There are enormous agribusiness opportunities for startups due to new consumer trends, exports business and business models; this session will provide for an overview of four such opportunities.

1. VERTICLE FARMING &
INDUCING INNATE IMMUNITY
by
MOHAN BAJIKAR,
mohanbajikar@gmail.com, 91.9810618066
AT
NIABI 2012
2nd Global Agri-Business Incubation Conference
IARI Auditorium, February 6 - 8, 2012
NEW DELHI

2. SkyFarms
… inspired by nature

3. the great predicament
World is facing a major predicament!
• World population surging.
• Dire shortage of land for farming.
• Weather patterns changing thanks to climate change.
• Oil prices through roof together with its demand.
• Crop yields decreasing at alarming rate.
• What does this mean for us?
We face very real threat of not having sufficient food!

4. the solution
• To solve biggest predicament of humanity – a worldwide shortage of food
supply, we introduce innovative concept called SkyFarms.
• SkyFarms comes from idea of building skyscraper or vertical farms.
• To do for agriculture what skyscraper did for office & living space.
• SkyFarms is high-rise building devoted to indoor cultivation of edible crops
& produce utilizing latest in hydroponic and aeroponic technologies.
• Hydroponics nearly 20 times yield rate of conventional agriculture
(depending on crop … strawberries are up to 30 times – based on US
productivity).
• SkyFarms will become complete self-sustainable & controlled ecosystem.

5. constraints
• Huge infrastructure investment
– Huge capital investment is required whether we retrofit an existing building or
build a purpose-built structure
• Energy needs
– Any such hi-tech Mega development project will generate high energy
consumption needs. This creates huge utilities bill for skyfarm’s investors.
– Current hi-tech green alternative source of energy supply have not totally
made it more cost effective than fossil fuel. If we go on total renewable
energy, it may not be economical for smaller skyfarms business operators. So
critical mass becomes important.
• Operations cost
– This is a cost concern as we have to maintain both the internal machinery and
the building maintenance related costs

6. environment security
• Water
– ½-2% of traditional farming
• Food
– productivity increase 10-30 fold (even 300x has
been recorded)
• Energy
– completely self-sustaining, especially when
processes are in place
• Bio-fuels
– Grown, extracted and generated within
– No fossil fuel powered vehicle will go beyond public
domain, except in event of exigency

7. CONCERNS ADDRESSED
WATER – WEALTH
FOOD – FUEL
SAFETY – SECURITY
CLIMATE – CHANGE
WAR - WARMTH
REACH OUT

16. PRESENTING
PRESENTING
GROW-ANYWHERE
AEROPONICALLY

17. 21st Century Agriculture:
A Critical Role for Science and Technology
Aeroponics (soil less cultivation) developed on space
shuttle and commercialised on earth

19. Soil-less Sanitary
Soil-less Sanitary
Technology
Technology

20. Rapid Propagation & Seed Germination
This agri-technology can increase crop dry
weight bio-mass production by over 80% when
compared to other agricultural techniques.

21. Organic Food Production
Genesis Series Aeroponic System provides
plants with an enclosed air and water/nutrient
ecosystem, that stimulates rapid plant growth,
without soil or media.
Grow Harvest Ready for Market

22. Precision Crop Production
• The plants can be started from vegetative
cuttings or seeds.
• The microcomputer controller releases a
pulsed hydro-atomized spray mixture of
water, nutrients and growth hormones into
the enclosed air environment of the
growing chamber.

30. Benefits
• Can be used in a Green house / grow room
• Full control over root and shoot system of plants
• Uses very little space – 0.74 sq. meters
• Uses very little water – 0.2 % of conventional needs
• Uses very little nutrition – in grams / month

31. Benefits
• Produces more plants
per unit area
• User friendly system
• Cost effective
• Effective pathogen
• & disease control
• Healthy & vibrant crop
• Companion plantings

32. Air-Foods™
Culinary Organic Food
Organic Food
•Naturally Grown
• Hi-Nutrition Value
• Pesticide-free
• Always Fresh
• 30-day Shelf Life
USDA NOP Certified
(National Organic Program)

33. How are foods grown in air?
• Plants grow 99.9%
of their time in pure air
• Oxygen & mineral
enriched solutions
• Controlled micro-climates -
root & leaf
• Pest free environments

