PROTEIN REVOLUTION
Bühler and Big Idea Ventures are joining forces to accelerate the success journey of promising start-ups creating great tasting alternatives to animal-derived protein products.
Big Idea Ventures, the global venture capital fund focused on solving the world’s greatest challenges by supporting the world’s best entrepreneurs, recently launched the New Protein Fund. The Fund will invest in and accelerate up to 100 plant-based and cell-based companies globally. Big Idea Ventures runs four accelerator programs annually in
New York and Singapore. "We are glad to have Bühler join Tyson Ventures, Temasek and our other strategic investors in the Big Idea Ventures’ New Protein Fund. Together we can support the growth of the new generation of leading plant-based companies in North America, Asia and ultimately, the planet. Bühler and Big Idea Ventures will work together to build great companies responding to consumer demands for great tasting food that is good for them and good for the planet," says Andrew D. Ive, Founder of Big Idea Ventures.
Bühler is a family owned, 160-year-old company, supplying processing solutions globally and playing a critical role in global food value chains. "Providing safe, nutritious, pleasurable and affordable food to a population of 10 billion people by 2050 and doing that within the planetary boundaries is a formidable challenge," explains Ian Roberts, CTO at Bühler Group. "There is an urgent need for wide-scale collaboration if we are to make an impact on the climate and nutrition challenges within the next decade. Academics, start-ups, and established companies need to come together to innovate and find more sustainable ways to produce food. This is why we are partnering with Big Idea Ventures: to accelerate the journey for promising start-ups, to reinforce partnerships and start-up ecosystems in Singapore and the US, and to do this with a clear focus on creating a more sustainable food supply for the future."
FIRA 2020 GOES 100% VIRTUAL FOR 3 DAYS
How to bring together agricultural robotics experts from all over the world, given the current context? To achieve this, GOFAR, the association organizing FIRA, has decided to arrange a virtual version of its annual event, from 8 to 10 December, 2020. Through its recognized platform, FIRA will provide international participants with online live access to speakers, stand tours and interactions with exhibitors and other participants, and will thus become the social network for
STRUBE SIGNS A PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT TO DEVELOP INNOVATIVE AGRICULTURAL ROBOTICS SOLUTIONS
German breeder Strube D&S GmbH, European seed referent, Fraunhofer Development Center X-ray Technology EZRT and Naïo Technologies, leader in agricultural robotics solutions, announce a new partnership. Create a sustainable agriculture through innovation is the objective of this cutting-edge partnership.
Together, Strube, Fraunhofer EZRT and Naïo Technologies share the same goal: contribute to more sustainable agricultural practices aligned with the current societal, environmental and economical
expectations. This is the next step for Strube in the announced company strategy called VisionBlue. “Strube, as a responsible supplier of the sugar-beet value chain, has decided to develop progress not only in breeding but also in new methods of beet cultivation. We are convinced that precision farming and robotic will play an important role to face the challenges of tomorrow”, emphasizes Martin Reisige, managing director from Strube D&S.
By signing this partnership with Strube, Naïo Technologies shares its expertise in agricultural robotization, serving a new crop, that of sugar beet. "Based on our respected experience gained on vegetable, we are delighted to use now our expertise for new type of cultures. Our cooperation with Strube will result with a robotic mechanical weeding solution for their beets’ fields”, explains Aymeric Barthes, CEO of Naïo Technologies.
The long-term cooperation between Fraunhofer EZRT and Strube has led to a successful development of a wide variety of systems for sugar beet research. "We are pleased to contribute our extensive competencies in the fields of cognitive sensors and artificial intelligence (AI) to this important and future-oriented research field," explains Prof. Dr. Randolf Hanke, Divisional Director of Fraunhofer EZRT.
This collaboration highlights a common desire to adapt to the new weeding methods. The first outputs of this partnership will be presented in upcoming months.
agricultural robotics.
This 3-day new format combines innovation and quality online experience for a sector that has a key role to play to address the current environmental, economic and social issues.
Since its first edition, robot manufacturers, agri food companies, agro businesses, producers, researchers, investors and solution providers from all over the world meet in Toulouse during FIRA, the International Forum of Agricultural Robotics.
For its 5 th edition and considering the ongoing particular context, FIRA goes virtual, and aspires to gather more than 3.000 participants worldwide from December 8 to 10 (compared to 850 participants in 2019 for its live version). This virtualization will serve as a wonderful opportunity for the sector to increase its attractiveness and to offer all agricultural robotics professionals, wherever they are, the possibility to take part in this new deal of the agricultural world, while limiting its carbon footprint.
Conferences and round tables will be available live online and “on demand” as soon as they are completed, so as to allow participants, wherever they are in the world, to avoid time zones constraints.
As for the stands, they will be accessible and will offer the possibility to browse through the videos, brochures and photos of the exhibitors, and to chat with them using chat or video.
