Sky Kurtz farm in the desert. The founder and CEO of Pure Harvest Smart Farms—located outside Abu Dhabi, where temperatures often reach 113°F—and his team use harsh environments to test new crops and technology that can transform agriculture in climate-challenged areas. . Pure Harvest also provides produce to supermarkets and restaurants in Dubai and across the region using minimal water, which is important in one of the world’s driest regions.
Kurtz founded Pure Harvest Smart Farms in 2017 with his founding partners Mahmoud Adi and Robert Kupstas. Passionate about food insecurity, they spent the first year researching food-tech trends around the world, as well as finding the best location for their first farm.
Sky Kurtz of Pure Harvest Smart Farms
Kurtz’s farm in the UAE began with “nothing but a PowerPoint, a pile of dirt, and the promise that we would do it,” Kurtz said. But it quickly proved that the Remote Harvest was built on more than a promise. The founders’ research and technological innovation led to the development of Agricultural Environmental Management (CEA) – a A combination of greenhouses and vertical farms provides a stable climate throughout the year. The first crop of tomatoes was planted in August 2018 and harvested in October. The company’s original farm is now its R&D center, and Pure Harvest has expanded its facilities in the UAE to 16 hectares of farm area. It also operates a 6-hectare farm in Saudi Arabia, and is developing a 6-hectare farm in Kuwait.
There are 14 types of green plants found; two varieties of strawberries, with seven more in development; and almost 30 varieties of tomatoes, the product that started all. With the limited availability of local, seasonal produce, the UAE often imports most of its food, often by air, which fetches a higher price. , both economically and environmentally. And while it’s more expensive compared to locally grown produce, the company says its fruit and vegetables are often up to 60% cheaper than imported produce. the surface of the air is the same. “I think we’ve fundamentally changed a belief system that says local is worse,” Kurtz said.
Their vision aligns well with a broader goal for Dubai to become more self-sufficient, and they have a desire to use their R&D to help solve that. the effects of climate change on the food industry in the Gulf and beyond. The focus is not only on developing niche markets but also on developing cost-effective solutions to help democratize access to fresh food.
Kurtz hopes it can serve as a model for other regions facing climate change. “We believe we can develop a local-for-local solution where it’s most needed, and we’ve tested that ability in one of the most challenging environments in the world,” he said.