Key Takeaways:
- Sustainable Urban Agriculture: Raiz Vertical Farm offers a sustainable urban agriculture solution that uses 90% less water and 95% less land to mitigate local agricultural scarcity in Portugal.
- Community Empowerment: Launched in August 2021, the startup focuses on empowering local communities with fresher, healthier, and more sustainable greens.
- Psychological Benefits: Scientific studies prove that gardening, particularly in corporate settings, reduces stress, improves mood, and enhances team cohesion.
- Resource Efficiency: Vertical farming not only saves water and land but also reduces the use of fertilizers by 50% and eliminates the need for pesticides.
- Local Produce: The vertical farm grows a variety of herbs and vegetables, supplying five restaurants in Lisbon and individual customers, all while occupying the space equivalent to two shipping containers.
In a time when more than a third of Portugal is facing extreme drought conditions, Raiz Vertical Farm offers a sustainable urban agriculture solution. The startup uses 90% less water and 95% less land than traditional farming methods, aiming to mitigate the scarcity in local agricultural production. Launched in August 2021, Raiz Vertical Farm seeks new spaces and partners to continue empowering local communities with fresher, healthier, and more sustainable greens.
A Focus on Sustainability and Community
Raiz Vertical Farm brings a relatively unexplored approach to agriculture in Portugal—vertical farming. The startup aims to combine sustainable production with revitalizing abandoned urban spaces. “We are looking for new spaces and partners to multiply these gardens throughout Greater Lisbon,” said Emiliano Gutierrez, CEO of Raiz.
Psychological Benefits of Gardening
Scientific studies have shown that gardening offers various psychological benefits, such as stress reduction, improved mood, increased focus, and team cohesion. Corporate gardens, as they are called in the United States, are a growing trend in Silicon Valley, with major companies increasingly adopting this method to motivate their employees.
Efficient and Sustainable
Vertical farming offers multiple benefits, including resource efficiency—using up to 90% less water, 95% less land, 50% fewer fertilizers, and no pesticides. The method is also highly sustainable, allowing food to be grown according to consumer demand, thereby reducing food waste and the ecological footprint of food transportation.
A Team Effort
“In the garden, there are no more important roles; there are no bosses. In the garden, there is a team,” said Emiliano Gutierrez. The vertical garden operated by the brand grows various herbs and vegetables, such as basil, parsley, mint, mustard, tomato, cucumber, and eggplant, supplying five Lisbon restaurants and individual customers through their delivery partner, Yoob.
Image provided by Raiz Vertical Farm
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