Bubbling water, the humming of air conditioning, the beeping of meters, red and blue lights. The converted shipping container in which Ferdinand Bouwman (1969) grows his vegetables has something of a futuristic laboratory. The space is extremely well insulated. It's spotless here. Nothing left to chance. Everything is under control; from the moment a seed is put into the plug to harvesting a head of lettuce from the racks. Welcome to the world of hightech vertical farming!
This is state-of-the-art vegetable cultivation. In four racks stacked one over another, the heads of lettuce grow in water, without soil. In the shipping container farm, the two water tanks are connected via four pipes to a pump and sensor. These sensors monitor whether the water quality is optimal. They measure temperature, the amount of nutrients and the acidity (pH).
If a measurement is slightly off from the settings, the system intervenes immediately. This happens continuously. A pump switches on or off, the temperature rises or falls. The humidity is adjusted, or the level of carbon dioxide changed. Farmer Ferdinand can check everything from his phone as well. He can remotely control the number of hours that the lights stay on in the container farm, but also, for example, when and how much water the plants get.
A new challenge
In 1993 Ferdinand Bouwman started as a physiotherapist at the Foundation for the Disabled and Rehabilitation Care, the SGR Group, and he specialized in the treatment of people with spinal cord injury, amputations, or Cerebrovascular Accident (CVA). A beautiful job. The satisfaction is indescribable.
Almost thirty years later, he has risen to the position of manager. He felt it was time for a new challenge, though. He knew immediately what he wanted: to go outside and grow vegetables! In 2021, Ferdinand traded the security of an office job for a new adventure. He did not act on a whim but was driven by the conviction that you can produce good quality food in Curaçao. He does this for the island.
Now or never
“In 1997 I was diagnosed with cancer. During that period, I became more interested in nature. Before then I was mainly concerned with 'being somebody'. You take everything for granted and hardly think about where the food in your house comes from. Even after I recovered, it continued to weigh on my mind. I had just turned fifty and thought: if I want to do something different, it has to happen now."
“I have always been interested in computers. The technology, the software, the networks. This knowledge did help me to master this form of cultivation. I'm still learning. I try to find solutions. I rise and go to bed with it. We hope that with our products, less importation will be needed in the future. We mainly grow lettuce and herbs, because so much of it still comes from the US and the Netherlands: 1,000 tons in 2020! Lettuce is also a fast-growing crop with a constant demand.”
Martha Koosje
“My parents are from Curaçao. I grew up in the Netherlands, but we often visited during the holidays. A large part of Martha Koosje belongs to the family. In the early 1990s, my brother and I were allowed to build on the site. Now we each have our own house.”
”Dirk, my brother, is a crafty thinker. In his spare time, because he has a job, he comes up with all sorts of handy things. Such as a gutter where we can put the racks in to hose them down. Our father was the driving force behind the project, and the main investor in our company HYBiZZ. He passed away in December 2022 and sadly did not share the experience when we truly started. My mother is 85 and helps with sowing and harvesting.”
Indoor hydroponics
The soil over here is not suitable for agriculture. The top layer consists of clay with large limestone boulders. The site is also too small for profitable production. That is why I started with a small Aquaponics installation, in other words with vegetables that grow in water, without soil.”
“You use fish in a basin to enrich the water with nutrients. All those little links, that makes it complicated. And the crops were outdoors, asking for trouble. It could be too hot, too humid, or too dry. All sorts of animals love to nibble on a leaf of lettuce. I thought we have to control it; and that can only be done indoors. In the container farm, the plants also grow in water, but without fish.”
“The system controls the delivery of nutrients. It's hydroponics in an indoor setting. This has many advantages. More control, but it also saves water and space. In 100 cubic meters we can plant the equivalent of a two-hectare field outside. Continuous cultivation is depleting soils worldwide. We grow without soil and do not use pesticides.”
Day and night in a container
Inside the container, the conditions are ideal but also like those in nature. Dark and cooler at night, then light and warmer again. This variation is essential. As a matter of fact, plants are just like people: they rest at night so they can be active during the day.
