S6E77: Nadun Hennayaka / GAIA Project Australia - Creating a More Symbiotic Relationship Between Mankind & Planet Earth

12/13/22 • 55 min

Episode Summary

Nadun Hennayaka is the Founder and CEO at GAIA Project Australia, an organization with a vision to combine the most developed technologies to produce sustainable food & electricity to every human on this planet. Nadun has over twenty years of experience in engineering and technology and is well-versed in the global technology arena. Today, he and Harry discuss the current offerings of GAIA Project Australia, their recent partnership with NASA, and the ways in which Nadun is shining a light on hydroponics and vertical farming.

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Key Takeaways

07:13 – Nadun Hennayaka joins the show to discuss his educational background, the unpredictable weather of Melbourne, and the origins of GAIA Project

15:32 – Nadun speaks to the eclectic projects he’s working on, from renewable energy to hydroponics

17:52 – The current offerings of GAIA Project Australia

20:26 – Partnering with NASA

25:25 – Shining a light on hydroponics and vertical farming

28:05 – The role that mentors played in Nadun’s career and how Nadun thinks about team building

33:21 – Nadun’s goal for GAIA Project Australia and Nadun’s ‘Why’

40:15 – What Nadun does to relax and unwind

41:43 – A tough question Nadun has had to ask himself recently, something he’s changed his mind about recently, and what he’s most looking forward to

48:36 – A specific ask Nadun has for his peers and colleagues in this space

49:29 – Harry thanks Nadun for joining the show and lets listeners know where they can go to connect with her and learn more about GAIA Project Australia

Tweetable Quotes

“Happiness is a byproduct of service. So, doing something for the betterment of mankind truly was something I wanted to do.” (12:15) (Nadun)

“As you know, hydroponics is not a fix for everything in the food sector. We can fix approximately fifteen to twenty percent of the food sector, maximum. But, if you can fix twenty percent, you only have eighty percent to fix. So the problem is lesser.” (25:10) (Nadun)

“My original plan, two years ago, was truly to build a full turnkey supply, to go from everything from the channels, to the Hvac, to the automation. What I have learned is you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. There’s someone who’s already invented certain components and are really great at it. And, if you have something great, why don’t we just collaborate with each other’s companies and come up with a single solution?” (33:36) (Nadun)

“I’m glad I have chosen a path that I think there’s a potential for it [GAIA Project] to be something really great that can truly change or help mankind. For me, I want to make sure the world is a better place because I was here.” (39:38) (Nadun)

Resources Mentioned

Nadun’s LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/nadunhennayaka/?originalSubdomain=au

GAIA Project Australia – https://gaiaprojectaustralia.com.au/

GAIA Project Australia Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/gaiaprojectaustralia/

GAIA Project Australia Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100077527422613

GAIA Project Australia LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/gaia-project-australia/

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Episode Summary

Thanks to Our Sponsors

Indoor AgCon - https://indoor.ag

Key Takeaways

07:13 – Nadun Hennayaka joins the show to discuss his educational background, the unpredictable weather of Melbourne, and the origins of GAIA Project

15:32 – Nadun speaks to the eclectic projects he’s working on, from renewable energy to hydroponics

17:52 – The current offerings of GAIA Project Australia

20:26 – Partnering with NASA

25:25 – Shining a light on hydroponics and vertical farming

28:05 – The role that mentors played in Nadun’s career and how Nadun thinks about team building

33:21 – Nadun’s goal for GAIA Project Australia and Nadun’s ‘Why’

40:15 – What Nadun does to relax and unwind

41:43 – A tough question Nadun has had to ask himself recently, something he’s changed his mind about recently, and what he’s most looking forward to

48:36 – A specific ask Nadun has for his peers and colleagues in this space

49:29 – Harry thanks Nadun for joining the show and lets listeners know where they can go to connect with her and learn more about GAIA Project Australia

Tweetable Quotes

“Happiness is a byproduct of service. So, doing something for the betterment of mankind truly was something I wanted to do.” (12:15) (Nadun)

Resources Mentioned

Nadun’s LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/nadunhennayaka/?originalSubdomain=au

GAIA Project Australia – https://gaiaprojectaustralia.com.au/

GAIA Project Australia Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/gaiaprojectaustralia/

GAIA Project Australia Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100077527422613

GAIA Project Australia LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/gaia-project-australia/

Connect With Us

VFP LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/verticalfarmingpodcast

VFP Twitter - https://twitter.com/VerticalFarmPod

VFP Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/direct/inbox/

VFP Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/VerticalFarmPod

Subscribe to our newsletters!

AgTech Digest - https://agtechdigest.com

The Indoor Farmer - ht...

Previous Episode

S6E76: Magdalena Szawarska / Nangatech’s - Growing Smarter & More Sustainably Through Nanogas Technology

Episode Summary

Magdalena Szawarska is the Co-Founder and CEO of Nangatech, an organization that designs the most effective nanogas technology to boost the productivity of farming. Today, Harry and Magdalena talk about the state of AgTech in her hometown of Warsaw, Poland, her background in psychology, and the numerous benefits that nanogas and nanobubble technology has on the agriculture industry. Magdalena discusses the low barrier to entry for farmers to utilize this technology and how it can even be used to benefit animal breeders.

