How do we feed 9 Billion People
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Food security
Declining arable land
Loss of water resources
Declining nutrient and mineral content
Climate change
Vertical Farm Systems – One Solution
Vertical Farm Systems
• Our Company
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- Leading the way in agricultural technology
Vertical Farm Systems is a privately owned company founded in 2009 by a
dedicated team of professionals committed to the ongoing development of
world class controlled environment agriculture (CEA) systems for the
commercial production of food in all geographic locations and climates.
With ongoing research program focused on minimum water use, low energy
use, high efficiency LED lighting and bioponic growing technologies.
Vertical Farm Systems has developed fully integrated intelligent systems that
provide practical solutions for global food production.
After several years of research, patent development and practical testing,
Vertical Farm Systems launched to the global commercial market in late
2011.
About Bioponics –
Everything Plants and Humans Need
• Bioponic farming produces quality wholesome food that is full of flavour and
nutrition essential for the human body. Edible plants grown with bioponics
have shown higher levels of nutrients and minerals than hydroponic cultivation
and some organic produce.
• Why Bioponics
• How it Works
• Bioponic Advantages
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High levels of nutrition and minerals
No use of chemicals and pesticides
Reduced water usage
High crop yields in reduced growing areas
Competitive advantage for commercial growers
Advantages of Vertical Farming
Minimum Input – Maximum Output
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Vertical Farm Systems are a revolutionary approach to producing high
quantities of nutritious and quality fresh food all year round, without
relying on skilled labour, favourable weather, high soil fertility or high
water usage
The smart technology integrated into our systems offers many
advantages, including:
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Reliable Harvests
Minimum Overheads
Increased Growing Area
Maximum Crop Yield
Wide Range of Crops
Reliable Harvests
Vertical Farm Systems growing cycles are consistent and reliable,
allowing commercial growers to confidently commit to delivery
schedules and supply contracts. In a well managed Vertical Farm
System there are no such thing as ‘seasonal crops’ and there are no crop
losses.
Vertical Farm Systems are fully enclosed and climate controlled,
completely removing external environment factors such as disease, pest
or predator attacks. It also means our farms are not dependant on
fertile land and can be established in any region globally, irrespective of
seasonal daylight hours and extremes in temperature.
Minimum Overheads
Production overheads in Vertical Farm Systems installations are commercially
competitive and predictable. In some cases profitability of over 30% has been
demonstrated even after deducting full amortisation of capital equipment over a
10 year period.
Minimum overheads and grow costs are maintained through:
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LOW ENERGY USE
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LOW LABOUR COSTS
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LOW WATER USAGE
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REDUCED WASHING AND PROCESSING
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REDUCED TRANSPORT COSTS
Increased Growing Area
For the same floor area, Vertical Farm Systems multi-level design provides
nearly 8 times more growing area than a single level hydroponic or greenhouse
system. This compact design enables cost-effective farming installations in
industrial estates, urban warehouses and other low cost and typically underutilised environments not previously associated with high-quality, high-margin
agricultural activities.
As an example, a 2000m2 (21500ft) warehouse or multi-storey building can be
outfitted with 55 of the XT432 units, all networked to a single command centre
and growing any mixture of crop varieties at any one time. This one example
provides over 1 Ha (2.5acres) of prime farming land with a 12 month growing
season capable of producing over 5 tonnes of leafy green vegetables per week.
For the same For
Maximum Crop Area
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Irrespective of external conditions, Vertical Farm Systems can reliably provide
more crop rotations per year than open field agriculture and other farming
practices.
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Crop cycles are also faster due to the systems controlled temperature, humidity,
daylight hours optimisation and the use of bioponic biologically active organic
plant nutrients. The systems can produce market grade produce of several
crops within just 21 days.
Wide range of Crops
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Vertical Farm Systems has a wide range of crops that are able to be grown in
the system. The crop growth is controlled by a comprehensive computer
database that manages and maintains the optimum growing conditions for each
specific crop variety being produced.
Current Crops include:
Baby Spinach – 8 varieties
Baby Rocket – 5 Varieties
Loose Leaf Lettuce – 7 Varieties
Seedlings
Basil and many herbs
VFS has an ongoing program of database development for new crop varieties.
Additional crops are being progressively developed and added to the database.
Fully Integrated Technology
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Profitability in commercial horticulture requires the ability to cost-effectively
and consistently provide plants with optimum growing conditions from
germination through to harvest. Vertical Farm Systems monitors and controls
the levels of air, water and nutrition to provide optimum growing requirements
with a fully integrated computer management system.
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Optimum Air Quality
Optimum Nutrient and Mineral Quality
Optimum Water Quality
Optimum Light Quality