The future of vertical farming: why it is here to stay

Despite the recent challenges facing the vertical farming industry, experts in the sector are keen to point out the evidence for the future role it can play in driving sustainable farming and improving food security for the UK.

The negative impact of climate change on harvests and feeding a growing population are being seen around the world. It is a well-known fact that the farming industry and food sector need to continue to create environmentally friendly ways to adapt whilst increasing the amount of food produced in the UK, the urgency for which has been demonstrated by the recent produce shortages facing shoppers. To address these macro trends, a new solution for vertical farming organizations has been developed that delivers all the benefits of growing hydroponically but with lower costs and more economic certainty.

GrowPura is a technology business that is driven by creating advanced solutions for vertical farming companies, providing the technology that improves efficiencies and vastly increases output while operating at a lower cost and with a lower carbon footprint.

This system has been independently verified to be two years ahead of current vertical farming methods. Using a world-first automated, moving conveyor system that operates in a patented clean room environment, GrowPura technology dramatically improves the environmental impact of vertical farming, the quality of food produced and its economic benefits.

It has been documented that changes in the wider economy and consumer behavior have left the vertical farming industry facing some unexpected challenges. Rising energy costs, reductions in consumer spending on fresh produce (specifically leafy greens), and the demand for faster profitability from investors have been cited as factors that will limit the potential for the industry to grow.

However, vertical farming experts point out that these conclusions have been drawn too quickly with many of the benefits of vertical farming and its potential to future-proof the UK food supply chain overlooked.

“Some of the commentary I have seen in recent months on vertical farming is very short-sighted," suggested Nick Bateman, Chairman of GrowPura. "There is no denying that the weather challenges of climate change, the need to improve the sustainability of farming, increase the amount of food produced in the UK, and consumer demand for year-round local produce, mean we must look for new solutions to feed an ever-growing population. The vertical farming industry is evolving and adapting all the time – we have developed a patented growing system that enables vertical farming organizations to create vastly improved quality and yield from their operation, whilst reducing costs at the same time. It really is the next generation of vertical farming.”

The industry-first technology from GrowPura continually moves plants’ past sources of light, irrigation, and monitoring technology to a clean room standard. This means less lighting and labor is required compared to traditional vertical farming methods, while generating greater outputs and excellent quality, ‘ready-to-eat’ (RTE) produce. The innovative system uses zero soil and zero pesticides, removing the need for washing, resulting in longer shelf life, better-tasting crops, and less food waste.

For example, unlike traditional vertical farming, the GrowPura solution ‘puts the plants to bed’. For a number of hours each day, plants are taken to their ‘bedroom’, this not only mimics traditional growing methods, thus improving the quality of produce but it also saves on lighting costs.

There are a whole host of advantages to using the GrowPura vertical farming system compared to traditional VF methods. These include using 50% less LED lighting, 50-75% less space requirements, resulting in 100-300% more output.

This industry first, automated moving system reduces energy used to meet the plant light requirements. There is also no over-lighting of crops, key for produce such as spinach that only requires 12-14 hours of sunlight per day. Additionally, the system uses 67% less light than traditional VF systems, which also delivers a better taste. A dimming function is linked to multiple sensors to ensure that all plants receive the optimum light for growth, while also optimising energy efficiency. There is also less physical infrastructure – offering flexibility in installations and saving on raw materials. The system also uses a fraction of the water required for field-irrigated crops and no runoff (95% of water is recycled). The high care factor ensures clean-grown crops, with no need to wash (saving transport, energy and other resources) and avoiding wastage (this improves shelf life by at least 10 days and helps reduce food waste). All year-round production also avoids imports during the winter. And, finally, transport miles are also reduced as facilities can be located near the customer base.

These advantages mean produce grown using the GrowPura technology can be price-competitive with traditional farming methods, thus providing a far more realistic solution for feeding the growing population than that of first generation vertical farming methods.

“Energy prices will eventually go down but the growing population and the negative impact of climate change on traditional farming will not," Bateman concluded. "We need to start embracing and supporting new farming solutions that will deliver positive change for food production in the UK.”