Products

Our “808 FACTORY” business has been profitable for eight years since establishment of our first plant factory. Here, we present the business model of the brand that we have been operating. We discuss factory layout and operation management. We review measures of productivity per unit cultivation area, per unit of electric energy consumption, per labor hour and merchantability/commercialization ratio. We also outline control of variables such as temperature, photoperiod, airflow, CO2 and nutrient supply.

Plant production in plant factories with artificial lighting (PFAL) can be done continuously for similar crops regardless of location and climate, allowing interconnectivity of production worldwide. A combination of a PFAL modular system with data acquisition and analysis tools has the potential to improve crop production in PFALs. Using real time monitoring and AI driven adjustment of the growing environment can improve the resource use efficiency of PFALs worldwide. In this chapter we describe the main elements required to successfully build a global network of PFALs based on the experience of Infarm, a company that built the first world‘s cloud connected PFAL network.

For growers to fully realise the benefits of a total controlled environment agriculture system, ensuring the correct design and management of industrial-scale vertical farms is critical. Systems should be modular, scalable, and flexible to de-risk the farmer's businesses and make the most of economics of scale and facility management systems to optimise energy and labour. These elements all combine to ensure the optimum environmental footprint. This chapter will introduce Intelligent Growth Solutions (IGS) as a business, including its products, services, system design, and functionalities. Further, there is a reference to the installation and operation of IGS Growth Towers and an exploration of future trends such as improving crop range, efficiency gains, levels of automation, and the development of systems to operate the world's largest vertical farms successfully. A case study detailing a publicly subsidised project to grow conifer tree seedlings has been included to demonstrate the system's flexibility and adaptability.

This chapter reviews the piecemeal development of pesticide regulation and the challenges of developing a more harmonised and global approach to approving new crop protection products. Such as approach needs to meet the needs of farmers, companies and regulators in balancing criteria such as efficacy, safety, environmental impact, cost and speed of approval. It also needs to take proper account of the distinctive features of biological products. The chapter reviews the work of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in creating a harmonised framework to meet these objectives.

• Provides a detailed overview of the range of alternative animal feed ingredients
• Considers the potential of alternative animal feed ingredients as core ingredients or supplements in the diets of pigs and fish
• Discusses the techniques used to calculate the nutritional content and quality of alternative animal feed ingredients

• Provides a detailed overview of the range of alternative animal feed ingredients
• Considers the potential of alternative animal feed ingredients as core ingredients or supplements in the diets of pigs and fish
• Discusses the techniques used to calculate the nutritional content and quality of alternative animal feed ingredients

• Provides a detailed overview of the range of alternative animal feed ingredients
• Considers the potential of alternative animal feed ingredients as core ingredients or supplements in the diets of pigs and fish
• Discusses the techniques used to calculate the nutritional content and quality of alternative animal feed ingredients

Over the past 50 years, global pig production has quadrupled and is predicted to continue to rise. Combined with a changing climate, the pig production industry needs to adopt new feed sources and production systems to remain efficient and sustainable. This chapter reviews the current state of insect production for pig feed globally and highlights challenges and knowledge gaps. The author begins by exploring the nutritional, economic, and environmental benefits of using insects as feed. They then describe the current state of insect production, production and health responses in pigs, and insects' economic and environmental potential as waste consumers. Next the author considers current research into insects as antimicrobials and life cycle assessments on their rearing. Following this, they consider future research, such as alternative insect species, insect welfare, COVID-19's impact on production, and workplace constraints. Finally, the author tackles the challenges to insect production.

Insects are abundant and mobile biotic organisms that perform essential functions beneficial to humans. While insects are a vital component to agricultural landscapes, the agricultural systems that require their inputs create stressors to populations through farming practices affecting habitat resources or their health. Farm conservation of wild areas and targeted farm management can promote insect biodiversity, resulting in pollination services to crops that increase yields and improved resources for wildlife, among other benefits. This chapter introduces some contemporary issues related to beneficial insects in agriculture – mostly the insect pollinators and bees – and introduces new concepts linking biodiversity with consumer markets, with an aim to advance insect biodiversity conservation in agricultural landscapes. Citizen science and educational opportunities involving cultural and natural histories can complement insect conservation in agricultural landscapes.

