Farmitank is finally available on the market

The Life Farmitank vertical farming project has been completed. The technology has been recently launched on the market, after several years of real environment execution between 2021 and 2024. With the presentation of results and the evaluation by CINEA, the European Commission agency in charge of the management and monitoring of these projects, Farmitank technology has demonstrated its technical feasibility and its environmental and socio-economic benefits.

Farmitank is a vertical farming technology developed to address the current and future challenges of agriculture. It consists of a fully controlled vertical cultivation system housed in cylindrical stainless-steel tanks of 6 meters in diameter and up to 18 meters in height, allowing to grow up to 400m2 spread over 30 layers and in an area of less than 40m2. In these tanks, the optimal and constant environmental conditions for the cultivation of vegetables and other vegetables are simulated, maximizing efficiency in the use of resources such as water and energy, among others.

Cristian Nieves, R&D head of Parcitank, points out that "Thanks to Life Farmitank, we have demonstrated the advantages and benefits of vertical farming, a market that is still very incipient and with a long way to go, allowing us to reach the level of technological maturity necessary for the replicability of the system and its launch on the market. We firmly believe that this business model will create new market opportunities and enhance sustainability and the supply of vegetables anywhere in the world."

The objective of this project has been the validation in a real environment of this vertical farming solution, developed and patented by Parcitank S.A. The project has had the participation of leading companies such as Florette, in charge of the operation and cultivation trials, and CNTA, responsible for the analysis of results, among other collaborators.

The interior of Farmitank

For a year and a half, cultivation trials have been carried out on various varieties of lettuce, aromatic herbs and microgreens, and thanks to these studies, the processes and procedures have been improved to achieve optimal production.

For Javier Les, Florette's director of quality, sustainability and innovation, "this project has allowed Florette to come into contact with this new, very innovative production system that can fit into a future of overpopulation and climate change. It is necessary to evaluate these new systems that allow food to be produced with a minimum consumption of resources and close to the areas of consumption, guaranteeing quality and food safety".

An efficient and sustainable solution
The crops produced in the Farmitank system have been compared with those obtained by conventional agricultural techniques in soil, evaluating parameters of production, quality and consumption of resources. The main achievements of the project include water savings of up to 90%, greater production quality, pesticide and herbicide-free, a lower carbon footprint, improved product quality, and an increased shelf life.

With regards to common vertical farming systems, the Farmitank system reduces energy consumption, increases production yield, optimizes investment costs and minimizes risks, and improves accessibility.

Among the peculiarities of this technology, its cylindrical appearance, modularity and scalability, the use of reflectors and the integration of a central elevator inside the tank stand out, thus allowing accessibility to all levels of cultivation and optimizing labor times.

"The Life Farmitaank project has demonstrated the value of implementing a new vertical farming business model directly linked to the EU's priorities on environment and resource efficiency. Growing in a controlled, monitored and managed environment provides safety to producers, providing programmable production, minimizing the use of water, energy and labor costs without compromising the microbiological, nutritional and sensory quality of the plants," explains Eva Petri, researcher at R&D&i CNTA.

A model adapted to the client's needs
Currently, Parcitank's business plan turn around the sale of small and medium-scale equipment, which allows customers to test the technology with a minimum investment, with the aim of training their employees, analyzing yields and qualities and validating the business plan before carrying out a large installation.

As it is an incipient and globally unknown technology, priority is given to generating trust in potential users with the lowest possible investment cost, which allows them to validate their ideas. Once the investigation and validation stage are completed, the tank can be scaled to reach the desired height depending on the customer's needs, up to a maximum height of 18 meters.