(Reuters) - Ua hoʻohana nā mea hoʻolale kālā i ka hoʻopau ʻana i ka pitch o Amin Jadavji e kūʻai i ka ʻenehana ulu kū i luna o Elevate Farms a hana i nā ʻōpala o nā lau lau i loko o ka hale me ke kukui kūlohelohe.
"E ʻōlelo lākou, 'He mea maikaʻi kēia, akā ua like ia me kahi hoʻokolohua ʻepekema,'" wahi a Jadavji, Luna Hoʻokele o Toronto-based Elevate.
I kēia manawa, ke hoʻonohonoho nei nā mahiʻai i loko iā lākou iho kekahi o nā hoʻonā i ka hoʻopilikia ʻana i ka maʻi maʻi i ka hōʻiliʻili ʻana, ka hoʻouna ʻana a me ke kūʻai ʻana i ka meaʻai.
"Ua kōkua ia iā mākou e hoʻololi i ka moʻolelo," wahi a Jadavji, nona ka hui e holo ana i kahi mahiʻai kū i Ontario, a ke kūkulu nei i nā poʻe ʻē aʻe ma New York a me New Zealand.
ʻO ka poʻe kākoʻo, me ka US Department of Agriculture (USDA), e ʻōlelo ana e hoʻonui ka mahiʻai ʻana o ke kūlanakauhale i ka palekana o ka meaʻai i ka manawa o ka piʻi ʻana o ka inflation a me ka palena o nā lako honua. Hoʻokumu ʻia nā huahana ʻAmelika ʻĀkau ma Mexico a me US Southwest, me Kaleponi, kahi i maʻalahi i nā ahi ahi a me nā wā ʻino ʻē aʻe.
ʻO nā hopohopo hoʻololi i ke aniau ke hoʻolalelale nei i nā hoʻopukapuka kālā, e komo pū ana e ka ʻoihana agribusiness pilikua Bayer AG, i loko o nā mahiʻai kūʻokoʻa nui a i ʻole nā hale ʻōmaʻomaʻo ka nui o 50 mau kahua pôpeku.
Hāʻawi lākou i nā hui liʻiliʻi ʻAmelika ʻAmelika e like me BrightFarms, AppHarvest a me Elevate e hoʻoikaika i ka hana o loko a hoʻokūkū me nā mea pāʻani paʻa ʻo AeroFarms a me Plenty, i kākoʻo ʻia e ka mea hoʻokumu ʻo Amazon.com Inc Jeff Bezos.
Akā, nīnau ka poʻe hoʻohewa i ke kumukūʻai kaiapuni o nā koi mana kiʻekiʻe o loko.
Hoʻoulu nā mahiʻai kū i nā lau lau i loko o nā papa i hoʻopaʻa ʻia a i ʻole ma nā paia o nā lau i loko o nā hale kūʻai a i ʻole nā mea hoʻouna. Ke hilinaʻi nei lākou i ka mālamalama hana, ka mālama ʻana i ka mahana a me nā ʻōnaehana ulu me ka liʻiliʻi o ka lepo e pili ana i ka wai a i ʻole ka noe, ma kahi o nā ʻāpana ʻāina ākea i ka mahiʻai kuʻuna.
Hiki i nā hale ʻōmaʻomaʻo ke hoʻohana i nā kukuna o ka lā a loaʻa nā pono mana haʻahaʻa. Hoʻokumu maikaʻi ʻia ma Asia a me ʻEulopa, ke hoʻonui nei nā hale ʻōmaʻomaʻo ma ʻAmelika ʻĀkau, me ka hoʻohana ʻana i ka automation ʻoi aku.
ʻO ka hoʻopukapuka kālā ʻana i nā mahiʻai i loko o ka honua he $394 miliona ma 2020, wahi a ke poʻo noiʻi ʻo AgFunder ʻo Louisa Burwood-Taylor.
ʻO ka awelika kālā i ka makahiki i hala ua pālua i ka nui, ʻoiai nā mea pāʻani nui e komo pū me BrightFarms a me Plenty i hāpai i ke kapikala hou, wahi āna.
