How can greenhouses, vertical & container farms work together?

Added on 06 September 2022

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Greenhouses, vertical farms and container farms are all different forms of indoor farming, also known as Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA). As our climate grows increasingly hostile, and we wake up to the environmental cost of exporting produce across the globe, nations are turning to indoor farming in an effort to strengthen food networks and reduce their reliance on international exports.

It is no longer a case of will indoor farming technology be used to feed our ever growing population, but what form will it take. CEA is importantly not the answer to all the systemic problems in food production, but it is a powerful method that adds much needed resilience into supply chains, as the climate across the globe changes.

Commercial greenhouses, vertical farms and container farms are all going to be needed to help support our changing food supply system, and where they are best situated to work collaboratively with traditional farming practices is going to be a defining factor in their usage.

Automated commercial greenhouses

Positives: Extensive supply potential, less energy intensive, diverse crop portfolio

Considerations: Space required, level land, source of energy

Also referred to as "glasshouses", commercial greenhouses are often viewed as the most traditional form of indoor farming. Automated commercial greenhouses operate using a single layer of crops positioned under a ceiling of glass, using a combination of natural sunlight and LED or halogen lights, allowing them to grow out of season and extend the growing hours of the day.