This chapter presents a comprehensive overview of shell egg quality standards, emphasizing the importance of egg quality in poultry science due to its impact on food safety, nutrition, and commercial viability. It delineates the multifaceted nature of egg quality, examining both external (eggshell) and internal (egg yolk and albumen) characteristics. External quality is assessed through factors like size, weight, and shell composition, while internal quality focuses on the nutritional value and freshness of the yolk and albumen. The chapter also discusses the influence of genetic, nutritional, and environmental factors on egg quality. Moreover, it compares international quality standards across major markets like the United States, Europe, and Japan, highlighting their practical implications. Future research directions in egg quality, including emerging technologies, genetic advancements, and sustainability practices, are explored. This chapter integrates scientific research and practical application, offering valuable insights in the field of egg quality assessment and enhancement.

The animal feed sector faces increasingly complex challenges. It needs to improve feed digestibility/efficiency whilst also promoting growth and enhancing both product quality and safety. At the same time it has an increasingly important role in helping to promote animal health, welfare and the sustainability of farming.

Developing animal feed products reviews advances in optimising the key stages in developing successful new animal feed products, from assessing feed ingredients, product development and processing to maintaining quality and safety. The collection features authoritative discussions by leading experts on the relationship between nutrition and animal health, as well as how best to implement risk management systems for the prevention and control of contaminants present in animal feed.

Edited by Dr Navaratnam Partheeban, Royal Agricultural University, UK, Developing animal feed products will be a standard reference for companies involved in the manufacture of animal feed, as well as researchers in livestock nutrition, government and other agencies regulating the animal feed sector.

The animal feed sector faces increasingly complex challenges. It needs to improve feed digestibility/efficiency whilst also promoting growth and enhancing both product quality and safety. At the same time it has an increasingly important role in helping to promote animal health, welfare and the sustainability of farming.

Developing animal feed products reviews advances in optimising the key stages in developing successful new animal feed products, from assessing feed ingredients, product development and processing to maintaining quality and safety. The collection features authoritative discussions by leading experts on the relationship between nutrition and animal health, as well as how best to implement risk management systems for the prevention and control of contaminants present in animal feed.

Edited by Dr Navaratnam Partheeban, Royal Agricultural University, UK, Developing animal feed products will be a standard reference for companies involved in the manufacture of animal feed, as well as researchers in livestock nutrition, government and other agencies regulating the animal feed sector.

The animal feed sector faces increasingly complex challenges. It needs to improve feed digestibility/efficiency whilst also promoting growth and enhancing both product quality and safety. At the same time it has an increasingly important role in helping to promote animal health, welfare and the sustainability of farming.

Developing animal feed products reviews advances in optimising the key stages in developing successful new animal feed products, from assessing feed ingredients, product development and processing to maintaining quality and safety. The collection features authoritative discussions by leading experts on the relationship between nutrition and animal health, as well as how best to implement risk management systems for the prevention and control of contaminants present in animal feed.

Edited by Dr Navaratnam Partheeban, Royal Agricultural University, UK, Developing animal feed products will be a standard reference for companies involved in the manufacture of animal feed, as well as researchers in livestock nutrition, government and other agencies regulating the animal feed sector.

This chapter uses the principles of the circular economy to present alternatives to plastic food packaging in order to face the plastic environmental problem. One of the most promising solutions is the substitution of fossil-based polymers for bio-based and biodegradable polymers, among which polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) stand out. Recent research has shown that it is possible to obtain these biopolymers from agro-industrial and food wastes, thus reducing production costs and increasing sustainability. Bioplastics made from these biopolymers display similar properties to conventional plastic, making them possible to process using currently available technologies. Meanwhile, the design of new packaging items based on biopolymers with improved properties could help reduce both food and plastic waste. The EU-based Usable Packaging project, the objective of which was the development of a circular and vertically integrated value chain in the plastics sector, represents a clear example of efforts being made by the scientific community to bring this research to industry.

“The book contains valuable chapters that provide a useful introduction to how circular economy concepts apply to agricultural systems, supplemented with more in-depth descriptions and analyses of important technologies which may help moving towards improved circularity.” (Book Review Published in the Journal of Circular Economy – Dr A. G. T. Schut and Dr W. J. Vonk, Wageningen University, The Netherlands)

With the agricultural sector pledging to improve its sustainability, there is an urgent need to move away from linear food production models which rely on significant raw material inputs and generate large amounts of residual waste.

Developing circular agricultural production systems reviews the emergence of circular agriculture as an approach to improving the sustainability of the agricultural sector. The book addresses recent advances in understanding and developing closed-loop systems to optimise crop nutrient cycles and resource use, as well as ways agricultural wastes can be recycled back into agricultural production or used as feedstock to produce a range of bio-based materials.