Aia ka wikiwiki o ke kālā ma mua, ma hope o ka hoʻopau ʻana i ka meaʻai maʻi maʻi - e like me nā maʻi i waena o nā limahana hana e hōʻiliʻili ana i nā huahana o ʻAmelika ʻAmelika - hoʻāla i nā hopohopo e pili ana i ka hoʻopau ʻana, wahi a Joe Crotty, ka luna o ka ʻoihana kālā ma ka waihona kālā KPMG, ka mea e ʻōlelo nei i nā mahiʻai kū.
"ʻO ka piʻi maoli ʻana i nā makahiki ʻekolu a ʻelima e hiki mai ana," wahi a Crotty.
ʻO nā meaʻai i ulu ʻia ma nā mahiʻai kū a i ʻole nā hale ʻōmaʻomaʻo he hapa wale nō ia o ka hana holoʻokoʻa. Ke kūʻai aku nei ʻo US i nā meaʻai meaʻai i ulu ʻia ma lalo o ka uhi, me nā ʻōmato, nā kukama a me ka lettuce, he 790 miliona mau paona i ka makahiki 2019, ʻoi aku ka 50% mai 2014, e like me ka USDA.
ʻO ka hana letus poʻo waho o Kaleponi wale nō ʻaneʻane ʻehā manawa ka nui, ma 2.9 biliona paona.
Ke ʻimi nei ʻo USDA i nā lālā no ke kōmike aʻoaʻo mahiʻai kūlanakauhale hou e paipai i nā hana mahiʻai i loko a me nā hana mahiʻai ʻē aʻe.
NA HANA HANA KANAKA NEI Iloko o ka hale
ʻO Bayer, kekahi o nā mea hoʻomohala hua nui o ka honua, manaʻo e hāʻawi i ka ʻenehana mea kanu e hoʻonui i ka mahiʻai kū. I ʻAukake, ua hui pū ʻo ia me Singapore sovereign fund Temasek e hoʻokumu iā Unfold, kahi hui ma Kaleponi, me $30 miliona i ke kālā hua.
Ua ʻōlelo ʻo Unfold, ʻo ia ka hui mua e kālele ana i ka hoʻolālā ʻana i nā hua no ka letus i loko, nā ʻōmato, nā pepa, ka spinach a me nā kukama, me ka hoʻohana ʻana iā Bayer germplasm, kahi mea kanu o ka mea kanu, wahi a ka Luna Nui ʻo John Purcell.
Hiki i kā lākou holomua ke komo, no ka laʻana, ʻoi aku ka nui o nā mea kanu paʻa a me ka hoʻonui ʻana i ka manaʻo i ka maikaʻi, wahi a Purcell.
Manaʻo ʻo Unfold e hana i kāna kūʻai mua ʻana ma ka hoʻomaka ʻana o 2022, e ʻimi ana i nā mahiʻai e kū nei, a me nā hoʻomaka ʻana ma Singapore a me United Kingdom.
Ke hoʻonui nei hoʻi nā hale ʻōmaʻomaʻo, e hōʻike ana i nā hua kiʻekiʻe ma mua o ka mahiʻai ākea.
ʻO AppHarvest, ka mea e ulu ana i nā tōmato i loko o kahi hale ʻōmaʻomaʻo 60-ʻeka ma Morehead, Kentucky, i haki i ʻelua mau mea hou aku ma ka mokuʻāina i ka makahiki i hala. Manaʻo ka hui e hana i nā hale hana 12 e 2025.
Ua hoʻonohonoho ʻia kāna mau hale ʻōmaʻomaʻo e hiki i ka 70% o ka heluna US i loko o ka lā hoʻokahi, e hāʻawi ana iā lākou i kahi kaʻa kaʻa ma luna o ka ʻoihana huahana komohana hema, wahi a ka Luna Nui ʻo Jonathan Webb.
"Ke ʻimi nei mākou e ʻoki i ka ʻoihana huahana mai Kaleponi a me Mexico a lawe mai i ʻaneʻi," wahi a Webb.
Pono ka ulu ʻana o ka heluna kanaka i ka hoʻonui nui ʻana i ka hana meaʻai, kahi manaʻo paʻakikī i waho i hāʻawi ʻia i nā pōʻino pinepine a me ka wā koʻikoʻi, wahi āna.
