Background
Company: GrowPonics
Who is GrowPonics?
GrowPonics is the world’s leader in AHGHs – automated hydroponic greenhouses. Established in 2010 by a joint team of Israeli and English entrepreneurs, GrowPonics has established their sustainable greenhouses all over the world.
In Israel, GrowPonics is led by inventor-entrepreneur Lior Hessel, who pioneered the world’s first hydroponic grow factories as CEO of OrganiTech, Ltd. Hessel has 20 years’ experience in developing and building AHGHs on 4 continents.
Successful Innovation
The Challenge
Traditional field farming methods are plagued by environmentally unsustainable practices and uncertain outcomes. Uncontrollable variables like weather cost farmers dearly. In 2013, the United States’ Federal Crop Insurance Programs paid $17.3 billion dollars out to farmers who lost their crops because of extreme weather. Unstable crop yields drive fluctuation in food prices across the globe and fuel instability in regions with food security issues. Some environments are inhospitable to field farming, increasing many locations’ reliance on imported crops. Given the unpredictability of field farming crop yields, it is unlikely that conventional agricultural methods will be able to produce enough crops to feed the planet’s growing population in the coming decades. Beyond production concerns, conventional agriculture methods are linked with water waste (nearly 70 percent of all human water use is dedicated to agriculture) as well as the proliferation of contaminants with dubious effects for the environment and human health.
The Innovation
GrowPonics Ltd., designs and builds automated hydroponic greenhouse factories that use maximize food/plant production and profitability on crop yields in any environment. All aspects of the growth environment – from the amount of nutrients to carbon dioxide and oxygen levels – are monitored by computer to ensure vegetation 365 days a year. GrowPonics’ greenhouses mitigate environmental and climate variables and enable salad crop production in any location, expanding local farming industries and decreasing emissions from CO2 mileage.
GrowPonics’ greenhouses lead in environmental sustainability, especially in terms of water conservation – 80% of the system’s water recycled. The contained environment frees the crops within from the need for pesticides or antibacterial treatments, and the absence of such treatments means zero groundwater contamination, which is frequent side effect of conventional farming. Hydroponically grown crops do not have to undergo chemical washing before arriving to market, making the crops a safer choice for consumers and the environment.
GrowPonics’ is a cost-effective solution. Automated hydroponic greenhouses produce larger yields than traditional farming with far less manpower. GrowPonics produce is cost effective for produce retailers as well, as the absence of the harsh chemicals used in conventional farm operations for growing and washing produce gives GrowPonics’ produce a longer shelf-life.
The Global Impact
GrowPonics is next-generation agriculture at its finest. Its design meets today’s biggest challenges, enabling abundant, reliable crop growth in the face of adversities like water shortages and extreme weather. Reliable crop growth stands to do much for stabilizing food prices and ensuring more people are fed.
As a clean technology, GrowPonics decreases the overall amount of agricultural pollutants. Its promotion of local, close to market crop production, stands to make positive environmental impact by decreasing transportation-related emissions, and can save salad farmers a sizable portion of their overhead, as up to 80% of salad crop cost is allotted to transportation.
GrowPonics is a multi-national company, with thriving business partnerships in the United Kingdom, United States, Turkey, and China.