If there is one challenge that food producers the world over share, it’s that they need to drastically increase output to feed the growing world population, while using less land and fewer resources. The solution may lie in vertical farming..
Indoor, vertical farming is perfectly poised to address the triple challenge facing agriculture. Expanding production upwards, and in most cases without any soil, means farmers don’t need hectares that span across horizons to achieve economies of scale and the volumes of produce that make their efforts worthwhile.
Since these farms operate in enclosed environments, independent of weather and seasons, food can be produced year-round at a steady rate. Yields are precisely managed and the fluctuations that keep outdoor farmers awake at night are not an issue here. In fact, LED lighting can be used to manipulate root growth, foliage colour and the size of the crop. Since these farms are closed off to the outside world, insects are absent, and crops can be grown pesticide-free.
The vertical nature of the farms mean that the sky is the limit – produce can be stacked however high is necessary, amplifying the yield per hectare several times over. Since far less space on the ground is necessary, vertical farms can afford to be in or close to city centres, minimizing the distance to travel to market. This has become especially important in a world where locally produced food is gaining preference and consumers keep an eye on carbon footprints.
It is little wonder then that this sector is attracting massive investments from both food and
tech companies. According to a study by Grand View Research, the global indoor farming market was valued at USD$39.5 billion in 2021, and is expected to reach $44.3 billion by the end of this year.
One of the bigger players in this market, Aero Farms, believes that by 2030, the expected value of global indoor farming will be $122.3 billion. From 2019 to 2023, they expect the market for leafy greens in particular to grow by seven percent CAGR (compound annual growth rate) to make it a $103 billion industry.
The race is on to take the title of “world’s biggest vertical farm” with several companies continually expanding to overtake the other. We look at the biggest players making a name in this space and the unique selling points they offer.
Leafy greens in the desertThose beholden to the geographic lottery are especially turning their gaze towards vertical farming, where climate-controlled structures can produce the lush fresh produce their sandy deserts cannot.
Home to one of the largest airlines in the world, Emirates, and catering to over 100 airlines, Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has a considerable daily demand for fresh food. Their hot, dry, climate make producing food outdoors near impossible, resulting in heavy reliance on imports. Vertical, indoor farming presents the perfect solution.
The Bustanica facility, a joint venture between Emirates Flight Catering and Crop One, is roughly the size of 14 soccer fields.
Photo: Crop One Holdings & Emirates Flight Catering
The Bustanica facility, a joint venture between Emirates Flight Catering and Crop One, is located near Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai. Although the 100,600 m²
farm – roughly the size of 14 soccer fields – is the largest in size, its output is less than its rival, Aero Farms. Still, the facility is impressive in its ability to not only produce more than a thousand tonnes of leafy greens annually, but has eliminated the carbon footprint that would usually come with this produce were it to be sourced elsewhere. Furthermore, the company is expanding production to supply supermarkets in the UAE, reducing their reliance on imports too.
With the UAE being considerably water-strapped, the fact that the system reduces the water requirement by 95 percent, compared to conventional agriculture, is a particular boon. Bustanica produces up to three tonnes of lettuce, arugula, mixed salad greens and spinach each day, and will soon be expanding this collection to include fruit and vegetables. The farm’s closed-loop system is designed to circulate water through the plants to maximize water usage and efficiency. When the water vaporizes, it is recovered and recycled into the system. The farm is touted as having zero impact on the world’s threatened soil resources, an incredibly reduced reliance on water and year-round harvests unhampered by weather conditions and pests. The proximity to market also reduces food waste.
It’s in the airGoing one step further in reducing agriculture’s reliance on precious resources, Aero Farms uses even less water, instead misting the roots with a nutrient solution.
Producing by far the biggest output per square metre, Aero Farm’s sites across the United States make up only 9.4 soccer fields, but production of 10,300 tonnes of leafy greens is achieved. Farms are centred around cities like New Jersey, and major distribution routes to ensure fresh food is available all year round, on consumers’ doorsteps. The company will soon expand into Abu Dhabi, bringing fresh produce to another corner of the UAE.
Aero Farms achieves up to 26 harvests per year, also boasting a water reduction of 95 percent compared to infield farming, 99 percent less land, zero pesticides and a fraction of the fertilizers. The system goes one step further in its quest for sustainability in that it uses a recyclable cloth made from recycled plastic bottles as a growth medium, rather than water or soil. Seeds are sown onto the cloth, and once grown the roots are exposed making them easy to feed with the nutrient rich mist. The addition of oxygen which is circulated through fans at the end of every plant bed further optimizes plant growth.
