Uproot - Urban Agriculture Startup

We are Uproot, a budding group of vertical farm enthusiasts with a dream of helping New Zealand take a step forward into the future of agriculture. Our team consists of 5 university students with very little horticultural experience, but enough concern for the degradation of our environment to do something about it and build a business to take farms out of the country and into the city, helping make New Zealand’s future as a leader in agriculture technology a reality. What we are asking of you today, is to help us get out feet wet. We need funds to scale up our current vertical farm prototype we have built as a university project to a level where we can distribute spinach and other veggies to Auckland locals.

THE INFO

What is vertical farming? In a word, it is a technological solution to growing plants. Vertical farms are automated, fully controlled, multi-level growing environments that use a combination of software analytics, energy efficient LED lighting, sensor controls and closed loop water and nutrient recirculation systems to nourish and grow plants such as lettuces, spinach and other vegetables using a fraction of the resources needed for traditional farming. Vertical farming systems do not use soil, fertilisers or nasty pesticides. Instead the plants thrive on nutrient rich water misted directly onto their roots.

But why do we need this, you might ask. Why can’t we keep growing food the way we have always done, in the ground?

Namely, for the environment. Vertical farming is a hugely sustainable alternative to our current reliance on a globalised agricultural network. Because the plants are inside, they can grow all year round, no matter what season. There’s no longer a dependency on weather, so there’s no need to spray plants with herbicides and pesticides. Vertical farming systems also use around 95% less water than traditional farming methods and because the conditions are so ideal for the plants they grow way faster, sometimes up to four times as fast!

Best of all, vertical farming systems can be set up anywhere, including right in the heart of a city, so you can cut out transport costs and significantly lower Co2 emissions. Simply put it’s the sustainable solution we need and a great way to enjoy the benefits of delicious, fresh and locally grown produce .

Vertical farming is quickly being adopted around the world. A Japanese company Mira uses a completely automated multi-level system spanning half the size of a football field. It is already 100 times more productive per square foot than traditional methods. AeroFarms, one of many US based mass scale vertical farming companies is producing leafy greens, herbs and lettuces in huge quantities everyday.

The world stands on the brink of an agricultural revolution. The global increase in population and the densification of urban areas means that by 2050 we will be facing an unprecedented demand for food. The current land-based agricultural model we have employed for thousands of years will not support this demand. What does this mean for New Zealand, a country extremely reliant on our pasture and rural based agricultural and horticultural industries? Not good things. Unfortunately New Zealand stands in a position to be left behind as other countries start waking up to the realisation that there is a better, cheaper, smarter and more sustainable alternative to growing plants.

WE NEED YOU

Currently, we have a prototype and a dream. We need money to make a better system that works on a locally commercial scale. Working from a parents garage, we will build our second vertical farm system. The design is modular, meaning we can easily scale the size of the system up once production gets started. Our goal is to produce 50 leafy green crops per week by the end of year. We also need funds to cover maintenance, delivery of crops, and utility (water/electricity) costs.