A vertical farm (VF) is a type of controlled environment agriculture. A VF, at its most basic, involves a crop that is grown in vertical stacks. This growing approach uses limited space in comparison to traditional greenhouses, which makes them suitable for urban environments or growing in areas with limited space (Mottech, 2022). 

What is typically listed as advantages for VFs are their controlled humidity, climate, energy, and nutrients; it is said to require limited to no pesticide use; there is efficient use of water (they may use close to 95 per cent less water than traditional greenhouses); they are able to grow specific crops year-round as they are usually found indoors in a controlled space (Mottech, 2022); and that limited space means a smaller environmental footprint with high production (Funk, 2023). 

Despite appearances, vertical farms and traditional greenhouses are not two solitudes. They can collaborate and accommodate each other. 

Multi-layered approach

“Vertical farming [can be classified] into two types: one with multilayer horizontal growing surfaces and one with growing surfaces vertically arranged,” said Dr. Youbin Zheng, of the University of Guelph’s School of Environmental Studies. “If potted ornamentals are grown in multilayer systems, the same crops can be grown as a conventional system, and the same type of truck delivery can be used. 

“For vertical farming, the same set of staff can be trained to grow and manage crops differently,” he adds. “We can simply divide vertical farming into two types. Both can be premanufactured off-site or set up on site.”

When considering VF use on the same premises as traditional greenhouses the disadvantages traditional growers should be aware of are the high initial costs; specialized equipment such as hydroponics and grow lights that can be “energy intensive” and expensive (Mottech, 2022). Depending on how the VF is configured it may not be as sustainable as a traditional greenhouse (Mottech, 2022). Additionally, VFs require a “delicate balance” that makes crops vulnerable to changes in their controlled environment (Funk, 2023).

An important advantage of VFs is their adaptability to different spaces. They can be found in skyscrapers and warehouses, and other spaces usually not associated with farming such as urban environments (Funk, 2023). This is a critical characteristic in their usefulness as it is estimated that by 2050 “80 per cent of the world’s population will live in urban areas” (Funk, 2023).

In present day, and in the future, many of these urban areas are/will be considered “food deserts” where there is an inability of some urban communities to access fresh fruits and vegetables. Vertical farms supply a solution to this problem — they can be a “food oasis” in an urban environment. In urban environments produce from VFs do not need extended shipping, thus reducing emissions, or warehousing, and are fresh (even harvested the night before) when consumers receive them (Funk, 2023).  

How to grow an urban farm

There are a few but critical ingredients for successful collaborations of VFs with greenhouses. They involve having the right technology combined with the right partnership (Funk, 2023).

According to Emily Peloquin, Public Relations for Montreal’s Lufa Farms, you need a strong foundation, literally and figuratively, to develop a vertical farm in an urban environment. When Lufa Farms, founded by CEO Mohamed Hage and his team fifteen years ago in Montreal, was looking for buildings suitable for their vision they looked to buildings built in the 1960s and 1970s. These building choices “were not random, they were heavy structures, stable buildings.” Lufa Farms put its first, and all of its subsequent greenhouses, now six in total, on top of buildings in Montreal. 

It is important to do extensive homework to establish an urban greenhouse. According to Peloquin, Lufa Farms looked at Google Maps to find candidates for its plans. They then interviewed building owners. Next, they looked at prospective buildings’ blueprints to assess, for example, water sources, energy consumption, and access points. Another issue of concern for Lufa Farms was “administrative” such as how the building was zoned. 

“Municipalities [in Montreal] have been extremely enthusiastic,” Peloquin notes. Montreal, she points out, has “more urban agriculture than anywhere else in the world.” In contrast, she comments, “Toronto was an absolute headache” in regards to a proposed project. 