The 2 nd edition of the RobAgri Scientific Workshop is also part of the program. It will be held in a dedicated room and will provide presentations of technical and scientific research projects with view on the poster area of these projects.
VALOYA ANNOUNCES ITS SPECTRUM TECHNOLOGY LICENSING PROGRAM
Valoya, the research driven LED grow light manufacturer has announced a licensing program making their patented technology available to LED manufacturers and horticultural LED fixture providers.
Valoya’s extensive patent portfolio in the field of horticultural LED lighting is a result of significant innovation and investments into R&D over the past 11 years. The patents are in the field of light spectra for plant
cultivation and lighting applications. At the moment, the portfolio consists over 100 patents, all of which can be reviewed at valoya.com/patents. 'We have always been curious about the possibilities of light and how its potential could be pushed further to make cultivation of crops we use for food or medicine production more efficient. When we started in 2009, LED meant piercing purple light produced by red and blue chips. We were the first to apply wide spectrum LED light to plants in our experiments and to introduce wide spectrum light to the market. We are now in a business phase where we can extend this intellectual property and know-how to other companies wishing to produce premium quality horticultural LED luminaires through our licensing program' comments Lars Aikala, the CEO and Co-Founder of Valoya.
The research and development at Valoya does not stop. ‘After having conducted over 600 plant trials on over 300 plant varieties / species, we have an understanding of plant response to light, unmatched by other LED companies in the market. The focus remains on advancing horticulture through developing
SMART ACRES VERTICAL FARMING COMPANY SET TO LAUNCH IN UAE THIS 2020
Expected to launch in the third quarter of 2020, Smart Acres will be the UAE’s latest addition to the hydroponic vertical farming industry, set to bring a green and efficient way of producing a new set of clean crops locally. Currently in the proof-of-concept stage, Smart Acres is located in Abu Dhabi on the Armed Forces Officers Club, with the aim to soon expand across the Emirate.
With the mission of improving food security within the United Arab Emirates and developing the country’s farming capabilities, Smart Acres will provide a solution to potential socioeconomic threats, such as pandemics, and climate limitations the Middle East currently endures. The vertical farming company developed by a team of experts, CEO Abdulla Al Kaabi, Director Sean Lee, and Lead Project Manager, Aphisith Phongsavanh, Smart Acres is set to be a one-of-a-kind
agriculture system which will produce some of the highest yields of crops within the UAE vertical farming industry, whilst introducing a new future for producing clean foods and allowing for both B2B and B2C sectors to locally source produce. In collaboration with n.thing, a South Korean vertical farming technology company, Smart Acres has been able to design farm modules using an award-winning IoTbased technology system to grow and monitor their produce, a system that not only consumes less resources but generates ultra-high quality crops.
With a vertical farming design that won their technology the CES 2020 Innovation Award, their IoT-based vertical farming method provides a solution to many common impediments within the agriculture industry such as water waste, depletion of nutrients in soil, infestation of insects, and more. The company is committed to generating an impressive grade-A set of crops through a unique growth process and strict in-house procedures. These include the elimination of any pesticides or toxic solutions on the products, mandatory anti-contamination air showers for personnel prior to entering to prevent unwanted pathogens, and providing the UAE with the cleanest, safest, and most nutritious foods boasting of the highest quality. Not only do the modules and technology produce high quality crops, but they are also able to with stand the extreme weather conditions of the region making it possible for year-round cultivation, harvesting crops 12-folds per year. The technology of the modules is also able to detect, track, and adjust the humidity and temperature of the environment in order to maintain the health and process of the crops.
Over the years, the UAE has seen a number of companies enter the vertical farming industry, however, through their proof-of-concept phase, Smart Acres has successfully dominated a system of cultivating and harvesting mature species of lettuce at industry-targeted weights. The company is in the midst of producing a variety of lettuce and herbs such as Green Glace, Oakleaf, Lollo Rosso, and Shiso, with plans to eventually grow baby spinach, mature spinach, and baby arugula. Smart Acres’ vision is to expand to meet the demand of popular produce in the region such as strawberries, with a shift and emphasis on cultivating potato seeds.
even better spectra and helping our customers grow. We are happy we get to share this expertise with other companies now’, comments Nemanja Rodic, Marketing Director of Valoya.
Evonik has agreed with Swedish manufacturer, Perstorp, that it will be the exclusive distributor of ProPhorce™ SR 130 in Southern Africa.
ProPhorce™ SR 130 is a butyric acid product that is a safe, easy to handle and costefficient solution for in-feed application in livestock management. Butyric acid is a key ingredient for optimal digestion as it favours gut wall integrity which is important for performance.
The product complements the mode of action of Evonik’s probiotics and shows beneficial effects that can bring added value to customers when the products are used together.
