The partnership was officially launched on December 6th on the UniLaSalle campus in Rouen, in the presence of Gilles Dreyfus, president and co-founder of Jungle, and Philippe Choquet, general director of UniLaSalle.
With the increase in the world’s population and food demand, natural resources are being depleted. Soils are shrinking, and their fertility is deteriorating. Farmers are forced to take up the challenges of the agro-ecological, food, and energy transitions that our societies are faced with.
“What we like about these chairs is that they tackle issues that call for transversality. It is a format that allows us to align our intelligence over a long period of time. They call on the expertise of our researchers and are based on our technological platforms, such as the latest Food & Agri CityLab,” explains Philippe Choquet, general director of UniLaSalle.
“The purpose of Jungle is to secure the supply of plant crops for the food, cosmetic, and perfume sectors. With its vertical farming concept, Jungle is one of the solutions for tomorrow’s agriculture. UniLaSalle is a school that is aligned with our projects and our view on R&D issues,” explains Gilles Dreyfus, president, and co-founder of Jungle.
Supporting the transition with indoor agriculture
In this context, the partnership between Jungle, a vertical farm specialist, and the UniLaSalle higher education and research school was, therefore, an obvious choice. The common goal is to consolidate the scientific references necessary to optimize production under controlled conditions. To do this, it is essential to study environmental factors, select and analyze performances, and compare technical and economic data.
The challenges of indoor cultivation
A great diversity of productions are to be investigated according to the challenges, which are first of all environmental, with the reduction by up to 90% of the use of water. This system is also an answer to many other issues.
Securing the income of farmers by producing plants with a high economic-added value
- feeding the population and fighting against global warming
- securing the supplies of raw materials
- innovating and developing plant productions of nutritional, gastronomic, and cosmetic interests.