ʻO BrightFarms i hoʻokumu ʻia ma New York, e holo ana i ʻehā mau hale ʻōmaʻomaʻo, hoʻonoho iā lākou ma kahi kokoke i nā kūlanakauhale nui o ʻAmelika, wahi a ka Luna Nui ʻo Steve Platt. Hoʻolālā ka hui, nona nā mea kūʻai aku ʻo Kroger a me Walmart, e wehe i kāna mau mahiʻai nui ʻelua i kēia makahiki, ma North Carolina a me Massachusetts.
Manaʻo ʻo Platt i loko o hoʻokahi ʻumi makahiki, ʻo ka hapalua o nā ʻōmaʻomaʻo lau a pau ma ʻAmelika Hui Pū ʻIa e hele mai mai nā mahiʻai i loko, mai ka liʻiliʻi ma mua o 10% i kēia manawa.
"He nalu holoʻokoʻa ke neʻe nei i kēia ala no ka mea ʻaʻole i hoʻonohonoho ʻia ka ʻōnaehana i kēia lā e hānai i ka poʻe ma ka ʻāina," wahi āna.
'HELE, PUPU MEA'
Akā ʻo Stan Cox, ka mea noiʻi noiʻi no ka waiwai ʻole ʻo The Land Institute, ke kānalua nei i nā mahiʻai kū. Ke hilinaʻi nei lākou i nā kumukūʻai hale kūʻai e hoʻopau i nā kumukūʻai uila kiʻekiʻe no ka hoʻomālamalama ʻana a me ka mālama ʻana i ka mahana, wahi āna.
"ʻO ke kumu āpau o kā mākou mahiʻai ʻo ka ʻohi ʻana i ka lā e pā ana i ka honua i kēlā me kēia lā," wahi āna. "Hiki iā mākou ke loaʻa me ka manuahi."
Ua aʻo ʻo Bruce Bugbee, ke kaukaʻi o ka physiology mea kanu kūlohelohe ma ke Kulanui o Utah State, i ka mahiʻai ʻana no NASA. Akā ʻike ʻo ia i ka mahiʻai kūpaʻa ikaika ma ka Honua.
"Hoʻokomo ʻo Venture capital i nā ʻano pupule, nā mea pupule a he mea ʻē aʻe kēia ma ka papa inoa."
Manaʻo ʻo Bugbee e hoʻohana ana nā mahiʻai kūwaho i 10 mau manawa i ka ikehu e hana i ka meaʻai e like me nā mahiʻai waho, ʻoiai hoʻi i ka helu ʻana i ka wahie no ka lawe ʻana i nā huahana maʻamau a puni ka ʻāina mai Kaleponi.
ʻO AeroFarms, ka mea hoʻohana o kekahi o nā mahiʻai kūʻokoʻa nui loa o ka honua, kahi hale wili kila o New Jersey, ʻōlelo ʻo ia ʻaʻole maʻalahi ka hoʻohālikelike ʻana i ka hoʻohana ʻana i ka ikehu me ka mahiʻai waho. ʻO ka hana ʻana i nā moku lōʻihi ka nui o ka pōʻino a ʻoi aku ka nui o nā mahiʻai waho e hoʻohana i ka wai irrigated a me nā pesticides, wahi a ka Luna Nui ʻo David Rosenberg.
Hoʻolaha nā mahiʻai kū i nā pono kaiapuni ʻē aʻe.
Hoʻohana ʻo Elevate i kahi ʻōnaehana loop pani e hoʻokahe i nā mea kanu, hōʻiliʻili i nā mea kanu maʻamau emit a laila hoʻoinu hou iā lākou me ia. Pono kēlā ʻōnaehana i ka 2% o ka wai i hoʻohana ʻia ma kahi hana letus romaine waho, wahi a Jadavji. ʻAʻole hoʻohana ka hui i nā pesticides.
"Manaʻo wau e hoʻoponopono ana mākou i kahi pilikia," wahi āna.
(Ka hōʻike ʻana e Rod Nickel ma Winnipeg, Manitoba; hōʻike hou ʻia e Karl Plume ma Chicago; Hoʻoponopono ʻia e Caroline Stauffer lāua ʻo Lisa Shumaker)