Agriculture, which consumes about 70% of the world's freshwater, faces increasing water scarcity and inefficient irrigation systems. Traditional irrigation methods not only lead to wasted water and nutrients, but also cause lower crop yields, food insecurity and unnecessary carbon emissions.
Full Nature Farms, a Hong Kong-based agricultural technology startup, thinks there's a better way. At CES 2025, the company announced its Rocket 2.0 smart irrigation platform, a system that uses data and AI to reduce water costs by 30%, reduce energy consumption, and improve crop yields.
CEO Ray Locke founded Full Nature Farms in 2019. Before that, he founded Evergreens Republic, a USDA-certified organic commercial aquaponics farm for sustainable agriculture, which attracted attention from real estate developers and government agencies seeking solutions to limited arable land. Collected.
Rocket 2.0 is used for vertical farming, open field farming, greening, etc., and integrates sensors that measure crop yield, soil health, and climate with AI and weather forecasting for precise, automated irrigation control on a schedule. It is a standalone irrigation system. Rocket 2.0 promises to be a disruptive advancement in commercial farming operations, from landscaping and parks to community farms and vineyards.
And we may actually have the ability to scale based on Full Nature Farms' pricing structure.
“We offer farmers the opportunity to use our products with no upfront cost through subscription fees ranging from USD 10.00 to USD 20.00 per month per sensor,” Lok told TechCrunch via email. . “This removes barriers to entry and allows us to offer scalable and affordable smart irrigation solutions to both farmers and operators.”
The Rocket 2.0 dashboard controls automatic irrigation, monitors soil health, and more. Image credit:Full Nature Farms
Full Nature Farms says it has a competitive advantage in its homegrown technology ecosystem. This includes automation controllers and software, LED grow lights, precision grow pipes, sensor stacks, and integrated farm management platforms.
The startup, which has raised around $4.5 million, has made a name for itself in its native Hong Kong, using smart agtech products to produce edible flowers and microgreens for restaurant and hotel groups with more than 100 Michelin stars. They cultivate crops such as Currently, Full Nature Farms' products, including the Eden 2.0 cultivation system with sensors, LED grow lights, and automated controls, are installed in Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia, and across the United Kingdom, but the startup is expanding its presence to North America. I am thinking of doing so. At CES, the company plans to recruit 30 local partners to test Rocket 2.0.
Specifically, Rocket 1.0 has been deployed for testing in Hong Kong since January 2024, and the startup has secured 12 projects in the city for deployment in the first quarter of 2025. Full Nature Farms also has plans for a pilot project in Saudi Arabia. Philippines, Australia, France, China.
Full Nature Farms' latest agtech product debut wins CES 2025 Innovation Awards in the Sustainability and Energy/Power categories. The award comes as funding for the sector has rebounded from low levels in 2023 and early 2024, according to PitchBook data.
This article has been updated with more information from Full Nature Farms.