"It's always nice to be copied," Richard Kohn, General Manager of Iyris and SkyFarms, says with a smile. "It means we're at the head of the pack." Iyris has been a pioneer in developing heat-mitigating greenhouse technologies, such as Second Sky, a material additive that significantly reduces near-infrared radiation without compromising light quality. The technology is now being mirrored by others in the industry - a trend he views not with concern, but with pride.
"There's no better compliment from the industry than realizing we had it right," he adds. "Other companies are starting to understand that this technology really has value and are trying to copy it."
He shares how his company is influencing CEA with heat-mitigating materials, and why the Gulf region, particularly the UAE and Saudi Arabia, is the perfect test bed for such innovation.
With over two years of market presence, Iyris has built a lead in a sector that is quickly recognizing the growing threat of heat stress to crops and the need for scalable, affordable solutions.
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SecondSky™ Net
Testing innovation in reality: The Al Ain farm
Richard runs a commercial farm in Al Ain to test the company's technologies. "I run a half-hectare, side-by-side comparison," he explains. "One half is conventional; the other uses Second Sky." The purpose is clear: real-world validation.
"Less water, less energy, better yield, better quality crop. These are all qualities from produce grown with Second Sky that we can show very directly," he says. The farm allows them to test phenological responses of crops and provide tangible data that proves their claims, including a return on investment within one crop cycle.
Empowering the low to mid-tech grower
Richard is particularly passionate about supporting growers at the low to mid-tech level. "Most farmers can't afford AI, drones, or machine learning," he notes. "Our job is to mimic the growers we're trying to help."
The Second Sky technology is intentionally designed to be accessible. Growers don't need new infrastructure - just a simple one-for-one replacement of their old netting or polyethylene sheets with Iyris products. "You don't need a three-month training schedule. Literally, take the old one off, replace it, and you'll feel the difference the minute you walk in," he asserts.
They've recently extended their product line with net products, including thrip nets and shade nets. These maintain visibility and light transmission while still offering pest and heat protection, making them ideal for even the most basic greenhouse setups.
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SecondSky™ Screen
High-tech expansion: Serving both ends of the spectrum
While the core focus remains on accessibility, Iyris is also stepping into the high-tech space with their transparent shade screens. These innovations allow high-tech greenhouses to maintain optimal light levels while mitigating excessive heat. "More light, less heat. It helps plants grow, gives more daily light integral, improves your VPD - all the metrics that high-tech growers care about," Richard shares.
Regional relevance: Why the Gulf?
"We started in Saudi Arabia," he explains, noting that the technology spun out from KAUST (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology). "We know heat. If you're going to build solutions for climate stress, where better to start than the UAE and Saudi?"
With daily summer temperatures exceeding 45°C, the Gulf region presents one of the most extreme environments for agriculture. But as Richard points out, that's exactly why it's the right place to develop scalable climate solutions. "We don't have a problem with light. We have a lot of heat. So the question becomes: How do I use that light and mitigate the heat to grow through the summer?"
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SecondSky™ Polyfilm
Season extension = Food security
"The winter is easy," he says. "It's the summer where things get tricky." Yet this is where the greatest opportunity lies. Extending the growing season into the summer not only improves grower profitability but also reduces dependence on costly imports.
"In the summer, we're flying in strawberries from the U.S., tomatoes from Spain. It doesn't make sense." Local production, even at a modest scale, can rebalance market dynamics and stabilize prices.
Food security, not self-sufficiency
Richard makes a critical distinction: "The Gulf region is not aiming for food self-sufficiency - they're aiming for food security." That means securing supply chains for strategic crops while building domestic production capacity for fresh produce.
Both Saudi Arabia and the UAE are investing heavily in agricultural innovation hubs. "In the UAE, there are new agri-hubs where technologies like ours are being trialed. In Saudi, SAFTA is spearheading initiatives to improve farmer capability and food resilience."
Making it scalable for everyone
"Whether you have one hoop or 25 hectares, it doesn't matter," he emphasizes. "Our products are available through the standard agricultural supply chains - the same ones growers have trusted for years."
By working within existing supply networks, Iyris minimizes barriers to adoption and ensures that their innovations are not just advanced, but also grower-ready.
"In the end, we all want the same thing: affordable food on supermarket shelves," Richard says. "If you're producing food that's too expensive, it's a problem for everyone."
For more information:
iyris
https://iyris.com
SecondSky™
secondsky@iyris.com
https://secondsky.com