Vertical Farms and Indoor Cultivation News and Discussions

[weatheriscool]

Controlled indoor cultivation without daylight comes of age

by Wageningen University
https://phys.org/news/2021-12-indoor-cu ... t-age.html

Interest in vertical farming is growing worldwide. This method of cultivation offers great advantages: local, fresh production that is possible at any location in a very sustainable way. On the negative side are the high electricity consumption and investment costs. Scientists from Wageningen University & Research, together with international colleagues, provide a balanced view of the current situation in a review article published in the renowned scientific journal Nature Food.

Vertical farming is an umbrella term for a method of growing in a variety of structures, such as empty buildings, specially constructed growth chambers or containers. The common characteristic is the closed nature of the system. This makes it possible to attune the conditions (light, climate, water, fertilizers) precisely to the needs of the crop. As a result, the crop grows evenly and can be planned. It is also possible to control the level of healthy nutrients in the crops.

"Vertical farming is still a specialized niche, but the potential is great. Interest is growing all over the world. Initially, there were some critical comments about its feasibility, but we have really moved beyond that phase. That is why we've honestly listed the pros and cons of vertical farming," says Sander van Delden, first author of the article in Nature Food.

The article was written at the journal's request. The Wageningen researchers involved many colleagues at home and abroad to produce a complete picture of all aspects of this growing method. This ranges from cultivation and technology to sustainability, health, social aspects and related policy.

[caltrek]

Upward Plans to Open a 250,000 Square-foot Vertical Farm in Pennsylvania Early Next Year
by Brian Heater
January 18, 2022

https://techcrunch.com/2022/01/18/upwar ... next-year/

Entire Article Less Photographs:

(TechCrunch) Brooklyn-based Upward Farms this week unveiled plans to launch a massive 250,000-square-foot vertical farm. Set for an early-2023 opening, the site will be located in Northeastern Pennsylvania’s Luzerne County. It’s a massive footprint for a vertical farm — particularly for a category that prides itself on limited land use. The roughly six acres of land puts the farm at multiple times the size of the competition’s space. The location is Upward’s third farm.

The farm will specifically focus on microgreens — a popular choice for indoor farming, due to its flexibility and limited spatial requirements versus other crops. Rather than the hydroponic or aeroponic growing method used by most of the competition, Upward relies on aquaponics, a looped system that utilizes fish to grow plants through the production of natural fertilizer.

The interesting twist to the system is that the company also sells its farm-grown bass. In December, the company announced that — in addition to selling produce at select New York Whole Foods locations — it would begin selling striped bass at Greenpoint Fish and Lobster in Brooklyn.

“With this new facility, we’ll be able to reach some of the most populous areas of the US, and nearly 100 million Americans, within a single day of distribution versus the week it can take to receive products from the west coast,” co-founder and CEO Jason Green said in a release. “This is a local success story with massive global implications for how and where food is grown, and the next generation of manufacturing technology.”

After getting up and running, Upward plans to begin sales from the farm in early 2023. The company, which raised a $121 million Series B last year, also plans to expand to additional markets in the coming year.

[caltrek]

Bowery Opens New Vertical Farm in Pennsylvania
by Brian Heater
May 26, 2022

Entire Article (Less Photograph):

(TechCrunch) When I wrote my big TC1 on Bowery Farming late last year, there was a lot of talk of the company’s third commercial farming site in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Today the facility finally comes online after a big press unveiling. The New Jersey–based vertical farming startup says the facility, built on a former brownfield lot, is its most technologically advanced to date.

The commercial farm is Bowery’s third, including the initial location in Kearny, New Jersey, that I visited, as well as one in Nottingham, Maryland. Baby steps, but the company says it plans to double those three by next year. The company won’t offer official word on the farm, though real estate reports from the last few years put it at around 156,000 square feet. It’s a large site from the sound of it, though others have outlined details for even larger facilities.

There are some ongoing questions around the environmental impact of vertical farming, of course. There’s plenty of upside, including a far smaller footprint and decreased water use, though the efficacy of relying on LEDs instead of natural lighting is often cited by detractors. Bowery says its new farm will be powered by 100% renewable energy coupled with water capture and filtration designed to cycle runoff back into the system.

“If we’ve learned anything from the past two years it is that we are in a period of unprecedented disruption and uncertainty across our climate and geopolitical circumstances, which unfortunately is going to persist. We are also seeing firsthand that our global food system is inextricably tied to these dynamics,” founder and CEO Irving Fain said in a release. “At Bowery, wherever food is needed, we can grow it. We are addressing the challenges in our system by growing food smarter for more people in more places — and that work, securing food for our future, continues today with the opening of our Bethlehem Farm.”

