Develop a radical innovation in Controlled Environment Agriculture that enables farmers to profit from significantly higher production density

This **12-month project** will develop and demonstrate a novel Plant Handling System(PHS) which will minimise the unproductive space between plants **in Controlled Environment Agriculture(CEA, i.e. glasshouses and vertical farms)**. CEA brings significant benefits to fresh produce production including **local supply, lower carbon emissions, and more efficient water and pesticide usage.** Additionally, by helping to bring fresher, locally grown, produce to mainstream consumers, the technology developed through the project will promote **safe, healthy, nutritious diets.** However, in leafy greens, the current generation of CEA farms **cannot deliver the productivity needed to compete** with imported products, as **evidenced by the recent bankruptcy of Suffolk-based vertical farmer OneFarm and glasshouse operator Madestein.** Productivity is directly related to space-optimisation. **The novel Plant Handling System** developed here will boost farm yields by **minimising the unproductive space** between individual plants as they move between different growth phases. It uses adjustable grid-like mechanisms to enable **plant re-spacing,** easily and **without handling.** This novel technology will: * **Increase capital efficiency** by significantly increasing average production density within the farm, and; * **Increase energy efficiency** by significantly increasing Light Use Efficiency. The successful development and demonstration of our technology will increase the production of low-emission fresh produce, not just in the UK, but globally. **Acer will sell the Plant Handling System to existing and new glasshouse growers**, and distribute through glasshouse manufacturers and technology providers. This technology will also **synergise** with Acer's other novel technologies to enable the vertical farms we are developing to deliver productivity multiple times higher than the current generation, **high enough to compete with existing supply-chains and bring the benefits of vertical farming to mainstream customers. Each of Acer's farms will produce multiple tonnes/day of nutrient-rich food for large existing markets, both in the UK and internationally.** Acer's first commercial products will be leafy greens, and specifically, baby leaf and herbs for retail and processed head lettuce for foodservice. Acer's existing R&D is funded with a combination of grants and committed company money, and the milestones and outputs needed to commercialise both the project outputs and Acer's other innovations have been identified and confirmed with stakeholders, including investors, as necessary and sufficient to raise the funding required. Acer is an **active member of the agri-tech cluster in the East of England**, and the novel technology developed through this project will both support innovation in the region and help Acer to advance the commercialisation of our vertical farms.