The intersection of IoT into agriculture (‘agritech’) is perhaps not a new concept anymore, but its importance in improving yields, efficiencies, and supporting an industry that is under economic and climate pressures cannot be understated. Following their showcase at Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Jason Tse, Chief Technology Officer of Full Nature Farms spoke to IoT Insider to share their experience and expertise in deploying IoT technologies in agriculture.
Applying IoT to agriculture
Full Nature Farms was established in 2019 and is a Hong Kong-based vertical farming company that uses aquaponic farming technology, AI and IoT to turn industrial greenhouses into scalable vertical farms.
“The global agriculture sector faces immense challenges, particularly in densely populated cities like Hong Kong, where land prices are high, and food imports are unreliable,” Tse explained. Tse’s own experience of visiting local farms based around Hong Kong provided him with a clear view into the challenges facing farming, including the pressures placed on it, and the lack of technology being used in the field.
“These experiences helped me realise the critical role of agriculture and food systems, especially in the context of climate change,” he added.
The company’s technology includes its Rocket 2.0, a smart irrigation system that uses a sensor probe buried in the soil and connected to a solar-powered pillar. The purpose of doing so is to be able to collect real-time data on parameters that are essential to the success of farming crops, such as wind speed, rainfall, and environmental conditions.
By offering farmers these insights and automated irrigation scheduling, it takes the guesswork out of traditional irrigation systems, “preventing overwatering or underwatering, a common issue in traditional irrigation systems that cannot self-adjust to weather and temperature changes. It helps to improve crop health and boost productivity in the long run”.
Also in its portfolio is a fridge size mini farm, the EDEN 2.0, which utilises LED grow lights, precision grow pipes, and sensor stacks to grow crops vertically; and the ADAMS 3.0, a programmable logic controller (PLC) that controls IoT devices to collect the wide-ranging data that is extremely valuable to farming.
“Unlike existing PLC solutions that are complex and costly, ADAMS 3.0 is open-source, compact, and highly adaptable,” Tse noted.
Harnessing these technologies, the company produces 35,000 pots of edible flowers and 3,000 trays of microgreens, including arugula, coriander, watercress, and carrots. The advantages of doing so go beyond greater yields: “Our locally grown produce has triple the shelf life, lower prices, and shorter lead times compared to imports,” said Tse.
This produce is then sent out to food and beverage groups based in Hong Kong, such as luxury hotels and bakeries.
The future of farming
Conventional farming remains the norm, and the adoption of vertical farming and agritech is slow in Hong Kong, Tse noted, but there is a “growing willingness among farmers to adopt technology to enhance productivity and build resilience”.
In Hong Kong, limited agricultural land and reliance on imported food means that the opportunities for Full Nature Farms are significant.
“AIRSIDE, a newly developed commercial complex in Hong Kong, features a 6,000 square foot urban rooftop farm cultivating over 50 varieties of produce,” said Tse. “Indoor vertical farming is gaining traction as an efficient solution to maximise land use while optimising water resources through alternative irrigation methods such as drip irrigation and aeroponic technology.”
Furthermore, the company’s technology can be applied to farms all over the world, many of which are facing similar pressures related to climate change and water scarcity. As Tse put it: “With innovations like Rocket 2.0, we can free up more freshwater for human consumption, enhance global food security, and contribute to a more sustainable planet.”
Looking ahead, Full Nature Farms is set to deploy its technologies in 12 countries and regions – including China, Hong Kong, and France – and begin a project with the University of George focusing on irrigation control method comparisons. It recently signed an MoU with Saudi Arabian investors to set up a joint venture for an indoor aquaponics farm.
Tse credited their success with Hong Kong Science & Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP), where Full Nature Farms is based. “HKSTP has accelerated our commercialisation and global expansion, providing us with R&D support, funding, access to industry partners, investors, and international showcases.”
By creating innovative technologies to solve real-world problems, Full Nature Farms is a demonstration of how a good idea can go a long way.
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