Collaborative project offers technology for growing vegetables

The Urban Farm is a collaborative project by the startup BeGreen, in partnership with EMBRAPII (Brazilian Industrial Research and Innovation Company) and Sebrae, which proves that innovation and industry 4.0 concepts can directly contribute to encouraging sustainability and healthy eating. It is an aquaponics and aeroponics system developed by the EMBRAPII Unit - SENAI Cimatec and installed at the factory of the multinational Mercedes-Benz, in São Bernardo do Campo, in ABC Paulista. The pesticide-free vegetables supply the company's restaurants and can also be purchased by employees.

Several technical-scientific experiments were conducted in the testing laboratory by the project's technical team until reaching the prototype. With this innovation, producers are able to control the temperature, luminosity, humidity and acidity of the Urban Farm's water, all in real time, through an application. The result of this process is an increase in lettuce production by up to four times and a reduction in the cultivation cycle by 40% compared to the conventional method.

"The final purpose of this project is closely aligned with the Sustainable Development objectives of the UN (United Nations). The system was driven by an agile and unbureaucratic financing model integrated between EMBRAPII and Sebrae. It is a big step that allows the union between large and small companies" says Daniel Motta, Technology and Innovation Manager at the EMBRAPII Unit, SENAI Cimatec.

According to the startup Begreen, innovation in the field of aquaponics and aeroponics, that is, cultivation techniques without the need for soil, brings as its main benefits the increase in productivity, optimization of production time, reduction of logistics expenses, since the Production can be carried out within urban centers, and there is less demand for inputs such as water and pesticides, thus contributing to cleaner production. The vertical aeroponics prototype using LED, combined with Industry 4.0 concepts, demonstrated real production potential for large-scale commerce in a short space of time.

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This is another EMBRAPII project in partnership with Sebrae to leverage innovative ideas from small entrepreneurs seeking to enhance the competitiveness of their companies in the market. In the conventional EMBRAPII model, up to 1/3 of the value of innovative projects in Brazilian industry is financed with non-reimbursable resources, in addition to making the EMBRAPII Units, renowned research centers accredited by the institution, available for their development. In the specific model that includes Sebrae, entrepreneurs receive the complement of their financial counterparts in the projects, sharing the risks and contributing to their viability.