Major steps towards better, sustainable and affordable food production free of environmental challenges have been taken, with the

'World-first' indoor vertical farm to produce 4M pounds of berries a year

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2024-09-26 04:30:03

Major steps towards better, sustainable and affordable food production free of environmental challenges have been taken, with the "world's first farm to grow indoor, vertically farmed berries at scale" opening in Richmond, VA. It's backed by an international team of scientists that see this new phase of agriculture as a way to ease global food demands.

The Plenty Richmond Farm is designed to produce more than four million pounds (1.8M kg) of strawberries grown indoors vertically in 30-ft-tall (9-m) towers, using up less than 40,000 square feet – or less than a single acre. This is a fraction of the land needed in traditional strawberry production, which is also subject to seasonal and environmental factors that limit yield.

“Plenty’s farm will boost local agriculture production and drive economic development, all while diversifying against risks and protecting the environment," said Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin. "We look forward to supporting their innovative approaches to revolutionizing the industry.”

To date, plant-based commercial vertical farming has mostly been limited to the production of lettuce crops, but this latest technological advancement has broadened the scope of what can be grown upwards. With temperature, light and humidity controlled across 12 growing 'rooms,' pollination of plants has also been engineered to be more efficient than bees. Ultimately, the company believes this will result in more uniformity in fruit and result in less waste.