The new farm is also set to bring 70 jobs to Bethlehem, which is located next door to Allentown and is an hour and a half drive from Philadelphia. The location is designed to serve a 200-mile radius, according to Bowery, courtesy of retailers like Whole Foods, Giant of Landover and Albertsons.

Source: https://techcrunch.com/2022/05/26/bower ... nsylvania/

[funkervogt]

Lean times hit the vertical farming business

Not long ago, vertical farming seemed unstoppable. Big tech was going to supercharge agriculture, one of the oldest industries in the world, and the revolution would start with salad leaves.

Warehouse-grown greens, flourishing in trays neatly stacked beneath row upon row of glowing LEDs. It was lettuce - but sci-fi.

US-based AeroFarms considered itself to be one of the leaders in the industry.

"We are so far above everybody else in this technology," AeroFarms' chief executive David Rosenberg boasted to the New Yorker in 2017. "It will take years for the rest of the world to catch up."

Hard times caught up with AeroFarms instead. In June, the firm filed for bankruptcy protection in the US and Mr Rosenberg stepped down.

It is all part of a "reset" or "pivot", insists co-founder and chief marketing officer Marc Oshima: "We're growing product every day, we're shipping product every day."

But lately, AeroFarms has struggled to find enough capital to fuel its soaring ambition. "The money just has not been there," admits Mr Oshima, though he adds that the firm still has some investors who are supplying "millions of dollars".

AeroFarms famously designed its own indoor growing systems. "We think it has served us well, we have unique technology," adds Mr Oshima.

When asked whether initiatives, such as one targeting low income communities in Jersey City, New Jersey, will continue, he adds that these are currently "being evaluated".

A spokeswoman for Jersey City says, "We do not anticipate our operations to be interrupted in any way."

A long list of other vertical farms have run into trouble in recent months.

French firm Agricool went into receivership earlier this year, Pennsylvania-based Fifth Season shut down in late 2022, Iron Ox of California has laid off nearly half its workforce and Infarm has closed its operations in Europe - making 500 staff redundant.

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-66173872

Edit by caltrek: I have deleted a portion of what was quoted from this article. Due to copyright considerations posts should be no longer than five paragraphs and no more than 375 words in length. (This number of 375 is a rule of thumb I employ, and not otherwise an official or legally proscribed limitation). I allowed more than five paragraphs because each paragraph was so short, but it would have been even better to confine your citation to the first five paragraphs. It is an interesting article, so I hope readers check out the link to finish their read.

Size limitations do not apply to news releases and government documents that are considered part of the public domain.

[funkervogt]

Vertical farm company run by Elon Musk's brother lays off workers

Square Roots, a tech farming startup that was cofounded by Elon Musk's brother, Kimbal, shut down the majority of its remaining locations on Tuesday and laid off most of its staff, two employees who were laid off as a result of the closures told Insider.

The vertical farming startup was founded in 2016 and quickly grew to five locations, announcing a partnership with Gordon Food Service in 2019. Square Roots grows herbs and salad greens using shipping containers and artificial light and aims to localize food sources, making farming a year-round process.

The "smart farm" company had over $90 million in total funding as of April 2022, and some of its backers include close friends of Elon Musk, including David Sack's Craft Ventures, according to Pitchbook.

https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/elon ... 18136.html

[wjfox]

Gloucestershire vertical farm is one of UK's 'most advanced'

2 hours ago

One of the UK's "most technically advanced" indoor farms has opened in Gloucestershire.

The so-called vertical farm can grow salad three times as fast as traditional outdoor agriculture thanks to its controlled, consistent climate.

Lettuce, basil and other herbs are grown under special lights, in a warm humid atmosphere.

"It's turned farming into a high-tech factory," said head grower, Glyn Stephens.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-g ... e-68341208

[Time_Traveller]

Gloucestershire vertical farm is one of UK's 'most advanced'

2 hours ago

One of the UK's "most technically advanced" indoor farms has opened in Gloucestershire.

The so-called vertical farm can grow salad three times as fast as traditional outdoor agriculture thanks to its controlled, consistent climate.

Lettuce, basil and other herbs are grown under special lights, in a warm humid atmosphere.

"It's turned farming into a high-tech factory," said head grower, Glyn Stephens.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-g ... e-68341208

Wow, how did I miss this?

