OUR TEAM

When the Agritecture.com blog was founded in 2011, it aimed to discover new forms of urban agriculture and share them with the world in order to inspire a new generation of 'agritects'. Through the process of weekly research and blogging, a worldwide movement of visionary urban agriculture entrepreneurs and enthusiasts was identified and strengthened. Following consistent inquiries from curious entrepreneurs, a new idea also emerged from this simple Tumblr blog: a technology-agnostic consulting business designed to accelerate the work of urban agriculture entrepreneurs.

Agritecture Consulting was founded in 2014. Through feasibility studies and other service offerings, we provide our clients with the tools, data, knowledge, and network to ensure their success. We consult globally and are based in New York City. Agritecture Consulting’s expertise is in controlled environment agriculture (CEA) including hydroponic greenhouses and vertical farms. Agritecture also designs rooftop, hydroponic, and amenity agriculture solutions. Our greatest strengths are our interdisciplinary team, global data, and robust methodology.

Mission

Empower impact-driven organizations to develop feasible urban farming solutions, turning their business ideas into practical and sustainable realities

Vision

A world where commercial urban agriculture is economically feasible, reduces the environmental impact of the food system, and improves food security.

Henry Gordon-Smith

Managing Director

Henry helps clients identify and focus their goals and prepares consulting proposals. Henry also manages the Agritecture Consulting team. In 2011, he started the blog Agritecture.com and in 2014 he started Agritecture Consulting to provide expert guidance on launching urban agriculture projects. He earned his BA in Political Science from UBC, a certificate in Food Security from Ryerson University and an MSc in Sustainability Management from Columbia University.

Yara Nagi

Director of Operations

Yara advises on sustainability related matters for clients and assess the economic viability of their projects. She gained an interest in sustainable agriculture from her work experience in the Middle East. Yara has lived in between the United States and the MENA-GCC Region, developing programming aimed to spread sustainability practices within organizations and educational institutions. She holds an MSc in Sustainability Management from Columbia University, and a BSc in Environmental Health with a double minor in Education and Public Health.

Jeffrey Landau

Director of Business Development

Jeffrey manages Agritecture’s wide range of client engagements. From producing the AgLanta Conference to executing on client projects, Jeffrey works with Agritecture’s clients to achieve the objectives of their agriculture business. Prior to joining the Agritecture team, Jeffrey worked for Delta Air Lines in their Liaison Engineering group. He obtained his BSc in Mechanical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Djavid Amidi-Abraham
Lead Systems Designer

Djavid oversees project development and helps clients determine the right growing method, crop choice, and labor management methods. He has a professional background in sustainable technologies including hydroponic equipment distribution, vertical axis wind turbine sales, and carbon sequestration applications. Djavid's focus is to build the most sustainable and low-carbon systems possible. He holds a BA in History and Environmental Studies from Binghamton University, and has developed and worked on farms internationally.

Alberto López

Systems Engineer

Alberto advises on optimization of operation and energy performance of greenhouses and CEA facilities. He worked for the University of Costa Rica in the topic of greenhouse climate control. Moving to Europe allowed him to obtain hands-on experience in the operation, design and construction of vertical farms. Alberto collaborated with the German Aerospace Center in a plant selection methodology for the ISS and worked with the EDEN team on a vertical farming system analysis. He holds a MSc. in Biosystems Engineering of Wageningen University where he focused his research on greenhouse humidity control methods.

David Ceaser
Horticulture Consultant

David advises on growing and operations related questions for our clients and assists with our West Coast business activities. David has more than 15 years experience working in numerous types of agriculture, including indoor and outdoor hydroponics and soil based agriculture. David has an MBA in sustainable management, a BA in environmental studies with a focus on agroecology and a certificate in horticulture.

Briana Zagami

Media Strategist

Briana is a digital media strategist. She advises clients on branding and marketing strategy. She manages Agritecture's online presence and works to create strategic partnerships that will help Agritecture to raise awareness and educate users on the importance of urban agriculture for developing smart cities. She received her education from Dickinson College where she performed research on sustainable development in Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as the adverse effects of climate change on vulnerable populations.

Ricky Stephens
Director of Digital Strategy

Ricky manages all aspects of Agritecture’s digital strategy and online user engagement. Before joining Agritecture, Ricky founded AgTech X, New York’s first incubator space dedicated solely to AgTech education and entrepreneurship. Previously, Ricky served as Manager of Marketing Analytics for Red Ventures, where he helped build out the company’s first international office in Brazil. He holds a BA in History from Davidson College.

Simon Ferré

Architect

Simon gives life and face to new ideas. According to the client needs and choices, he designs models and makes renders, revealing the vision of the final project. He graduated with a Master Degree in Architecture from the National Architecture School of Paris - ENSAPVS. He worked several years designing, managing and delivering landscapes and public spaces projects all around Latin America. He emphasizes the aesthetic vision of urban agriculture as a key to solve technical, social and urban issues.

Portfolio

Emilie Baliozian

Sustainability Analyst

Emilie is a sustainability researcher and freelance graphic designer. She is a recent graduate of the dual degree program between Columbia University in the City of New York and SciencesPo Paris in France. She is strongly grounded in both the social and the natural sciences, having pursued both a bachelor’s degree in Political Science at SciencesPo, and a bachelor’s degree in Sustainable Development at Columbia. Emilie assists Agritecture with sustainability assessments of urban farming, graphic design, and our consulting projects in France.

Telmo Correa

Data Scientist and Data Infrastructure

Telmo works as a data engineer, machine learning expert, and is an advisor and the lead software engineer for Agritecture's new digital product. Telmo holds two bachelors in Computer Science and Mathematics and a MEng in Artificial Intelligence from MIT. He has previously worked for 6 years as a quantitative analyst in the financial industry. He is a Google Cloud Certified Developer, Architect, and Data Engineer.

Erik Sayle

Biology and Technology Consultant

Erik brings a love of plants and a diverse background in biology, technology and agriculture. With a BS degree in Molecular Biology from San Jose State University. For the last 15 years, Erik has focused on growing plants and other living organisms, with experience in the design and operation of CEA grow facilities and expertise in hydroponics, automation, IPM and microbiomes. His hobby is growing orchids in automated greenhouses.