Imagine a garden that needs no soil, does not depend on rain and fits in the basement or on the rooftop of any city. It is no longer a movie idea: vertical farms are challenging traditional agriculture, and they look more and more like a factory than a field.
What exactly is a vertical farm?
The name says almost everything. Instead of growing on a horizontal stretch of land, plants are stacked on shelves, one on top of another, inside buildings or containers. In this way, space is used much better and food is produced in places where it was previously impossible.
But it is not just about stacking pots. The key is the technology that surrounds the whole process: special LED lights that imitate the sun, irrigation systems that recycle water and sensors that monitor temperature, humidity and nutrients in real time.
Without soil and with very little water
Most of these farms do not use soil, but techniques such as hydroponics (roots in water with nutrients) or aeroponics (roots in the air, moistened with a fine mist). This brings a great advantage: up to 95% less water is used than in traditional farming.
With no soil and a controlled environment, pests are much less frequent than in open fields. Many of these facilities barely need chemical products to protect their crops.
Fresher food where you live
The food that reaches the city usually travels hundreds of kilometers before arriving at the supermarket. That makes lettuce arrive less fresh and with more transport cost. A vertical farm right in the city reduces that distance to a minimum.
From harvest to plate can take just a few hours. The result: fresher products, with better flavor and the possibility of enjoying fresh food all year round, without depending on the season.
The challenges: electricity
It is not all advantages. Indoors, these plants do not see free sunlight: they need LED lights that consume a lot of energy. Electricity is one of the biggest expenses and, to a certain extent, the whole process depends on light being cheap.
However, vertical farms are getting cheaper every time: LED technology is more efficient and solar panels help cover part of that electricity cost.
From the laboratory to your neighborhood
There are already supermarkets and restaurant chains that have installed their own vertical garden to serve their salads. The pandemic and problems in supply chains accelerated the interest in producing close to consumers.
Spain and all of Europe, with a climate that supports many crops, do not need these farms with the same urgency as arid countries. Even so, they are opening in cities across the continent, as a way to enjoy fresh vegetables and reduce the ecological footprint.
What awaits us?
Experts believe that indoor farming will not replace fields, but will join them to complement them. It is especially useful in dry areas, dense cities or even in difficult places such as military bases or future space colonies.
The next time you see lettuce with a perfect appearance at the supermarket, it may not come from an open field but from a building around the corner. The future of food is also being sown vertically.
Technology outreach article published on tech.atrilit.com.