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Key Takeaways

07:14 – Magdalena Szawarska joins the show to discuss her hometown of Warsaw, Poland and how her background in psychology has served her well in her career

17:21 – Nangatech’s origin story

20:42 – The scientific discovery of nanobubbles and the potential for this technology

23:53 – Early adoption challenges

28:01 – Agricultural benefits to nanobubble technology and the low barrier to entry for farmers

31:16 – Presenting at AgTech NYC

33:16 – Animal breeders and nanobubbles

37:02 – The current state of the AgTech industry looks like in Poland

39:35 – A tough question Magdelena has had to ask herself recently, something she’s changed her mind about recently, and a specific ask she has for her colleagues in the industry

47:34 – Harry thanks Magdalena for joining the show and lets listeners know where they can go to connect with her and learn more about

Tweetable Quotes

“For me, the transition from science to business was a beautiful opportunity to see how those other things I was learning - and also, at the next level, I was teaching to my students - really work in real life.” (12:35) (Magdalena)

“I guess, for me, this is extremely beautiful that there are unfinished projects. And there’s always a path we can unfold and there’s always ways in which we can improve.” (17:08) (Magdalena)

“Starting with the benefits, we can increase the efficiency of crops up to twenty percent. The plants, in general, grow better because the oxygen is a biogenic gas, and when we deliver more oxygen to the plant-root systems, the plants grow faster and bigger.” (28:19) (Magdalena)

“In general, we don’t face that many climate issues in Poland. The climate is moderate. There’s still plenty of land that can be used for agriculture. But I guess what’s more important for us, as I mentioned before, people from Warsaw and Poland in general who becoming really aware when it comes to ecology. There are lots of vegans in Poland. Vegans not only don’t eat animal products, but they also think about the environment a lot. So they want to buy local products and for them vertical farming is great because it means no chemistry, no pesticides, fresh product, no deliveries, no carbon dioxide emissions, and so on.” (38:33) (Magdalena)

Resources Mentioned

Magdalena’s LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/magdalena-szawarska-059566180/?locale=en_US

Nangatech – https://www.nangatech.com/

Nangatech YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=nangatech

Nangatech LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/nangatech/

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Horti-Gen In...

Next Episode

S6E78: Brandy Keen / Surna’s - From Cannabis to Controlled Environment Food Production

Episode Summary

Brandy Keen is the Co-founder & Senior Technical Advisor at Surna, an organization that designs, engineers and manufactures application-specific environmental control and air sanitation systems for commercial, state, and provincial-regulated indoor cannabis cultivation facilities in the U.S. and Canada. Today, Harry and Brandy discuss the origins of Hydro Innovations and their acquisition by Surna, the powerful impact that controlled environment agriculture has on the world’s water supply, and what the future holds for the growth of the cannabis industry.

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Key Takeaways

07:06 – Brandy Keen joins the show to discuss the value she’s gotten from her experiences at conferences like the AgTech & Brazilian Harvest Conferences

10:21 – The origin story of Hydro Innovations and the decision to focus on climate management

16:06 – Engineering & Cannabis

19:34 – A strategic acquisition: Enter Surna

23:36 – The growth and maturity of the cannabis industry in recent years

26:37 – Surna’s offerings and ideal clients

29:30 – An increased interest in food production

34:43 – How the proliferation of new technology is shifting the cannabis industry

36:54 – Brandy speaks to her time with The Cannabis Sustainability Working Group

39:02 – Lessons in food production via vertical farming and why indoor farms fail

44:54 – Brandy speculates on the endless possibilities of controlled environment agriculture

49:42 – A tough question Brandy has had to ask herself recently and something she’s changed her mind about recently

51:38 – Brandy speculates on the future of the CEA and cannabis industries

54:45 – Harry thanks Brandy for joining the show and lets listeners know where they can go to connect with her and learn more about Surna

Tweetable Quotes

“There’s no ‘one-size-fits-all’ answer to climate systems, in particular, in cultivation facilities. Sometimes there are ten different ways you can do it and none of them are wrong.” (21:03) (Brandy)

“It’s interesting because somebody asked me, ‘what brought us to pivot from cannabis to food?’ And, my answer was that there was no pivot. We’ve always served the indoor cultivation market. And food just didn’t exist at the scale that cannabis did. So it was really just a product of the existence of a market, not of us consciously making a decision to also do this other thing.” (28:22) (Brandy)

“I think that in the food industry, folks are a lot more open to technologies that can drive down operating costs as opposed to in the cannabis industry where they can be a lot more wary of changing the way they do things.” (32:09) (Brandy)

“Traditional agriculture uses somewhere between seventy and ninety percent of the world’s water resources. And, if you are cultivating in a completely controlled environment, your plant doesn’t consume water. It uses water as a delivery mechanism and then transpires that same moisture right back out into the space. So the ability to recapture and reuse water and reduce or eliminate runoff entirely in an indoor cultivation facility, that could be hugely impactful to water resources in the world, especially when you start going places where water is exceptionally scarce.” (45:27) (Brandy)