Have you ever heard of vertical farms? This concept might once have seemed like pure science fiction, but it is rapidly becoming a global reality.

What are Vertical Farms?

Simply put, imagine a building with multiple floors dedicated to growing vegetables and greens where all variables are controlled electronically, eliminating pests and diseases. This is the focus of vertical farms!

They represent a technological trend that is changing the way we produce food.

Focused on the latest technological developments in global agribusiness, Agrishow Digital has prepared this article about these modern farms. In it, we will introduce what these innovations are, their benefits, challenges, and opportunities.

What Are Vertical Farms?

According to United Nations (UN) estimates, the world’s population is expected to reach 9.7 billion by 2050. To meet the global food demand in 30 years, agricultural production must increase by approximately 70%, a substantial challenge, indeed.

In response, global agriculture is turning its focus to innovations that allow for increased agricultural production in the smallest possible space. Vertical farms excel at meeting these requirements.

They are characterized by structures designed for the vertical layering of vegetable crops, like buildings.

For this purpose, technological means are used to layer production in the same area, meaning that production is intensified and optimized by making use of the airspace above the ground.

Additionally, in a vertical farm, the production process is completely protected, with all variables—such as lighting, water, air circulation, temperature, and nutrients—being controlled.

Therefore, vertical farms also serve as a response from the global agribusiness sector to climate change, as issues like frost, excess water, droughts, and wildfires cease to be a problem.

Types of Vertical Farms

 Vertical farms come in various configurations, and the choice of type depends on several factors, such as the type of crops, scale of production, resource availability, and specific goals.

Here are the main types of vertical farms:

Hydroponics

This is the most common method. In hydroponics, plants grow in a nutrient-rich liquid solution, without soil.

Aeroponics

In this system, the plant roots are suspended in air and mist with a nutrient solution. This technique allows for greater aeration of the roots, as well as even more efficient water use.

Aquaponics

This method combines fish farming with plant cultivation. The waste produced by the fish acts as a natural fertilizer for the plants, while the plants help filter and purify the water, which is then recirculated back to the fish. This creates a sustainable loop, where both plants and fish benefit from each other in a single system.

Advantages of Vertical Farms

Vertical farms offer numerous advantages, particularly when compared to traditional (horizontal) agriculture.

They have the potential to radically innovate the way food is produced, bringing the responsibility of food production closer to urban centers. 

Here are some of the key benefits:

  • – Increased Productivity: Vertical farming significantly increases productivity per cultivated area, optimizing space use and reducing waste during production.
  • – Sustainability: As a fully controlled environment, vertical farming reduces water, pesticides, and energy consumption, minimizing environmental impact and making production more sustainable.
  • – Large-Scale Production Capability: Vertical farms can meet the demands of large urban centers, ensuring a steady supply of fresh and healthy food.
  • – Higher Quality: Vertical agriculture yields fresh, high-quality products that are free from pests and diseases, as well as adverse climatic conditions.
  • – Accessibility: The ability to produce food in urban locations brings fresh produce closer to major consumer centers.
  • – Increased Efficiency: Greater control over the production process allows for the optimization of resources and a reduction of losses.
  • – Entrepreneurship Stimulation: As the sector grows, new business and investment opportunities emerge in the agri-food sector, stimulating entrepreneurship.

What about Brazil?

Around the world, many vertical farms are in operation and achieving excellent results. In Brazil, we are still in the early stages, but various types of vertical farming are already being considered.

Despite the country’s vast continental dimensions, which favor traditional large-scale production, the benefits of vertical farming are encouraging Brazilian agribusiness entrepreneurs to consider this model as the “farm of the future.”

Around here, there are several factors that could stimulate new investments. Here:

  • – Combating hunger and food insecurity by increasing food production in areas with limited water resources;
  • – Creating jobs and generating income through new employment opportunities in urban and rural areas;
  • – Reducing dependence on imports by enhancing self-sufficiency in food production;
  • – Enabling regional development by fostering the growth of communities in areas with poor infrastructure. 

However, there are still challenges that prevent this trend from becoming more widespread. We will discuss them next:

Challenges in Implementing Vertical Farms

Vertical farms offer numerous advantages, including national agriculture. However, they also face several challenges that deserve attention:

  • – High Initial Investment: As a still-new technique, vertical farms require significant investments in infrastructure, specific lighting, climate-controlled environments, and operation control systems.
  • – High Energy Consumption: Although they use less water, land, and pesticides, vertical farms typically require high amounts of energy.
  • – Limited Variety of Crops: Despite technological advances, the current state of vertical agriculture primarily focuses on fast-growing, short-stature crops. Thus, many staple foods are not yet grown in these systems.
  • – Skills and Knowledge Gap: Traditional agricultural methods do not always translate directly to vertical farming. Therefore, there is a need for knowledge transfer and training to master this new art.

In other words, vertical farms still require significant investments for implementation and maintenance.

Despite these challenges, many experts around the world believe that vertical agriculture has the potential to represent the future of food production, especially in the face of climate change and increasing global population.