VERTICAL FARMING - A RISING INDUSTRY IN UK (Pt 3)

VERTICAL FARMING are growing crops in vertically stacked layers in an indoor environment and it is well known for the producing fast-growing crops. Under the carefully controlled conditions used by vertical farms, plants such as herbs and leafy greens can go from seed to sprout to harvest in a matter of weeks, which is usually a much shorter timeline than that offered by conventional agriculture. So it seems fitting enough that the entire vertical farming sector, not just the crops it produces, is experiencing equally rapid growth. Worldwide, the vertical farming industry was valued at USD2.24 billion in 2018, and experts predict that by 2026 that figure will increase to almost USD13 billion or nearly a six-fold increase. Actually being able to produce crops 365 days a year and without the need for pesticides or much human intervention, while being unaffected by the weather and will appeal to many growers after such prolonged at wet autumn the vertical farming technology sometimes called indoor farming is the practice of growing plants under fully controlled conditions in buildings in many stacked layers, without solar light. Unlike glasshouse production in which relies on sunlight, it makes use of LED lighting to provide different wavelengths of light, according to crop and growth stage need. Together with soil-less growing techniques and environmental control systems, vertical farming is a specialist business. Vertical farming is actually what is it?. This blog 'Anim Agriculture Technology' share an info about tje rising industry of vertical farming in UK and amany other states.

In this case a question ablout either a Hydroponics or Aeroponics to be applied?. The answer was both hydroponics and aeroponics deal with plants without the traditional growing medium of soil. How the plants’ roots are situated in the systems determines the way in which they receive nutrients. In hydroponic systems, the roots are submerged in water and nutrients are delivered in the water. In aeroponics, the roots are exposed and sprayed with a mist containing water and nutrients, resulting in a humid, fog-like environment. Much of this plant growth so far has been concentrated in early-adopter countries, notably the US and Japan, but other countries and regions are catching on quickly. In the UK, for example, vertical farming (along with other forms of indoor and urban agriculture) has taken off in a big way over the past few years. With several dense urban areas, a large population that is increasingly concerned about the environmental impact of food production, and a reputation for technological leadership and innovation, the UK is in many ways the perfect home for a thriving indoor farming scene. In the past year alone, a number of major new vertical and indoor farming projects have been announced  including a plan from the Edinburgh-based company Shockingly Fresh to expand from five to 40 sites  while existing projects, facilities, and companies are seeing impressive growth in their operations due to increased investment and interest.

Latest that the highlights of the UK’s thriving indoor and vertical farming scene include the growing underground, square mile farm, farm urban and LettUs Grow approach. Many probably wouldn’t expect to find fresh microgreens and salad leaves growing 33 meters below the bustling streets of the south London neighborhood of Clapham, but that’s exactly what you’ll encounter at Growing Underground. Billing itself as “the world’s first underground farm,” Growing Underground has transformed a World War II deep-level bomb shelter into a highly sophisticated indoor farm. During the war years, the bunker housed as many as 8,000 troops; today, after 70 years of post-war abandonment, the underground tunnels are home to a hydroponic growing facility illuminated by the latest LED lighting systems. Produce grown at Growing Underground can be found at some of the UK’s biggest retail outlets, including Marks & Spencer. The facility also offers regular farm tours for curious members of the general public. The Square Mile Farms are another London-based vertical farming operation that has been garnering plenty of attention is Square Mile Farms, which is located in the capital city’s busy work and social hub of Paddington Central. The hydroponic growing facility sits on the rooftop of the new mixed-use building at 2 Kingdom Street, where in-demand produce such as kale, fennel, and basil is grown using vertical towers and no soil.  Given its busy central location, Square Mile Farms hopes to make ongoing connections with the Paddington community and to inspire neighborhood residents to take an interest in local, sustainable, nutritious food. The farm aims to achieve this goal not only through its fresh crops, but also by hosting workshops and events centered around food and farming. For example, How to Grow Your Own Microgreens is a popular ongoing workshop offered at the farm, while other recent talks have covered topics such as the basics of healthy eating and how to minimize food waste.

For Farm Urban actually there are many innovative vertical and indoor farming projects popping up in the UK’s capital, but London is far from the only city where vertical farms are growing. Liverpool, for example, is home to a technically advanced vertical farm that has already been in operation for half a decade. Founded by two academics in 2014, Farm Urban is housed in the deep basement of a former sugar factory; the hydroponic operation not only grows crops for commercial sale, it also serves as a department of the Liverpool Life Sciences University Technical College. Since Farm Urban was established, its two co-founders have gone on to install hydroponic vertical growing systems at a number of other major public sites, including the University of Liverpool, the Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, and the Ness Botanic Gardens. The LettUs Grow concept in which most vertical and indoor farms rely heavily on advanced technology in order to be able to create the perfect growing conditions all year round for their crops. This kind of technology is basically developed and provided by companies like LettUs Grow, a Bristol-based enterprise that designs hardware and software for indoor growing facilities. Some of the key focus areas for LettUs Grow are aeroponic growing operations with this growing technique, plants’ roots are not submerged in a nutrient solution but suspended in air and misted with the solution. LettUs Grow also focuses on closed-loop control via the company’s cloud-hosted Ostara platform, as well as data capture tools that allow growers to understand exactly how their crops are doing and what adjustments need to be made. This article divided in 3 segment that was Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 respectively. Thanks.

By,

M Anim,

Putrajaya,

Malaysia.

(Wrote in December 2020).

This rticle updated in August 2024.