Embracing This Moment as an Opportunity
In part one, we looked into the current status of the industry, and this week we explore the future directions that are already emerging. Today, we offer a glimpse into the insights shared during Marcelis’ Beyond the Hype seminar. Sharing knowledge, as academia is actively doing, is crucial if we want to grow as an industry, and this trend is being embraced more widely.
The shift toward transparency and a willingness to discuss real challenges indicate that the industry is heading in a positive direction. Discussions around identity, market strategy, and cost management are essential steps toward finding real solutions. Managing expectations around tech solutions is another recurring topic in industry roundtables. This presents an opportunity to move beyond merely listing problems and start collaborating on practical strategies.
Academia Leading the Way in Solutions
Academia is already showing a more solution-oriented approach and provides hands-on examples where improvements can be made today.
Labor Optimization and Scaling Strategy
Smaller farms struggle with automation due to limited scale. Marcelis highlights the need for critical personnel in vertical farms, such as a skilled grower, technician, marketer, entrepreneur, financial expert, and HR manager. He suggests that the focus should be on building the right team for each stage of development and scaling thoughtfully.
This emphasizes the importance of human expertise and careful planning to address the multifaceted challenges of vertical farming.
Data and AI for Autonomous Production
Marcelis emphasizes the importance of data, sensors, models, and AI in moving toward autonomous production control but notes that experienced growers are still essential for now. Long-term, he envisions a future where an autonomous “control room” could connect to vertical farms worldwide, enabling real-time adjustments based on data-driven insights.
Balancing technological advances with growers’ experience ensures a smoother transition toward autonomous farming.
Energy Reduction Strategy
- Three-Part Energy Strategy:
- Drastically reduce energy use per kilogram of produce.
- Switch to renewable energy sources.
- Time energy use to avoid peak energy prices.
Understanding plant demand better—such as recognizing that plants do not need consistent lighting throughout the day—could help time lighting more efficiently and reduce costs.
- Lighting Efficiency: While LEDs are highly efficient, there is more potential in improving light-use efficiency in plants. Optimizing plant physiology to use light more effectively could lower energy consumption.
These strategies highlight the critical importance of resource management in making vertical farming more sustainable.
- Three-Part Energy Strategy:
Crop Selection for Economic Viability
Marcelis presents an analysis for choosing economically viable crops in vertical farms:
- Dry Matter Production per Light Mol: Most crops produce around 0.6 grams per mol of light.
- Harvest Index: This varies significantly by crop; for instance, lettuce has a high harvest index of 0.9, meaning a large portion of the plant is harvestable, while wheat has a lower index of 0.6.
- Fresh-to-Dry Mass Ratio: For lettuce, the ratio is about 25; for wheat, it’s only 1.1, indicating that lettuce yields more edible product relative to its dry weight.
- Revenue Potential per Mol Photon: Lettuce has a revenue potential of 13.5 cents per mol of light, while wheat is only 0.04 cents, making high-value crops like lettuce more suitable for vertical farms.
Focusing on crops with strong economic and production profiles provides a path to profitability and sustainability for vertical farms.
New Crop Cultivars for Indoor Farming
Marcelis calls for the development of new cultivars optimized specifically for vertical farming. Unlike traditional crops bred for environmental resilience (heat, drought), vertical farm crops should prioritize:
- High light-use efficiency
- Tip-burn resistance
- Compact root systems
- Quality traits over resilience to outdoor pests
Specialized crops hold the potential to unlock greater efficiency and quality in indoor farming.
Honoring the Pioneers and Moving Toward a Resilient Future
It’s important to recognize the work of the pioneers who laid the groundwork for the vertical farming industry, even if some ventures didn’t last. Their efforts have raised public awareness of indoor-grown produce and helped define the potential of vertical farming. By reflecting on their successes and setbacks, the industry can take a more steady, adaptable approach moving forward.
Acknowledging the contributions of early leaders provides valuable lessons for building a more resilient and sustainable future.
Collaborative Solutions for a Stronger Industry
The improvement areas identified by Marcelis underline the need for enhanced transparency and actionable insights. Industry-wide efforts to promote standardized data collection across suppliers, academics, and growers could create use cases that accelerate innovation in vertical farming. Sharing knowledge and fostering collaboration will be crucial in moving beyond isolated progress to systemic growth.
Energy reduction strategies are another area where cooperation can drive impactful change. Through partnerships with academic and industry stakeholders, progress is being made in making vertical farming more energy-efficient and sustainable.
By focusing on collective progress and practical solutions, the industry can navigate its challenges more effectively.
A Balanced Path Forward
Vertical farming is at a turning point. By embracing both the challenges and opportunities, the industry can grow stronger through collaboration, innovation, and a willingness to learn. The future of vertical farming lies not in quick fixes but in steady, thoughtful progress.
This is a shared journey, and the collective efforts of researchers, growers, and innovators will shape the path forward.
