The Ithaca Journal (a newspaper based in New York’s Fingerlakes Region) published an article yesterday about Ed Harwood who wants to seed the cities of the future with thousands of indoor farms utilizing his new growing systems. The systems are based on the technology of aeroponics, which sprays a mist of nutrient-laden water on plant roots, instead of submerging them in water-like standard hydroponics.

Harwood’s company AeroFarms has engineered stackable, modular hydroponic systems that can be implemented into vacant buildings and vertical structures as a way to make urban areas more food independent, he said. ”In order to feed a lot of people, without transporting the food, this is the graduation that will happen for urban agriculture.”

His seedling company received a large batch of ‘fertilizer’ last month, when he received $500,000 in financing from The Quercus Trust of Newport Beach, Calif. and co-investor 21Ventures LLC, a New York-based venture capital firm.

The investment will help him turn AeroFarms from a commercial aeroponics farm into a company that designs and sells the cutting-edge systems to other growers eager to take advantage of the 30 percent of shoppers who specifically purchase locally produced food each month, according to food and grocery analysts IGD.

In 2004, his company introduced commercial aeroponic prototypes that have the potential to reduce energy costs and water use in indoor growing systems because a constant stream of mist to the roots requires less water and plays a role in preventing disease from spreading. The closed system does not require pesticides, as well, because plants in the system are harvested before pests can mature, Harwood said. Hydroponics is a system as old as Babylon, but aeroponics is a more recent innovation — it was originally developed in the 1980s as a research application to allow scientists to better study root growth.

For several years, Harwood’s four-employee company tested the system, growing primarily leafy greens in a building in Marathon and selling the produce in the Ithaca area. Harwood said he drew a profit from the enterprise after working out kinks in the technology, and recently decided to take the business in a different direction by selling the technology associated with production to better utilize his own experience. He said that while it’s not in regular use yet, he’s expecting to close a deal with his first customer soon on a $1.5 million system that is expected to produce 175,000 pounds of produce a year.

As part of its restructuring, AeroFarms will also be moving its research facility to the Ithaca area from Marathon. ”I thought there was a real opportunity in New York state to fill the empty buildings and grow food for us, especially with our climate and the need for as much fresh local food as possible,” he said.

He noted also that the water consumption of aeroponics is comparable to hydroponics, which uses about four gallons of water to grow one pound of product, while conventional agriculture averages about 27 gallons per pound of product. Though the systems use synthetic fertilizers and produce will not be considered organic, Harwood said locating farms in urban areas and using fewer resources for food production and transportation is a sustainable ideal.

But according to one Cornell University professor who’s used similar aeroponic technology in his research on root diseases three years ago, the system had some serious downsides.”We were never satisfied with the concept,” said Lou Albright, a professor in the department of biological and environmental engineering who built a system. “With the slightest interruption (of power) you don’t have (mist) coming into the chamber, so you really have to back up the system. It doesn’t have to happen very many times a year, but it can cause you to go bankrupt.”

In addition, nozzles tend to be easily clogged, energy costs were higher than expected and the growth and vigor was never as good as normal hydroponic systems, Albright said. ”They’re solvable, but I don’t know it’s worth the efforts,” he said. “(Harwood’s) very brave to try this.”

Harwood said he’s resolved many of these difficulties, or they simply don’t apply to a commercial grower — high energy costs are wiped out by low input costs and profits, he said, and the clients he’s looking to sell to will have backup power generators to avoid crop losses. In addition, Harwood said, he’s developed proprietary nozzle technology to avoid nutrient buildup and clogging, and his yields are comparable with existing hydroponic systems. AeroFarms is also looking into using super-efficient LED lighting in its systems as soon as the price comes down, Harwood said.