Vertical Farming in the Rise in UK
Vertical farms aim to increase food security, reduce emissions, and eliminate fertilisers – and they are becoming increasingly popular across the United Kingdom.
Vertical farming is the process of growing food indoors, in vertically stacked layers. LEDs line the walls, allowing for important light for plants grown in hydroponics, a technique of crop production that uses liquid nutrients fed to a soil-free medium to support plant growth.
Vertical farming yields hyperlocal produce with a tiny environmental footprint, improving the sustainability of crops.
One Farm, a Dutch sustainable agriculture organisation, recently sealed the deal to construct a vertical farm in the United Kingdom. It will convert an abandoned Suffolk warehouse into a facility for mass-production of yield at large scale.
Besides, Jones Food Company is preparing to open its second vertical farm in Gloucestershire, having opened one in North Lincolnshire in 2019.
One Farm, on its 6,400 square metre site near Newmarket, is aiming for an annual yield of 415 tonnes of green vegetables – and intends to expand production to 1,000 tonnes with a second stage. The new facility for the Jones Food Company will be about twice as big.
Mira Merme, CEO of One Farm, stated that innovation and investment in agriculture technology were crucial to improving food security in the United Kingdom while also reducing the reliance on imports.
James Lloyd-Jones, the Jones Food Company’s founder and CEO said that “From an environmental perspective, vertical farming allows us to grow in 17 layers, so every acre becomes 17 times more productive”.
Both the companies aim is to produce very high quality, highly nutritious and affordable food with almost no impact on the environment
News Credit: Taste of the future? Vertical farming is finally growing up in the UK
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