Stockholm-based engineer Hamza Q is transforming urban farming through EcoBloom Technologies, combining AI-powered crop monitoring with gamification to help farmers worldwide "grow smarter." From converting WWII caves into vertical farms to creating modern Tamagotchi-style growing systems, Hamza reveals how technology is revolutionizing local food production.

Key Learnings:

• AI-powered early detection: Smart sensors and image analysis can detect crop diseases and pests at early stages, significantly reducing waste in indoor farming environments while providing real-time insights that go beyond basic temperature readings to answer the crucial question of "why" crops behave certain ways.
• Gamification drives food education: EcoBloom's IoT-powered micro aquaponic systems functioned like a "modern Tamagotchi," allowing families to feed fish and control growing conditions through an app, successfully engaging children and parents in sustainable farming practices and local food production.
• Urban farming fills critical gaps: As populations urbanize and grow, food must be produced "closer to the consumer" using unconventional spaces like underground parking garages, old warehouses, and even in-store vertical farms where customers can harvest directly from farm to shelf within feet of checkout.