Grant: Applied Research and Development Grants - Level 2

Just Vertical Inc. is an indoor, vertical farming company located in Toronto that builds, sells, and supportsindoor growing gardens and farming modules. Just Vertical is continually investigating ways to assist theircustomers to increase yield, water efficiency, and nutrient content of their grown crops. Indoor vertical farming is becoming more popular, but is currently limited by the inability to grow a variety of nutritionally densecrops, which are staples to a healthy diet. Building on the first collaborative research project between JustVertical and Seneca in 2020, Just Vertical is collaborating again with Seneca's School of Biological Sciences and Applied Chemistry (SBSAC) to enable farmers to effectively grow nutritious, high-yielding crops usingconditions that optimize the growth of a variety of crops grown at the same time.The Seneca research team of Principal Investigators and Research Assistants will develop methods for crop nutrient analysis, perform chemical analyses, data collection, and make recommendations to Just Vertical on optimizing food growth and nutrition. The project aims to develop recipes for optimal crop growth and yield while trying to understand how common growing mistakes can effect output, with these results empowering Just Vertical customers to grow healthy food for their families. The proprietary and customized recipesdeveloped in this project will give Just Vertical an edge over their competitors, leading to an increase incustomers and market share.