Laurie Besinet


(laurie.besinet.net)

AgTech in New Zealand - Autogrow

Published 5th Jan. 2018
I have had the opportunity to meet several AgTech companies in New Zealand, so I will share these discoveries with you.
In this first article on this subject, I will tell you about my meeting with Darryn Keiller and Jeffrey Law who lead Autogrow.


Indoor Agriculture and technology

Indoor Agriculture

With the increasing need in food production and the reduction of land devoted to outdoor agriculture, the importance of indoor agriculture will increase. It brings together various practices such as controlled environment cultivation, greenhouses, urban farms, vertical farms and even aeropontics and aquaponia.

Dedicated technologies

Technologies in this sector are advanced and are moving ever further and ever faster.

The company I am going to talk about, Autogrow, is one of the world leaders in control and automation in indoor agriculture.

\"Autogrow\"

Meeting Autogrow team

Why Autogrow

This company first attracted my attention because of the way it uses new technologies and developpement for agriculture. So I proposed a meeting to his leader, who agreed.

It was during my stay in Auckland that I had the pleasure of meeting Darryn Keiller (CEO) and Jeffrey Law (CTO) and their team in their new office. They presented me the solutions they are developing and their projects in detail.

Company overview

Purpose

Autogrow is a company specialized in automated systems for indoor agriculture.

Its founder, who had a greenhouse, wanted it to be irrigated even when he wasn't home.

Founded in 1994, the company is now in 40 countries around the world. It provides hardware, software and data analysis to farmers.

Characteristics

Just recently, a cloud solution was created: IntelliGrow. Thanks to it, users can access their data and control parameters from any computer or smartphone with internet access.

\"Autogrow\"

Real-time data from external sensors can be integrated into the used API. The parameters that can be controlled with the so-called IntelliDose package are:

  • the temperature,
  • the pH level,
  • the nutrients amount,
  • the brightness,
  • the hygrometry,
  • the airflow,
  • the electrical conductivity.

Conclusion

This visit allowed me to discover a company

  • innovative and technical,
  • present throughout the world,
  • at the same time specialized in a very specific field, indoor agriculture,
  • but an area that is also very large and with a lot of growth potential.

In a next article, I will present to you a precision irrigation software made in Wellington,

See you soon !