Smart Acres, the UAE’s latest addition to the hydroponic vertical farming industry, has accomplished a series of achievements within its first year since launching. In its inception, Smart Acres has begun distributing a variety of lettuce to various partners, and has since then obtained its record-high numbers in producing some of the largest and heaviest greens in the UAE.
Within the last year, Smart Acres has been producing a line of the freshest, most nutrient-dense greens for UAE residents and businesses alike, and in recent months it has successfully dominated its system of cultivating and harvesting mature species of lettuce exceeding industry-targeted weights for vertical farming, a rare achievement amongst all vertical farms in the GCC region. The AgriTech farm has grown Green Glace up to a record-breaking 419 grams, and has broken maximum weight records with all of their other varieties as well, reaching above 300 grams per lettuce head. This has been a tremendous effort by the company as the produce is not only maintaining large weights, but it is also consistent in its quality and taste. Despite achieving such results, size plays a secondary role when deciding which crops meet the quality standard as their main focus is shape, colour, and taste. At the moment, the team is currently garnering a large amount of interest amongst industry chefs due to the consistent weights of its crops and especially the shelf-life of these tasty greens reaching up to 14 days.
The accomplishments of Smart Acres are in large part due to the internal research and development their team completed prior to and post launch in 2020. Thanks to the efforts of their team, not only have they produced some of the highest quality lettuce in the region, but there has been a steady increase in demand for purchasing from Smart Acres for food services despite the challenges brought on throughout 2020. Additionally, the vertical farm has achieved a planting ratio of 95% and above when transplanting seedlings. The company takes into consideration the overall size, root health, and health of the leaves when deciding which seedlings are healthy or not to achieve the best results. Smart Acres has managed to cultivate exceptional quality crops with its current farm module technology, and for its upcoming expansion, the company will be installing even newer technology with updated physical systems that will allow for better resource consumption and air flow.
Smart Acres was founded with the mission of improving food security within the United Arab Emirates and developing the country’s farming capabilities, providing a solution to potential socioeconomic threats such as pandemics and climate limitations the Middle East currently endures. The vertical farming company, developed by a team of experts, CEO Abdulla Al Kaabi, Director Sean Lee, Lead Project Manager, Aphisith Phongsavanh, and Farm Operations Manager, Vishakh Nath, is a one-of-a-kind agriculture system which is designed to produce some of the highest yields of crops within the UAE’s vertical farming industry, whilst introducing a new future for clean foods and allowing both B2B and B2C sectors to locally sourced produce.
Smart Acres’ vision is to shape a balanced well-being for communities and connect them with readily available clean foods. Through their technology and growth methods, Smart Acres will easily provide the UAE with ultra-high quality produce farmed sustainably. The future expansion plan of the company will lie at the development of ‘Smart Acres Institute of Food Security & Agriculture’, which will be built on the existing land owned by their CEO, Abdulla al Kaabi.