Addressing seafarers’ long-standing need for fresh vegetables as they undertake long voyages across oceans, shipping companies have for the first time installed technology-driven vegetable growing units on board merchant ships. The move has ushered in a quiet revolution in the maritime world, transforming both the meals and morale of the crew.

“It’s been a game changer for us at sea. The units ensure a continuous supply of fresh greens, requiring minimal maintenance from the crew while significantly enhancing onboard nutrition. For vegetarians, especially, this is a breakthrough — fresh salads and herbs have always been a luxury on long voyages, as I have witnessed first-hand over the last 30 years of my career at sea,” said Captain Rajesh K Verma, Master of the Synergy Marine group-managed Aframax tanker ‘Effie Maersk’. Four of Synergy’s merchant ships – 90 per cent of its 28,000-plus seafarers are Indian – had these hydroponics units installed last year.

Wasabi grown on shelves in a shipping container and in the Yokohama area to boot? And delivered straight to sushi chefs working nearby?

Not likely, purists might shout, thinking that Japanese horseradish can only flourish in mountain areas with pristine rushing water.

Going against the traditional image, a specialized factory module in Shin-Yokohama boasts the latest in sensing technology to ensure cultivation conditions remain perfect 24/7.

The operator is looking to pitch an autonomous system based on artificial intelligence (AI) at some point to maximize production.

Using a container for farming is the brainchild of Tokyo-based agricultural start-up Nextage Inc. With technical support from semiconductor trading firm Macnica Inc. in Yokohama, Nextage has begun selling the agricultural module in the Japanese market.

We are thrilled to announce a new agriculture project that will bring hands-on, sustainable learning to our students! In partnership with The Growcer, a Canadian agritech company specializing in year-round modular farms, we will be deploying a hydroponic farm at Prairie River Junior High School.

This innovative, climate-controlled system will allow students to grow food in all seasons, ensuring a consistent supply of fresh, nutritious produce for our community. In addition to gaining valuable knowledge about food security and agricultural technology, students will develop critical skills in teamwork, responsibility, and environmental stewardship.

Thanks to hydroponics, Neon Greens is bringing a fresh take on farm to table by farming along Manchester Road.

The vertical vegetable farm is located right next door.

DSE, which operates "Hippo Farm Tech," a brand specializing in plant growth LED lighting, will unveil its container-type smart farm testbed to the public.

On March 20th, DSE announced that it will participate in the "2025 Resident Agricultural Machinery Fair" to be held at Taepyeongseong University Gyeongsang Gamyeong Park in Sangju, Gyeongsangbuk-do from the 25th to the 28th. The fair is hosted by Sangju City and organized by the Korea Agricultural Machinery Industry Cooperative, and aims to revitalize the domestic agricultural and equipment industry and create a foundation for overseas exports.

At the event, various cutting-edge technologies in the field of "AgTech" such as autonomous agricultural machinery, agricultural robots, AI, and ICT facilities will be displayed. 230 companies will participate and showcase more than 370 items.

The sun, the sand, the sea breeze–these are homegrown in Turks and Caicos. But the ubiquitous resort buffets? Much of the food is imported, often resulting in lackluster quality.

Not so at Seven Stars Resort & Spa, where the name of a new restaurant, The Farm, says it all. Wanting fresh produce, but faced with the challenge that most of the island’s foundation is limestone with little to no soil, Executive Chef Edwin Gallardo established a hydroponic container farm—the first on the island.

The resulting bounty of fresh vegetables—an estimated six tons of produce per year—not only guides the menu, but also the hotel’s ambitious sustainability initiatives. An underground cistern captures nearly 7 million gallons of rainwater annually, reducing water usage, and Seven Stars is also phasing out plastic cups, bottles, and straws, and implemented water stations with glass and metal refillable bottles.

Here's a look inside our pop up Wharf Farm in Canary Wharf in partnership with the Canary Wharf Group!

Thrilled that this brilliant space is open to all and showcases our technology and what our Square Mile Farms Farm Experience is all about.

We've got a full calendar of events running through the end of the month, from pesto-making and cocktail masterclasses to growing-at-home, the Wharf Farm is the perfect place to bring people together and have meaningful conversations about health & wellbeing and sustainability.

The University of Evansville (UE) is launching We Grow Aces!, a new initiative that brings together education, sustainability, and community engagement to provide access to extraordinary experiential learning, while addressing food insecurity and workforce development.

The program, funded through the Eli Lilly Endowment's Indiana Youth Programs on Campus grant, will make possible the purchase of a Pure Produce Container - a vertical garden system jointly developed by anu™ and eko Solutions, housed in an up-cycled shipping container capable of producing 3,920 plants per 40-day cycle, or several tons of vegetables annually.

