From Space Analog Missions to Urban Spaces: AI-Connected Container Micro-Farms for Urban Spaces. Fresh Food On-Site for Restaurants, Schools & Communities

Core digital services

Tanit Horizon has developed a compact, AI-controlled micro-farm unit designed for indoor urban locations — restaurants, schools, hospitals, offices, and community centres. The unit produces fresh greens on-site, yielding up to 2 kg/m²/10 days, using up to 90% less water than conventional field cultivation and dramatically reducing the energy and logistics costs embedded in traditional food supply chains.

The business model follows a platform logic: Tanit provides the device and its proprietary AI control system; an agrifood SME partner supplies the selected seed kits on a recurring basis — earning a new, scalable direct-sales channel into urban institutional buyers without the cost and complexity of traditional distribution. The AI system is patent-protected and optimises growing cycles, resource consumption, and harvest timing autonomously for each seed variety.

The technology stack includes:

·       AI-based growing environment control: automated management of lighting, temperature, humidity, CO₂ and fertigation cycles, calibrated per seed variety and growth stage

·       IoT sensor network: real-time monitoring of plant health, resource consumption and system performance, remotely accessible via dashboard

·       Smart-city infrastructure integration: each unit connects to building management systems for coordinated energy and water optimisation

·       Satellite & remote-sensing data feeds: weather and environmental data improve multi-site fleet scheduling and resource planning

How it applies to the agrifood sector

Rising water and energy costs are reshaping the economics of food production and distribution at every level — from field to fork. Transport, refrigeration and logistics infrastructure account for a significant share of food system emissions and costs, pressures that will intensify as utility prices rise for producers, distributors and end users alike. Tanit's micro-farm model short-circuits this chain entirely: fresh produce is grown where it is consumed, eliminating food miles, cold-chain dependency and packaging waste.

For agrifood SMEs, this model opens a recurring revenue stream from urban institutional buyers — schools, canteens, hospitals, hospitality groups — without requiring investment in new production land, distribution fleets or retail shelf space. The SME's role is to supply curated seed kits, selected in collaboration with Tanit, optimised for the AI platform and delivered directly to device operators on a subscription basis.

Type of agrifood partner sought

We are looking for agrifood SMEs — seed producers, nurseries, or fresh produce growers — interested in co-developing and piloting this direct urban distribution model as part of a GATE 5.0 project. The ideal partner wants to open a new B2B sales channel into urban food service operators while contributing agronomic expertise to seed selection and variety optimisation.