Future Farming

Frequent droughts provided a great opportunity to develop something new that makes sense and will be needed in the future. So we bought 30 IBC containers, modified them and started our attentps at aquaponics by the trial-and-error method. The first failures were considerable. Within a few days, our fish always died, and we did not know why. So we bought foreign-language literature on aquaponics and started doing everything described in this literature. But even that did not help. So we had to invent everything ourselves.

Michal Fojtík comes up with an idea for producing healthy food of the future.

Design of a home growing system and identification of its production possibilities.

The first attempt at continuous year-round production under domestic conditions.

In the whole aquaponics system, nitrification, filtration, and mineralisation are the most important things. Nitrification is the conversion of ammonia into nitrite and nitrate. To achieve this, nitrifying bacteria suitable for aquaponics are needed. It took us almost 3 years to get them. We had to go all the way to Sri Lanka to obtain them. These bacteria were the most successful, but we needed to improve them, and we did.

Michal Fojtík and his family are working hard on the assortment needed to operate the aquaponic system properly.

The IBC-type tank was found to be unsuitable because of its shape and the drainage of contaminated water. That’s why we developed our own tanks over a year, which we have constantly been improving.

Our experience and technology move to the next level. The first design prototype for an aquaponic system was created.

Based on experience from the previous season, we modified the prototype, including materials suitable for contact with food.

We established the online shop aquaponik.cz with components and accessories for DIY aquaponic systems.

We started to build the first indoor farm in the Czech Republic. In October, we signed a contract to build a 2,500m2 aquaponic farm. We hoped that this new farm would take us another level higher.

Due to the great interest, we founded an association to educate its members in aquaponic technology.

The first indoor farm was completed. Launched in April 2018, it became the first such large-scale farm in Europe. More offers for building farms came thick and fast.

Michal Fojtík has been involved in the research and development of aquaponic technologies since 2010. His green and blue vision of healthy food production has attracted attention in the Czech Republic and worldwide. Michal Fojtík and Martin Luňák held their first informal meeting at Tuřanka in Brno.

Future Farming s.r.o. (a member of the GFF s.r.o. investment group) builds and operates aquaponic farms and is also a general supplier of technology and know-how. We combine intensive fish farming with plant cultivation on water. We made the first private investments and started researching aquaponic farms for commercial and industrial use. A detailed market analysis was carried out, and the first business relationships with aquaponic product customers were established.

We have planted the first seeds for the successful development of Future Farming s.r.o. Subsidiaries joined the group to support more dynamic growth of the aquaponic environment.

• Brno-Heršpice Farm – preparation of a project for the conversion of brownfield land into the largest aquaponic production farm in the Czech Republic.
• Kaly Farm – start of renovation of an unused agricultural building. Conversion of brownfield land into the most modern aquaponic farm in the Czech Republic.
• Senica Farm (SK) – start of preparation for our first foreign project, construction of an aquaponic farm in Slovakia.

The establishment of Farmia Food s.r.o has expanded the Future Farming group. Farmia Food is a distributor of aquaponic products and the exclusive supplier of products from Future Farming’s aquaponic farms to the market. We know that the better the ingredients, the better the food. We are convinced that our ingredients are the best in the local area. We believe that we can bring Czech cooking to the next level.

• Czech Academy of Sciences
• VSB – Technical University of Ostrava 
• Association of Aquaponic Farms
• Mendel University in Brno

• Brno-Heršpice Farm – the start of construction work to renovate the shed and heated greenhouses.
• Kaly Farm – completion of renovation of the indoor farm and preparation for installing technologies for growing plants in symbiosis with fish farming. Equipping the laboratories and preparing for the start-up phase of the farm’s biological processes.
• Senica Farm (SK) – start of the design phase for the construction of a foreign aquaponic farm.

In cooperation with our partners, we paved the way for small-scale educational aquaponics projects:

• Future Farming Educational Farm in Lednice

MENDELU Faculty of Horticulture in Lednice

• Future Farming Educational Farm in Prague

T-Mobile Magenta Experience Centre premises in the OC Arkády Pankrác shopping centre

Our research and development department successfully completed the development of organic feed materials for fish reared in aquaponic systems.

We used a year that has gone down in human history as the time of a global pandemic for maximum possible growth. Regardless of government restrictions and the uncertain economic outlook of global markets, Future Farming sailed forwards into a green and blue future.