UE will then provide accompanying programming that will equip students-from middle school through college-with practical skills in nutrition, agriculture, and sustainability. By working alongside local schools, community organizations, and industry leaders, We Grow Aces! will prepare students for future careers while helping to meet critical needs in the region.

Shipping a container farm might not be something most people have experience with, but when you're planning to bring a Freight Farm to your site, it's one of the most important details to understand. The cost of delivering a container farm depends on a variety of factors: where you’re located, how accessible the site is, and even what time of year it is.

While there’s no flat rate for delivery, this guide will walk you through the main drivers of cost, give you ballpark price ranges, and help you plan for a smooth, cost-effective delivery.

Freight Farms are delivered as fully built, production-ready units. That means they’re shipped as a single load on a specialized trailer called a stepdeck, which accommodates the height and weight of the farm. Each farm is delivered one at a time, no shared loads, no cross-country warehouse handoffs, and no typical freight carriers like UPS or FedEx.

A couple from Nova Scotia is putting their green thumbs to use, growing fresh produce year-round for their local communities.

Kris and Brenda Sutton own Sutton’s Vertical Gardens in Enfield, N.S., where they grow lettuce 365 days a year.

The idea came to fruition in September 2021, when fresh products were becoming harder to find amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We chose lettuce because it’s a crop that has a short growing life,” said Kris. “So, in this type of farm it grows quite well.”

From seeding to harvest, Kris says it takes about seven-and-a-half weeks for a batch of lettuce to grow.

The Sutton’s farm can grow nearly 9,000 plants at any given time, with just under 1,000 being harvested each week.

While U.S. tariffs threaten much of the Canadian economy, business is booming for an Ottawa-based startup that builds indoor farming units for made-in-Canada produce – also known as vertical farms.

Increased consumer interest in local produce could be attributed to looming uncertainty regarding the impacts of tariffs on agriculture and cross-border food trade, though much of our food exports, for now, will be exempt from the 10-per-cent baseline tariff.

“The phones have been ringing off the hook,” says Corey Ellis, co-founder and chief executive officer of Growcer, an Ottawa-based vertical farms supplier. “Our customers are seeing a ton of demand from Canadians across the entire country who want to buy local veggies instead of American products.”

Land Betterment Corporation, a certified B-Corp committed to fostering positive impact through up-cycling former coal mining and industrial sites into sustainable community developments, recently facilitated an immersive learning experience for students from Ball State University's Environmental Storytelling course.

Through its portfolio company, ekō Solutions, and its partnership with anu™, students visited the Pure Produce® Container Farm in Evansville, Indiana, where they engaged with ekō Solutions' up-cycled shipping container structures and the anu™ innovative indoor growing technology.

SBU Eats has introduced a new micro-farm at East Side Dining. The “Cultivated Cabinet” brings a fresh and sustainable approach to dining at Stony Brook University.

This innovative initiative provides students with hyper-local produce grown just steps away from where it’s served. By integrating fresh greens and herbs into daily menus, the micro-farm enhances the dining experience while promoting environmental responsibility and food transparency.

A wall of lettuce was rolled aside to make way for rows of colorful edible flowers as Selma Davis looked through her hydroponic farm like a librarian confidently sifting through shelves of books.

She picked a piece of bright green arugula. "Give that a try. It is the most unbelievable arugula," Davis said. "It's spicy because it's older."

The bushels of arugula are among dozens of greens grown vertically within a large shipping container dropped by a crane on St. Helena Island farmland. On the inside, the 320-square-foot structure is high tech, using water to produce large yields of pesticide-free greens and vegetables through hydroponics.

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.

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.

Traditional farming requires acres of land, favorable weather, and lots of resources. But what if you could grow fresh produce year-round in a fraction of the space, using 90% less water, all while nestled right in the heart of a city? That’s the magic of container vertical farming!

Understanding shipping container dimensions is crucial when designing your vertical farm layout. A standard 40-foot shipping container can produce the equivalent of 3-5 acres of traditional farmland. Talk about space efficiency! These self-contained growing environments control everything from temperature and humidity to lighting and CO2 levels, creating the perfect conditions for plants to thrive.

Since 1979, A.N. Martin Systems has been working alongside farmers, providing reliable grain handling and storage solutions. Now, we’re bringing that same dedication to the dairy industry with the SoyRoaster — a self-contained, fully automated soybean roaster designed specifically for dairy farms.

Built inside a shipping container, the SoyRoaster is easy to install and offers an affordable and efficient way to improve feed quality and boost cow health, helping you get the most out of your herd.