Aero Farms’ systems are completely automated, from seeding to growing to harvesting and packing.
Photo: Aero Farms
The system is completely automated, from seeding to growing to harvesting and packing. Since the produce is free from pesticides, herbicides and soil, no washing is needed – resulting in a further saving in water, time and labour.
Technology development and research into yield improvements have played a pivotal role in the astronomic increase in yield Aero Farms achieves over any other vertical farm. They have, for example, achieved a 59 percent increase in LED lighting efficiency over the last five years and taken their growth cycle for baby leafy greens from 20 to 14 days. They focus on precision control to maximize genetic expression of the plants by optimizing light, nutrients, air speed, humidity and water levels.
Aero Farms, which became a publicly traded company on the Nasdaq exchange last year, is certainly one to watch in terms of further research and development that will cement vertical farming as a cornerstone of food production in overpopulated cities.
Best of both worldsThe debate surrounding sustainable protein sources is perhaps one of the biggest issues facing consumers seeking balanced diets. While aquaponics is an age-old system, the potential it has to provide that dietary balance, by balancing its own system of protein and vegetables is what sets Upward Farms in New York, United States apart from the rest.
Upward Farms produces certified organic microgreens for U.S. east coast consumers.
Photos: Upward Farms
Vertical farming, with its indoor stacked systems, is an ideal landscape to harness the power of fish waste as a source of nutrients for vegetables growing up above. At Upward Farms, organic microgreens are produced alongside hybrid striped bass, to provide food for east coast consumers that mostly rely on produce coming from across the continent in California.
Already quite sizeable at 76,200 m² – the size of nearly 11 soccer fields put together – across two locations, Upward Farms’ expansions in the United States will more than double their floor space and make them the largest in the world by the end of 2023.
Addressing the need to grow products that people want to eat, where they want to eat it, the company believes that investments in these kinds of systems can address not only carbon footprints of food transport but bring down the costs as well.
The company’s CEO, Jason Green, believes the success of the company has global implications for how and where food is grown. “Farming is one of the sectors that’s both highly exposed to the perils of climate change and one of its key drivers. With our latest expansion, we’ll be able to reach nearly 100 million Americans, within a single day of distribution versus the week it can take to receive products from the west coast.”
Upward Farms uses fish to fertilize crops in a complete ecosystem.
The aquaponics system uses fish to fertilize crops in a complete ecosystem where fish swim directly below plants, and their manure fertilizes the soil when this water is recirculated through as irrigation. The fish are farmed without hormones or antibiotics, and their waste is broken down by a microbiome of soil bacteria into nutrients that plants need. The plants filter those nutrients from the water and so no synthetic fertilizers are used in the system.
Consumers are assured of fish that is free from mercury, antibiotics or added hormones, and since the microgreens are certified organic, there is the added incentive to support the system.
Scaling up food securityOne of the major benefits of vertical farming is that so much more can be produced on a piece of land, since tonnage requires upward expansion and not horizonal. While gargantuan vertical farms are making big inroads in this industry, the economies of scale needed mean that smaller farmers are mostly excluded. This is where Freight Farms is making an impact, making vertical farming accessible to more, and smaller scaled farmers.
Freight Farms makes use of shipping containers to set up indoor farms.
Photo: Freight Farms
Freight Farms, based in the United States, makes use of shipping containers to set up indoor farms that can service a single supermarket, restaurant or community in their backyards. The systems have spread out across the globe and they can be found in 38 countries, from the icy Canadian wilderness, to urban jungles and arid deserts on several continents. So far just over 550 of the containers are producing a crop of between two and six tons per annum in the 70 m³ farm, using only 19 litres of water daily.
The idea for the company came as a result of wanting to produce food in an urban environment. Founders Brad McNamara and Jon Friedman started developing rooftop gardens, but quickly realized they needed a modular and scalable solution to really make an impact on food miles. With shipping containers being freely available, this became an easy solution, especially since the climate could then be controlled and the farms rolled out to even the most severe climates.
Freight Farms’ goal is to ultimately shorten the distance that food travels from farm to table. Photo: Freight Farms
Freight Farms’ goal is to ultimately shorten the distance that food travels from farm to table. But through the added technology of indoor, vertical farming, farmers can now produce high-quality and sustainable produce, 365 days a year.
Reducing importsThe UK is another country that is starting to see big benefits of vertical farming through import reductions, and year-round
availability of food. With the country currently able to grow only around 50 percent of its vegetable requirement and less than 20 percent of its fruit, systems that can bypass unsuited weather to keep producing 12 months of the year are vital to food security and lowering carbon footprints.
