November 10, 2020

By Lynda Kiernan, Global AgInvesting Media

The Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) announced an investment of AED152 million (US$41 million) across three companies advancing agtech innovation across “land, sea, and space”. 

These three companies: Pure Harvest Smart Farms (Pure Harvest), FreshToHome, and Nanoracks, will receive financial and non-financial incentives in support of their expansion of existing capabilities in Abu Dhabi’s agtech ecosystem, and to support their work promoting innovation within food production to address global food security challenges.

This investment is an ongoing effort by Abu Dhabi to foster growth for its agtech sector through its AgTech Incentive Programme. Established under the Ghadan 21 Accelerator  in 2019, the program was designed to support growth for the UAE’s nascent agtech ecosystem, to promote innovation that is “locally relevant and globally exportable” by solving complex challenges and turning sand into farmland, and strengthening the presence of local food producers.

“Abu Dhabi is pressing ahead at full steam with our mission to ‘turn the desert green’ and solve long-term global food security issues,” said Dr. Tariq Bin Hendi, director general, ADIO. “We have created an environment where innovative ideas can flourish and this has enabled the rapid expansion of our AgTech sector.”

Today’s investment follows upon a previous US$100 million investment made by ADIO in April of this year in AeroFarms, Madar Farms, RNZ, and Responsive Drip Irrigation (RDI) – to bring next generation agricultural research and production to the desert. 

“Four global AgTech innovators are joining our mission to turn sand into farmland,” said Dr. Hendi at the time. “In line with Abu Dhabi’s long-term vision to grow the sector, ADIO partners with companies that have innovation at the core to help ensure long-term success. Each of these companies will add to our already established agriculture ecosystem, and benefit from our plentiful land, natural heat, competitive energy prices and access to research universities and skilled talent.”

Today, Dr. Hendi added,”Innovations from the companies we partnered with earlier this year are already propelling the growth of Abu Dhabi’s 24,000 farms. Partnering with Pure Harvest, FreshToHome and Nanoracks adds a realm of new capabilities to the ecosystem across land, sea and space.”

Pure Harvest – Co-founded by Silicon Valley private equity investor Sky Kurtz and his Emirati business partner Mahmoud Adi, UAE-based Pure Harvest is a technology-driven greenhouse production agribusiness dedicated to the year-round, sustainable production of premium fresh fruits and vegetables.

The company plans to use the backing gained from ADIO to invest in smart farming and infrastructure technologies at its new farms in Al Ain, Abu Dhabi with the goal of optimizing growing conditions through innovations in hardware design, AI, robotics, plant science research, and desert-optimized machinery.

It will also drive R&D and the deployment of a commercial-scale algae bioreactor production facility for the production of high-quality, healthier Omega-3 fatty acids without the challenges and limitations inherent with animal sourcing.

“We are delighted to have received the support of ADIO to further invest in our home-grown, innovative growing solutions. It also serves as a powerful endorsement of our business case and mission as we pursue innovation to address food security locally and internationally,” said Sky Kurtz.

“As one of the pioneering champions in the region’s emerging AgTech sector, this commitment will give us the resources we need to drive and expand our R&D capabilities and will position us for international expansion from our strategic base in Abu Dhabi,” continued Kurtz. “This partnership further demonstrates how committed the government is in supporting and enabling innovative technology companies, providing them with the tools, resources and support to thrive and make a large-scale impact in the region.”

FreshToHome – is an e-commerce grocery platform for fresh, chemical-free produce, meats, poultry, and seafood that controls its entire supply chain, inventory, and logistics by directly sourcing its foods through an AI-powered auction process. 

“ADIO has been a terrific partner to us and we are thankful for their support in helping us be part of the vision,” said Shan Kadavil, CEO and co-founder FreshToHome.

With the capital investment from ADIO FreshToHome will expand its land and sea operations and its processing capabilities in the UAE by bringing expertise in aquaculture, precision agriculture, and contract farming for marine and freshwater fish to Abu Dhabi. It will also enhance its investment in innovative fish farming and cold chain technologies. 

“At FreshToHome we use cutting-edge research in AI and precision aquaculture for furthering food security in a sustainable manner while also giving better value to consumers, fishermen and farmers,” said Kadavil. “To this end, we intend to bring our US patent pending AI-powered Virtual Commodities Exchange technology, our e-grocery platform and our nano farm aquaculture technology to Abu Dhabi, enhancing food production and distribution for the region.”

 Nanoracks – is the largest commercial user of the International Space Station, and is building the first commercial agtech space research program, the StarLab Space Farming Center. Based in the U.S., Nanoracks opened its first UAE office in Abu Dhabi’s global tech ecosystem Hub71 last year. In Abu Dhabi the company is working at its commercial space research facility to advance knowledge and technology guiding food production in space or in equally extreme conditions here on Earth. It is this space-centric research that will be applied to food production in the desert to help mitigate environmental and food security issues while also supporting long-term human space exploration. 

“Much of today’s technology used for vertical, urban and closed environment agriculture initially came from space research from 30 years ago, and Nanoracks is ready to synergise these technologies back to in-space exploration,” said Allen Herbert, SVP of business development and strategy, and head of Nanorack, UAE. 

“We firmly believe that space research holds the keys to solving major challenges on Earth from climate change to food security. And our StarLab Space Farming Center in Abu Dhabi is just the beginning,” said Herbert. “We’re building a global research and development team that will produce and commercialize organisms, technology, and innovative products that will not only revolutionize farming in Earth’s deserts and harsh environments, but also change the way humans are able to explore deeper into our universe.”

– Lynda Kiernan is editor with GAI Media, and is managing editor and daily contributor for Global AgInvesting’s AgInvesting Weekly News and  Agtech Intel News, and HighQuest Group’s Oilseed & Grain News. She is also a contributor to the GAI Gazette. She can be reached at lkiernan@globalaginvesting.com.