Chile's carbon neutral plan: Soil-free farming & solar agri

Added on 19 July 2022

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Chile's carbon neutral plan: Soil-free farming & solar agri

Covid-19 has thrown many aspects of our daily lives off track, and agriculture is not immune to those interruptions. The pandemic has created a regional and global panorama in which many current agricultural practices are being challenged. Vertical farming alongside the following socio-political factors may offer a solution:

ˇ A new generation of consumers: conscious, participatory and responsible.

ˇ Increasing interruptions to traditional agriculture from climate change.

ˇ Large projected increase in demand for food in the near future.

ˇ The global population's increasing propensity towards sustainable solutions as the only viable option.

Vertical Farming Initiatives in Chile

Currently, in Santiago, the capital city of Chile, the concept of vertical farming is in an R&D phase. One company working in this area is AgroUrbana, founded by 2 local entrepreneurs, this company operates a 300m˛ (3,200 SF) pilot plant which produces the equivalent of 3 hectares of traditional vegetable cultivation. AgroUrbana uses a combination of technologies in their systems and are currently developing new technologies on-site. The pilot plant is a proving ground before scaling to more industrialized levels of production. The produce grown by AgroUrbana has been well received by local customers, due to the high quality and taste of their ready-to-eat format.