Sustainability mindset

In Montreal the municipality of Ahuntsic, where Lufa Farms’s first project was established in 2011, was “ahead of the curve in a sustainability mindset” Peloquin observes. This forward thinking is found throughout Quebec where there is support for entrepreneurs, investors, stakeholders, and clients (customers) who are working to improve food security in the province. In the Ahuntsic neighbourhood of Montreal the Lufa Farms’s greenhouse, the “world’s first commercial rooftop greenhouse” according to their website, measures 31,000 square feet and uses both vertical and horizontal growing systems such as troughs for vining plants and nutrient film techniques for microgreens (website). The Ahuntsic greenhouse is capable of creating compost, recirculating rainwater, and can test crops such as growing bananas.

Lufa Farms’s operations are profitable, innovative, efficient, and sustainable. They use renewable energy and sustainable lighting such as LEDS. They work with 300 businesses, local and otherwise, to offer a variety of complementary goods to what they grow through processes that include physical delivery and use online systems to process deliveries and a blog among other functions. Their market research keeps them informed about the lifestyle of their clients and their budgets. Lufa Farms calls their community “Lufavores” (website). Both the head and the heart come together in Lufa Farms. In addition to its commercial efforts, Lufa Farms has a foundation to help mitigate food insecurity.

Sky Greens Vertical Farming System, established in 2009, uses “rotating tiers of growing troughs mounted on a A-shape aluminium frame.” This VF approach can be placed on top of a structure, while the lower level can be used for other activities or “income streams.” In this system “The tallest model is nine metres tall and has 38 shelves holding eight trays each. In each tray, three-to-six plants can be grown. This brings the total production capacity per nine-metre tower to 912-1824 plants.”

Buy for life

Growcer, founded in 2015, offers another example of what VFs can achieve. Co-founder Corey Ellis (Alida Burke is also a Co-founder) notes that the conditions their VFs are used in vary across Canada. The company helps clients “develop indoor modular hydroponic farms” and “support you every step of the way – from seed to strategy.”

According to Growcer’s website the company, while still working with communities in the North, now partners with more than 85 growers throughout Canada that includes “farmers, retailers, schools, nonprofits, and non-remote communities.” These include Nipissing First Nation, Durham College, a dairy farm in Quebec, and Yellowknife Co-op. Ellis cites the example of a customer in Prince Rupert where 250 to 300 days a year “humidity control is an issue as is powdery mildew.” Growcer helps clients with financial support for their modular units and with practicalities like permits. 

To be successful Ellis advises doing “leg work throughout” and “talking to others, not just vendors” while doing the initial research when considering VFs. The result will be “reducing common mistakes and increasing your learning curve”. Use VF as a “tool to complement what you already know” and “not to spread yourself too thin.” Running VF as a separate business with a separate location involves “different synergies,” which could produce problems.

Ellis cautions that VFs are not a “silver bullet”, and that VFs are not a “plug-in and forget” project. Ellis acknowledges that the economics of a particular area affect the success of VFs. He suggests implementing a direct-to-consumer pre-pay system to provide guaranteed cash flow, starting small, and “validating the market that you think exists.” 

In the current economic environment “buying local is here to stay,” Ellis notes. The consensus “is that clients want to buy in Canada” and that “demand is outstripping supply.” Once a customer tastes the quality of crops from VF a customer will “buy for life.”

Read more about vertical farming from Greenhouse Canada.

Sources

• Funk, B., 2023, Eden Green Technology, What Is vertical farming?, https://www.edengreen.com/blog-collection/what-is-vertical-farming
• Growcer, https://www.thegrowcer.ca/our-story
• Lufa Farms, https://montreal.lufa.com/en/#/
• Mottech, 2022, Understanding the pros and cons of vertical farming, https://mottech.com/news/understanding-the-pros-and-cons-of-vertical-farming/#
• Sky Greens Singapore Collaboration, 2022, Canada: Livestock operation finds new niche in vertical farming, Vertical Farm Daily, https://www.verticalfarmdaily.com/article/9396852/canada-livestock-operation-finds-new-niche-in-vertical-farming/
• Sky Greens Vertical Farming System, https://skygreenscanada.com