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.
Explore the experience, academic foundations and mission that guide Crop Urbanis today.
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.
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.
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, 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.
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.
Designed an autonomous urban micro-farm integrating solar, wind, rainwater harvesting and multiple growing techniques within a participatory research programme.
Delivered +28% productivity and −20% costs by redesigning protocols for basil, lettuce, cocktail cucumber and zucchini flowers.
Ran controlled-environment hydroponic trials optimising substrates, nutrients and planting densities for leafy and fruiting crops.
Managed NFT, drip and ebb-and-flow systems; IPM upgrades lifted tomato productivity by 19%.
Executed climate-control experiments quantifying humidity, airflow, temperature, spectra and CO₂ impacts on crop development.
Supported biocontrol insect rearing and nutrient solution adjustments while assisting tomato and cucumber cultivation.
Vertical Farming — professional course
Completed dedicated vertical farming training at Wageningen University in the Netherlands.
Jan – Feb 2025 — Wageningen, Netherlands
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
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
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
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
Documentation, workshops, and tools are available upon request in English, French, Chinese, Russian, Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian.
Every engagement begins with data: crop analytics, environmental logging and business modelling to target the right interventions.
We translate strategy into SOPs, commissioning plans and training so your team can run confidently after handover.
Editorial calendars, analytics dashboards and QA checklists come with each programme, making ongoing optimisation straightforward.
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.
Share your goals, facility type and timelines so we can scope an engagement that fits your resources and KPIs.
