Sustainable Growing

Vertical farming in Antalya: ‘Everybody can be farmer, even in the middle of a big city’

At Grodan, we work with growers from all over the world. Vertical farming has recently gained a lot of attention amongst these growers worldwide, including in Turkey. That’s why we spoke with Erdem Aksan, Plant Factory Managing Director at Farminova Plant Factories, to hear what it’s like to start a vertical farm in Turkey (Antalya). Farminova produces eco-friendly and sustainable plants with minimum use of water to yield high quality crops. In this Gro-Hack, Erdem tells us everything about ‘Agriculture 4.0’, what he calls the fourth phase of agriculture, and his personal views on this.

What do we need to know about Farminova Plant Factories?

“Last year we opened a big ‘plant factory’ in Antalya with a capacity to produce 5,000 lettuces per day. And a showroom where everybody can meet. We produce lettuce, spinach, basil, rocket, kale, mushrooms and strawberries, but unlike conventional farming, we produce eco-friendly and sustainable plants with minimum use of water to yield high quality crops. We call it Agriculture 4.0, the fourth phase of agriculture. We want to pave the way for farming in indoor facilities and grow in a healthy, safe and consistent way, but without polluting the environment.”

Why is vertical farming so important?

“More and more people are moving to the big cities. And by 2050, these people will have a hard time to have access to their food. Also, an increasing number of consumers – not only in Europe - want to buy ‘local’ and clean produce, so products without the use of pesticides. It's a major challenge to serve all these consumers. Conventional agriculture is already trying to meet the world’s food demands. Our soil, water and air will be polluted by that time, along with the food we consume. That’s a big threat to the growing world population. I believe vertical farming can be the answer.”

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Which obstacles need to be overcome to implement vertical farming?

“We have to connect all different parties. For example, there could be a group of system integrators and they know the system, but they don't know the agricultural side of things. And another group gets interested in producing food for their local communities, but they don’t know how to get started with this new technology. We thought: “Why are we not connecting these people to each other?” So we built this big showroom here in Antalya where all these different people can meet and share experiences. This can be a place to connect for investors and customers too.”

How do people respond to vertical farming?

“Vertical farming is changing the market, country by country, also in Turkey. Our market in Turkey has a huge agricultural potential. At the moment, about 5 to 10 percent of the people -the more high-income part- want to consume healthy products. But that small group is growing.

In the end, there is not just one story about vertical farming. In European countries and in the U.S. for example, the concept of locally produced and healthy food is an important starting point to opt for vertical farming. Whereas in African countries, vertical farming can be part of the solution for its significant food access problem. In short, vertical farming can be an answer for various needs concerning food production, safety and supply.

How and why do you use Grodan products?

“The Grodan stone wool growing media solutions we use are essential for our work. We produce soilless in water, and stone wool is one of the most important elements of vertical farming because of its water holding capacities.

To grow our plants in the most healthy way, we need the modern technology and support of Grodan. Every seed is a miracle, is our slogan. A miracle small in size but great in capacity and sprouting as soon as we water it. The technology of Grodan gives us the right background on the growth process of our crops. The ‘green advisors’ provide us with good feedback by phone or e-mail. So, looking at the product capacities and support, Grodan is one of the companies that can meet all of our expectations.”

‘Vertical farming is a big challenge, especially for the new generation’ (Quote Yianni Monahan, Product Lifecycle Manager at Grodan)

“Yes, a huge change is happening. Worldwide. Think about it. Not so long ago growth facilities were only ‘managed’ by agricultural people and their families with an agriculture background. But nowadays not just farmers can farm, everyone can be a farmer. Even in the middle of a big city like New York but also in Moscow. This means a huge challenge for the next generation. It's incredible.”

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So how can other growers get started with vertical farming? Do you have any practical tips / advice for them?

What we always recommend to our customers in our first meetings is that they should start with market research. Their local climate, existing diseases, pests and other environmental conditions has an impact on the number and quality of the crops they can harvest. Based on that market research, I recommend to create a production plan for 365 days.

Farminova Plant Factories in Turkey (Antalya) produce eco-friendly and sustainable plants with minimum use of water to yield high quality crops. They call it Agriculture 4.0, the fourth phase of agriculture.

This story is part of the series Gro-Hacks, in which we ask partners and friends of Grodan about the lessons we can learn from their innovative entrepreneurial stories.

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Read more about vertical farming:

Why vertical farms are hot and happening around the world

“Nine out of ten businesses have no clear goal”