Sunlight is simulated in the container farm using red and blue LED lights. Those panels with lights shine on the cultivation racks and create a magical, fairytale atmosphere. Ferdinand plays a bit with the day and night effect. The more hours the lights are on, the faster the crops grow. He also adds some extra blue light. This is beneficial to the color of red lettuce varieties.
Plants need red and blue light to stay healthy. More intake of light means that they sweat more profusely. This process prevents accumulation of substances in the cells. This activity makes a plant thirsty and hungry. Therefore, more water with nutrients is sent to the drip system during light hours.
This is needed for a nice head of lettuce
Container temperature: between 18 and 22 degrees Celsius
Water temperature: below 20 degrees Celsius
Humidity level: 60 to 70 percent (moist = molds, drier = leaf edges)
Acidity (pH): 5.8 (for nutrient uptake; pH 7 = neutral, less acidic; drinking water comes with a pH of about 8, so it must be acidic)
Hightech farming in a nutshell
Step 1: Sowing and sprouting
The seedlings grow in a tray with 288 plugs made of natural materials. Each plug contains a seed, tightly wrapped in a bit of finely chopped coconut shell. The seeds are of the best quality from The Netherlands and come from Westland and North Holland, also known as 'Seed Valley'.
Under the cover it is nicely warm and humid. Absolutely perfect for germinating the seeds. After a week, the plastic cap comes off. Every eight hours, water flows under the germination trays and the plugs absorb it. The seedlings are large enough after three weeks; they are transferred to one of four cultivation racks.
Step 2: Growing and caring
Water. That's what it's all about in the hightech vertical farming system. Both the source of moisture and nutrients for the crops on the racks. The plants grow in a v-shaped construction of two pieces of foam rubber with felt. A drip is attached to the top of each vertical row. The water droplets fall onto the felt and then reach all the plants, from plug to plug. What remains flows back to the tanks.
This is actually like a spa for pampered plants. The young crop grows in an ideal environment. Farmer Ferdinand checks the plants every day with great attention and care. He wears gloves for optimal hygiene and special sunglasses against the bright light in the container farm.
Step 3: Harvesting
A full rack yields a harvest of two to 2.5 kilograms. The bottom rows are left empty to prevent roots from blocking the water drainage. Ferdinand takes the framework out and puts it on his work bench. Carefully he pulls out the heads of lettuce. He removes any yellow, limp leaves. Those are for the chickens. Nothing goes to waste this way. Only the best quality is good enough. This is why Ferdinand is looking for a better and sustainable alternative to the plastic bags in which he delivers the orders. In spite of the air holes, it remains too humid in the bags.
Step 4: Maintenance
Hightech vertical farming relies on modern software. Much of it operates smoothly. But for those operations, everything must be in order. The water runs back into the system via the plants. Over time, the water quality deteriorates. That is why the tanks are cleaned and the water changed once a month. In the meantime, anything could get stuck or broken. Ferdinand works from a maintenance plan. He checks the entire system and if something is broken, he fixes it.
After each harvest, the racks, gutters, drains and sponges are given a thorough wash. Spraying away of the remaining roots, removal of green deposits. The rubber frames and felt pads are disinfected with a natural and biodegradable agent based on citric acid. Reassembly, and then everything is ready for the next crop of seedlings.
Lettuce and more
Ferdinand Bouwman of HYBiZZ also grows vegetables and herbs with a unique flavor. In addition to butter lettuce, for example: Batavia lettuce, Lolo Bionda and Rosa, Crystal Lettuce (resembles iceberg lettuce with a nutty flavour), red veined sorrel, kale, Chinese cabbage, curly parsley, dill, basil, mint, microgreens. Nice, crispy and super fresh! The harvest goes directly to restaurants and hotels. Less than three hours later, it's on the guests' plates.
Ferdinand hopes to produce more soon in a second, cheaper container, a greenhouse, or a space in an empty building. However, first the electricity bill must be reduced. The container farm guzzles energy. This can be made more sustainable and cost-effective with solar panels.