In partnership with BeGreen, Latin America's first urban farm, iFood has opened an urban farm on the rooftop of its headquarters in Osasco, Greater São Paulo. The 950-square-meter facility is dedicated to cultivating 1.7 metric tons per month of fresh, pesticide-free greens, fruits, and vegetables.
Located on the building's seventh floor, the urban farm aims to direct its entire production to the 3,000 families registered with the Osasco Food Bank. The first official harvest will take place in August and will be entirely donated to the municipal project.
Urban farms are facilities where food is grown within the city, close to where it will be consumed. This reduces transport times, vehicle carbon emissions, and the waste generated during distribution.
“We are using our space to contribute to smart solutions that can positively impact people's lives. Every month, we will harvest over a ton of food that will be donated to the local community,” says Gustavo Vitti, Vice President of People and Sustainability at iFood.
The space features an innovative greenhouse with technology developed by BeGreen. The crops are grown hydroponically, with roots developing in water solutions that deliver the natural nutrients required for healthy growth. Automated controls manage water volume and nutrition levels throughout the growing channels.
This technique saves up to 90% of the water used in traditional farming. A high-tech climate control system allows for remote temperature management inside the greenhouse, yielding a productivity level 28 times higher than conventional cultivation.
Another key feature is its entirely pesticide-free production. With the core mission of promoting consumer health, the company employs biological protocols in cultivation, making pesticides unnecessary. The crops are harvested just prior to delivery and sent straight from the farm to the end consumer, arriving fresh and with their roots intact.
An artificial lighting system for the vertical racks, designed and implemented in partnership with AES Tietê and the Swiss Center for Electronics and Microtechnology, complements natural sunlight with LED activation to boost productivity.
“By bringing production closer to the end consumer, we can reduce food waste to 1% and water consumption by 90%. This allows us to deliver fresher, healthier, and tastier produce to people while causing the lowest possible environmental impact on the planet,” explains Giuliano Bittencourt, CEO of BeGreen. The company aims to transform the food production chain, reducing the environmental footprint of traditional farming.
Via CicloVivo.
This article was written by CicloVivo. The translation is powered by AI.
