Supply chains have always been complex, but recent global events have made them even more unpredictable. Between food safety concerns, disruptions caused by COVID-19, and evolving tariff policies, businesses and organizations that rely on food imports have faced increasing challenges.

These factors highlight why local food production is more important than ever - whether for farmers, schools, hospitals, or businesses looking to create a more stable and reliable food source.

New research on using controlled environment agriculture (CEA) to grow plants with medicinal properties could lead to production methods that will increase one anti-cancer compound naturally produced by certain species of plants.

The study, led by doctoral student Rebekah Maynard, was designed to identify crops to be used in medical treatments and to develop strategies to increase the concentration of an anti-cancer compound produced by the plants.

Working with Rhuanito Ferrarezi, associate professor of CEA crop physiology, Maynard grew compact crops with a short life cycle—chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla) and parsley (Petroselinum crispum)—in a vertical farming environment. The researchers measured the plants' production of apigenin, a natural anti-inflammatory compound with promising anti-cancer effects.

The Vertical Farm at Illinois State University will use a repurposed 40 ft. by 8 ft. (320 sq. ft.) shipping container to grow plants, such as basil, cilantro, and parsley, year-round in an enclosed, controlled environment. The Farm uses a vertical hydroponic growing system, which includes recirculated nutrient solution and light-emitting diode (LED) lighting to grow 4,600 plants at full operation. This is the equivalent of 1-2 acres of field production but requires 95% less water at 5 gallons per day.

Students will use the site to train for careers in agriculture and horticulture specialty crop production. It also will serve as a demonstration site for other departments across campus, as well as local community groups, schools and businesses.

Kirk Taylor, President and Co-Founder of ekō Solutions commented, "Our team has worked relentlessly to provide real solutions across several critical industry verticals. We are thankful to be accepted as a member of the Defense Industrial Base Consortium.

By delivering modular container-based solutions for agriculture, housing and technology deployment, ekō Solutions will be an invaluable supply chain partner for our national defense."

One of the essential technologies ekō Solutions is able to provide is nearly automated farms through our Pure Produce® Containers.

La Salle Bajío University launched a vertical hydroponic farm in collaboration with Verde Compacto to foster education in sustainable agriculture.

The Huvster container farm, a 30-square-meter space, can produce 200 times more vegetables per square meter than traditional farming with 90% less water.

The facility will serve as a research and education center for students, providing hands-on experience with sustainable agriculture technologies.

The farm produces around 100 lb of fresh vegetables weekly, supporting the university and local farm-to-table initiatives.

The "Cubes" containers from the Swiss Mabewo Group is a good example of the application of the latest Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) technologies to optimise plant growth and prevent pest infestation. Using special airlocks and precise process control, the cubes create an environment that guarantees optimum growth conditions for plants. Up to 1.5 tonnes of fresh grass, including grains and root mass, can be harvested daily with a four-cube system - proof of the efficiency and scalability of today's crop cultivation systems.

Today, they're growing in a shipping container. Soon, hopefully, they'll take root in Colorado's forests.

It's a nontraditional start for hundreds of baby trees meant to reforest areas burned by wildfire, in a project between a Colorado-based power cooperative and a group of innovative farmers.

On June 15, MPs for Tampines GRC Baey Yam Keng and Desmond Choo visited the container farm and viewed the harvesting of the fish. Launched in November 2023, it is Singapore’s first container fish farm located in an HDB estate.

In the last two months, they've harvested 200 pounds of lettuce and 40 pounds of radishes from the hydroponic farm.

Among the selected projects is The Orange Loop Container Park, an ambitious plan to transform a vacant lot into a thriving hydroponic farm and community space using repurposed shipping containers

Freight Farms’ mission is to create the global infrastructure to revolutionize local access to food. They are dedicated to making fresh food accessible to anyone, anywhere, any time with a complete platform of products and services

Container farming is growing plants or crops in special shipping containers instead of planting them in the ground and thirteen high school students just harvested the first crop in a container farm in Altgeld Gardens

The $5,823 will serve to build a safe storage area for the protective equipment students participating in the program wear when they work in the enclosed environment of the freight farm, said 2GetherWeEat founder Charles Luster

In early December 2023, a 40-foot by 8-foot container was delivered to Northern Illinois University (NIU) behind Anderson Hall. While resembling a standard shipping container, the unit houses a complete hydroponic farming system

In the heart of urban landscapes, a revolution is taking root. Vertical farming, once a niche curiosity, is now a burgeoning industry projected to reach $1.3 billion by 2027. This growth is driven by increasing demand for locally produced, fresh, and pesticide-free plants, year-round demand for crops, and the ease of monitoring and harvesting crops in a controlled environment

In this episode, I speak with Rick Vanzura, CEO of Freight Farms, who takes us on a captivating journey from his days in the retail trenches to becoming a trailblazer in the vertical farming industry

Mario Vitalis, Indianapolis, wanted to expand his expertise from his regular 9-to-5 job to develop his own business and support his community. He dreamed of providing fresh food to his community through urban farming

"Vertical- and indoor farmers especially have always had issues with financing their equipment. Especially when comparing the accessibility to capital that traditional farms have, or even other professionals' services like contractors