"The real opportunity lies in hybrid production systems"
Source: VFD.com
"What initially started as indoor vertical farming projects has developed into integrated food production programmes that combine controlled environment agriculture, greenhouse horticulture, research, education and commercial food production." © Indoor Vertical.Farm From technology supplier to infrastructure developer "Governments are no longer looking for individual technologies. They are looking for complete food production ecosystems that strengthen food security, create local employment, facilitate knowledge transfer and remain commercially sustainable.
"Bosman Van Zaal brings more than a century of internationally recognised greenhouse engineering expertise. "This partnership marks an important step in our evolution from supplying innovative technologies to developing complete food production infrastructure." © Wesley Francis | VerticalFarmDaily.com A hybrid production model The partnership centers on a hybrid approach: propagating young plants under fully controlled indoor conditions before transferring them into greenhouse environments for the remainder of their growth cycle.
"This approach improves crop consistency, shortens production cycles, increases operational efficiency and optimises the overall economics of food production." "Bosman Van Zaal's expertise perfectly complements Indoor Vertical.Farm's own platform and enables us to deliver integrated food production systems designed for long-term resilience and commercial success." For more information: Indoor Vertical.Farm Bernard Sleijster, Co-Founder and CEO [email protected] www.indoorvertical.farm Publication date: Fri 17 Jul 2026 © VerticalFarmDaily.com / Wesley Francis Related Articles → See More "The real opportunity lies in hybrid production systems" "You take the best part of both productions and combine them to get something new" US (PA): InventHelp inventor develops portable hybrid grow system Australian plant monitoring structures to see space What is the future of strawberries in TCEA farming? New water soluble fertilizer launched at HortiContact Ledgnd updating platform to allow growers to understand their plants UAE: Food Tech Valley and Badia Farms signs agreement to implement hybrid food models Poland: Turning an oil rig into a research center, self-sufficient in clean energy SA: University project creates pipeline for sustainable food waste management system Related Articles "The real opportunity lies in hybrid production systems" "You take the best part of both productions and combine them to get something new" US (PA): InventHelp inventor develops portable hybrid grow system Australian plant monitoring structures to see space What is the future of strawberries in TCEA farming?
Why this matters: For operators, this is a water-management story. The useful signal is that direct substrate measurements can help cut drain loss materially without giving up yield or fruit quality, which is exactly the kind of controllable efficiency gain a facility can build on.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does substrate sensing matter in free-drain strawberry systems?
Because drain percentage tells a grower what already happened, while substrate moisture and EC data show root-zone conditions directly. That makes it easier to cut water loss without guessing.
What is the operator takeaway from this trial?
If the thresholds are understood well enough, growers can reduce drain water materially while protecting yield and fruit quality, which makes sensing an operational tool instead of a reporting tool.