[wjfox]

Wow, how did I miss this?

Since you live in Gloucestershire, maybe you could go and visit them. Ask for a tour.

[Time_Traveller]

Wow, how did I miss this?

Since you live in Gloucestershire, maybe you could go and visit them. Ask for a tour.

Perhaps, I shall depending on the location.

[weatheriscool]

Vertical garden corkscrews its way to the top of Hollywood tower
By Adam Williams
March 22, 2024
https://newatlas.com/architecture/star- ... -partners/

Described as a workplace of the future by designer Sir Norman Foster of Foster + Partners, the Star, Hollywood office tower will be wrapped in a series of ascending garden areas, providing generous outdoor space for the workers within.

The project brings to mind a Helter Skelter with its unusual spiraling exterior and will be located on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles. It replaces another proposal by MAD of the same name that was originally slated for the site but is now no longer going ahead.

We've no word on its exact height yet, but it'll consist of 22 floors, so this is a relatively modest tower, not some supertall skyscraper set to dominate the skyline. Most of the interior will be dedicated to flexible office space for creative Hollywood types and it will offer excellent 360-degree views of the local area and maximize natural light inside with generous glazing. There will also be a lot of outdoor work spaces and terraces, which should make for a pleasant work environment. Additionally, it will include a rooftop terrace area, plus restaurants and public space down on the ground floor.

[caltrek]

Food Production Using Controlled Environment Agriculture and Agrivoltaics Systems Could Become the New Normal
March 25, 2024

Introduction:

(Eurekalert) New research from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Virginia Tech suggests that technologies such as controlled environment agriculture and agrivoltaics may become part of the future of farming.

Controlled environment agriculture systems are typically enclosed or indoors. They include greenhouses, vertical farms, and hydroponics that use horticultural and engineering techniques beyond traditional, soil-based outdoor production. Agrivoltaics involve the use of land for both farming and solar photovoltaic energy generation.

A recent publication (see citation below) by USDA and Virginia Tech researchers highlights that these innovative techniques could increase yields, enhance nutrition, improve access to local foods, and provide better year-round access to fresh food than traditional large-scale outdoor production.

The research team found that even though these systems face technological and economic challenges, they are part of a long history of advancing technology for the U.S. agricultural sector.

Read more of the Eurekalert article here:

The following is from a government report and restrictions on size of citation due to copyright considerations do not apply.

(USDA)Traditional greenhouses are an established production system. However, innovations in how crops are produced, including hydroponics and vertical agriculture, have led to growth in production and investment in the public and private sectors. AV (agrivoltaics) systems are an emerging technology without a well-established commercial presence, but there is growing public and private investment in research and development. The main findings include:

• The amount of specialty crop production with CEA (controlled environment agriculture) systems is small compared to outdoor production, but the number of individual CEA operations more than doubled to nearly 3,000 between 2009 and 2019.

• The quantity of crop production increased by 56 percent over that same period, from 502 million pounds to 786 million pounds.

*The aggregate sales value for CEA crops rose from $296 million in 1998 to $769 million in 2014 (in inflation-adjusted terms) but declined to $626 million in 2019 due to declines in the sales value of the dominant CEA crops (particularly tomatoes). This number is likely partly due to increased competition from imports, putting downward pressure on the value of sales per unit.

• Additionally, new technologies were used to produce a large share of total CEA production, with more than 60 percent of tomatoes, cucumbers, and lettuce grown using hydroponics in 2019.

• Recent U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) funding to support research and commercialization of CEA systems has increased substantially, including the awarding of contracts and grants exceeding $50 million since 2022 through USDA’s Office of Urban and Innovative Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, and National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

• As of 2021, most of the approximately 300 AV sites were solar farms planted with pollinator-friendly vegetative cover. Roughly 35 sites combined solar panels with vegetation that were grazed by sheep, and a few were co-located with specialty crop production, including blueberries.

• Research sites evaluating a variety of other AV systems with specialty crop and/or livestock production have been established, including several projects funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, Solar Energy Technologies Office (DOE-SETO), which has been funding AV research since 2015. This funding included $7 million for AV research awarded in November 2020 for the colocation of pollinator-friendly vegetation, specialty crop production, and livestock grazing with solar panels.

https://www.ers.usda.gov/webdocs/public ... ?v=6473.7

[weatheriscool]

Net-zero vertical farm aims to solve a growing berry problem
By Paul Ridden
May 20, 2024

https://newatlas.com/good-thinking/agro ... m-concept/

Canadian researchers have embarked on a mission to produce year-round berry crops pretty much anywhere. The Agrotunnel vertical farm provides optimum growing conditions monitored by AI, and meets electricity needs with proprietary solar panels.

