The Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has issued a sobering forecast on world food production. If global population reaches the projected 9.1 billion by 2050, the FAO says that world food production will need to rise by 70%, and the agriculture of the developing world will need to double its food production.
That 70% increase in food production will have to overcome rising energy prices, growing depletion of underground aquifers, the continuing loss of farmland to urbanization, and increased drought and flooding resulting from climate change. Simple modifications to the current agricultural processes will not be enough to overcome these obstacles – the world’s agriculture and food production is in dire need of dynamic change if it seeks to meet the rising demand.
Therefore, at AgriFacture, we have made it our mission to replace traditional farming methods with a unique controlled environmental agriculture (CEA) system that combines high-tech robotics with precise automation. Our system design is able to produce a variety of the purest fruits, vegetables, and legumes in a way that no one else has before. The AgriFacture design acknowledges several pressing issues of global concern, and addresses and/or solves them.
1. Food Safety
AgriFacture addresses both the issue of production capability and product fitness for consumption – two factors that have a direct effect on food safety.
Our Closed-Loop Environmentally Controlled Ecosystem resists virus, bacterium, microorganisms, airborne, and human borne contamination. It shields products from external risk factors brought on by Mother Nature, such as natural diseases, harsh weather, and natural disasters, as well as internal man-made environmental contamination.
System automation and robotics eliminate “direct” human contact with products – therefore removing internal human contamination and the potential for pathogenic induced illnesses.
Traditional mass production methods rely on the use of chemicals, cleaners, and pesticides to sanitize the food for human consumption. However, pure food does not require such chemical sanitation, or preservation. At AgriFacture, we produce only pure food. Our safe, raw products are completely free of additives, and chemicals – keeping them as raw and pure as nature intended. Our products are untouched by nature or man, grown, harvested and packaged fresh locally. These unadulterated fresh products are harvested fresh daily only miles from your store.
We take careful steps to ensure our entire process remains as pure as possible – from start to finish. It all begins with a controlled screening of initial “seed” stock and apomixes, or an asexual reproduction which eliminates outside source contamination of production supplies. Safety Chain of Custody is maintained throughout the entire cycle of growing, harvesting, packaging and shipping to consumer, thus exceeding all global mandates for food safety.
2. Environmental Damage & Sustainability
The widespread recognition of climate change has resulted in the agriculture industry putting a greater emphasis on sustainable processes and minimizing the damage done on our environment. The majority of the damage caused by agriculture is due to the waste of water, the destruction of soil, chemical pollution, and emissions of CO2. AgriFacture proudly utilizes a system that eliminates environmental damage, and achieves a high level of food production that is as efficient and sustainable as possible.
- Hyper-Hydration (Water) – Our processes use only 4.67% of water of traditional soil-based crop production and we recover 94% of that 4.67% for reuse in the next grow cycle; therefore providing a 99.72% efficiency in water conservation.
- Soil Destruction – In traditional farming methods, soil is tilled twice and chemically treated up to 15 times per crop, which is grown four times a year. At AgriFacture, we produce 16 crops per year, without soil.
- Chemical Pollution – Soil based farminguses anunconstrained aerosol or irrigation of insecticide, pesticide, fungicide, and soil treatments. We eliminate chemical pollution because we don’t use them. Rather than chemical-based fertilizer, we rely on natural basic elements like phosphorous and potassium to provide our produce with enrichment.
- CO2 Emissions – As a carbon sequestration producer, we are able to be a seller/provider of cap and trade permits. We don’t consume petroleum products in our production.
AgriFacture systems reduce the risk of crop loss significantly, ascertains a low carbon footprint, and requires only fractional rare earth resources.
3. Production & Distribution Efficiency
The current state of global food production is actually quite efficient. The world’s farmers produce enough food to feed 1.5x the global population. That’s enough to feed 10 billion people (we are at 7.6 billion currently). The problem lies not with production, but with the distribution, as our inability to feed the entirety of the world’s population is mostly due to food waste. Globally, 30–40% of all food is wasted every year, and this is due to the inefficient distribution process.
Fresh food and products were not meant to travel thousands of miles before consumption. They were meant to be eaten fresh. The efficient distribution of food is just as important as the production; therefore, AgriFacture systems reduce the risk of crop loss significantly.
The key to efficient distribution is minimizing the distance between the farm and the plate. In cities or towns with low produce consumption, the positioning of our geographically unrestrained facilities can increase supply of recommended dietary levels for all residents.
AgriFacture is a perpetual regeneration of food, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Our multiple & rapid grow cycles allow us to grow anywhere in the world in a controlled, clean, safe environment.
Using a fraction of the water, natural element fertilizer, and none of the harmful chemicals used in outdoor agriculture allows us to deliver fresh, safe crops to consumers’ tables in a fraction of the time and at a fraction of the current cost.
With close proximity to retail consumers, we lower unit operating costs and create “Market Stability” with sustainable year-round supply of products.
We’ve spent ten plus years proving our ideas, testing the processes, designing, developing and testing the advanced automation technology and establishing operating processes and procedures.
4. Economic Viability
For a true revolution in agriculture, the new methodologies must be economical. The future of farming lies in farming up, not out – and making the most of every square foot and every dollar spent. Or, in other words: vertical density at a competitive price. At AgriFacture, we have a lower cost of producing a crop acre than traditional agriculture methods. We also achieve increased production volume per square foot through increased annual crop cycles – allowing growers to achieve incredible efficiency in both space and time.
We provide consistent supply 365 days a year, as our indoor, controlled system removes supply disruptions caused by environmental or economic issues. This also results in the removal of quality variances that occur when supply becomes constrained. We proudly provide consistent total quality.
Economic viability is also made possible by the removal of native range extension constraints and us not having to rely on a transportation premium. By localizing production and processing within 100 miles of metropolitan areas, we would achieve a US $1.25 per pound in margin relative to market price. Keeping the production in close proximity to the consumers would also vastly improve the distribution of the produce, therefore improving the “time value” of leafy greens, mushrooms, and other fresh products.
We can have RTE mushrooms and other cultivars in front of consumers 8 hours after harvest – at an affordable price.
5. Application of Advanced Technology
Unlike traditional farming methodologies, the AgriFacture system seamlessly incorporates robotics and automation into the production process. Our patent-pending modular vertical system is a flexible, cost-saving, and capable of growing produce at a high density.
The system is completely automated in each step, including automated seeding, cultivation, harvest, packaging and product distribution. Full mechatronic process control systems enable robotic motion, sense and measurement data collection and controls.
This closed-loop process is completely controlled, thus improving product uniformity and quality. There is an entire network dedicated to the control of motion, product quality, sanitation, and detection of foreign material – resulting in a large volume of pure, perfect produce that is untouched by any points of contamination that might result from human error or environmental factors. Our applications of advanced technology allow us to grow produce that is just better – which led us to the trademarked names of our Better Lettuce and Better Shrooms products.
Join The Movement
We believe the AgriFacture system is the solution to our pending global food, water, and energy crisis. Our mission is to provide the world with fresh, safe, pure, and natural food while reducing the damage done by traditional farming methods.
Don’t get left behind – follow us on Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date on all of the groundbreaking things happening at AgriFacture, and to join the conversation.