The dissemination of indoor vertical farming technology in urban areas

The adverse effects of global climate change are increasingly threatening traditional agriculture's ability to meet global food demands. Concurrently, water scarcity, soil degradation, pesticide pollution, and nutrient depletion are exacerbating agricultural challenges, posing significant risks to food security and environmental sustainability. In this project, with the aim of keeping up the urgent need to address the challenges posed by global climate change in traditional agriculture, we propose an Indoor Vertical Farming Initiative (IVF) that leverages cutting-edge technology to cultivate crops in controlled environments in urban areas.The pioneering indoor vertical farming technology that we developed consist of both
hardware and software. The hardware section includes The Plant Growth System, (consisting
of rock system, track system, led grow light system, Control and Electrical System, HVAC
air-Conditioning System, Water Management System (osmosis water purification system),
Fertilization Control System, electrical panels and installations. The primary distinction
between this system and others is its irrigation system that has dual application for
hydroponic and aeroponic farming. In aeroponics, mist rich in nutrients is used to irrigate
roots that are floating in the air whereas hydroponics, including NFT and drip irrigation, is
the process of cultivating plants with a fertilizer solution based on water. On the other hand,
on the software side, all the cultivations operations are conducted by IOT based automation
software which combines technology with agriculture. Cloud-Based Decision Support and
Automation System has been designed to monitor and control various plant growth
parameters using various sensors (such as temperature, CO₂, O₂ level, humidity, irrigation,
EC and PH level of water, nutrition level). Thanks to smart sensor technologies, the indoor
vertical farming system not only encompasses environmental control, optimizing conditions
such as temperature, humidity, and CO₂ levels in real time but also excels in irrigation and
nutrient management, delivering water directly to the roots to optimize moisture levels and
reduce waste. Nutrient dosing is precisely administered, guaranteeing that plants receive the
exact nutrients they require. Furthermore, this Cloud-Based Decision Support and
Automation System facilitates robust crop monitoring, collecting and analyzing data from
sensors to provide growers with valuable insights into plant health, growth rates, and
potential issues. Furthermore, early detection of pests and diseases is another key advantage,
allowing for timely intervention. Therefore, precision farming is planned to be implement via
this smart indoor vertical farming systems.

MYGOS is a small enterprise built in 2015 in Turkey, which develops technologies
for indoor vertical farming. With this new way of farming technology, we aim to revise
ancestral farming technologies with soilless cultivation techniques.In 2022, we made the indoor vertical farming project with the government, which is called Istanbul Indoor Vertical Farming R&D Center. This Indoor Vertical Farming Center, established on the minus the 8th floor underground, offers a production equivalent to 20
decares in an area of 275 square meters. Since the beginning of the first harvest, the research
and development studies on the cultivation of 80 types of products have been completed. We
managed to produce all these plants with 95 percent water saving, year round and almost zero
pesticide application. At present, we do harvest a minimum 5 tons of product from 23,000
roots we planted per month. So, Istanbul Indoor Vertıcal Farming Applicatıon and R&D
Center has taken its place in the urban food supply chain in 21st–century Istanbul with the
products grown with less fertilizers and pesticides and the job opportunities it has provided.
Taking the above into consideration, the state-of-the-art indoor vertical farming technology to
be used in this project is likely to be classified as a TRL 8 technology and Lab 2 Market
initiative.