As more than 80% of land suitable for crops is already in use, vertical farming has become a critical component of agriculture’s future.
While continued large-scale agriculture contributes to global deforestation, pollution, and climate change, vertical farms present an opportunity to optimise plant growth using soilless farming techniques and as little space and transport as possible.
These are the world’s largest vertical farms
From Japan to Denmark and the US, vertical farms have grown more popular over the years as a way to solve food shortages while using space efficiently.
Photo Aerofarms
Photo Mirai
Photo Jones Food Company
Photo Jones Food Company
Photo Nordic Harvest
Photo VertiVegies
Photo Planet Farms
Photo Upwards Farms
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- Gaia Lamperti
- 10 May 2022
In the vertical farming process, plants, foods and herbal medicines grow in vertically stacked layers, inclined surfaces or containers receiving water and nutrients with hydroponics, geoponics and aeroponics techniques. The results are greater harvests at any time of the year, anywhere in the world, and using fewer resources.
On the other hand, vertical farms obviously have disadvantages: the initial energy investment, first of all, but also the need to select the most suitable crops for such a cultivation, especially with respect to economic sustainability. The technologies, although improving, are still far from perfect. Moreover, while vertical farms reduce the cost of transport, both monetary and in terms of carbon footprint, if they are erected in built-up areas, on the other hand it is obvious that in cities the land on which to build them could be very expensive, compared to the contryside.
The global market was valued at $3.47 billion in 2021 and, while many large-scale projects are in the works around the globe, is projected to surpass $20 billion by 2029. Domus has put together a selection of the world’s largest active or soon-to-open vertical farms.
Currently, the world’s largest active vertical farm is in Newark, New Jersey. It is former steel factory, converted to a 69,000 sq ft farm by New York -based startup Aerofarms. In its 12 layers of plant beds grow 250 different kinds of greens and are lit with LED lights that mimic natural sunlight. Aerofarms uses a method called aeroponics that leaves plant roots exposed so they can be sprayed with a mist filled with nutrients. They claim to use 95% less water than traditional outdoor farming.
Japanese vertical farms company Mirai Co. partnered with Generale Electric Japan to convert a former Sony Corporation semiconductor factory in Miyagi Prefecture into a vertical farm of 25,000 sq ft. Despite having only started production a few years ago, the farm is already shipping out 10,000 heads of lettuce per day, spread over 18 cultivation racks reaching 15 levels high.
Launched three years ago in a converted cold store in Scunthorpe, Linconshire, the Jones Food Company vertical farm has long been Europe’s largest. The site supplies 15% of UK’s cut basil. The company has also recently broken ground on its second venture in the country to build a three times bigger vertical farm in Gloucestershire.
With a 148,000 sq ft addition in Lydney, Jones Food Company is set to open its second vertical farm in the UK with capital backed by online retailer Ocado. It will feature growing space equivalent to 70 tennis courts which will make it the world’s largest. The first harvesting is planned for summer 2022 and founder James Lloyd-Jones anticipates supplying 1,000 tonnes of fresh produce to UK supermarkets from the location.
YesHealth Group and Nordic Harvest have completed the first phase of construction of a 7,000 sqm, 14 levels high facility at Taastrup, on the outskirts of Denmark’s capital. The indoor facility is being equipped with robotics, hydroponics, arrays of 20,000 LEDs, smart software and other technologies for processing more than 5,000 individual data points. It will run entirely on wind power, slashing the carbon footprint of production.
With the investment and support from one of the most technologically-advanced indoor vertical farming companies, Sanan Bio, Singapore’s VertiVegies is building a 20,000 sqm indoor vertical plant factory in the Lim Chu Kang area. The new farm will produce many varieties of sustainable vegetables to supply the country’s shortages in the food sector. There will be no chemical or pesticide used in the farming of the vegetables as compared to traditional soil-based farms.
Planet Farms, a company established in Milan by Luca Travaglini and Daniele Benatoff, built the largest and most advanced vertical farming facility in Italy covering over 9,000 sqm. Based on a highly innovative integrated growth process starting with seeds and ending with packaged products, Planet Farm has developed a system to constantly monitor production activities and automate processes. The facility based in Cavenago specialises in the production of basil, aromatic herbs and salad. All crops will grow in environments with pure air and water, from traditional seeds and without using pesticides and saving up to 97% of water.
Brooklyn-based Upward Farms has unveiled plans to launch a massive 250,000 sq ft vertical farm set for an early-2023 opening. The site will be located in North-eastern Pennsylvania’s Luzerne County and will specifically focus on microgreens. Rather than the hydroponic or aeroponic growing method used by most of the competition, Upward relies on aquaponics, a looped system that utilises fish to grow plants through the production of natural fertilizer.