On the 19th of September, the Vertical Farming World Congress was held in person again in Brussels, Belgium. Attendees from all over the world traveled all the way down to start the event with a tour of various CEA facilities in the capital.
As CEA comprises various farming methods in agriculture, the first stop of the farm tour was at BIGH. Attendees were all welcomed at BIGH, an aquaponic greenhouse located on the roof of Foodmet market hall, which is basically across the street from the other companies on the list; Eclo and Urban Harvest.
At BIGH, participants were shown the rooftop greenhouse that is currently home to basil (Photo credits VOLTZ Maraîchage)
The 2000m2 high-tech greenhouse and a 2000 m2 productive outdoor garden are home to multiple products, such as tomatoes, herbs, eggplants, peppers, and trout. Once the tour was finished, BIGH accommodated a panel that was held by Barbara Trachte, Secretary of State, who spoke of the 'Strategic role of vertical farming.'
Barbara Trachte giving her speech (Photo credits: Urban Harvest)
From heights to lows, the tour continued its way to the cellars of the Abbatoirs where they were introduced to Eclo. Formerly called Champignon de Bruxelles, Eclo now produces various mushroom varieties and herbs.
Next stop, the cellars of Abbatoir where Eclo is based (Photo credits: Eclo)
Guests were taken through the entire growing process of the fungi and showed the growing chambers at their unique location.
As all the companies are closely located within a kilometer range, the next stop was only a few minutes away. This brought attendees to the final destination of the tour: Urban Harvest.
Alexandre van Deun and Olivier Paulus (Photo credits: Urban Harvest)
Co-founders Alexandre van Deun and Olivier Paulus welcomed everyone. As Alexandre told us, Urban Harvest has been showcasing its strawberry technology and production methods, which can be either applied in the greenhouse or vertical farm. The six different groups were all ears to what the speakers had to share.
Everyone was able to have a sneak peek in the pilot farm (Photo credits: Urban Harvest)
"Our focus on strawberries seems to be very promising as growers are ready to offer something more than herbs and microgreens," said Alexandre van Deun, co-founder of Urban Harvest.
Tuesday program
Today's program was filled with speakers from all over the globe. Urban Crop Solutions' co-founder and CTO, Maarten Vandecruys was also one of the speakers at the event. He will be presenting the latest research and innovation on alternative energy and anaerobic digestion which will allow even more circular indoor farming.
Tonight, a gala will be held to announce the appraised companies of the Vertical Farm World Congress awards. Stay tuned.
Maarten Vandecruys (Photo credits: Urban Crop Solutions)
Send us your photos
As we're currently not able to be there in person, the VerticalFarmDaily team is looking forward to receiving your pictures. So, will you be visiting the show? Do not forget to take a selfie or strike a pose and send it to [email protected].
Like the usual photo reports, our team will mention the name of your company and the products/service you are presenting.
For more information:
Zenith Global
[email protected]
www.zenithglobal.com
BIGH Farm
[email protected]
https://bigh.farm
Eclo
www.eclo.farm
Alexandre van Deun, Co-founder
[email protected]
Urban Harvest
www.urbanharvest.eu