YASAI is a spinoff of ETH Zurich, a leading university for research. They aim to build and manage vertical farms in Switzerland and internationally. The team is on track to achieve an impressive 200x more yield per m² through stacked acreage than traditional agriculture while using 95% less freshwater and 0 pesticides.
“We build smart & highly automated vertical farming solutions for a sustainable future with the help of key partners like Kroptek.” – Philipp Bosshard, CTO & Co-Founder at Yasai
Delivering fresh locally grown herbs to the Zurich area
For the start, YASAI’s pilot farm is mainly growing basil – supported by Kroptek’s lighting and engineering know-how – which can be purchased in supermarkets. Other herbs like mint and coriander will follow soon.
After several trials, the team of growers has chosen Kroptek for all their grow lighting needs. Kroptek LED Tube Lights can be found within their high-tech farm.
“A.I. and technological breakthroughs in agriculture have boosted production efficiency and sustainability. Thanks to AgriTech innovations, such as Kroptek LEDs and their team’s light spectrum expertise; we can grow more with less.” – Philipp Bosshard, CTO & Co-Founder at YASAI.
YASAI’s design is rooted in circularity. The existing CO2 accelerates plant growth and turns organic waste and wastewater into nutrients. In the same logic, the waste heat from the LED lights is used to heat other spaces.
A shared mission: the impact of vertical farming
The challenge remains the same: being able to feed 10 billion people by 2050. Extensive agricultural practices, climate change, and the Covid pandemic have revealed the vulnerability of the global food chains and the growing risks for food security.
Growing local is becoming more and more attractive yet also necessary for a more sustainable food supply chain. Bringing agricultural production closer to home shortens the supply chain and drastically cuts food mileage and waste. At Kroptek, we’re on a mission to empower growers to locally grow high-quality crops at consistent volumes, anywhere in the world, any time of the year, at the lowest possible cost to the consumer and the environment.
Vertical Farming produces high-quality locally grown produce with far fewer resources than traditional agriculture. On top of those advantages, vertical farms allow for the reduction of food miles and food waste.
Want to find out more about our vertical farming initiatives and lighting solutions? Contact our team of experts today.