Roto-Gro technology is changing how food is cultivated (Image supplied by Roto-Gro)
Food & Agriculture
Roto-Gro is looking to solve one of the major food challenges of the future, as available fertile farmland decreases and urbanisation increases.
Advanced agritech company Roto-Gro International (ASX:RGI) is working to tackle the challenges of providing food for populations of rapidly urbanising regions worldwide.
At a time when urbanisation itself is consuming cropland, Roto-Go is revolutionising the future of agriculture with their patented and proprietary technology that’s also helping combat challenges of global warming.
Roto-Gro is uniquely placed to tackle a range of issues including supply chain disruption, the decreasing availability of fertile farmland and fresh water, negative impacts of pesticides and herbicides, inconsistent weather patterns and exponential population growth.
Roto-Gro use automated agricultural cultivation technology to provide cost-efficient, optimised yield and sustainable solutions to the indoor vertical farming market.
The company’s technology would reduce need for farmland and supply chain dependency by situating indoor vertical farms close to the consuming population.
It would also promote healthy crop growth, eliminating the need for pesticides and herbicides, provide year-round crops, use 98% less water than conventional farming methods and be scalable to meet increasing population demand.
Roto-Gro is predominantly focused on feeding growing urban populations on the back of a booming indoor vertical farming industry, along with the cultivation of cannabis for medicinal and recreational use.
As a technology partner, RotoGro looks to solidify joint ventures in the indoor farming and cannabis industries. The indoor vertical farming sector is thriving due to problems associated with conventional farming techniques and is projected to experience significant growth in the next few years.
According to a Global Market Insights report the sector is poised to grow at a CAGR of more than 23% between 2021 and 2027. The market size now is US$4.5 billion and is forecast to reach US$19 billion by 2027.
Furthermore, overlap between urbanisation, urban farming and the legalisation of medicinal cannabis has created a burgeoning cannabis sector. The global lawful cannabis market is forecast to rise from US$28 billion in 2021 to US$197 billion by 2028.
Roto-Gro’s technology reduces much of the problems associated with other vertical indoor farming systems. Roto-Gro projects more than 30% electricity savings and a 3-15x increase in yield per square metre when compared to other indoor vertical farming technologies.
Optimised distance between the grow surface area and LED lighting system provides increased airflow to cultivate a variety of fruit and vegetables to maturity.
RotoGro’s supporting automation technology automates all aspects of the cultivation cycle including revolution speed, light parameters, nutrient, and water delivery to cut labour requirements.
Furthermore, automated guided vehicles (AGVs) autonomously shuttle growing trays from the propagation area and load them into the Model 710 garden systems and conversely unload and shuttle them to the harvesting area.
Roto-Gro, which has its operational headquarters in Canada, has filed three international applications under the patent cooperation treaty.
Under the treaty, Roto-Gro claimed priority arising from the patent applications previously filed under the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
The patents involve inventions which the company considers to be integral components of its Rotational Garden Systems Technology. These include Plant Tray, Feed Nozzle and Plant Tray Feed System, Automated Plant Tray Shuttle and System, and Rotating Garden Rails for Holding Plant Trays.
Granting of Roto-Gro’s applications under the treaty would protect its key inventions across the United States, Canada, Australia, and Europe.
It has been a year of significant growth for Roto-Gro, which has secured several supply deals with leading cannabis and agricultural companies globally.
The company entered a ~CAD$2 million purchase and sale agreement with Canniberia LDA, located in Portugal. It also made a CAD$380,000 purchase and sale agreement with Canada’s Wolf Island Cannabis.
Roto-Gro is designing a state-of-the-art technology showcase facility to demonstrate its technology on a pre-commercial scale.
Roto-Gro completed significant research trials with its partner in the Canadian produce space, Verity Greens, and partnered with Cultivatd Inc — a leading indoor vertical farming brokerage globally.
It is in ongoing discussions and crop research testing with high-value companies along with negotiations with governments in Asia to rollout Roto-Gro technology for produce cultivation in the region.
The company also took steps to pursue a dual listing on the Canadian Securities Exchange, which it anticipates will complete in Q12022.
Roto-Gro CEO Michael Di Tommaso said the company had achieved several milestones in 2021, which it will build upon next year. This looks to be only the beginning for Roto-Gro.
He said Roto-Gro was focused on solving the problems we have today along with challenges of the future.
“Our technology is versatile and Roto-Gro wants to really be a partner with our clients and not just a technology provider,” he said.
“Everything we do is about revolutionising the future of agriculture and changing the world.”
This article was developed in collaboration with RotoGro International, a Stockhead advertiser at the time of publishing.
This article does not constitute financial product advice. You should consider obtaining independent advice before making any financial decisions.
Food & Agriculture
Food & Agriculture
Food & Agriculture
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