We've seen a bunch of kitchen growing devices over the years, designed to produce crop after crop of fresh greens throughout the year. Many of these have been crowdfunders, but there have also been startups and household names getting in on the indoor farming idea.

The Agrotunnel project is aiming for food production at larger scales, stacking rows of produce inside a large unit in a similar fashion to vertical farms in Denmark, Dubai and France among others.

[caltrek]

New Indoor Vertical Farming Research Could Help Future-proof Food Demand for a Changing Planet
September 24, 2024

Introduction:

(Eurekalert) To make sure everyone eats well in our crowded world, we need to innovate. Vertical farming systems, which grow plants intensively in an indoor setting, could be part of the answer – but to use them on a large scale we need to overcome key problems, especially the management of the energy-intensive, expensive light the plants need to grow. Now scientists show how manipulating light according to the needs of specific crops could make them grow stronger and healthier while minimizing energy use.

“The biggest benefit of vertical farming systems is that healthy food can be grown much more closely to consumers in places where this is impossible otherwise: in mega-cities, in deserts, and in places that are cold and dark during large parts of the year,” said Dr Elias Kaiser, first author of the article in Frontiers in Science. “The biggest challenge is the costs associated with electricity use.”

Shedding light on the problem

Many vertical farming systems are run using constant environmental conditions, which require lots of expensive electricity for maintenance. The scientists’ analysis shows that these demanding conditions are unnecessary: using dynamic environmental control, they suggest, we can achieve vertical farming which is more cost-effective and which raises healthier plants.

“We were motivated by the rhythms that plants show on diurnal as well as on developmental timescales, which require their growing environment to be adjusted regularly in order to steer their growth perfectly,” said Prof Leo Marcelis of Wageningen University, senior author. “We outline a strategy that makes use of plant physiology knowledge, novel sensing and modelling techniques, and novel varieties specifically bred for vertical farming systems.”

Because plants’ biological functions are heavily influenced by environmental conditions like temperature changes, light wavelengths, and the amount of CO₂ in the atmosphere, manipulating the environment allows a vertical farming system to manipulate plant development. Lighting is a critical variable; all plants need it to photosynthesize, and different light wavelengths have different effects on different plants. This variable is also particularly sensitive to electricity pricing, so offers opportunities to make efficiency gains.

Read more of the Eurekalert article here: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1058282

For a presentation of study results as published in Frontiers in Science: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sc ... 1259/full

[weatheriscool]

'World-first' indoor vertical farm to produce 4M pounds of berries a year
By Bronwyn Thompson
September 25, 2024
https://newatlas.com/manufacturing/worl ... rm-plenty/

Major steps towards better, sustainable and affordable food production free of environmental challenges have been taken, with the "world's first farm to grow indoor, vertically farmed berries at scale" opening in Richmond, VA. It's backed by an international team of scientists that see this new phase of agriculture as a way to ease global food demands.

The Plenty Richmond Farm is designed to produce more than four million pounds (1.8M kg) of strawberries grown indoors vertically in 30-ft-tall (9-m) towers, using up less than 40,000 square feet – or less than a single acre. This is a fraction of the land needed in traditional strawberry production, which is also subject to seasonal and environmental factors that limit yield.

The company says the strawberries, from global company Driscoll's, will be on grocery store shelves in early 2025.

“Plenty’s farm will boost local agriculture production and drive economic development, all while diversifying against risks and protecting the environment," said Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin. "We look forward to supporting their innovative approaches to revolutionizing the industry.”

[firestar464]

Holy shit, are these the "Strawberry Fields" Jimmy Apples was talking about?

[weatheriscool]

Vertical farming can increase yields and reduce environmental impact
https://phys.org/news/2025-05-vertical- ... mpact.html
by Technical University Munich

Vertical farming can do more than lettuce. A research team headed by TUMCREATE, a research platform in Singapore, led by the Technical University of Munich (TUM), has investigated the cultivation of six food groups in vertical farming: crops, algae, mushrooms, insects, fish and cultivated meat. In this study published in PNAS Nexus, the researchers show the positive effects of vertical farming on both yield and environmental impact and underline its role in future food security.