• University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice
• University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague
• CzechGlobe

The time spent cultivating the roots of aquaponics and developing Future Farming’s green and blue future began to bear fruit. We eagerly awaited the first harvest of the results of our work.

Future Farming in the spotlight of Czech TV: 

• Story in the programme “Události v regionech” (Regional News)
• Report in the programme “Studio 6”
• Piece in the programme “Dobré ráno” (Good Morning)

Future Farming as a part of Česká spořitelna’s “You are stronger than you think” campaign

Podcast with Michal Fojtík for the newspaper Hospodářské noviny

The first aquaponic tour of the Czech Republic began. Farmia Food’s Food Truck offered the general public a taste of healthy products from aquaponic farms nationwide.

We grew along with the demand for healthy and local food. Detailed market research and growing sales confirmed that consumers were willing to accept a higher price for chemical-free food with clear origin and processing.

Baktoma, a Czech manufacturer and supplier of quality bacterial products, deals with the function of biofilters and can reprocess biological waste from fish into nitrogen compounds acceptable for plant root systems. In cooperation with Baktoma, we developed special mixtures of micro-organisms that have ensured proper functioning of our biofilters under the conditions on our farms (rainbow trout and African sharptooth catfish farming).

UN finalist for SDGs 2021: In the Business category, we ranked among the top 10 projects in the Czech Republic that meet UN Sustainable Development Goals and have the potential to change the world for the better. This is a unique worldwide award for achieving the UN’s global goals. Project goal: To eradicate hunger by 2030 and to ensure that everyone, especially the poor and vulnerable, including young children, can access safe, nutritious and sufficient food throughout the year.

• Brno-Heršpice Farm – completion of construction work to revitalise the greenhouse. Installation of technologies and transition to the start-up phase of the farm’s biological processes.
• Kaly Farm – renovation of the farm’s outdoor part completed. We actively research new products suitable for production and start production of our own seedlings. We supply aquaponic foods to the local market.
• Senica Farm (SK) – continuation of the design phase and start of construction.

Interest in educational and presentation systems grew. The focus was on educational farms in towns, villages and community farms.

• Future Farming Educational Farm in Hlučín 

A new educational aquaponic farm was established in one of the largest horticultural centres in the Ostrava region, aimed at educating primary and nursery school pupils in the region.

Signing of a memorandum with the city of Brno – reduction of CO2 emissions in Brno. Long-term collaboration on the city’s commitment to adapt to climate change. Our aquaponic farms use state-of-the-art technology and are a leader in carbon-neutral food production.

• Letonice Farm

Start of the design phase of construction of the first Future Farming aquaponic farm on greenfield land.

We are heading out into international waters. We are actively entering new markets abroad. We are preparing an international company profile for the Future Farming Group.

Sustainable business and responsible corporate behaviour are valued across private and public institutions.

• CzechCrunch – 10 inspiring sustainable businesses in 2021: The CzechCrunch technology website ranked us among the ten most promising sustainable projects in the Czech Republic.
• City For The Future – Future Farming became a part of the Czech project City For The Future

The company focused on transferring science, research and technology into practice.

• Memorandum with the Institute of Molecular Biology of the Slovak Academy of Sciences
• Future Farming as a part of the next phase of the City For The Future project in Hungary
• Beginning of significant cooperation with Masaryk University

Starting the process for the company’s waste-free economy by 2025. Construction of the aquaponic infrastructure in the Czech Republic continues.

Development of an international market presence associated with constructing new aquaponic farms outside our country. In the United Arab Emirates, we took an important international position at EXPO Dubai.

Farmia Food also supplies aquaponic products to the market through its own network of grocery stores and snack bars in the Czech Republic.

• Brno-Heršpice Farm – we start using optimal dim light for lettuce; preparation for installation of new technology called flood baths
• Kaly Farm – completion of the hatchery and start of trout spawning, i.e. closing the fish cycle in our system, leading to complete self-sufficiency of our farms
• Letonice Farm – preparation of documents for a building permit continues
• Farm Senica (SK) – continuation of the construction of the farm abroad

Interest in educational and presentation systems does not ease up.

