Federico Bert, Manager of IICA’s Digitalization of Agrifood Program; Lloyd Day, Deputy Director General of IICA; Manuel Otero, Director General of IICA; and Emmanuel Picado, Manager of Information and Communication Technologies and Digital Agriculture at IICA.
San José, 25 September 2025 (IICA) – Bayer, the Chilean startup Farmtastica, and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) inaugurated the AgroBox 360 controlled-environment vertical farm in Costa Rica, showcasing the advantages of using digital and low-cost technologies for sustainable food production.
The farm, housed in a 30-square-meter shipping container, is located at the Institute’s headquarters in San José. It forms part of IICA’s Open-Door initiative, which seeks to strengthen ties between the hemispheric organization specialized in agriculture and local communities, while demonstrating the importance of agriculture for food and nutrition security in the Americas.
The new facilities integrate digital technologies with sustainable agricultural practices, engineering and agronomic crop management. The space functions as a living innovation lab, where leafy and fruit vegetables (such as cherry tomatoes and aromatic plants) are grown under fully controlled conditions using sensors, automated processes and remote monitoring.
IICA’s collaboration with Bayer and Farmtastica demonstrates that urban agriculture can contribute to the solutions the agricultural sector as a whole can offer to global sustainability.
“Transforming agriculture requires transforming IICA. We cannot preach change without first applying it within our own institution. With more than 25,000 visitors a year to our headquarters—most of them young people—we are showcasing the value of innovative and sustainable agriculture for the future”, said Manuel Otero, Director General of the Institute, during the inauguration of AgroBox 360.
The module makes it possible to control critical variables such as temperature, humidity, light exposure, carbon dioxide levels and the electrical conductivity of the nutrient solution. Data are stored in the cloud and accessible to partner organizations’ technicians, facilitating collaboration and real-time analysis for decision-making.
The container also combines sensors, monitoring software, crop-specific LED lighting and vertical structures that maximize productivity per square meter. This solution enables year-round production of high-quality food, with low operational requirements and full traceability from seed to harvest.
The farm is housed in a 30-square-meter container and demonstrates that urban agriculture can contribute solutions to food and nutrition security in the Americas.
The farm has a capacity of 2,000 plants, with an estimated production of 18 cycles per year (from planting to harvest).
“AgroBox360 is much more than a structure for growing plants. It is a real-time data center. We use high-precision sensors and controllers that allow us not only to observe but also to act, adjusting conditions to optimize crop growth and resilience”, explained Emmanuel Picado, Manager of Information and Communication Technologies and Digital Agriculture at IICA.
He added that the initiative is also designed as a scalable model. “The long-term vision is to bring this solution to countries facing different risks, adapting it to their specific contexts in order to boost local food production and strengthen food security, especially in vulnerable communities”, said Picado.
Maricruz Larrea, co-founder and CEO of Farmtastica, stated: “We are very excited to work with IICA on this initiative. We believe it is essential to develop efficient and resilient solutions in the face of an increasingly challenging climate. This farm will allow us to innovate, share knowledge, and move toward a fairer and more sustainable food system for all”.
The inauguration of AgroBox 360 took place within the framework of the fourth edition of Digital Agriculture Week, organized by the Institute, with the participation of 21 agtechs from 15 countries of the Americas. The event’s objective is to connect current digital solutions with the real challenges facing agriculture in the region.
The farm can grow up to 2,000 plants, which can yield as many as 18 harvests per year.
More information:
Institutional Communication Division.
comunicacion.institucional@iica.int