“The partnership between Evonik and Perstorp started with the announcement of our R&D collaboration last year. This additional distribution agreement is part of our ongoing endeavours to offer our customers holistic solutions for gut health issues in animal nutrition,” said Cuthbert Mamabolo, Regional Business Director for Evonik Animal Nutrition in Sub-Saharan Africa.
“We are seeing a growing demand in the Southern African markets for alternatives to antibiotic growth promoters which increase human resistance to antibiotic medication. Evonik, especially with this new collaboration, offers a great range of solutions that promote healthy animal growth without the use of antibiotics,” Mamabolo added.
The activities of butyric acid are well researched and go beyond simple manipulation of gut pH. Butyric acid has been shown to improve pathogen control, provide energy for cells lining the gut wall, enhance secretion of enzymes and improve intestinal cell proliferation, differentiation, and maturation.
All of these attributes mean that ProPhorce™ SR 130 has great potential to assist animal producers in reducing the impact of enteric challenges; in maximizing utilization of the nutrients provided in feeds; and both improving animal welfare and reducing environmental impact.
EXCLUSIVE PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN PRIVA AND ARANET TO INTENSIFY WIRELESS TECHNOLOGY IN HORTICULTURE
Priva and Aranet have entered into an exclusive partnership to enable integrated wireless technology in greenhouses. The growing interest in data and with that, the growing demand for more and new sensors to generate data is the main driver of the collaboration between Aranet and Priva. This partnership will bridge the gap between wireless sensors platforms and other data sources in greenhouses.
The integration of Aranet sensors with Priva systems enables growers to analyze all their greenhouse processes and to create new insights based on that data. Patrick Dankers, Product Manager at Priva says: “I am really happy to announce this partnership. Now we can help growers from all over the world take advantage of all the opportunities that wireless technology can offer today. In the current way of working, growers spend too much time organizing data and too little time analyzing data. With this cooperation, we can solve this issue. That means a grower can really start to benefit from wireless technology and focus on new insights to optimize the daily operation.”
This cooperation makes it possible to offer industry-leading wireless monitoring systems for the horticultural market. Gints Antoms, Sales Director of Aranet IoT Solutions at SAF Tehnika JSC says: “We at Aranet are very excited about the partnership with Priva because of the tremendous synergy potential made possible by complementary know-how from the parties. We are confident that extensive wireless competence of Aranet in combination with Priva’s in-depth knowledge of horticultural customer needs will ultimately result in a best-in-class wireless sensor offering towards the horticultural market, now and in the future.”
With this partnership, Priva can offer a complete solution towards the market: integrated controls
BAYER TO PROVIDE CROP RELIEF TO TWO MILLION SMALLHOLDER FARMERS IMPACTED BY COVID-19
To assist smallholder farmers in Asia, Africa and Latin America who are facing additional challenges resulting from COVID-19, Bayer, as part of its societal engagement activities and through its new “Better Farms, Better Lives” initiative, is providing seeds and crop protection inputs as well as assistance with market access and support for health and safety needs.
“Better Farms, Better Lives” is in line with Bayer’s overall aspiration to help build a world where there is Health for All, Hunger for None. The initiative focuses on providing smallholder farmers with the assistance needed to
address the additional challenges they may be facing as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The COVID pandemic has caused logistical issues for many farmers globally due to enforced lockdowns which has limited access to seeds, crop protection inputs and labor. As a result of disruptions to food supplies, consumers may ultimately see higher food prices, ironically at a time when many farmers are seeing reduced incomes due to disruptions in the supply chain and the subsequent lack of market access.
Bayer is committed to helping more than 100 million smallholders in lowand middle-income countries by 2030. The immediate COVID-19 response through the “Better Farms, Better Lives” initiative complements on-going smallholder support which will aid in mid-term recovery as well as long-term resilience. Additionally, in collaboration with others and to ensure the greatest successful impact for smallholders, Bayer will work and expand its partnerships with governments, internationally recognized NGOs and local organizations; create a Smallholder Center of Excellence for sharing successes; provide accelerated access to digital farming tools to increase capabilities; scale up existing and new value chain partnerships and further expand value chain partnerships across Asia-Pacific countries.
Of the estimated, 550 million smallholder farmers worldwide, it’s estimated that 97 percent work on farms that are smaller than 10 hectares or 25 acres and produce more than 80 percent of the food in developing countries. These farms are often family-run businesses that have a long history in the communities where they live.
For more information on Bayer’s “Better Lives, Better Farms” initiative and its commitment to smallholder farmers, visit www.bayer.com.
and a one-stop-shop. Priva and Aranet believe they can make environmental monitoring wireless, together.
PROTIX AND AGRIFIRM TAKE NEW STEPS TOWARDS A CIRCULAR FOOD SYSTEM
Agrifirm and insect ingredient leader Protix have taken another step towards a circular food system. Following the announcement of the collaboration in November 2018, parties now have started blending in insect lipids in chicken diets.
