AeroFarms, a sustainable indoor agriculture company building the biggest vertical farm of its kind in the world, received more than 9,000 job applications for work at the massive desert agriculture research facility in Abu Dhabi, its chief executive said.
The seventeen year-old New Jersey company is part of a group of four agri-tech ventures to share in a $100 million investment from Abu Dhabi Investment Office (Adio), announced in April, to bring cutting-edge research to the capital to improve food security.
"We'll be growing new plants in Abu Dhabi that we aren't growing anywhere else in the world," David Rosenberg told The National.
Food security is a pressing concern for nations around the world amid the coronavirus pandemic as disrupted supply chains have led to food shortages and a groundswell of support for locally sourced agriculture.
The number of additional people suffering from malnutrition once the pandemic subsides may reach 80.3 million depending on the economic contraction, according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations.
Last month, Abu Dhabi said it will offer more than Dh110m in financial incentives to agricultural technology companies looking to set up operations in the emirate in the coming months.
AeroFarms is one of several agri-tech businesses already taking root in the UAE as demand for locally grown food soars on the back of the coronavirus pandemic.
But unlike most of the ventures, AeroFarms’ Abu Dhabi site will not be a commercial-scale operation. Instead, it is dedicating the space to research and the question, “Can we grow better?” Mr Rosenberg said.
AeroFarm’s 8,200-square metre vertical farming centre in Abu Dhabi, on track to plant its first crops by mid-2021, will be the site of research funded in part by a $7.5m grant from the US Department of Agriculture.
As the principle researcher, AeroFarms plans to bring a consortium of growers, genetics companies and equipment manufacturers including BASF, Benson Hill Biosystems, Fluence Bioengineering, Intrexon, Japan Plant Factory Association and Priva, to Abu Dhabi to develop new ways of growing crops indoors.
The aim is to employ more than 60 engineers, horticulturists and scientists and to start with research and growing methods for lettuces, tomatoes and berries.
Agri-tech companies like AeroFarms are developing ways of growing crops to slash energy and water consumption through a combination of data science, automation and advancements in horticulture.
The Abu Dhabi site will have a prototyping workshop to develop tools for automation in seeding, harvesting and optimising levels of light, nutrients and water.
“One automates for two reasons,” Mr Rosenberg said. “To lower costs from a labour standpoint or to improve quality.”
The company said it monitors 130,000 data points for every harvest and uses 5 per cent of the water consumed by a typical field.
The plants aren’t grown in water or soil, but rely on aeroponics, which mists the crops with a balance of water and nutrients without the use of pesticides.
MATCH INFO
Fixture: Thailand v UAE, Tuesday, 4pm (UAE)
TV: Abu Dhabi Sports
Royal Birkdale Golf Course
Location: Southport, Merseyside, England
Established: 1889
Type: Private
Total holes: 18
RESULT
Fifth ODI, at Headingley
England 351/9
Pakistan 297
England win by 54 runs (win series 4-0)
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Honeymoonish
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Profile of VoucherSkout
Date of launch: November 2016
Founder: David Tobias
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers
Sector: Technology
Size: 18 employees
Stage: Embarking on a Series A round to raise $5 million in the first quarter of 2019 with a 20 per cent stake
Investors: Seed round was self-funded with “millions of dollars”
More on Quran memorisation:
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Why seagrass matters
- Carbon sink: Seagrass sequesters carbon up to 35X faster than tropical rainforests
- Marine nursery: Crucial habitat for juvenile fish, crustations, and invertebrates
- Biodiversity: Support species like sea turtles, dugongs, and seabirds
- Coastal protection: Reduce erosion and improve water quality
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
Our Time Has Come
Alyssa Ayres, Oxford University Press
'Morbius'
Director: Daniel Espinosa
Stars: Jared Leto, Matt Smith, Adria Arjona
Rating: 2/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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What's in the deal?
Agreement aims to boost trade by £25.5bn a year in the long run, compared with a total of £42.6bn in 2024
India will slash levies on medical devices, machinery, cosmetics, soft drinks and lamb.
India will also cut automotive tariffs to 10% under a quota from over 100% currently.
Indian employees in the UK will receive three years exemption from social security payments
India expects 99% of exports to benefit from zero duty, raising opportunities for textiles, marine products, footwear and jewellery
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
Dubai World Cup factbox
Most wins by a trainer: Godolphin’s Saeed bin Suroor(9)
Most wins by a jockey: Jerry Bailey(4)
Most wins by an owner: Godolphin(9)
Most wins by a horse: Godolphin’s Thunder Snow(2)