Under certain circumstances, traditional agriculture reaches its limits, for instance, after extreme weather events or in areas with a high population density and thus demand. "Vertical farming is a valuable addition here: Food can be grown close to consumers, independent of the weather and using space efficiently," explains Dr. Vanesa Calvo-Baltanás, the lead researcher of the publication, working at the TUMCREATE research platform in Singapore.

In this study, she and other researchers investigated the potential of vertical farming for food security. The team presents theoretical estimations backed by previously published experimental data. Based on these data, the researchers established a quantitative framework to evaluate the yield and potential environmental impact of controlled environment agriculture, such as vertical farming.

[weatheriscool]

1,000-pound wheels and robots now farming Dyson strawberries
By Michael Franco
July 06, 2025
https://newatlas.com/environment/farmin ... awberries/

A new video takes you inside Dyson's impressive vertical farming operation, which is home to 1,225,000 strawberry plants and shows you how the company is applying its manufacturing knowledge to producing homegrown food for British consumers.

In the English county of Lincolnshire, a 26-acre glasshouse built by the Dyson company stretches across the land. Inside, giant wheels weighing about 500 kg (~1,100 lb) hold rows of strawberry plants that are slowly rotated to provide them optimal exposure to sunlight. UV-emitting robots rove the aisles exposing the plants to enough light to kill any mold that dares grow on the plant leaves, while a distributor bot releases beneficial bugs onto the plants in order to kill aphids and other destructive pests.

When the strawberries are ripe enough to be picked, the job is done by 16 robot arms that delicately pluck each fruit from the plant. According to James Dyson himself, the bots were able to harvest 200,000 strawberries in one month alone.

While it might be strange for a man who came to prominence building vacuums and fans to be branching into farming, Dyson thinks it's a natural fit.

[caltrek]

LEDs Shed Light on Efficient Tomato Cultivation
September 18, 2025

Introduction:

(Eurekalert) Researchers including those from the University of Tokyo have successfully grown large tomatoes and cherry tomatoes, both rich in nutrients, in tightly controlled environments where the light source was energy-efficient LEDs. Such methods were often limited by the types or sizes of plants that could thrive in such conditions. This feasibility study demonstrates the researchers’ method is suitable for urban environments, potentially even in space, and can offer food security in the face of climate change or extreme weather conditions.

Pizza, pasta, soup, salad, the tomato really is a versatile and delicious food crop. Its delicious and nutritious nature comes with a cost though; it has a very high demand for light, as well as water. While tomatoes grow well in some parts of the world, there are many regions where the local climate is not ideally suited to them, and with climate change exacerbating weather and the environment, having a way to improve yields or enable cultivation at all have long been sought. Greenhouses are the main method for creating a controlled environment suitable for growing crops, including tomatoes, but they have drawbacks and still rely on natural sunlight, which can be a limiting factor in some areas. If you’ve ever bought greenhouse-grown tomato soup in Iceland for example, you may have realized this all too well.

There has been some research and even agricultural use of artificial light plant factories (ALPFs), which are exactly what they sound like: fully controlled environments tailored to specific crops to maximize yields without compromising on other factors. These have a proven track record but require a lot of power to operate due in part to the lighting they require. A logical step is to use energy-efficient LED lights, which has been successful for certain crops such as leafy greens, but nothing more substantial. Spinach and lettuce are nice, but they’re no slice of pizza. Realizing this limitation, Associate Professor Wataru Yamori from the Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences at the University of Tokyo and his team decided to refine this concept to make it bear fruit.

Read more here: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1098964

[weatheriscool]

Enormous skyscraper stacks multi-level gardens high above city streets
By Adam Williams
November 04, 2025

This remarkable supertall looks likely to make a splash even in skyscraper-packed Dubai. The luxurious residential tower will feature four "SkyParks" integrated into its structure, allowing residents to escape from the heat and bustle of the city streets.

Sobha SkyParks is being developed by local firm Sobha Realty and will rise to a height of 450 m (1,476 ft), making it one of the United Arab Emirates' tallest buildings. However, to be clear, it's still far short of the nearby Burj Khalifa, which remains the world's tallest skyscraper and rises to an incredible height of 828 m (2,717 ft).

Though it looks more like two conjoined towers in the renders, the project is described as five slender sub-towers by the developers and features multiple voids, a little like ODA New York's Seattle Tower, to host the parks. Each will span six floors and provide immersive experiences, including resort spaces, gardens, and pools.

https://newatlas.com/architecture/sobha ... kyscraper/