Federal Grant Award Summary

The University of Florida's Division of Sponsored Research received a $999,998 Project Grant award from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) program (CFDA 10.310) on March 15, 2026, with a completion date of March 14, 2029. The project, performed in Gainesville, Florida, focuses on developing a digital twin system for container farming—an emerging vertical farming technology designed to maximize crop yields while minimizing resource consumption in controlled environment agriculture. The research aims to create innovative Internet of Things (IoT) sensors for real-time monitoring of plant-level nutrition and growth metrics, alongside physics-informed machine learning models that integrate environmental and crop prediction capabilities.

The deliverables include a comprehensive decision-support system utilizing advanced artificial intelligence foundation models to optimize microclimate control and farming operations across multiple subsystems. This integrated digital twin technology is expected to significantly improve resource use efficiency in nutrient, water, and energy consumption; reduce labor costs; and deepen understanding of plant genotype-environment-management interactions. The project addresses critical automation gaps in container farming that are essential for production efficiency and cost reduction, ultimately supporting solutions for rapid urbanization challenges and future food security demands through location-independent, year-round crop production capabilities.