Growing Change: Onboard Farming and Sustainable Shipping

As the maritime industry doubles down on decarbonisation, its conversations often circle around fuels, electrification, and efficiency gains. All of these are important priorities when it comes to reducing shipping’s impact on the environment. But a less visible conversation is also contributing to what it means to be sustainable at sea, not with propulsion, but through food.

By enabling ships to grow vegetables onboard using only water, electricity, and Wi-Fi, Agwa is helping reduce food miles, emissions, and reliance on volatile supply chains. It’s a deceptively simple idea with profound implications: instead of provisioning fresh produce at ports (only for it to spoil within days), crew grow it themselves onboard the vessel at the same, or even lower, cost for shipowners and operators.

It’s not DIY gardening. It’s fully autonomous food production powered by a virtual agronomist that adapts growing conditions in real time, meaning that no crew involvement is required beyond placing pre-seeded pods and harvesting fresh vegetables.

Pressure is growing to improve shipping’s entire environmental footprint. Today, provisioning relies on cold-chain logistics, plastic-heavy packaging, and frequent last-mile deliveries, all of which generate unnecessary emissions and waste.

By growing produce onboard, vessels can eliminate this logistical burden. There's no transport, no spoilage, no plastic, just fresh vegetables, harvested and consumed at source. The system's integrated dashboard also enables operators to track key environmental metrics in real time, including CO₂ savings, water usage, and onboard yield.

This creates a powerful ESG win, not only cutting emissions and waste but also improving transparency across sustainability metrics. Crucially, it supports compliance with rising regulatory expectations such as the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) 2006, which increasingly emphasise nutrition, wellbeing, and resilience.

And unlike many green solutions, it doesn’t come at a premium. Ships typically spend around $0.50 per crew member per day on vegetables. Virtual agronomists mean that they get more value for the same spend, minus the waste.

Despite their essential role, 1.9 million seafarers face significant health risks. According to the 2024 Re:fresh Seafarer Wellbeing Report, 70% of crew are overweight or obese. Prolonged reliance on frozen or preserved meals with limited access to fresh, nutrient-rich foods has also been linked to increased risk of metabolic and cardiovascular disease, impaired performance, and poor mental health.

While billions have been invested in decarbonisation and automation, the people onboard remain under-served. Nutrition, safety, and morale are intimately connected, and virtual agronomists can help to bridge that gap.

Fresh food isn’t just a wellbeing perk. Instead, it directly supports cognitive function, focus, and performance in safety-critical environments. Balanced diets help reduce fatigue-related incidents and improve overall crew satisfaction, with knock-on benefits for operational outcomes.

The psychological impact also matters. The presence of greenery onboard introduces a biophilic element into an otherwise industrial environment. Crew report a sense of pride in harvesting produce, describing it as a highlight of their day. It creates moments of connection, breaks monotony, and fosters social interaction - all of which are vital for mental health during long voyages.

Several leading operators are already seeing results. Maersk is currently piloting the technology following widespread adoption by Eastern Pacific Shipping, Capital Ship Management, Synergy Marine, CoolCo, and others. Adoption is accelerating not because of novelty, but because the value is real, measurable, and aligned with the direction the industry is heading.

By embedding food production directly onboard, ship owners and operators reduce their reliance on traditional supply chains and unlock a more resilient provisioning model - one that’s immune to port delays, geopolitical disruptions, or supplier issues.

The technology is also built for the realities of maritime life; compact, autonomous, and incredibly easy to use. Each unit is about the size of a medium wine fridge and supports six to seven crew members, producing 750g to 1kg of leafy greens per week (the equivalent of three large salads per person). A 22–24-person vessel typically requires three to four units, with the option to scale based on consumption or available space.

The system is entirely plug-and-play, meaning that no green fingers needed. Pre-seeded capsules simply slot into the device, with the AI managing everything from lighting and fertilization to climate control. Unlike traditional hydroponics, there's no calibration, balancing, or manual monitoring required. Harvest notifications are delivered via a mobile app, which also allows users to track growth, receive updates, and access recipes.

Behind the scenes, a suite of smart technologies ensures optimal yields. Cameras capture plant images twice daily, while AI analyses growth and adjusts conditions in real time. Sensors monitor water levels, EC, pH, and humidity, and the AI learns from crew harvesting patterns to ensure a steady, uninterrupted supply.

Agwa also works with ship operators to customise the crop selection, offering 40–50 plant varieties including leafy greens, herbs, and bulbs, with more in development. By reflecting the diverse dietary preferences of international crews, onboard menus are healthier, more varied, and culturally relevant.

Agwa’s vision is grounded in the belief that access to fresh, nutritious food should not be determined by geography. In the maritime sector, that vision is already becoming reality. Our systems are helping forward-thinking fleets boost crew wellbeing, reduce emissions, and improve operational resilience - all while staying cost neutral.

As environmental scrutiny deepens and crew welfare takes centre stage, onboard food production is fast becoming a hallmark of responsible shipping. In a world where carbon is counted, welfare is watched, and resilience is everything, virtual agronomists can offer a rare triple win for people, planet, and performance.