Nov 15, 2021
Editor’s Note: We’re all aware that traditional agriculture and controlled environment agriculture have numerous differences - growing conditions, environment, safety measures, labor safety - but few have considered how the crop production standards and metrics should differ for CEA growers. This intensive study will provide the necessary data to better inform the industry on food safety, nutritional quality, affordability, and more. Agritecture’s 2021 Global CEA Census similarly sought out additional data on how sustainable the CEA industry truly is. This comprehensive global survey of CEA operations will give us valuable insights that may affect policy, financing, operations, and new technology adoption.
CONTENT SOURCED FROM URBAN AG NEWS
Agency will utilize AmplifiedAg’s advanced hydroponic container-based vertical farming platform to study crop production, food safety, market quality, and nutrition of produce grown in controlled agriculture environments.
CHARLESTON, SC, — As vertical farming and other forms of modern indoor agriculture continue to evolve and transform the food supply, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS), USDA’s chief scientific in-house research agency, has launched an intensive study of controlled environment agriculture (CEA) to establish data and science-based metrics and crop production standards for CEA growers, similar to those established with traditional agriculture.
To conduct the Coordinated Agricultural Project (CAP) study, USDA has selected Charleston, SC-based AmplifiedAg as its vertical farm and technology provider.
AmplifiedAg’s advanced hydroponic container-based vertical farming platform and proprietary hardware and software will lead USDA’s effort to reconcile key and critical data gaps between CEA and field grown crops. This research spans crop production, food safety, market quality and nutrition, in addition to an economic analysis on produce access and affordability. Through this quantitative research and scientific findings, USDA will generate fundamental industry standards to sustain and promote CEA industry growth with adaptation to market demands and consumer confidence.
“We are extremely proud that AmplifiedAg has been awarded the opportunity by USDA to provide the technology solution for this monumental analysis about our category and its influence on food systems,” said Don Taylor, founder and CEO of AmplifiedAg. “The outcomes will further validate the efficiencies and benefits that indoor farming offers urban communities, consumers, and the agricultural industry overall.”
Additional details about the activities and analysis to be conducted during the study:
Perform food safety hazard identification, analysis, and quantification during CEA production from seeds to marketplace
Develop science- and risk-based food safety guidelines and mitigation strategies for best practices and product labeling
Determine nutritional quality of CEA leafy greens, and how sensors and microbial populations affect nutrition
Determine economic efficiencies of CEA
Explore opportunities for LED advancements, technology development, and production practices that can cost-effectively produce leafy greens to enhance targeted sensory quality and nutritional profiles
Provide transparent communication of CEA technology and scientific advances between specialist and the public sector: economic, food safety, sustainability and standard practice assessments from horticultural, environmental (water, air, energy) and social (employment, food availability, affordability)
“USDA ARS plans to release over 20 white papers during this study that will focus on the category’s leading product of leafy greens, and will also use AmplifiedAg farms and technology to test a variety of fruit and vegetable production to expand upon industry efficiencies and standards,” added Taylor.
About AmplifiedAg
AmplifiedAg, Inc.™ is a leader in the indoor agriculture category focused on empowering a scalable, resilient, and sustainable food supply and providing global populations with access to clean, fresh, and healthy produce. The company manufactures modular and scalable vertical farms using refurbished shipping containers and advanced hydroponic systems controlled by its proprietary hardware and seed-to-market SaaS-based software.
AmplifiedAg’s flagship brand Vertical Roots is the largest hydroponic container farm in the world and currently sells its produce through more than 1,800 grocery stores and numerous distributors.
In addition to powering its flagship brand Vertical Roots, AmplifiedAg provides holistic indoor farming solutions to sustainably grow and distribute food anywhere in the world. Learn more at www.amplifiedaginc.com.
