Italian startup Veve, a food-focused startup that wowed crowds at the Expo Milano 2015, has developed an ultra efficient system for the growth of vegetables in vertical rows that uses aeroponics technology. The technology allows 200 plants to be cultivated in one square meter, the equivalent of a traditional vegetable garden that is 20 square meters in area. Amazingly, the system uses no soil and the plants are irrigated by a pump that activates intermittently and sprays the roots with a organic-infused water mixture. This approach saves space, water and increases plant productivity. The pump activates for 10 seconds every 15 minutes, using minimal energy, and the company has plans to eventually power this process entirely by photovoltaic cells. Imagine: a vegetable garden with the footprint of a pizza box that requires no human-powered watering, no energy from the grid and produces delicious organic produce. This technology could go a long way to help solve the problems of future food security and resource scarcity.
The Veve team is lead by Matteo Sansoni, who graduated in Architecture with specialization in Industrial Design at the Politecnico di Milano and has, over the years, developed expertise in building design, site management and interior design. Over time he has kept alive his passion for industrial design and nature, for the artifice in relation to nature, and for innovation and research. The result of these unique areas of focus is this vertical vegetable garden.
The company, which was incubated in an Italian accelerator in Rovereto in Trentino, will soon launch a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter to begin production of prototypes and jumpstart their go-to-market momentum. Keep close tabs on their twitter handle for information relating to this offering. We once again find Italy at the cutting edge of sustainable design and healthy living. Onward!