The collaboration with Protix results in the launch of various new formulas using insect based ingredients at Agrifirm. “Due to the unique and outstanding quality of the insect fat LipidX by Protix we have been able to identify various opportunities, for example in our poultry diets”, according to Dick Hordijk, CEO of Agrifirm. “Functionally we expect several interesting propositions to be launched in the coming period but the potential to drive down the footprint of our feed production has already led us to include a substantial amount of LipidX in our poultry feed solutions. The biggest advantage that we see? This fat has a 50-70% lower carbon footprint that palm fat, the regular fat base. Besides that, it is produced using organic
URBAN FARMING PARTNERS SINGAPORE AWARDED FUNDING TO BUILD STATE-OF-THE-ART DUTCH TECHNOLOGY INDOOR FARM IN SINGAPORE
Urban Farming Partners Singapore (UFPSG), a unique partnership between Singapore and the Netherlands, has been awarded funding support by the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) under the Agriculture Productivity Fund (APF), enabling the urban farming initiative to take the next step towards strengthening Singapore’s food supply chain and paving the way to food security.
With Singapore’s ambition to produce enough food locally to meet 30% of the country's nutritional needs by 2030, the Republic's strategies towards achieving long-term food security is more urgent than ever. As a total solution provider for urban farms, integrating proven patented technologies and expert-backed worldwide operations, UFPSG’s vision is to contribute considerably to food security in Singapore, as well as Asia.
“We started our journey since 2017 when we presented our grand vision for food sustainability and food security in and around cities globally at the World City Summit in Singapore,” said Wouter Vos, director and founder of the Urban Farming Partners Holding in the Netherlands and he has since taken steps to actualize this vision together with Henk van Eijk, his fellow director. This year, UFPSG will initiate construction of a $3m state-of-the-art indoor farm in Singapore, which will be partially funded by SFA. It will be located inside the premises of HSL Waterfront@Penjuru at 42D Penjuru Road in Singapore, where all types of lettuce, baby leaves, herbs as well as other crops like spring onion and fennel will be produced in a fully-controlled indoor growing environment. This indoor urban farm is a first in Singapore that utilises Dutch technology.
“’Local for Local’ and ‘The Circular Economy’ are no longer just buzz words. The COVID-19 pandemic makes it even more apparent that we need to restructure our critical systems globally more than ever. It is time to make a notable difference with our way of life with food,” said Grace Lim, UFPSG’s Director and project representative in Singapore.
This farm can potentially produce 33 Tonnes of healthy and fresh, ready-toeat produce for the Singapore market. Circular processes like the harvest of
rainwater and solar power are examples of sustainable proven technologies that will be included in the overall design of the urban farm.
“We are glad to see strategic collaborations between our local agrifood industry and their overseas counterparts, as this results in the transfer of innovative and productive technology to Singapore,” said Mr Melvin Chow, Senior Director of SFA’s Food Supply Resilience Division. “Harnessing technology to grow more within our constraints will need to be the new norm for our agri-food industry as we strive towards ’30 by 30’. We will continue to support farms that are keen to develop technological capabilities.”
residual streams of the food sector, making it a prime example of a high value circular raw material”.
These kind of steps are the hardest for us as we deal with both the technical aspects and the concepts towards our customers. However, we see an increase in demand for circular solutions and we decided now is the time to step in. The consumers of the future demand us to go beyond the obvious and therefore we need to take daring steps. That’s why we have started to blend in this great and exciting new product”.
Today’s unprecedented times painfully reveal the urgency to restore the balance with nature. Sustainable ingredients play an important role in this. “Sustainability is no longer a buzzword and no business or government can afford to sit and wait”, according to Kees Aarts, founder and CEO of Protix. “At Protix we were born from sustainability and after 10 years we see bold actions like these popping up everywhere. We believe the step made by Agrifirm is a great sign for the industry but also a very smart step forwards. Sustainability ís the economy and our road to zero-footprint foods will enable us to shift towards a bright future again. The planet is in a hurry and steps like these will answer to that.”
MUNTERS TURNS 65
On its 65 th birthday, Munters is more relevant than ever and in a unique positioned to tackle today’s global challenges. When Carl Munters founded his company in 1955, he brought with him innovative solutions for creating the best indoor air for people and industries. Today, his air treatment solutions are more critical than ever.
One area where Munters’ products can play an important part is to reduce the world’s energy consumption.
“There are many industries where we see the potential to achieve a lot with our technology,” says Klas Forsström, President and CEO of Munters. “For example, the world’s food production must increase and become more efficient in the future as the population grows. Otherwise, there is a risk of food shortages and that emissions from production become too large. With our products and solutions, farmers use much less energy and animals live in better conditions which minimizes the use of antibiotics.”
