'Saint-Nom-la-Bretèche's Silicon valley'. I recently had the exciting opportunity to visit these few hectares of agricultural land owned by the Gally farming corporation, to the west of Paris, thanks to my uncle who works here. This place is a hive of innovation, a thinktank for all things agriculture and progress, efficiency and sustainability. The employees here are stretching the limits of potential, pioneers in conceiving new models and concepts for sustainable culture, reared to tackle the challenges of our planet's growing population, and growing food demand and consumption. This site, situated near the town of Versailles, is home to several start-ups, relatively young companies looking to create better, more sustainable food production. Here are some of the ones I was able to visit, and whose staff I could interview:
NEOFARM.
If a global AI conquest begins soon, it'll probably start here. This is high-tech farming alright. Neofarm's small team of robotics engineers and farmers are designing and testing farming robots, with the aim of helping fruit and vegetable producers, by saving them the job's most arduous, physically demanding tasks, such as back-breaking planting, weeding and harvesting. In theory this should allow farmers to carry on working without the taxing physical strain. Neofarm aims to work with nature rather than against it, and continues to research and experiment different methods of permaculture, respecting natural ecosystems and integrating their operations within them, whilst trying to limit their impact on the surrounding environment. It's also worth noting they use no pesticides and all their produce is certified organic! Bonus point, the team were super friendly, open and overjoyed to share their projects and explain their fascinating work to me.
UV BOOSTING.
I was honored to be taken on a personal tour of UV Boosting's facilities by the manager. This cutting edge start-up develops specially engineered UV lights, with the aim of reducing and eventually eliminating the use of agricultural pesticides. The science behind this project is as follows: by regularly exposing plants and crops to the right dosage and intensity of Ultra Violet light, the plants will be protected against pathogens and pests, because a proportion of these pathogens will be killed by exposure to these frequencies, but more importantly, the UV light will stimulate plants to produce their own natural defense mechanisms against pests and viruses. This in turn reduces the need for artificial pesticides to be used on crops, thus rendering the final product organic and thus much healthier for consumption. This is built on the principle that plants naturally possess all the defenses they need, and this technology is only needed for stimulation. These are early days, but this company's future is looking bright (hopefully not as bright as their lights, which can be blinding if one is exposed to them for too long!). UV Boosting have already developed farming machines with integrated UV lights which can be attached to tractors, for grapevines and strawberry plants, and sold their first few models last year. This year, the aim is to up the game, move into a larger facility, and sell off 20 more machines!
TOWERFARM.
These guys are reaching new heights (no pun intended at all) in the field of agriculture! Thanks to Towerfarm's technology, space should not be an obstacle to food production in the near future. This group wish to optimize operations by growing crops vertically, to make use of every square inch in the limited space they have. These crop 'towers' are held in a specially designed room, in which all variables which can affect plant growth are controlled. Light levels and UV exposure, humidity, plant nutrition, temperature...this team have got it sorted! There is also no need for pesticides, as contamination is avoided thanks to the room's sterile environment. Efficiency and optimization are key here: with indoor vertical farming, 300 basil plants can be grown on the limited floor space of only one meter squared. That's a lot of potential pesto! Towerfarm claims this type of farming, without seasonal, geographical or climatic restrictions and with year-round availability, is the farming of the future. Entering this room, I certainly felt like I had stepped into a futuristic space colony...and the basil was delicious!
I was nearing the end of my two-month trip in Germany and France when I visited this site, and this experience was a perfect way to frame the abundance of information and knowledge I've been exposed to whilst travelling, especially whilst working on a farm myself. In a short space of time I've become more aware of the impact our actions have on our environment, on the importance of reducing waste and considering more sustainable options in our everyday consumerism. In the same way Silicon Valley houses high tech's pioneering firms, Gally's site here in France is home to some big thinkers and innovative minds, pushing the fields of agriculture and food production forward.
So are these projects an insight into the farming of tomorrow? Is one better than another, for us, for the planet? Are there only benefits to this kind of farming, or could it risk us losing our connection to nature, to the grit and hard work which our ancestors went through, and which for many, helps us to appreciate our food? I don't have the answers to these questions, but this experience has certainly opened my eyes, and I'm grateful for projects like these, which started as a result of people, not unlike you and me, posing similar big questions, and having the courage to search for answers.
Some useful links:
Neofarm
Website: https://www.neo.farm/
Instagram: @neofarmtech
UV Boosting
Website: https://www.uvboosting.com/
Instagram: @uvboosting
Towerfarm
Website: https://www.towerfarm.fr/
Instagram: @tower.farm
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