Agriculture as a practice is also revolutionized by the improvement of vertical farming technology that now brings food production right in the middle of the city. This new form of farming is solving several problems that are affecting conventional farming such as; lack of space, water management and the issue of food mileage. A look at the current trends in the industry shows that the sector is likely to expand in the next few years.
The world’s largest vertical farm was launched in New York City and can produce more than 2 million pounds of fresh leafy greens per year. The modern facility occupying 90,000 square feet is managed by Bowery Farming company that employs AI to control the environmental conditions and use resources more efficiently. The farm consumes 95% less water than field farming while completely powered by renewable energy, making it a model of sustainable urban agriculture.
The same concept is being implemented in other cities across the globe. The government of Singapore has targeted the production of 30% of its nutritional requirement locally by 2030 especially due to the scarcity of land in Singapore where vertical farming has been identified as the key solution. Vertical farming has already taken root in the city-state with several commercial vertical farms such as &ever’s 51,000 sq m vertical farm that yields up to 1,500 tonnes of vegetables per year.
Various technologies are the main factor behind the increased growth of vertical farming. LED systems have been further developed to enhance energy efficiency, as well as to control the spectra to the needs of the crops and improve the flavors of the crops. New technologies such as automation and robotics help to minimize the labor costs one of the major concerns of vertical farming business. For instance, a California based startup known as Iron Ox has designed a fully automated growing environment which incorporates the use of robots in planting, nurturing and even picking the crops.
The advantages of using vertical farming to the environment are becoming more evident. Since the food production systems are usually centralized, these systems have the potential of greatly reducing transportation emissions. A research carried out by the University of Michigan revealed that the lettuce cultivated in vertical farms in New York City had a carbon footprint that was 43% less than that of the lettuce that had been imported from California. Also, the vertical farms environment minimizes the use of pesticides and conserves water since it only uses up to 1% of water used in field farming.
Some of the investors are starting to see the huge potential that is embedded in vertical farming. According to the data, in 2023, the industry achieved the highest result and amounted to 2. 5 billion in investments, with big names such as Google Ventures and SoftBank Vision Fund investing in promising startups. This capital investment is providing the necessary funds for research and development, reduction of cost and diversification of crops that can be grown efficiently in vertical systems.
Although vertical farms have been primarily associated with leafy greens and herbs, the recent achievements are increasing the range of crops. UF scientists have found that it is possible to cultivate dwarf fruit trees in a vertical system, such as peach and citrus trees. At the same time, there are technologies that exist now, such as Plenty which is already trying to grow vine crops such as tomatoes and strawberries vertically at commercial scale.
The opportunities of vertical farming are not limited to green vegetables and fruits only. Some firms are even looking at growing high-value medicinal crops and even vanilla that would help avoid the cutting down of trees in the tropics where these crops are normally grown.
However, there are still some issues that need to be addressed for the vertical farming industry. The major challenges include high initial capital investment and high energy requirement.
However, the new technologies in the renewable energy sources and the increasing size of the generating facilities are in the process of solving these problems. Some of the vertical farms are incorporating renewable energy sources within their systems while others are looking for use waste heat from data centers.
The coronavirus has brought focus on the need to produce locally, thus a boost to the adoption of vertical farming. When supply chain disruptions impacted food delivery around the world, local urban communities approached vertical farms as the solution.
Education and workforce development are the two vital components that can help in the steady growth of the vertical farming industry. Specialized courses in controlled environment agriculture are being introduced in universities and companies are establishing collaboration with the universities to design training programs for the future generation of urban farmers.
With the advancement of vertical farming technology, it is expected that the influence shall increase in the future for food systems around the world. It is not the full substitute for conventional farming, but it can work as a supplement that would improve the food availability, decrease the negative effects on the environment, and deliver the fresh and locally produced vegetables and fruits to the consumers in urban areas throughout the year. The next few years will define whether the vertical farming concept is capable of delivering on its potential of changing the face of agriculture and feeding the growing population of the world’s urban dwellers.
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