With its comprehensive coverage, the book showcases how to develop circular agricultural production systems, from using crop residues as livestock feed, to producing biogas from livestock manure and manufacturing bio-plastics from agricultural waste.

“The book contains valuable chapters that provide a useful introduction to how circular economy concepts apply to agricultural systems, supplemented with more in-depth descriptions and analyses of important technologies which may help moving towards improved circularity.” (Book Review Published in the Journal of Circular Economy – Dr A. G. T. Schut and Dr W. J. Vonk, Wageningen University, The Netherlands)

With the agricultural sector pledging to improve its sustainability, there is an urgent need to move away from linear food production models which rely on significant raw material inputs and generate large amounts of residual waste.

Developing circular agricultural production systems reviews the emergence of circular agriculture as an approach to improving the sustainability of the agricultural sector. The book addresses recent advances in understanding and developing closed-loop systems to optimise crop nutrient cycles and resource use, as well as ways agricultural wastes can be recycled back into agricultural production or used as feedstock to produce a range of bio-based materials.

With its comprehensive coverage, the book showcases how to develop circular agricultural production systems, from using crop residues as livestock feed, to producing biogas from livestock manure and manufacturing bio-plastics from agricultural waste.

“The book contains valuable chapters that provide a useful introduction to how circular economy concepts apply to agricultural systems, supplemented with more in-depth descriptions and analyses of important technologies which may help moving towards improved circularity.” (Book Review Published in the Journal of Circular Economy – Dr A. G. T. Schut and Dr W. J. Vonk, Wageningen University, The Netherlands)

With the agricultural sector pledging to improve its sustainability, there is an urgent need to move away from linear food production models which rely on significant raw material inputs and generate large amounts of residual waste.

Developing circular agricultural production systems reviews the emergence of circular agriculture as an approach to improving the sustainability of the agricultural sector. The book addresses recent advances in understanding and developing closed-loop systems to optimise crop nutrient cycles and resource use, as well as ways agricultural wastes can be recycled back into agricultural production or used as feedstock to produce a range of bio-based materials.

With its comprehensive coverage, the book showcases how to develop circular agricultural production systems, from using crop residues as livestock feed, to producing biogas from livestock manure and manufacturing bio-plastics from agricultural waste.

Food loss and waste (FLW) is a significant global challenge, and the dairy sector is an important contributor to the problem. There are a number of management options available to utilise dairy FLW in a close-looped system, particularly for developed dairy chains. In this chapter, we identify the dairy FLW management options for diversion and transformation into co-products. The Food Waste Hierarchy provides guidance about preferred food waste management practices. The challenge for individual businesses is identifying the most suitable options for their unique situation, taking into consideration their own goals regarding economic, environmental and social sustainability. Decision support tools (DSTs) may have a role in helping decision-makers consider multiple trade-offs and benefits from FLW options. There are several DSTs available to decision-makers in the dairy sector. This chapter provides a short summary of how DSTs can support dairy businesses to manage FLW and recommendations for the requirements to co-design unique DSTs that suit the needs of end-users across the chain and enable full closed-loop dairy production.

This chapter reviews the key stages in corn plant development when water deficits can most impact on productivity. It reviews progress made in genotyping and phenotyping that enable selection for improved productivity in water-limited growing conditions. Technical approaches to experimental design and data analysis that can facilitate discovery, validation, and implementation of research outputs at a commercial level are also described.

This chapter examines developing cultured meat as a food product. It first focuses on the importance of meat structure when considering the development of cultured meat products, which is then followed by an analysis of appearance and consumer attitudes. The chapter also reviews the importance of flavour in final product quality, drawing specific attention to protein degradation/maturation, lipid incorporation and content as well as flavour development from Maillard reactions and other minor components. A section on nutritional quality is also included, focusing on how protein, lipids, bioactive components, vitamins and minerals can affect this. The chapter also highlights the importance of good microbial safety and highlights key research questions that need to be addressed in future research.

This chapter reviews basic considerations in the development of tools to assist a decision-maker in making informed decisions and improve decision outcomes. This chapter reviews software engineering guidelines that facilitate the development of easily maintainable software tools. Water in the farm and the basic principles involving transfer of water in the farm are reviewed with a special focus on irrigation scheduling. Examples of successful decision aids since the appearance of the personal computer are presented that illustrate the evolution of decision support systems and its close association to information technology developments. Potential outcomes of fourth industrial revolution technologies are briefly discussed, including the beginning of a complex system approach to decision-making aids.

