5 Reasons Your City Needs a Vertical Farm

Maybe you’ve seen the reports about food deserts and crowded food drives; thousands of cars in lines for hours to collect food for the week. Or the news stories about supply chain failures; shortages on grocery store shelves or restaurants like Chipotle, Wendy’s and Chick-fil-A running out of lettuce. And then there are the food recalls caused by contamination; onions this summer and romaine this fall. Isn’t it time we did something about these serious problems affecting the health and wellness of our communities? Enter the concept of the vertical farm. This agricultural method offers solutions for these problems and more. 

What is Vertical Farming?

The simplest way to describe vertical farming is that it’s a method of growing plants stacked one on top of another, rather than along the ground in rows. But what does that look like? And how does it work? And why is vertical farming a solution to food insecurity and food supply chain breakdowns?

There are several different methods for growing, but they’re almost all done indoors. In a greenhouse or grow room, plants are grown on towers or in trays stacked on shelves. Each plant is given the correct conditions for optimal growth, and because this is all managed indoors, climate and seasons are no longer restricting factors. 

1. Vertical Farming is Local 

In urban environments, it’s rare to have truly local agriculture and farmland. Most traditional farms require space that simply can’t be found in densely packed cities. Profitable commercial farms, even the smaller ones, tend to spread over hundreds of acres. 

A commercial vertical farming operation can be built in as little as an acre and a half. That means you can fit several of these greenhouses in the space typically occupied by the average big box store. Not only that, because they’re indoor spaces, vertical farms can be built in buildings, on rooftops, and other currently unused spaces. 

This is just one reason vertical farms are an excellent solution to the problem of food deserts. Cities without space for traditional farms can still squeeze in plenty of vertical farms to feed the population, supply restaurants, and even feed underserved families and individuals. 

2. Vertical Farming is Controlled

It seems like every few months there’s a new food recall due to contamination. We currently have another romaine lettuce recall related to e.coli. That’s in addition to 2020’s recalls of melons, peaches, onions, citrus fruits, basil, mushrooms, and various other food products, both fresh and prepared. It’s pretty clear to anyone paying attention that our food supply is dangerously vulnerable to contamination.

Because vertical farming is generally managed in controlled environments, it presents far fewer opportunities for contaminants to be introduced. In fact, some greenhouses are so controlled they amount to laboratory conditions. While integrated pest management is still a priority in indoor farms, overall, the amount of pests and contaminants is significantly lower. No soil or air contamination from pollution or runoff to worry about, and a growing process that is monitored and carefully managed.

3. Vertical Farming is Year-Round

On a traditional farm, you have seasons of planting and seasons of harvest. In some climates, you might be able to get in two harvests per year, per crop, but most crops are seasonal. This means in order to have access to all of the delicious fruits and vegetables we love year-round, most cities resort to imports from foreign farms. Unfortunately, such a practice leads to increased pollution and contamination and risk of spoilage from transport and decreased nutrition as fresh produce ages. 

Vertical farms, on the other hand, can create their own indoor climates. Temperature, UV-exposure, humidity, and other conditions can all be carefully controlled. This means that in the middle of a blizzard outside, you can be growing fresh spinach or strawberries inside. It allows for seasonal produce to be harvested year-round, with 11-13 harvests per year for many crops.  

4. Vertical Farming Promotes Health

Urban settings offer dozens of conveniences. Most of these are positive. Residents can walk or take public transportation to get where they need to go, rather than expending fossil fuels to drive everywhere. They can access all sorts of goods and services that may not be available in underserved urban or rural areas. 

Convenience foods or fast food have a strong foothold in our urban environments. In fact, in some underserved areas, it is far less expensive and more convenient to eat junk food for every meal than to cook nutritious food at home. With the implementation of urban agriculture in the form of vertical farms, fresh, nutritious food becomes readily available to the community, at affordable prices. This allows families to throw together a healthy salad or stir fry instead of running through a drive-through. It’s a great way to combat obesity and related health conditions like heart disease or diabetes. And it can lead to an overall healthier population.

5. Vertical Farming Creates Jobs

Traditional farms often employ seasonal workers who are paid minimally, offered no benefits, and then dumped as soon as the work is done for the season. Vertical farms, by contrast, provide viable employment year-round. Their employees can earn a living wage, participate in work that is meaningful to the community, and often get full benefits as well. Rather than treating our essential food workers as disposable, vertical farming creates careers and supports economic growth year round.

Become a Vertical Farming City

So, does your city need vertical farming? We think the better question is how many vertical farms are needed and where should they be located. Want to explore the vertical farming business further? Contact Eden Green Technology and learn how we can help bring healthy food, viable jobs, and safe produce to your neighborhood.