Last week, I attended an evening organised by Heeren XVII, the biosystems engineers’ society at Wageningen University. The theme was insects. A presentation was given by Bart de Ruiter, director of R&D at Proti-Farm, a Dutch company producing insects. Continue reading An Evening with Proti-Farm
Agricultural systems are complex. Data and machine learning can help. But how exactly? Believing something can be useful and knowing how are two different things. PlantGeek are applying data and machine learning to automate aquaponics systems. Continue reading PlantGeek: Machine Learning and Aquaponics
Could it be that the logical conclusion of controlled-environment agriculture is natural ecosystems? If controlled-environment agriculture is to become sustainable, it must be able to use waste as an input for nutrients. In 2016, the AVFami project group* realised that Continue reading Bacteria and Biofilters Are Underrated
For the past month, I have been following one of Wageningen University’s flagship courses: Greenhouse Technology, given by Cecilia Stanghellini, Bert van ’t Ooster, and Ep Heuvelink. Last Thursday, we went on an excursion to three companies: Ter Laak Orchids, Ridder Growing Solutions, and Holstein Flowers. Continue reading A Floricultural Excursion
Finally, it’s time to go back to being a normal student again. Last week I finished my BSc thesis. Here’s a quick but technical article summarising what I did and what I found. The Dutch greenhouse horticultural industry is extremely Continue reading Nutrient Emissions in Greenhouses: A Model-Based Approach
A few days ago, the Grand Finale of Wageningen University’s Greenhouse Challenge took place. It was a great day of discussing urban agriculture, showcasing new ideas, pitching, and celebration. Here’s my experience of that day. The Stand At 10 AM, Continue reading The Greenhouse Challenge Grand Finale
Closing the loop is what vertical farms should help us do. More specifically, vertical farms can be organs within their surroundings, turning nutrient-containing waste into high-value produce. One of the ways I am exploring this idea is by participating in Continue reading Recovering Nutrients: Environmental Technology and Attitudes
It’s February, and Wageningen University’s Greenhouse Challenge has officially started. For the next few months, teams all over the world will be designing an urban farming system for the Bijlmerbajes, a former prison complex near Amsterdam (what is it with Continue reading Energy in Greenhouses
Reading is an important habit. When it comes to vertical farming, what does one read? A quick Google search gives just two books: Dr. Dickson Despommier’s classic, The Vertical Farm; and Plant Factory, by Dr. Toyoki Kozai, Dr. Genhua Niu, Continue reading What I Learned From Plant Factory
The systems approach is a powerful one. Different ideas from different disciplines can be plugged into a coherent structure, to test new combinations and look at how they can work. Professor Eldert van Henten highlighted this with examples of engineering Continue reading Farming in Space and Multicropping: an Unlikely Connection