Commercialising vertical production systems for the sustainable intensification of UK agriculture

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Commercialising Vertical Production Systems for the Sustainable Intensification of UK Agriculture.A key challenge for agriculture is to produce 70% more food by 2050 in an environment where resources are increasingly limited. Saturn Bioponics has developed an innovative vertical production system for sustainable intensification, increasing crop productivity by extending growth into the vertical dimension whilst minimising resource inputs. The technology is fully scalable making it suitable for domestic/urban growing applications through to large-scale crop production under plastic/glass. The technology has distinct commercial advantages over any other competing technologies in the sector: “Appropriate technology” – modular, scalable, robust and easy-to-operate; Optimises use of available daylight; Inexpensive to install and run. Trial results to date have a density of 3x the number of plants per footprint for leafy salads and shown kg/m-2 increases of upto 327%. The Greenius project will deliver results for commercialisation in large, growing crop sectors of high value varieties by focusing on bagged salads, whole lettuce and strawberries. These markets have a current combined value upwards of £666.7m per year in the UK and $12.2bn in top 3 producers globally. Saturn Bioponics will utilise the expertise of a consortium of leading academics (from Lancaster Environment Centre and University of Nottingham), an agronomist (and retailers/buyers/growers) in conjunction with their own engineering, business and agriculture specialists to ensure results are delivered by Greenius for optimal speed and success of commercialisation. Greenius enables Saturn Bioponics to tackle the key hurdles to commercialisation and provide detailed evidence that the technology delivers to the required level. Focus areas are product viability (capital costs, labour costs and resource efficiency/sustainability) and crop viability (producing the required quality specification and quantity for the end-user’s market). Phase 1 of Greenius will enable us to assess all the above on a sufficiently large scale using fast growing, seasonally appropriate crops for the lettuce and bagged salad sector, and consequently specify what development is required to realise product and crop viability. Phase 2 will act upon Phase 1’s assessment to optimise the product and develop the crop specific know-how to meet specifications, culminating in the commercialisation "package" of final product and variety specific "instruction manual". The project will deliver results on increased production levels, water and nutrient conservation, energy efficiency, optimal artificial lighting (including LEDs) and the costs/benefits, and optimal labour efficiency. Saturn Bioponics aim to deliver signficant benefits to commercial growers / farmers providing increased production on the same footprint with reduced production costs resulting in a greater profit margin for the grower and/or a lower priced end product for the consumer. The technology also makes small covered areas and urban sites economically viable for crop production, helping small farmers (especially in winter) and creating opportunities for new SME start-ups in the food production sector. Through the Greenius project , Saturn Bioponics will deliver a system for increased food production with reduced environmental impact, and so make a significant contribution to the sustainable intensification of agriculture in the UK.