Chi Tran

AGRINEXT envisions the future of Californian farms, one driven by a mass application of technology and robotics in agriculture, redesigning traditional farming practices as we know them. With the global population growth expected to reach 10 billion by 2050, farming has moved from sizeable 3-4 thousand hectares of land to the size of a Costco warehouse. The project is located in California, a region with one of the largest agricultural industries and technology hubs in the world.

AGRINEXT is a semi-automated vertical farm, producing a variety of vegetables, namely lettuces, cabbages, spinach, and culinary herbs. The project envisions the next step for how our food is sourced. It believes that the next generation of farming will move indoors and with virtually no human interaction. For humanity to continue sustainably, the way we grow and supply our food needs to be close to the urban population, reducing distribution chains to offer lower emissions and drastically lessen the hundred billions of gallons of water usage and mass land use.

The farm is built directly next to the city to eliminate the environmental impact of freighting and transporting food across the country and reduce the need for imported produce. As the people consume the goods and create food waste, the waste is transported to a biofuel power plant where it is pulverised and fed into an anaerobic digester. The methane gas that results from the process is then converted into electricity that powers the city and the farm.

Inspired by the process of gleaning, AGRINEXT imagines a future where food waste is collected and transformed into an energy source.

The crops are planted within a rotational pulley system, where the vegetables at the top containers are misted with purified water and nutrients. Simultaneously, lower containers are monitored and harvested by automated robots. The Agribots move within the space along a track and are in charge of sowing the seeds, supervising plant growth and harvesting. The robots scan the crops for their water and nutrients needs at the root zone and control the rotating farming system to ensure that all crops get what they need when they need it. Due to the controlled environment, most crops now have a growth cycle of 10 days, and are harvested 365 days a year.

The robots, called “AGRIBots”, are powered by clean and renewable sources such as solar and biofuel converted electricity. One of the energy uses is to power the AGRIbots at their designated charging station.