After 4 years as visitors at the biggest indoor farming fair in Europe, we had our own small stand this year. Together with many inspiring startups, we shared the one Startup Alley. For three days, the who’s who of the industry met and we were right in the middle of it. What was the main topic this year?! Despite the not so positive news especially from the vertical farming sector in the last months, many experts still believe in the implementation of the technology. Now it is important to consistently analyse the mistakes of the Vertical Farming Genration 1.0 and to focus more on cooperation and collaboration.
To take the industry to the next level, there needs to be an honest debate about LCAs and the true impact that vertical farming systems can currently have. This requires transparent data and benchmarks that are openly communicated. With our solutions, we are on the cutting edge for a long-term sustainable and transparent indoor farming industry. Because one thing is certain: when we look at the global impact of climate change on agriculture, indoor farming, especially with greenhouses, but especially with vertical farming systems, has to be part of the solution. A look at the changes in agriculture in recent years makes it clear why:
According to a BMEL tally, agricultural land the size of Iceland is dwindling every year,
– the City Bank shows that food demand for the growing world population will increase by 56% by 2050 compared to 2010,
– fresh water scarcity is increasing (72% of all water withdrawals are used by agriculture), 1.42 billion people – including 450 million children – live in areas with high or extremely high water vulnerability, UN analysis shows, and
– a 33% decline in the number of experts in EU agriculture alone by 2030 compared to 2007, according to an EU study.
These situations require urgent solutions that are resource and land efficient, highly productive and decentralised.
