How Horta Works
Site
An empty car parking space in the middle of the city, an underutilized field in the city outskirts, an old farm that can no longer produce but still has its infrastructure, and other similar underutilized urban or agrarian spaces are all potential places for physically installing Horta.
Horta is also a system that maintains an up-to-date online database of relevant information about all sites worldwide that have physically installed Horta. Climate, rainfall, and local temperature, together with official documentation from local authorities, are examples of information that the Horta System tracks to continuously optimize and improve productivity.
Sponsor
Is the agent – private / public / enterprise / solo – that finances the physical infrastructure of Horta. Depending on the climate conditions, sponsors can have the return of their investment within the first year. A sponsor can range from institutions seeking to improve their ESG score to others eager to claim tax relief or secure carbon and biodiversity credits, as well as private individuals looking at alternatives to grow organic food in a productive way as a side hustle.
In all cases, Horta will always build a culture and strengthen local communities. Horta acts as a compliance partner, tracking and organizing all necessary documentation required by local authorities.
Canteiro
Is the real-world infrastructure of Horta.
It is a modular, non-stationary (palletized) planting container (raised bed) optimized for both biological success and economic resilience. The Canteiro is smartly engineered – its base prevents water accumulation, its walls are assembled with insulated material (temperature changes on the roots can be damaging for the plant’s development), and its surface has a special soil cover that protects and promotes the soil biome by locking in moisture (which dramatically reduces the need for constant irrigation). The only fertilizer Horta uses is worm humus (high-performance, nutrient-dense organic substrate) – A natural catalyst that continuously restores soil biology, ensures long-term fertility (avoids soil depletion)while also guaranteeing a sterile, safe environment for food production.
Upon its first assembly, a tree is planted at the heart of the Canteiro. This improves soil structure and transforms the container into a high-value, appreciating asset over time. A mix of at least three different edible crops that can collaborate on each other’s development is introduced in the Canteiro after its assembly and subsequently after each harvest. By combining diverse species, Horta maximizes the Canteiro surface area, achieving significantly higher productivity and cost-efficiency per square meter when compared to traditional farming.
Online, Horta is a database of each canteiro, keeping track of the canteiro location, health, and overall physical conditions, together with crop development.
Plant the seeds
On a designated date, all Horta Canteiros globally plant their seeds simultaneously under clear, standardized instructions. Synchronizing this process streamlines regional logistics and generates massive datasets. This allows the system to analyze which crops thrive best in specific regions, compare worldwide harvest data, and instantly scale best practices globally.
The Canteiro never stops producing. As soon as the vegetables are harvested, the planting process restarts, continuing until the central tree is fully grown and ready to be sold. Through every single cycle, Horta builds culture and strengthens the local community.
Maintenance
All upkeep is coordinated by Horta, which sends targeted, step-by-step instructions to local workers who have signed up via the platform. Tasks are punctual, do not require specialized agricultural training, and are well compensated.
The system optimizes the maintenance schedule by combining real-time weather forecasts with the physical data gathered at the site.
Harvest
Like maintenance, harvesting does not require specialized labor and includes clear, step-by-step instructions for local workers. Because there are different types of plants growing together in the Canteiro, there are multiple harvests throughout the year.
The digital platform automatically alerts the local community when a harvest is ready; in specific cases, registered consumers can even come to the site and harvest directly from the Canteiro themselves.
Sell
Horta also operates an integrated digital marketplace. For a minimal transaction fee, the platform handles direct-to-consumer vegetable sales. This setup allows Horta to collect valuable market data on localized consumer preferences, buying habits, and high-demand crops—insights that can then be applied to optimize production worldwide.
Grow food
(Re)Connect with each other
Make our cities better
Horta can change the world
Wanna be part of it?
studio@resignify.studio