Team Gemini Recognizes Viscon Group for their Valuable Hydroponic and Other Produce-Handling Applications

With large-scale, organic food production playing an increasingly critical role in sustainably feeding the world, Team Gemini works with Viscon Group and others to offer relevant solutions.

Team Gemini works closely with Viscon Group and others to offer technology resources and project design solutions that allow for uniquely-sustainable, large-scale food production. Since 1927, Viscon has been involved in automation in the agro/horticultural sector. In the last two decades the family company grew from approximately 40 employees, to over 200 employees active in different sectors all over the world. As for today, several business units, each dedicated to a specific industry, form the Viscon Group.

Most recently, Viscon has designed and engineered a special system for the safe production of leafy vegetables. The system is a closed growing system floating on deep water and can be fully automated. Viscon Hydroponics focuses on short-cycle crops that can be grown on deep water channels, i.e. lettuce, herbs, cabbage, spinach, and others. Viscon is able to integrate and supply all the automatic handling for the pots, boxes, trays, floats and end-packaging if desired. The system provides automation and growing concepts for the important phases in the plant-production process.

In combination with Team Gemini, these technologies are enhanced through the generation of renewable energy (through integrated applications of Anaerobic Digesters and Combined Heat and Power Units), wastewater treatment and recycling, and implementation of aquaponic and aquaculture systems that are an economically-strengthening combination compared to hydroponics alone.

In terms of sustainability and quality, some of the benefits of these technologies include:

• Water efficiency: The system is very water efficient. The water doesn’t flush out. The water will be consumed by the crop, and water conservation technologies allow for optimal use of this precious resource.
• Savings in fertilizer: Fertilizer stays in the system and isn’t being drained out in the field as occurs with traditional growing methods.
• Efficiency: during winter you can still grow product because the water can be heated and artificial lighting can be added. The floats have an isolating effect on the water, which enables you to grow in cold periods as well.
• Uniformity: each product has the same water intake, which creates uniform result.

Learn more about Viscon Group at http://www.viscongroup.eu/, and visit http://teamgemini.us/sustainable-agricultural-technology/ to learn more about Team Gemini’s sustainable agriculture offerings.