A San Francisco-based company, Plenty, created a vertical-farming system that produces 400 times higher yield than traditional agriculture while using 95% less water and 99% less land.
The key to success is de-stressing the plants.
The whole operation is indoors, with rows of plants vertically suspended from the ceiling. Sunlight is replaced by full-spectrum LED lights from all sides and robots move entire plant racks to where they’re needed.
Artificial intelligence manages all the variables of heat and light and water, continually optimizing and learning how to grow faster, bigger, better crops.
Water lost by transpiration is recaptured and reused.
This technology could allow us to place our farms anywhere we need them and grow food anytime we need it, regardless of season or weather. All of this while out-producing traditional farming by many hundreds of times and using almost no water to do so.
What do you think? Does vertical farming have potential? Please let us know in the comments below.