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Coronavirus Crisis Fuels Interest In Vertical Farming
The coronavirus pandemic has been a major worry for many British farmers, threatening access to agricultural labor and complicating international supply chains. But for proponents of indoor farming, the crisis has offered an opportunity
The coronavirus pandemic has been a major worry for many British farmers, threatening access to agricultural labor and complicating international supply chains. But for proponents of indoor farming, the crisis has offered an opportunity.
David Farquhar, chief executive of technology developer Intelligent Growth Solutions, says the pandemic has prompted a spike in interest in ‘vertical farms’, where batches of crops can be individually watered, fed and lit using LED lights, allowing them to be grown year-round with minimal labor near their markets, regardless of local soil or weather conditions.
At the company’s demonstration farm in Invergowrie near the Scottish city of Dundee, trays of produce stacked in 9 meter-tall towers are managed remotely from seeding to packaging. Humans only need to enter the towers for occasional maintenance. “You can run it entirely on robotics . . . You probably need to go in once every six months,” Mr. Farquhar said.
This higher productivity will have particular appeal to British farmers, who are facing a steep increase in costs because coronavirus restrictions have affected the arrival of seasonal workers from eastern Europe. Brexit may also make it more difficult to access labor from the bloc when the UK’s transition period expires at the end of the year.
Colin Campbell, chief executive of the James Hutton Institute, a research organization that hosts the IGS farm and another vertical farming company, Liberty Produce, said the global food supply system had generally worked well during the pandemic. But he added that the crisis had highlighted worries about food safety and the risks of relying on seedlings or produce grown far away from where it is consumed. “Covid-19 is making a lot of people rethink how we want to grow our food,” he said.
Read more at FT (Emiko Terazono)
Publication date: Tue 18 Aug 2020
Podcast Agency FullCast Launches Vertical Farming Podcast with David Farquhar of Intelligent Growth Solutions
David Farquhar, CEO of Intelligent Growth Solutions (IGS), says Covid-19 has prompted a spike in interest in vertical farming, as retailers and governments scramble to improve supply chain resilience and lower their reliance on imported food
MINNEAPOLIS, May 6, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — In the inaugural interview of the Vertical Farming Podcast, David Farquhar, CEO of Intelligent Growth Solutions (IGS), says Covid-19 has prompted a spike in interest in vertical farming, as retailers and governments scramble to improve supply chain resilience and lower their reliance on imported food.
The vertical farming industry must ‘take a hard look at itself’ before it fulfills its promise of reliable, quality food, produced affordably and sustainably, says one of its leading figures.
Vertical Farming Podcast produced by FullCast
“But it will be fascinating to see what changes last on the back of this pandemic,” he says. “To what degree are we willing to invest to prepare ourselves to survive another one? We’re working with a lot of governments to think how this might happen.
“Yes, there are huge opportunities, but let’s be realistic. Vertical farming and indoor agriculture are young; making them work is a marathon task. Anyone who says otherwise is lying.”
“In three decades in the tech sector, I’ve never seen anything that’s attracted so much interest nor created so much misinformation.”
“A lot of people are telling a lot of lies. The industry must grow up. Many commentators and participants within the industry feel the same.”
A former British Army officer, Farquhar announced on the podcast that he’s committing the company to openly publish all its data – energy consumption, water usage and nutrient utilization – from its ‘in a box’ vertical farming systems, in a bid to demonstrate the industry-wide honesty and transparency that he believes is so sorely needed.
Headquartered in Scotland, IGS is currently working with commercial and government groups across Australasia, the Middle East, the Caribbean, and North America. Farquhar was interviewed for the first episode of Vertical Farming Podcast, a new show produced by FullCast and hosted by Harry Duran. Harry has launched VFP to engage with the leaders, founders, and visionaries of the evolving vertical farming industry, to bring their insights and knowledge to a wider audience.
Farquhar kicks off a line-up of guests that includes Agritecture’s Henry Gordon-Smith, Freight Farms Co-Founder & COO Jon Friedman, and AgTech journalist Louisa Burwood-Taylor of AgFunderNews.
Listeners are invited to subscribe today at: https://verticalfarmingpodcast.com
Contact InformationCompany: FullCast
Contact Name: Harry Duran
Email: harry@verticalfarmingpodcast.com
Phone: +1-323-813-6570
Address: 340 S Lemon Ave #5557 Walnut, CA 91789
Website: https://verticalfarmingpodcast.com
Source: PRNewsire
Pricey Greens From Indoor Farms Are Thriving In The Covid Era
By Saturday, March 14, even before Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the shutdown of all in-restaurant dining in New York City the next night, Viraj Puri, chief executive officer of the Brooklyn, N.Y.-based indoor urban farming company Gotham Greens
Deena Shanker Bookmark
Published: June 19, 2020, 4:30 PM
Updated: June 20, 2020, 6:35 PM
(Bloomberg Businessweek)