When the pioneering vertical farms were established around the world, comparatively basic first-generation technology used created relatively inefficient systems compared with today. Although these operations only enabled the most basic functions to occur, they demonstrated how feasible it was to grow plants in vertical structures and thus, for the first
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Optimizing Controlled Environment Agriculture
AVF is delighted to introduce its new member from Canada: AgricUltra! Their AMPL Controlled Micro-Environment Agriculture design will provide operators with a higher degree of control over each row of the farm and with that comes more precision, diversity of crops, energy efficiency and many more benefits. AgricUltra Advancements™ core focus is maximizing
Shorter Supply Chains Through Urban Indoor Farming
There are many reasons why a government or international organization may advocate the introduction of urban indoor farming. This week we look at some of the main motivations for bringing agriculture closer to the consumer. While urban indoor agriculture may have seemed a far-fetched dream in the past, developments in
Call for Funding to Support Vertical Farming in Cameroon
An ambitious new project to redesign agricultural practices and food stability is currently underway in Cameroon. The project is managed by the CDVTA, Community Development Volunteers for Technical Assistance, in collaboration with the Association for Vertical Farming and aims to improve the lives of rural farmers in North West Cameroon
Bacterial Contamination in Fresh Produce
Fresh fruit and vegetables are an important part of our diet. If produce is contaminated by poorly sourced water, however, the implications can be fatal. While many people associate foodborne illness with meat and dairy, it is important to recognize that fruits and vegetables can pose a significant threat to
Indoor Farming Is the Future
By 2050, there will be 10 billion people on the planet, the majority of whom in cities. Gertjan and Lianne Meeuws behind Eindhoven firm, Seven Steps To Heaven, believe indoor farming is the future. “Our traditional food system is incapable of feeding everyone responsibly.” All of Eindhoven can identify Gertjan
Rebuilding the Agricultural Economy Post-COVID
The coronavirus pandemic has side-lined climate-change as an issue for many governments. The immediate threat posed by COVID-19 has in many ways placed issues of environmentalism on the backburner in terms of policymaking. It is important to remember, however, that even in the midst of this unprecedented crisis, climate change
Water Scarcity Threatens Global Food Production
Water scarcity is increasingly becoming a problem not only for developing countries but also for the advanced economies. The continuation of ‘business-as-usual’ practices in agriculture has only exacerbated this problem and increased pressure on global resources. In light of the water scarcity crisis, we look this week at some of
Our Fresh-Produce Supply Chain After Covid-19: How Vertical Farming Can Play a Key Role
With the corona-virus pandemic unexpectedly and fully exposing the vulnerabilities of our current fresh-produce supply chains, re-engineering them toward resilience, inclusiveness and sustainability has just become an urgent imperative. This article, written by AVF Vice Chair Joel Cuello, is published in the July/August 2020 issue of RESOURCE, the periodical magazine
Locust Swarms Emphasise the Need for Controlled Environment Agriculture
Outbreaks of locust swarms in Africa, Asia and the Middle East have epitomised the essential need for indoor farming. Unseasonal rains caused by global warming, have aided the spread of desert locusts which would normally have died out in the dry season. Ethiopia and Somalia are currently experiencing their worst