Jones Food Company (JFC) believes it can reduce food miles by up to 95 percent for certain crops through vertical farming in the UK. Interestingly, the floor space of JFC’s facility in Scunthorpe is only a fifth of Bustanica, but their output is around 10 percent more per annum. This is because of the stacked layers they use that can increase the amount of food that can be grown per square metre by up to a hundred times. On a farm the size of nearly three soccer fields, JFC produces 1,150 tonnes of leafy greens annually, enough for nearly 14 million salads. This is done across 17 layers that reach up into the sky – more layers than any farm across Europe. The farm also produces vegetables and berries.
JFC produces 1,150 tonnes of leafy greens annually, across 17 layers that reach up into the sky.
Photo: Jones Food Company
The farm focuses on minimal water usage, re-using each litre up to 30 times as it is recirculated through the farm. Renewable energy is another tick towards sustainability and around 15 percent of JFC’s power is solar, aiming towards 100 percent by the end of this year.
James Lloyd Jones, JFC’s CEO, believes vertical farming is genuinely solving a host of the challenges the world is facing with regards to food production. But whether it can address the increasing cost of food and make it more affordable to eat a healthy diet, will only be seen in the future. “In terms of impacting the current cost-of-living, the answer is ‘not as much as we like, but in the future, absolutely.’ Over the next 10 years we’re going to see a lot more vertical farms as set-up costs reduce, energy comes from sustainable sources and the sector takes advantage of the removal of many costs from the production of fresh food – lower labour costs, lower transport costs, no need for any pesticides. This should all have a very positive impact for consumers.”
Vertical farming is on the cusp of a huge revolution as the list of advantages grows over that of conventional, outdoor farming. With so much opportunity across each aspect of these advanced systems, investors, farmers, consumers and the environment are set to see exponential benefits in years to come. ●
Soil still has its placeStacked farms that operate in the skies do have a downside – soil is heavy. This makes it difficult to transport and spread out among thousands of stacked trays. This is largely why hydroponic and even aeroponic farming have become the methods of choice for vertical farms. But there are those who still put their faith in soil, believing that following nature’s cue is the best way forward.
One such company is Soli Organic, which has transitioned most of its culinary herb production indoors and taking the soil with them. The company produces nearly 35 percent of the United States’ organic culinary herbs and believes soil remains key.
CEO Matt Ryan notes that production costs are 30 percent less, growing inside in soil versus growing in the field. “You won’t get that kind of saving through hydroponics. Yes, growing in soil indoors is harder to do but the benefits are twofold: cost and disease pressure.
“Growing plants with hydroponics often requires less space, and water is harder to move around a facility with soil. However, a soil-based system has to contend less with plant-borne illnesses than hydroponic systems. For example, one reason spinach is so difficult to grow hydroponically is its susceptibility to a water-borne pathogen that attacks the plant’s roots. If grown in soil, that problem is eliminated,” adds Ryan.
The vertical nature of the farms mean that thesky is the limit…
The race is on to take the title of ‘world’s biggest vertical farm’.
Leading vertical farming companies have committed to a ‘Vertical Farming Identity Statement’ and ‘Industry Manifesto’, an unprecedented industry momentum to contribute jointly to a sustainable transformation of global food systems.
Twenty-three vertical farming companies signed the Vertical Farming Manifesto in September at the Vertical Farming World Congress in Brussels. They include 80 Acres, AeroFarms, Bowery, Crop One, CubicFarms, Elevate Farms, Fifth Season, Fischer Farms, Freight Farms, Infarm, Infinite Acres, Jones Food Company, Kalera, La Grangette, Ljusgårda, N.THING, Plenty, Stacked Farm, Urban Crop Solutions, Urban Harvest, Vertical Future, YesHealth Group and ZipGrow.
The Vertical Farming Identity and the Manifesto describe the urgency of transforming current food systems and explain how vertical farming systems can contribute significantly to designing food systems which are resilient and future-proof. Through technological innovation, indoor vertical farming decouples food production from external factors like climate or public health crises. By localizing production and controlling the growing environment, vertical farming provides pesticide-free produce, uses significantly less land and water, and requires fewer transportation miles.