• Future Farming Educational Farm at the  grammar school of Nicolaus Copernicus in Bílovec

Future Farming has officially opened its first educational aquaponic farm for secondary schools in the Czech Republic. The aquaponic farm consists of three modules with a total capacity of 600 seedlings and is mainly used for environmental education.

Establishment of a new development department to handle the high demand for Future Farming technologies. In addition to building aquaponic farms, we also offer hydroponic and RAS farms. We are expanding our focus on a sustainable future for the planet and are ready to offer our know-how to the world.

Our R&D department also produces and certifies organic fertiliser based on waste from fish tanks at Future Farming farms. These fertilisers are fully organic and chemical-free. The aim is to create circular systems for use in hydroponic installations, from feeding to processing waste into fertiliser. A secondary outcome of this effort is recycling wastewater from fish farms to be returned to the aquaponic system.

Future Farming has won the Smart City Innovations Institute’s Smart Cities 2022 award for contributing to organic food sourcing, specifically for its unique A-shape aquaponic system for food self-sufficiency in urban communities.

We are taking advantage of technology transfer and aiming for full automation of aquaponic farms as much as possible by 2026.

We want to respect our planet and take civilization to a higher level of development by combining natural practices and technologies through modern agricultural production in local aquaponic farms.

The aeroponic installation was placed in the Mendel Greenhouse in Brno and is a reference project of the Development Division of our company Future Farming.

Every year, the Brno City Council awards the Brno City Prize for a significant activity (or work) that has enriched an area of public life and contributed to strengthening the reputation of the city of Brno. Future Farming won the Mayor’s Award for helping to combat climate change with its technologies that enable carbon-free and waste-free food production.

Our subsidiary Farmia Food has launched its own e-shop and offers durable fish and herb products sourced from our domestic aquaponic farms.

Farmia Food accepted the offer of partnership at Makro Czech Gastro Fest 2023 and introduced itself to customers and partners of the largest cash and carry wholesale chain in the Czech Republic on the occasion of the prestigious MAKRO CZECH GASTRO FEST.

Future Farming and the Veterinary University of Brno – Faculty of Veterinary Hygiene and Ecology signed a memorandum of mutual cooperation, which focuses on the preparation of FVHE students for practice. This cooperation represents a significant step towards strengthening the educational process and the readiness of students for future professional challenges in the field of veterinary hygiene and ecology.

Future Farming launches a new product – the second generation Deep Water Culture (DWC) active system for aquaponic vegetable cultivation. The new DWC II system (under the symbolic name Aztec Garden) aims to increase the availability of aquaponic vegetables to consumers.

At the GreenTech World Fair in Amsterdam, we present advanced technologies for modern vertical and horizontal farming.

Future Farming and Rybí zahrada (aquaponic farm Lážovice) have agreed on mutual cooperation and strategic partnership. The agreement also includes Future Farming’s capital entry into Rybí zahrada.

Future Farming and the Secondary School of Fisheries and the Higher Vocational School of Aquatic Management and Ecology signed a memorandum of cooperation.

The Mayor of Brno, Markéta Vaňková, awarded Future Farming the certificate of Silver Partner of the Prepare Brno project for contributing to the fulfilment of the city’s goals by implementing its projects in at least five areas targeted by the joint memorandum.

Farmia Food has teamed up with Scuk.cz, the largest online farmer’s marketplace in the Czech Republic, to bring customers a new dimension in sustainable food.

Future Farming has agreed with Farmia Food to increase the supply of aquaponic foods to meet demand from the wholesale chain Makro CZ.

Future Farming and Mendel University – Faculty of Horticulture signed a memorandum of mutual cooperation.

Farmia Food is celebrating the success of receiving the GLOBALG.A.P. certificate for the quality of its aquaponic foods. Our salads, herbs and microgreens have undergone a thorough evaluation and meet the high standards of this renowned international organization.

In 2024, Future Farming is focusing on global expansion and strengthening links in technology sales and research, not only in Central Europe! Our main mission is to expand our influence worldwide by deepening business ties and collaborating on pioneering research projects. We are committed to the sustainable development of modern agriculture and promote innovation for efficient and organic food production.

In cooperation with the Polish company Food For Future Technologies, we are venturing into the biorefining of seaweed for sustainable food production. Our joint efforts focus on water and nitrogen recycling and position our company as a leader in organic farming.