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Regig-Grow doubles the yield output and maximises space allocation of leafy-green CEA technology with our AI-based, bi-directional, telescopic modular NFT channel system
About
Gaia's Regig-Grow system in a novel patented channel system that will revolutionise the controlled environment agriculture (CEA) industry. Our innovative design has re-imagined space, an assumed constant up to now, to allow the farm to adapt with the plants growth cycle. Regig-Grow adaptation to the plant maximises space and power resources, which in-turn allows for the doubling of the yield output of any CEA farm that adapts our technology. CEA leafy greens currently have an issue with cost per unit, which slows the adaptation of CEA technologies in urban and rural areas, as power and space drive prices up to be non-competitive in the market. With Gaia's Regig-Grow, CEA farms can realise their true potential in maximising food security, providing fresh nutritious food, reducing food miles and the carbon footprint of our current food supply-chain, while reducing fresh water usage and nutrients by 95% & 75% respectively. Our system is at the head of the industry, and because of this has been awarded the International Innovation first place prize in the NASA/CSA Deep Space Food Challenge. Retired Astronaut Scott Kelly, announced our design as stand alone in its performance and potential on a internationally broadcasted event, solidifying our design as world-leading, with plans for the space prototype to built this year. Gaia Project Australia can help this planet and beyond prepare for an uncertain future, with climate change and other recent events testing our food security and access.
Key Benefits
The Regig-Grow channel system allows for growing leafy-greens at a very high density for three quarters of the plants life cycle, taking advantage of un-used space in current CEA farms (currently at 70% wasted space in current farms), and maximises power usage for high yield outputs. This increases current biomass densities from 25-35 heads of lettuce per sqm (average of vertical farms currently), to 60 heads of lettuce per sqm. In terms of annual output per square meter, current farms produce 40-90kg, whereas Regig-Grow pushes this figure to 160kg per sqm. For the market, this drives down CEA leafy green produce from $3.00 USD per kg, to $1.50, solidifying CEA produce as competitive and accessible for all consumers. This is important as CEA produce is sustainable and without dangerous pesticides and insecticides, and with the ability to be farmed meters from where it is purchased, grants access to fresh, tasty, nutritious food without having to pay a premium. This is a paradigm shift for CEA and allows profitable farms to be operational in any region or city, with prices that are competitive in the 1.9 trillion USD leafy-green market. Additionally, we are partnering with Enseys, a leading LED engineering company, to further our efficiencies and bring down over-heads associated with CEA lighting expenses. Labour costs are also the current leading expense for CEA, and we are partnering with LaTrobe university and their robotic department to create a tri-directional robot arm that will halve labour costs by 50%. AI-based learning will aid all three areas, and the data collected from these data-points help educate our processes, and drive our trajectory. Reducing the inefficiencies in CEA technology is paramount for food security moving forward, as traditional agriculture begins to be under threat from urban sprawl and climate change. These threats translate to less biomass being produced year to year, and with an exploding population, especially in urban environments, we must turn to innovative solutions to make sure there is access to safe, equitable, nutritious food. So, moving our agriculture to our urban areas can; reduce carbon emissions associated with logistical chains, increase efficiencies of non-renewable resources (fresh water & phosphorous), better our food security, provide options for employment for all people, connect consumers with their food, improve the current food regime, and help our planet heal.
Applications
Our Regig-Grow system is a broad spectrum of applications, as it can scale from one NFT channel (10 plants), to a commercial size farm as desired (thousands of plants). Our current commercial pilot-test will be a 4000-plant system, while initial pilot tests were a 40-plant system. The applications for our system ranges from in-home miniature farming systems, smaller independent supermarkets, large retail supermarket farms on display for consumers to view and perhaps pick themselves and believe it or not space. Amazingly, Earth does not confine us, as NASA has nominated our system for their Deep Space Food Challenge, we hope to have our system working in zero-gravity and providing for space missions on Mars and beyond. Getting our feet back on the ground, Regig-Grow is adaptable and profitable in any setting. AI-based analytics guides our steps, ensuring the same product harvest by harvest, year by year, maximising market ready produce and minimising overheads. Due to the high density of mature biomass produced by the system, these farms will be suitable for rural and urban landscapes, competing with any other leafy-green producer in cost, while outperforming in quality, nutrition, taste, freshness, and equity. Being competitive in the market and requiring less labour and industry knowledge than traditional farms also mean the breadth of possible suitable workforce expands to include all people. Traditional agriculture and the knowledge required can exist in silos, with access to these being restrictive due to geographical location and traditional workforces. Our system broadens the cohort of possible farmers and with transparency and assistance, we hope to guide a new generation of farmers to success. Our subscription-based service that will protect farmers with our AI-based learning tools that will collect data on every harvest, alert farmers to inconsistencies, and provide serving options to aid in keeping the farms operational at very high standards. Moving a focus away from commercial settings, our system can be installed in an area with poor soil, little access to fresh water, and reduced access to resources like fertilizers (as it requires 95% less water and 75% less nutrients). This allows our system to be rolled out in disadvantaged areas that suffer from poor access to food, due to climate change crisis, civil unrest/war etc. Equity is important for access to safe nutritious food, as current food regimes separate consumer and famer with a long logistical chain, that promotes carbon emissions and increased kilometres on our food unnecessarily. Regig-grow ultimately changes this relationship, and hopes to reconnect people with their food with trust at guilt-free prices, and giving access to food that they didn’t have before.