Drought remains the biggest single threat from climate change to the production of key cereal crops, such as wheat and barley. Cereals also respond in complex ways to drought stress, making improved drought tolerance a challenging trait to achieve. With many cereals recognised as staple food crops due to their nutritional value, more research is required into improving drought tolerance as a means of ensuring the future food security of millions.

Developing drought-resistant cereals reviews the wealth of research which addresses how to overcome this challenge in order to mitigate climate change effects in cereal production. This collection details our understanding of the mechanisms of drought tolerance, as well as developments in techniques for improving resistance, including phenotyping, identifying genes relating to root and photosynthetic function and the use of genomic selection and genome editing.

Drought remains the biggest single threat from climate change to the production of key cereal crops, such as wheat and barley. Cereals also respond in complex ways to drought stress, making improved drought tolerance a challenging trait to achieve. With many cereals recognised as staple food crops due to their nutritional value, more research is required into improving drought tolerance as a means of ensuring the future food security of millions.

Developing drought-resistant cereals reviews the wealth of research which addresses how to overcome this challenge in order to mitigate climate change effects in cereal production. This collection details our understanding of the mechanisms of drought tolerance, as well as developments in techniques for improving resistance, including phenotyping, identifying genes relating to root and photosynthetic function and the use of genomic selection and genome editing.

Drought remains the biggest single threat from climate change to the production of key cereal crops, such as wheat and barley. Cereals also respond in complex ways to drought stress, making improved drought tolerance a challenging trait to achieve. With many cereals recognised as staple food crops due to their nutritional value, more research is required into improving drought tolerance as a means of ensuring the future food security of millions.

Developing drought-resistant cereals reviews the wealth of research which addresses how to overcome this challenge in order to mitigate climate change effects in cereal production. This collection details our understanding of the mechanisms of drought tolerance, as well as developments in techniques for improving resistance, including phenotyping, identifying genes relating to root and photosynthetic function and the use of genomic selection and genome editing.

This chapter aims to provide a definition of phytosanitary measures, why they are needed, how standards for phytosanitary measures developed through international cooperation and how they relate to international agreements. It aims to explain how policy decision making and the management of invasive insect pests using phytosanitary measures is supported by the structured framework of pest risk analysis which follows international standards. Outlines of some of the more commonly used phytosanitary measures used to manage pest risk are provided. Case studies are used to illustrate the impact of phytosanitary measures. The chapter closes by identifying some of the key challenges we face to inhibit the introduction and spread of invasive insect pests with the aim of stimulating future research.

Good agricultural practices (GAP) define the practices at the farm level that can be adopted to assure safe and healthy food is produced profitably with appropriate standards in terms of animal welfare, worker welfare and environmental protection. This chapter describes GAP, notions of good farming, how GAP standards have evolved in developed and developing economies, the opportunities to evolve these pre- and post-harvest standards, and their related principles and practices in the future.

Climate change impacts on agriculture will interact with those arising from socio-economic changes in complex ways. Understanding the consequences for agriculture requires an integrated (or holistic) modelling framework. Four key challenges in regional integrated modelling of agricultural systems are identified: (1) better characterisation of model structural uncertainty and its propagation through the modelled system; (2) improved representation of the importance of non-climate drivers on both the supply and demand sides of agriculture; (3) enabling adaptive capacity to be modified by evolving future socio-economic conditions; and (4) incorporating objective targets or goals for adaptation. Future integrated modelling studies that recognise both the uncertainty in climate and socio-economic change and the sensitivity of the uptake and effectiveness of agricultural adaptation options to socio-economic change will provide a more comprehensive understanding of the future challenges and opportunities facing agriculture and an improved basis for planning responses.

Pig feeding and nutrition is a crucial aspect of pig farming, as it directly impacts growth, health, and productivity from birth to market weight. In this chapter the authors consider the key factors in the setting of nutritional guidelines, such as breed and genetic traits affecting nutrient and energy requirements, production goals, and growth stage and weight. Discussion then moves to how to formulate diets to maximise feed efficient and performance while still minimising nutrient excretion. Here the authors consider the diets of nursery pigs, growing-finishing pigs, boars, and gilts and sows. Finally, the authors examine the key challenges in formulating nutritional guidelines and their potential solutions. These challenges include heat stress, the presence of toxigenic fungi and mycotoxins in feed ingredients, post-weaning diarrhoea, and the potential detrimental effect of high dietary leucine concentration.

