There is a growing amount of pressure on the agricultural industry to adopt a sustainable approach to farming. A rising global population has resulted in a higher demand for food and with increased attention on the global warming crisis, expectations for the environment to be protected are bigger than ever.
However, many farmers are using an increased number of pesticides to encourage the growth of crops. According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), there is approximately 5.6 billion pounds of pesticides being used to produce fresh greens worldwide every year. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has linked some of these pesticides to multiple health risks, including respiratory problems.
The Middle East is widely seen to be a leader in digital innovation and digital transformation. As digitalisation continues to evolve globally, new technologies play a key role in solving the challenges the agricultural industry is facing.
A farm in the Middle Eastern state of Kuwait is setting the standard for the rest of the world using Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI) and cloud applications to digitally manage their crops.
Who they are:
NOX Management, a food and beverage focused investment company joined forces with &ever GmbH, a German farming company, to create &ever Middle East. With the aim to provide local, fresh, healthy and pesticide free produce to the urban population all year round, it established a commercial indoor vertical farm, which is said to be the first of its kind.
Previously, Kuwait has relied on imports of its fresh greens and herbs from European countries and overseas, but with &ever Middle Easts’ work, they’re now able to produce over 250 different varieties using dryponics technology.
Dryponics is a method of growing crops which keeps the plant alive up until moments before consumption, by keeping the root of the plant intact. The structure of the vertical dryponics farm allows &ever to grow crops inside urban pockets. Dryponics uses AI-enabled technology to evaluate the growth of the plant and the presence of potential diseases.
With roughly 3,000 square metres of farming space and a daily output of up to 550kg of salad and herbs, the facility has certainly taken sustainable farming to the next level.
So, how do they do it?
Using advanced technology, and a sustainable ‘farm-to-fork’ model, &ever has been able to take full control over the production of their crops in a completely digital way. This means crops are available on-demand, without the need to use pesticides and with a much higher nutritional value.
Throughout the farm are strategically placed IoT sensors and edge computing devices which continuously collect data, including carbon dioxide levels, temperature, humidity and airflow. They also monitor seeding and germination. These tests allow the farmers to determine whether or not each plant is suitable for production.
Connected to its IoT network is &ever’s cloud system, which was built using the SAP Technology Business Platform. The farm production planning and management is done with applications hosted within this system. This creates a completely digital control base for the entire farm.
What is next for &ever?
The benefits of &ever’s farm are having a positive impact on the growth of crops and the nutritional value in which they provide. Recently, &ever announced its plans to set up another sustainable mega-farm in Singapore along with a global research and development centre.
&ever plans to continue its seamless automation of seeding and harvesting while enabling full digital control over all factors within the production process. The new research and development centre can allow them to create even more solutions and systems in sustainable and efficient farming.
If you’d like to find out more about the ways &ever are changing farming through the use of technology, take a look at the website: https://bit.ly/3fPiJgj