Vertical Farming: Sustainable food never tasted so good

Vertical farming enables the ability to grow food closer to large population centers and also reduces the "food miles" associated with distribution thus reducing the carbon footprint.

But not so fast.

Mark Korzilius from &ever GmbH - a vertical farming startup with a farm in Kuwait and one coming in Singapore - disagrees with the food miles argument. Here's why.

Quality first: Iceberg no more!

In a recent interview on the Climate21 podcast with Tom Raftery, Korzilius urges us to "forget about transportation in order to justify vertical farming." Instead, the focus needs to be on bringing the best product to the consumer. Quality, in this case means healthy, leafy greens.

"You want to have high nutrients, high in secondary metabolites, everything that is extremely valuable for your body," said Korzilius.

To most of us, the antithesis of healthy leafy greens is iceberg lettuce. However, as Korzilius explained, it tends to be cut, bagged, and refrigerated for distribution.

"This is where a lot of the carbon footprint comes from," said Korzilius. "And let's be honest, iceberg in foul-smelling bags is less than appetizing."

Instead, &ever follows a "harvest on demand" process. It distributes its leafy greens as potted plants - like you might see with basil or other herbs in your grocery store. Korzilius claims that the customer receives the best-tasting, locally grown leafy greens available, without plastic or refrigeration needed. The chef at the Four Seasons in Kuwait, reportedly, thinks the coriander is the best he's ever tasted!

Greater control and higher yield, too

&ever's operations are entirely indoors, where the climate is controlled. This is crucial for successful yields. Growing spinach, for example, is notoriously difficult with vertical farming. But by experimenting with the right seeds, lighting, and temperature, &ever has found the right recipe.

One key advantage is that &ever can grow without pesticides - which, in the end, is just another form of energy. It can also optimize light spectrums to achieve desired results. Many of its crops run on 18 hours of light and six hours of darkness.

The result is higher yields over the course of a year. &ever can grow 18 cycles a year, compared to maybe seven for a traditional greenhouse. And, says Korzilius, it can do it with 85% less water.

Complexity managed

Korzilius also makes the point that tracking all the variables - such as light, temperature, water, production cycles, energy costs, growing recipes, and more - makes for a lot of complexity. SAP is working with &ever to help manage it all. Vertical farming is a high tech endeavor where control is the key to success. We're proud to help be part of the solution. Hopefully this approach to growing food will help minimize carbon output while also delivering delicious food - from (vertical) farm to table.

Listen to the podcast here and be sure to check out the latest research from Oxford Economics on how to "Build a Resilient and Sustainable Supply Chain."

Source: Forbes

Source: Forbes