#15 Vertical Farms
#15 Vertical Farms
Growing food more sustainably
Read time: 4 minutes
In this week’s issue you will learn about a more sustainable alternative way to grow some vegetables : Vertical Farms
“Indoor and vertical farming may be part of the solution to rising demands for food and limited natural resources“ - US Department of Agriculture
Top Vertical Farms News 🗞️
Emirates catering: The airline has opened the largest vertical farm in the world next to the Dubai airport. It will produce 1 million kgs of leafy greens annually.
Sector suffering: The high electricity costs since the invasion of Ukraine and the lack in funding have made many vertical farming companies shut down or downsize.
Saudi Arabia: The Kingdom will work with AeroFarms to build vertical farms in the country, across the Middle East and North Africa.
Let’s dive in 🧠
Agriculture plays a big role in global CO2 emissions.
And unless we do something about it, those emissions will only increase since the global population is set to surpass 9 billion by 2050.
So we have to find a way to feed over 9 billion people in a sustainable way.
That’s where vertical farms come in to help fix a part of the problem.
What is it?
Vertical farming is about growing food in a super efficient way.
You get lots of plants and stack them vertically in layers, instead of horizontally, like it’s done on fields.
You put them inside a building with an extremely controlled environment. Humidity, light, temperature, nutrients, etc. As much as possible is measured and controlled to grow plants in the fastest, most consistent, pesticide-free way.
You provide the plants with the right amount of water, nutrients and light from LEDs.
This way you can get greens 365 days a year anywhere in the world!
What does this achieve in terms of sustainability?
It depends on the specific produce and brand but overall, compared to traditional agriculture, you get:
200% - 400% higher yield
98% less CO2 emissions
99% less land used
95% less water
Plus, vertical farms can be placed in cities, so food doesn’t need to travel thousands of kms to where most people live.
Types
Hydroponics: The most used one. The plant roots are submerged in a nutrient-rich liquid solution. Gravel and sand support the roots, no soil is used. This allows the plants to take up the nutrients more easily.
Aeroponics: This was started by NASA to grow plants in space. The roots are in the air and they get continuously sprayed with a nutrient-rich solution. It’s not the most common but it’s growing in popularity.
Aquaponics: Very rare. Takes hydroponics and adds fish to the ecosystem. The fish add nutrients to the water which is then used by the plants. The plants clean the water and return it to the fish.
Vertical farming just helps fix part of the problem because not all food can be grown this way.
Biological viability: Many plants need actual natural outside conditions and space to grow properly.
Economic viability: Even if the plants can be grown inside it can be too costly to do so.
Vertical farming is great.
Especially for regions with extreme weather conditions like the Middle East or countries with little arable land like Singapore.
Such places need to import a huge % of their food, which is polluting, expensive, and provides very low food security.
Still, a lot needs to improve in vertical farms and they’re not the best option for every food product or geography.
Cons
Variety: Only a limited number of plants can be grown economically. Mostly small leafy plants like lettuce since they grow quickly and require little space.
Costs: The industry is extremely vulnerable to increases in electricity prices since they use it 24/7. Unless renewables are used this also means an increased carbon footprint.
Pollination: This is naturally and easily done in outdoor farms but the absence of pollinators in large vertical farms poses a challenge that can lead to poor production quality.
Top Vertical Farms Companies 💰
AeroFarms: The first indoor vertical farming company to be a Certified B Corporation. They grow 550 different varieties in their optimized aeroponic farms.
Agricool: French company with over $103 million in revenue that turns recycled shipping containers into vertical farms in city centers.
Bowery Farming: They have the largest vertical farming operations in the US. They grow leafy greens near cities in industrial spaces they turn into vertical farms.
Also check out Plenty, Infarm, InvertiGro and many more!
❗Extreme knowledge area❗
Types of vertical farms: A great video comparing hydroponics vs aquaponics vs aeroponics.
Singapore’s plan: Vertical farms will play a significant role in Singapore’s plan to produce 30% of its citizens’ nutritional needs locally and sustainably by 2030.
Impact: A great visual comparison between open field, greenhouse, and vertical farm production.
That’s it for today, 1 climate tech topic in under 5 minutes.
Next week… Hydropower! 🤯
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