Botanical pesticides and specifically essential oils have gained popularity as novel, safe pesticides to replace the traditional synthetic products. They are well known to act throughout different modes-of-action against insects causing different neurotoxic effects ranging from repellency to toxicity. Essential oils are proposed as a novel solution against Leiodes cinnamomeus, the most damaging pest in truffle (Tuber melanosporum) cultivation, for which there is no solution available, to this day, despite the efforts made to protect this strategic crop. While essential oils are botanical extracts of low yield, a steady industrial production of oils is feasible to develop green alternatives, as demonstrated by several other industries. Efforts are being made to develop newer formulations to enhance and extend the effectiveness and persistency of essential oils in field, but a proper legal framework is yet to be established.

Large volumes of organic waste are generated from growing, harvesting and processing crops. These organic bioresidues contain large quantities of diverse bioactive molecules, including phenolic compounds. These compounds have significant antioxidant and health-promoting properties. A more sustainable approach can be taken to manage organic agricultural wastes to obtain phytochemicals with numerous potential applications. The chapter assesses the types of phenolic compounds, potential sources from organic waste, beneficial properties and the methods for extraction for commercial use.

The safety of agri-food supply chains remains under constant threat from risks such as food adulteration, malicious contamination, microbiological and chemical hazards, as well as the presence of foreign bodies in food products.

Developing smart agri-food supply chains: Using technology to improve safety and quality provides an authoritative assessment of recent developments to improve safety and quality at key points in the agri-food supply chain. This collection provides a comprehensive coverage of the methods used in tracking and traceability (including detecting genetically-modified organisms in food products), ways of assessing product integrity, dealing with malicious contamination as well as quality assessment and ensuring transparency in supply chains.

Edited by Professor Louise Manning, Royal Agricultural University, UK, Developing smart agri-food supply chains: Using technology to improve safety and quality will be a standard reference for those researching food safety, agri-food logistics and supply chains in universities or other research centres, as well as government and commercial agencies responsible for safety and quality monitoring of agri-food supply chains. It will also be a key reference for supply chain actors, from farmers to food processors and retailers.

The safety of agri-food supply chains remains under constant threat from risks such as food adulteration, malicious contamination, microbiological and chemical hazards, as well as the presence of foreign bodies in food products.

Developing smart agri-food supply chains: Using technology to improve safety and quality provides an authoritative assessment of recent developments to improve safety and quality at key points in the agri-food supply chain. This collection provides a comprehensive coverage of the methods used in tracking and traceability (including detecting genetically-modified organisms in food products), ways of assessing product integrity, dealing with malicious contamination as well as quality assessment and ensuring transparency in supply chains.

Edited by Professor Louise Manning, Royal Agricultural University, UK, Developing smart agri-food supply chains: Using technology to improve safety and quality will be a standard reference for those researching food safety, agri-food logistics and supply chains in universities or other research centres, as well as government and commercial agencies responsible for safety and quality monitoring of agri-food supply chains. It will also be a key reference for supply chain actors, from farmers to food processors and retailers.

The safety of agri-food supply chains remains under constant threat from risks such as food adulteration, malicious contamination, microbiological and chemical hazards, as well as the presence of foreign bodies in food products.

Developing smart agri-food supply chains: Using technology to improve safety and quality provides an authoritative assessment of recent developments to improve safety and quality at key points in the agri-food supply chain. This collection provides a comprehensive coverage of the methods used in tracking and traceability (including detecting genetically-modified organisms in food products), ways of assessing product integrity, dealing with malicious contamination as well as quality assessment and ensuring transparency in supply chains.

Edited by Professor Louise Manning, Royal Agricultural University, UK, Developing smart agri-food supply chains: Using technology to improve safety and quality will be a standard reference for those researching food safety, agri-food logistics and supply chains in universities or other research centres, as well as government and commercial agencies responsible for safety and quality monitoring of agri-food supply chains. It will also be a key reference for supply chain actors, from farmers to food processors and retailers.

Urban agroforestry sub types are reviewed and the nature of current literature is described. Definitions for key concepts are clarified and steps in the design process are explained with a focus on dimensions of resilience and measures of effectiveness in the context of climate change resilience and biodiversity restoration. Two UK-based urban agroforestry case studies are outlined to give some answers to the key driving questions for ongoing research: (1) What would the system look like if we want to feed the most people per unit area? and (2) How can we use the land for maximum benefit forever?