OnePointOne and Sakata Seed America announced yesterday a collaboration to help accelerate vertical farming. Together, the two entities will share intelligence and analysis focused on maximizing plant outputs while minimizing environmental impact.
The large-scale research program began yesterday at OnePointOne’s facility in San Jose, CA. Its 25-foot vertical structure uses LED lights to supplant the sun, a nutrient-rich mist to replace the soils and a clean-room environment, akin to a computer lab, as the production field. OnePointOne’s system consists of advanced aeroponics and a fleet of robotic growers to perform most of the day-to-day production functions – from planting to watering to harvesting. Sakata’s wide array of genetics coupled with OnePointOne’s proprietary tech promises to drive further innovations and discovery.
Left to right: Dave Armstrong, Tracy Lee, Sam Bertram
“We are taking the Controlled Environment Agriculture arena very seriously,” said Dave Armstrong, president/CEO of Sakata. “By working with OnePointOne on product research and development, we aim to push the segment’s development in a real-world vertical production environment. Working together directly and fully sharing information enables both sides to capture data that might otherwise take years to generate.”
“Working with OnePointOne gives us the opportunity to test many of our varieties in a true vertical system and highly precise indoor environment. The performance data we’ll collect will help us continue to refine our varieties and fine-tune our breeding programs for the CEA space,” said Tracy Lee, Sakata’s controlled environment agriculture (CEA) lead.
According to Sakata, working with OnePointOne on product research and development will help it push the Controlled Environment Agriculture segment’s development in a real-world vertical production environment.
“We are on a mission to unleash the power of plants to feed, fuel and heal the world,” explains Sam Bertram, CEO and co-founder of OnePointOne. “As we launch Willo, a personalized vertical farming experience, this partnership will help amplify our ability to bring an exciting list of cultivars to our members. Furthermore, it will drive the innovations and advances needed to bring a more sustainable growth platform to the market at scale.”
For more information:
Jake Eisenberg
OnePointOne
Jake@onepointone.com
www.OnePointOne.com
www.Willo.Farm
Alicia Suits
Sakata Seed America
asuits@sakata.com
Robb Bertels
rbertels@sakata.com
www.sakatavegetables.com