Many think that indoor farming and robots can aid save water. But How? Agriculture may feed the world. However, it also contributes to global warming. Agriculture produces about 70% of the earth’s freshwater; it accounts for about one-third of greenhouse gases. However, this should not be the case. The farm is moving inside.
Consequently, farmers are not exactly what they used to be. New forms of farming, new technologies, and new companies are greening the green. Take Phil and Grover, for example. They are autonomous robots or future farmers working in Iron-Ox; 6 years in a Silicon Valley farm-based technical startup. It grows the product in natural light greenhouses; It also aims to decentralize farming to grow crops with consumers more sustainably. According to the CEO of Iron Ox, the company has various robots that take care of the plants, Check them, scan for issues and regulate the number of nutrients it receives and the amount of water.
The Iron Ox method is the exact opposite of what Alexander, who grew up on a Texas farm, calls the agricultural approach, “Spray and Pray’; Where more chemicals are produced in greater quantity at the expense of quality. Indoor growth allows farmers to grow any crop, regardless of climate change. It also uses hydroponics; Grow crops without soil, so water goes directly to the roots.
Indoor Farming and Robots
On a field farm, much water is washed away and never reaches the plant. When 70% of freshwater goes to this farm, and only 10% gets the plants, it generates much waste. Iron Ox does not consider itself a “vertical farm,”; Which is another type of technology designed to reduce greenhouse gases by increasing them in small spaces. Indeed, competition in clean agriculture is there. However, it is welcome. He said that in today’s closed farm space, even with all the investments made in it, to be honest, these investments are a drop in terms of space potential. Appropriately covered, it will combat a lot of adverse conditions.
Iron Ox is now expanding in Texas. It sells to traders such as Whole Foods as well as native restaurants. According to Alexander, the company will produce about 100 times more products in the next 18 months than it currently produces. The firm supports Pathbreaker, Crosslink Ventures, Bill Gates’s Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Eniac Ventures, R7 Partners, i/o Ventures, and Amplify Ventures. Total funding to date is $98 million.
