A food productivity system partly funded by the La Trobe University Eagle Fund has reached a milestone with the launch of its first production greenhouse and an agreement to establish the system in India.
The hydroponic system was engineered with support from researchers at La Trobe University’s School of Computing, Engineering and Mathematical Sciences and School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment for the NASA Deep Space Food Challenge.
The Eagle Fund, a joint investment between La Trobe University and Breakthrough Victoria, invested $1 million of a $1.75 million seed round last year to support development and commercialisation of the system, alongside funding from Mandalay Venture Partners and LaunchVic’s Hugh Victor McKay Fund.
“This incredible milestone by YieldX shows what can be achieved when research and industry come together to develop something truly innovative to help solve some of the biggest issues facing our world,” said deputy vice chancellor research and innovation Professor Chris Pakes.
“We are delighted that through our partnership with Breakthrough Victoria, the La Trobe University Eagle Fund is helping bridge the gap between research and commercialisation, drawing on the University’s innovation and world-class research across biotech, Agtech and biomedical sciences.”
YieldX is operating at commercial scale within a 4,000 square metre protected cropping greenhouse at Butler Market Gardens. The pilot has demonstrated intelligent optimisation of plant spacing and, when deployed across the full site, is projected to increase basil production by up to one million plants per year within the same greenhouse footprint.
The system is set to be established in India under a multi year agreement with Hyperpure, the fresh supply chain arm of Zomato.
The agreement will see YieldX systems deployed across controlled environment agriculture sites in and around New Delhi, supporting Hyperpure’s strategy to vertically integrate fresh produce supply and improve reliability during extreme summer heat and monsoon conditions.
“This moment has been five years in the making,” said CEO and chief technology officer Nadun Hennayaka.
“The NASA program proved the engineering, but our real ambition was always to make farming easier and more productive on Earth.
“We are focused on empowering growers with step change yet simple technology that helps ensure fresh food remains accessible to local communities. This is the first time growers can physically see what is possible at true commercial scale.”
The YieldX system was developed with input from researchers Dr Alex Stumpf, Adam Console and Fernando Galetto, who helped build two vertical farms as part of the NASA Deep Space Food Challenge.
“The team is extremely excited to reach this milestone. Getting the YieldX system out of the lab and into the hands of a grower is incredibly rewarding. Seeing it genuinely making farming easier and more productive is a powerful validation of all the hard work we have put in and a clear sign that this technology is ready to deliver real impact,” Dr Stumpf said.
The Lyndhurst demonstration site is open to growers, distributors, industry representatives and investors to view the system in operation, review performance data and assess gains in crop density, yield and land use efficiency within existing infrastructure.