Vertical farming as a reliable food source

Added on 01 March 2022

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Vertical farming as a reliable food source

Vertical farm advancements in technology and plant genetics will lead to resource-use savings and increased profitability. Dr. Murat Kacira, director of the Controlled Environment Agriculture Center at the University of Arizona, said the ultimate goal in any type of controlled environment production, including vertical farming, is resource-use efficiency.

As more retailers like Kroger, Albertsons and Walmart purchase produce grown by vertical farm operations, this segment of the agriculture industry will continue to gain market share. Walmart has taken its commitment to supporting vertical farming a step further by investing in vertical farming company Plenty Unlimited.

Charles Redfield, chief merchandising officer at Walmart, said his company is focused on investing in innovative food solutions in order to deliver its customers affordable, high-quality, fresh food.

"We believe Plenty is a proven leader in a new era of agriculture, one that offers pesticide-free, peak-flavor produce to shoppers every day of the year," Redfield said. "This partnership not only accelerates agricultural innovation, but reinforces our commitment to sustainability, by delivering a new category of fresh that is good for people and the planet."

Some retailers are taking their commitment in vertical farming a step further by investing in the production of fresh produce. Publix Super Markets' GreenWise market in Lakeland, Fla., has installed a 40-foot container hydroponic farm in its parking lot. The store will produce over 700 heads of lettuce weekly which are sold in the store.

Kroger has installed modular vertical farms manufactured by Infarm in two of its Seattle stores. The systems start with seedlings germinated at Infarm's nursery and then are transplanted into the stores' production systems to finish and harvest the crops.

Maintaining consistent growing conditions

One of the biggest advantages of vertical farming over other forms of crop production is a consistent finished product.

"There is consistency for produce yield and quality with vertical farms because it enables complete control of optimal conditions for crops independent of outdoor climatic conditions," said Murat Kacira, director of the Controlled Environment Agriculture Center and professor in the Biosystems Engineering Department at the University of Arizona. "Delivering a system that can maintain desired conditions also brings the need for resources including the energy to run the grow lights, HVAC systems or other hardware components to deliver those desired growing conditions.

"The consistent vertical farm environment delivers consistent yield and quality independent of the outdoor environment. When you transplant something in a vertical farm, you know at the end of a given time period what you are going to get in terms of the yield and quality of that product."

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