S06 - Session O5 - Vertical farms - The missing pieces.

Authors: Graeme Smith *, John Norwood

Amongst some exciting developments in vertical farms (VF), there are many false starts and exhibitions of technologies that aren't commercially viable for a range of reasons. The drive to feed humans sustainably in a shrinking environment has resulted in many VF demonstrations; some are spectacular and attract significant media hype. However, they typically lack critical features that prevent them from being scalable commercial solutions. These critical features include excellence in Horticulture, Automation, Energy and Serviceability. Many VF are developed by industries to demonstrate particular expertise or products, but often many features are afterthoughts that limit or compromise the large scale rollout of their technology. For example, an automation company may develop vertical crop handling or autonomous robots but fertigation and climate control systems may be compromised. A grower may develop perfect crop conditions but lack automation or energy solutions required by VF, a large lighting manufacturer may build a VF to showcase super-efficient LED lighting systems that can't be maintained or cooled in the core of a large commercial farm. We will explore the lack of global VF standardisation impacting horticultural success or system comparisons, assess space use efficiency to expose the bold sustainability & productivity claims and consider what a sustainable vertical farm industry might look like. This presentation from 2 industry colleagues, will provide an understanding of these critical issues, including Horticulture, Automation, Energy and Serviceability and how they may come together to promote vertical farms that can be economically scaled to produce staple vegetables.