Toward the industry’s goal of driving the transformation of food systems, a news release stated the companies strive to set high standards by aligning with globally accepted impact frameworks, for example, the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), B Corp, or the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). “Furthermore, the industry is dedicated to continuously investing in research and development to improve vertical farming technology and grow even smarter and more sustainable food systems.” ●
Stellenbosch University's (SU) Welgevallen experimental farm opened its new HortiDemo Centre in late October. The HortiDemoCentre is a 3,000 m2 multi-span greenhouse, designed to maximize airflow and light penetrations to optimize the climate or a range of hydroponically grown crops. It is unique tailor-made structure that is a combination of South African and Dutch technology.
The centre is a consortium of partners in the horticultural sector, including local and Dutch companies. The partners include SU, Delphy BV, Greener Solutions (a South African company), Ludvig Svensson, Ridder Group, Rijk Zwaan, Koppert South Africa, and Control Union.
“Similar greenhouses do exist in South Africa; however, this is a first world class facility that is specially designed for training in this country,” said Professor Wim de Villiers, SU rector and vice-chancellor, during the opening. “The establishment of the centre and greenhouse is a significant achievement that will benefit research and productivity in the agriculture sector, across continents. And it will expand South Africa's research capabilities and food productivity.”
The centre specializes in protected crop production and showcases the best and most cutting-edge in Dutch horticultural technology. It will implement innovative Dutch technologies for profitable, productive, sustainable and climate smart agronomy, while also offering training to students and emerging farmers.
In particular, the centre focuses on training, skills and knowledge exchange on good farming practices and entrepreneurship; developing new markets for sustainable agriculture and technologies such as water efficiency, climate resistant inputs, biological pest management, post-harvest inspection and certification; showcasing of technologies, involving investors, and creating a different mindset towards technologies by linking them to the sustainable farming aspects that are needed for future farming; and, contribute to food security by increasing the local production and availability of quality food products that are nutritious and safe and allow access to premium markets.
The HortiDemo Centre also offersa potential site for independent trials for the commercial vegetable sector. It can generate localand nonpartisan data on cropping systems in collaboration with commercial companies through being administered by Stellenbosch University.
The centre is open to students, established and up-and-coming farmers, agronomists, researchers, local government officials and extension specialists, as well as value chain participants like buyers and retailers.
According to Niek Bosmans, agricultural councillor of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, “the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture Nature and Food quality wants to promote sustainable agriculture worldwide, with a focus on three goals over the next 10 years – strengthening the position of sustainable entrepreneurs, produce within the capacity of the earth and strengthening global food security.” ●
The UK’s Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) has appointed a peat-free postdoctoral fellow to help the horticultural trade transition to sustainable growing media.
A £1million, co-funded, five-year project led by the charity will convene government, growers and growing media manufacturers through the Growing Media Association and horticultural product supplier Fargro to research sustainable alternatives to peat in large-scale commercial settings.
Five growers initially will work alongside Dr. Raghavendra Prasad who has joined the RHS’ science team at RHS Hilltop: Home of Gardening Science this month. They are: Allensmore, Hills Plants, Johnsons of Whixley, The Farplants Group and Vitacress who collectively produce more than 46 million plants every year.
Areas of focus for the group will include peat free plant and plug plant production, new growing media technologies to replace the estimated 1.7m m3 of peat used by the UK horticultural industry in 2021, growing protocols, best practice use of the latest products, and developing peat-free solutions for challenging plant groups such as carnivorous and ericaceous species.
Findings will also be shared ongoing with the wider industry, including specialist nurseries, as well as the UK’s 30 million home and community gardeners who, armed with a better understanding of sustainable alternatives and best practice advice, can aid the transition to peat-free.
The RHS has committed to being entirely peat free by 2025, having banned the sale of peat containing growing media in 2018. ●
Plenty Unlimited Inc. has secured up to 120 acres of land near Richmond, Virginia (U.S.), to build what they claim will be the largest, most advanced indoor vertical farm campus in the world.
The Plenty Richmond Farm Campus marks Plenty’s expansion beyond the U.S. West Coast and will bring produce to the East Coast year-round. Plenty plans to deploy several large-scale vertical farms on the campus in the coming years, with a potential annual production capacity exceeding 20 million pounds across multiple crops including strawberries, leafy greens and tomatoes.
The campus’ first farm will grow Driscoll’s strawberries, and be the first in the world to grow indoor, vertically farmed berries at scale. The farm is designed to grow more than four million pounds of strawberries annually. Plenty has broken ground on the farm and the first crop of Driscoll’s strawberries grown by Plenty will be available in winter 2023-2024 at retailers throughout the Northeast U.S.
The Plenty Richmond Farm Campus will expand over time to include farms growing additional produce. Over the next six years, USD$300 million will be invested into the new campus, which is slated to bring more than 300 jobs to Virginia. ●
