Over the next few years,
the vertical farming market is expected to see some healthy growth, reaching a global market size of at least $7 billion by 2023.
Compare that to the results from last year; it's estimated that the market was only worth around $2.289 billion, and estimated to be worth roughly $1.5 billion the year prior. Vertical farming is seen as a growing trend that is said to be quickly revolutionizing the agriculture space.
You can find vertical farming projects today that are underway in a variety of countries and unique spaces. There are growing projects taking place in warehouses, shipping containers, fallout shelters, and more.
Experts involved with the vertical farming market have suggested that the growing method is 100x more efficient than growing traditionally.
This is because they see a variety of benefits to growing this way, such as being able to grow more with a small amount of space, being able to grow all year long, and having more control over the environment (pests and weather etc).
With this sort of growing, they're seeing much greater yield per crop cycle.
You can find vertical farms today already established in the U.S., Europe, and Asia. Some of them, such as the growing project by Plenty, are capable of feeding more than 150,000 people with the food that they are able to grow.
What About Quality...
With the vertical growing method, the crops are being grown without your traditional soil and sunlight, instead they are sprayed with water and nutrients, and because of this some wonder what the quality of the produce might be like.
Professor Bugbee from Utah State University, who teaches crop physiology, has previously admitted that using artificial sunlight could be a problem for growing. This is because, he says, sunlight is the golden standard when it comes to nutritional quality.
As far as taste, there are skeptics as well. However, some who've found the growing technique less appealing at first, such as Marion Nestle who is a professor of nutrition at NYU, have admitted to a change of mind later on. According to Nestle, the items that she sampled had tasted superior to those that might have been on the road for a week before finally making it to the local grocery market, where she likely purchases her produce.
Will the produce that's grown vertically be as nutritious? That, experts say, will all depend upon the nutrient solution that the produce is being grown with. It's been suggested that produce which is grown vertically, using this growing technique, could be just as good as those grown in a traditional manner.
Pics:
Pixabay
Sources:
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180227005770/en/7.4-Bn-Vertical-Farming-Market---Forecasts
http://fortune.com/2018/02/28/bowery-indoor-farm-technology/
https://www.worldatlas.com/news/why-vertical-farming-is-the-agricultural-revolution-we-ve-been-waiting-for.html
https://www.whatech.com/market-research/food-beverage/442959-research-delivers-insight-into-the-vertical-farming-market-projected-to-reach-6-4billion-by-2023
http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20170405-how-vertical-farming-reinvents-agriculture
http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/vertical-farms-indoor-farming-1.3911835
https://mobile.nytimes.com/blogs/well/2016/12/23/are-hydroponic-vegetables-as-nutritious-as-those-grown-in-soil/
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Thanks for sharing
I was onboard until I heard about the lack of sunlight and nutrient solution spray lol.. I mean I still think this technology is extremely useful if you don't have sunlight or are in space.
Very Cool, didnt know this type of farming was even possible!
Hello @doitvoluntarily, if vertical farming would give us 7 billion by 2023, why dont we subscribe to it and forget about the traditional method of farming. And you made mention of quality content too
Its really a good news for me because i have a Farm quite like a vertical farm in my backyard. I am planing to increase its size by purchasing some small piece of land. Your information give hope to chasing my dream to become a Successful farmer by own a Vertical farm.
yes! this is great
Wow. Great.So it is very demandable food and its very vitamin valuable for that it hit so high price and sell such a amount.Thanks a lot for sharing this news
Wow,how did this method of farming came to existence that is making crop yield rise and match up the demand of labour market. And I thing it's worth practicing since its has been working, can I be taught on how I can carry this system of farming out?
My father is a farmer so I was already aware of the concept but man 7 Billion dollars...............that is some major impact percentage.
Se lee y se ve como una excelente propuesta. En cambio, en nuestro país, Venezuela, el fallecido presidente Chávez quiso implementar este mecanismo o técnica y fue un gran fracaso. Hasta se le ocurrió los famosos gallineros verticales. Creo que cualquier proyecto, por muy bueno que sea, necesita control y materiales de primera. Gracias por este post.
This is awesome! I am planning on starting an at home mushroom grow and considering going vertically at the same time or shortly there after. Thanks for the read, I'll be following!
Good Post DIT... especially IF the shtf, we could see many European countries, the USA and elsewhere if we indeed see either significant inflation or depression times that's possibly coming soon to a grocery store
near You...
People will be forced to start growing their own food out of necessity to eat.
Thanks Again DIT...
Cheers !!
Muy buen post amiguita, te felicito saludos
As long as everything is grown naturally without any interruption, then it benefits the whole
As the population continues to increase, we will need more and more food to be able to feed everyone.
Methods like this are extremely valuable, because as you said in the article, the amount of productivity increase exponentially while using the same amount of space.
This method is a winner for me, even if food might not be as nutritious at the beginning. What matters is to have enough food for everyone, and eventually the amount of nutrients will be the same.
Cheers
Very cool. Haven't read up on this but it seems very promising, and it is good to see we are thinking differently and making advancements in the field of farming.
This could be extremely important if and when all of our soil is tainted and unsafe to grow anything. Pollution, environmental hazards, wars...needs to stop.
Nice post, educating, thanks!
Wow. The numbers are very impressive, and I guess it is a good thing even though it doesn't have real sunlight or real soil, and if it is organically grown. I wonder how it would taste like or smell like.
The importance of the bacteria interaction in soil and its nutritional benefit is only now becoming understood. It is like vitamin B12. Our gut bacterial create it from the animal protein we eat.
I am in favor of any plantation project, as long as the products produced are organic and healthy, to meet these conditions there is no doubt that it is a very ambitious project
Thank you very much dear friend @doitvoluntarily for sharing this news
I wish you a great day
I'm aware of vertical farming but was unaware of its recent trend. Just not a lot of it around here I guess. That's great though! Opens up a lot of doors. Great article :)
I have been vertical growing tomatoes for several years but using soil and lots of water. I have tried zucchini. I don't know about this vertical farm growing and spraying with water and "nutrients". Will there be regulations? You know the "experts" will do as they wish. Unfortunately, it comes down to the $ and not the benefits and safety of the people. Thanks for the interesting read.
We have all the technology we nee need to live sustainable on the planet. It's just a matter of implicating systems, making sure food is distribute to people who need it and not wasted. of coarse there is more to it than that, but by combining new production methods with old and using what fits best in each scenario we could easily feed ourselves as global community.
Buenas noches mi estimada amiga buen post, siempre apoyandote un saludo desde venezuela
It seems like such a good and obvious thing to do, I wonder why I've never heard of this before. As for concerns about artificial light, why couldn't this be done outdoors?
Tomato is a plant that includes the family of solanaceae, including in the fruit and vegetables. Not only that it has a tomato content that can fight the growth of cancer cells in the body.
I'm not much of a cook - but this looks simple enough to make. Have you tried cooking while sipping on a Irish Stout?
Have you tried commenting while being relevant to an article?