Food & Drink Awards 2020

www.lux-review.com Page 55 LUX 2020 Food & Drink Awards The need for Net Zero Carbon makes it essential to look above the low hanging fruit. City Farm Systems’ innovative approach offers a game-changer for major retailers, hotels and other large buildings. Their automated greenhouses can be installed on a modern lightweight roofs or above a carpark and avoid all costs of distribution. City Farm Systems Most Efficient & Cost Effective Fresh Produce Supply Chains Sep20409 The carbon footprint of distribution for the most perishable fresh produce is far greater than for growing. With a background in resource efficiency the founders of City Farm Systems set out to address this conundrum. Thinking outside (above) the box, they sought a way to reduce the number of costly supply chain links. For a consumer reducing food miles sounds great but looking more closely shows the price of produce relates to the amount that can be carried on a truck. Distributed growing avoids both the most expensive final mile and the transit only packaging not usually recognised as part of delivery costs. Growing at the point of need enables a disruptive new business model. Patents now cover the ability to install lightweight, modular, automated greenhouses over non-loadbearing surfaces. Branded CloudGro® these use simple mechanical element to move crop trays to and from monitoring stations where reduced number of sensors and cameras work more consistently to track and a wider range of crop varieties grown and harvested to match immediate need. Jonathan Lodge, Founder and CEO of City Farm Systems, explains this data driven approach unlocks benefits and cost savings that can only be found by growing at the point of need. A CloudGro® system offers commercial quantities at a fraction of the cost of small internal systems used for marketing purposes. “In total major cities import many billion pounds worth of fresh produce,” says Jonathan. “There are reports that show, when comparing calories, the carbon footprint of lettuce is several times that of bacon. Some farms talk of achieving Net Zero in the next couple of years. For bacon that is significant...but for lettuce it is only a fraction of the carbon produced along current supply chains. “To reach Net Zero, it is essential to aim for Net Zero from Field to Fork. We set out to achieve this before these buzzwords were used.” The advantages of a CloudGro® system stretches far beyond retailers. Hotels, restaurants, office buildings and places of education all feed occupants in significant numbers. “Another interesting aspect is the need to house and feed low paid workers in a city,” adds Jonathan. “With the ability to offer employment and lower costs it has been suggested that including a CloudGro® system on the roof of a social housing block could help achieve planning permission. “Our approach can also be used for ornamentals and office plants. We are about to link with others in this sector and are looking for forward thinking businesses that understand the need to aim for Net Zero Carbon.” City Farm System’s CloudGro® systems use of Artificial Intelligence to track crops with radio frequency identification (RFID) tags. Remote management is relatively simple with cameras and sensors able to detect plant deficiencies long before they are visible to the human eye. The use of free sunlight whenever possible reduces energy costs considerably. This adds to the benefits of indoor growing of requiring less water and a lower chance of pests and diseases compared to outdoor farming. “Passion for long term improvement is what drives us,” says Jonathan. “As a small team we must keep the need for scalability in mind at all times. “What is the point of incremental improvement on individual tasks when our alternative approach can avoid the task completely? Improved fuel efficiency of a truck is irrelevant when the most expensive final mile can be avoided.” Recognising how this approach offers potential for teaching and beyond City Farm Systems is about to launch their EduGro.Club. This will see a community of educators and students working on STEM subjects using everything from a taster kit through to programming and operating a fully-fledged autonomous greenhouse which can help feed a school. Looking further ahead, the company plans to introduce an App so consumers can scan a barcode and see the history of their purchases from Seed to Sale. With the background of Brexit and large businesses needing to report whole business energy use, City Farm Systems believes it offers great opportunities for responsible firms. “Avoiding the need for energy is essential wherever possible if we are to combat climate change,” says Jonathan. “A CloudGro® system can help with reducing both Scope 1 and 2 emissions while addressing several of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.” While Brexit could prove a headache for salad importers and UK growers who import nursery stock from the Netherlands with costs expected to rise significantly Jonathan adds: “The food and drink industry is in desperate need for what City Farm Systems offers - even if they don’t yet realise it.” Company: City Farm Systems Contact: Jonathan Lodge Website: www.cityfarmsystems.com