Luxembourg-born Ralph Becker saw the need for food security solutions, as well as a way to minimise carbon footprint and the farm-to-table distance. While the Philippines is blessed with lush and fertile lands, as well as a climate suited to growing a variety of crops, in recent years, agriculture in the country is struggling. Farmers lack support and training, rural farming practices are outdated, and exposure to typhoons and droughts are making traditional food production methods more and more difficult.
In October 2016, a year after Becker moved to Manila from Silicon Valley, he founded Urban Greens, an agri-tech startup that aims “to provide cleaner, fresher, smarter greens entirely grown hydroponically,” perfectly catered to an increasingly urbanised world.