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Science-led agronomy
for resilient food systems

Crop Urbanis is a consulting company established in France, operating internationally, and led by Ilia Sukhodolov. With a lifelong background in agriculture, Ilia grew up in a farming family and gained early experience in greenhouse vegetable production, which later shaped his expertise in controlled-environment agriculture.

Portrait of Ilia Sukhodolov inside a greenhouse corridor

Career, expertise & mission

Explore the experience, academic foundations and mission that guide Crop Urbanis today.

Career, step by step

Ilia has built his career step by step, beginning as a greenhouse assistant and research associate, progressing to Senior and Chief Agronomist, gaining international experience as a Consultant Agronomist in France, and most recently serving as Director of Agronomy for advanced vertical farms and greenhouses in the Gulf region.

Academic background

His academic profile mirrors that trajectory: a combined Bachelor’s and Master’s in Greenhouse Horticulture from the Moscow Agricultural Academy, a one-year exchange on vertical farming at Shenyang Agricultural Research University in China, and an engineering diploma in modern agriculture from a Grande École in Lille, France, complemented by Wageningen University professional training in vertical farming.

Impact and recognition

With over 8 years of professional and academic experience across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia, Ilia has designed resource-efficient systems that reduced operating costs by 20–30%, implemented tailored crop nutrition protocols that improved yield efficiency by 15–25%, and developed investor-ready business models and feasibility studies, helping attract over €1M in investment capital. He has authored peer-reviewed scientific articles (WoS, RSCI), secured government and commercial research grants, and earned recognition in international competitions such as the Urban Greenhouse Challenge (Netherlands).

Today’s mission

Today, Crop Urbanis combines Ilia’s international experience, scientific expertise and hands-on know-how to help clients create efficient, resilient and sustainable food systems. The company stays committed to innovation, resource efficiency and practical solutions that make controlled-environment agriculture accessible, profitable and environmentally responsible.

Ilia Sukhodolov reviewing vertical farm schematics

Career milestones

VFarms logo

Director of Agronomy — VFarms

Mar 2024 – Jul 2025 · Doha, Qatar

Led agronomy for desert vertical farms from design to optimisation; achieved >600 g iceberg and romaine heads without tipburn, tuned nitrate and magnesium programmes, and produced investor-grade models with two patents.

IRIS-STEE logo

Consultant Agronomist – Interdisciplinary Research Unit on Society-Technology-Environment Interactions

Feb 2023 – Aug 2023 · Troyes, France

Designed an autonomous urban micro-farm integrating solar, wind, rainwater harvesting and multiple growing techniques within a participatory research programme.

Citicrop Vertical Farms logo

Chief Agronomist — Citicrop Vertical Farms

Mar 2021 – Feb 2022 · Moscow, Russia

Delivered +28% productivity and −20% costs by redesigning protocols for basil, lettuce, cocktail cucumber and zucchini flowers.

Shenyang Agricultural University logo

Research Dept. Specialist — Shenyang Agricultural University

Sep 2018 – Aug 2019 · Shenyang, China

Ran controlled-environment hydroponic trials optimising substrates, nutrients and planting densities for leafy and fruiting crops.

Edelstein Vegetable Experiment Station logo

Senior Agronomist — Edelstein Vegetable Experiment Station

Mar 2016 – Aug 2018 · Moscow, Russia

Managed NFT, drip and ebb-and-flow systems; IPM upgrades lifted tomato productivity by 19%.

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Research Associate — Laboratory of Photomorphogenesis & Artificial Climate

Sep 2015 – Jul 2017 · Moscow, Russia

Executed climate-control experiments quantifying humidity, airflow, temperature, spectra and CO₂ impacts on crop development.

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Greenhouse Assistant — Agrocomplex Churilovo

May 2016 – Jul 2016 · Chelyabinsk, Russia

Supported biocontrol insect rearing and nutrient solution adjustments while assisting tomato and cucumber cultivation.

Education & training

Wageningen University & Research

Vertical Farming — professional course

Completed dedicated vertical farming training at Wageningen University in the Netherlands.

Jan – Feb 2025 — Wageningen, Netherlands

Junia ISA

Master’s degree in Agricultural Science

Graduated with 15.5/20, specialising in urban farming and biological protection; capstone on LED effects on pathogens.

Jan 2022 – Mar 2024 — Lille, France

Shenyang Agricultural University

Master’s exchange in Vertical Farming

Completed a one-year exchange with thesis on LED spectra performance in vertical farms; grade 86/100.

2018 – 2019 — Shenyang, China

Russian State Agrarian University — Moscow Agricultural Academy

BSc + MSc + PhD studies in Greenhouse Horticulture

Graduated with 4.8/5; thesis on tomato grafting and development of microclimate and nutrition strategies for vertical farms.

Sep 2014 – May 2024 — Moscow, Russia

Impact snapshot

30+ Projects

Successful Projects delivered across Four Climate Zones

20–30%

Operating cost improvements achieved after optimisation

15–25%

Yield reliability delivered via tailored crop nutrition

€1M+

Investment capital unlocked for sustainable farming projects

Over 8 years

Across Europe, the Middle East, Africa & Asia in controlled-environment agriculture & research

How we work

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Multilingual & localisation-aware

Documentation, workshops, and tools are available upon request in English, French, Chinese, Russian, Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian.

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Science-first diagnostics

Every engagement begins with data: crop analytics, environmental logging and business modelling to target the right interventions.

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Implementation-ready delivery

We translate strategy into SOPs, commissioning plans and training so your team can run confidently after handover.

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Governance & measurement built-in

Editorial calendars, analytics dashboards and QA checklists come with each programme, making ongoing optimisation straightforward.

Collaborators & network

A network of specialists on call

Depending on scope, Crop Urbanis brings in horticultural engineers, automation integrators, food safety experts and community engagement facilitators to extend the core team. Contact: info@cropurbanis.fr.

Ready to discuss your project?

Share your goals, facility type and timelines so we can scope an engagement that fits your resources and KPIs.