34. High impact crop production
• Increase yields by 80% per sq ft
• 100% natural food –
pesticide free
• Mineral enriched – more nutritious
• Multi-crop capacity in less sq. footage
• 24/7 growing in an optimized climate
• 12 to 24 crops per your year

35. Some Examples
• Germination time
• Lettuce 1 day
• Tomato 3 days
• Herbs 1 day
• Corn 2 days
• Peppers (Capsicum) 5 days
• Beans 2 days
• Cucumbers 3 days
• Broccoli 2 days
• Cauliflower 2 days
May vary slightly depending on variety

36. Some Examples
• Rooting time
• Tomato 5 day
• Bean 7 days
• Carnations 8 days
• Geranium 7 days
• Orchid 21 days
• Olive 16 days
• Figs 21 days
• Potato 7 days
• Roses 10 days
• Strawberry 21 days
May vary slightly depending on variety

38. When crops talk to farmers

40. Conclusion

41. Space-age Technologies for Earth
Go For It….

43. YEA!® Yield Enhancing
Agent Innate Immunity of Plants
Elicits plants defend themselves
against pathogens, diseases, pests,
adverse environmental stress,
and increase yields
Listen: Dr. Linden

44. IMMUNITY AGAINST
BACTIRIA FUNGI INSECTS

45. Example of Pattern Recognition Receptor (PRR)
Homodimer Protein in Biological Membrane
Showing Phosphorylation Sites Initiate Signal
Transduction Processes
YEA!® YEA!® Elicitor sits in
Receptor’s pocket > YEA!® Elicitor sits in
the receptor’s pocket
the receptor’s pocket
Plant Cell
Membrane >
Phosphorylation
Sites >
Elicitor initiates Signal Transduction Processes
Listen: Dr. Linden

46. Third Party Field Testing Results
(Control vs. YEA!® Seed Treatment)
Corporate Tester: Yield Treatment
Confidential Difference Difference
2004 Field Trials (% of Control)
Soybean 5.4 (bu/A) 110
2005 thru 2007 Trials
Soybean 6.6 (bu/A) 112
Wheat 2.5 (bu/A) 105
Corn 7.0 (bu/A) 104
Peanut 645 (lbs/A) 139
Sugar Beet 1.5 (tons/A) 111
Rice 860.9 (lbs/A) 116
Listen: Dr. Linden

47. Agricultural Benefits of YEA!®
 When used as directed on this label, YEA! can boost seed
germination and vitality, stimulate emergence and sprouting,
enhance plant vigor, promote growth, suppress diseases and
pathogens, activate plant resistances to environment stress and
disease pressures, including the suppression of parasitic
nematodes, increase crops yields, and improve crop quality.
 For use as seed treatment on corn, soybean, potato, sugar beets
vegetables, herbs, grains, legumes, rice, fruit and citrus trees.
Listen: Dr. Linden

49. 16 Advantages of Vertical Farming –
Sky Farming/Vertical Farming –
The Near Future of Farming
1. Year-round crop production; 1 indoor acre is equivalent to
4-6outdoor acres or more, depending upon the crop (e.g.,
strawberries: 1 indoor acre = 30 outdoor acres)
2. No weather-related crop failures due to droughts, floods, pests
3. All VF food is grown organically: no herbicides, pesticides,
or fertilizers

50. 4. VF virtually eliminates agricultural runoff by recycling black water
5. VF returns farmland to nature, restoring ecosystem functions
and services
6. VF greatly reduces the incidence of many infectious diseases that
are acquired at the agricultural interface
7. VF converts black and gray water into potable water by collecting
the water of evapotranspiration

51. 8. VF adds energy back to the grid via methane generation
from composting non-edible parts of plants and animals
9. VF dramatically reduces fossil fuel use
(no tractors, plows, shipping.)
10. VF converts abandoned urban properties into food
production centers
11. VF creates sustainable environments for urban centers

52. 12. VF creates new employment opportunities
13. We cannot go to the moon, Mars, or beyond without
first learning to farm indoors on earth
14. VF may prove to be useful for integrating into
refugee camps

53. 15. VF offers the promise of measurable economic improvement
for tropical and subtropicalLDCs. If this should prove to be
the case, then VF may be a catalyst in helping to reduce or
even reverse the population growth of LDCs as they adopt
urban agriculture as a strategy for sustainable food production.
16. VF could reduce the incidence of armed conflict over natural
resources, such as water and land for agriculture