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Have you ever heard of ‘vertical’ farming? Perhaps the phrase ‘hydroponics’ rings a bell. This is a method of growing edible crops in a so-called ‘farm’ through hydroponic, aquaponic or aeroponic methods, without soil, sunlight, or other naturally occurring elements of the eco-system. The ‘farms’ are usually large-scale, purpose-built warehouses and as with the laboratories used for lab-grown meat, explained by Ellen Heaselgrave (The Problems with ‘Fake’ Meat) in Slow Food UK’s previous blog, these processes can raise both environmental, nutritional and societal concerns. PFAL plants are grown in highly controlled, enclosed environments – in fact, vertical farming in food industry circles is often referred to as ‘controlled environment agriculture’ (CEA). Crops are grown using LED lighting, controlled by computer monitoring and fed with liquid nutrient solutions, hence the terms of ‘hydro’ or ‘aqua’ –ponic methods.
The chances are, even if you are a dedicated supporter of slow food, regenerative, or organic farming and other methods of food production that respect the land and nurture the soil, you have already eaten products grown in a PFAL without knowing. This is because some ranges out-of-season soft fruit and salads for sale all year round in British supermarkets are grown in PFALs, but with minimal labelling; as consumers, we are not fully informed about the production methods of these foods or any potential allergens they may contain. Initially, soft fruits were among the main crops grown, such as strawberries and raspberries as they have a higher consumer market value and are more profitable, but some PFALs will claim to be able to grow anything (which is not yet the case on a commercial scale). Production currently focuses on most herbs, microgreens, soft fruits and bagged salads, usually sold under own-label brands by the retailer. According to research quoted by Konfo et al (2024), vertical farms can offer “…access premium markets, resulting in higher income potential”.
One of the biggest claims of PFALs is that it is a more sustainable method of farming – it uses less land, less water (the necessary nutrient solutions can be recycled, including purified fish water) and can grow crops more efficiently and reliably than traditional methods. However, considering the heavy use of natural resources needed to build and operate a PFAL, this could be a contestable point as they rely on LED lighting to grow the crops; indeed, reports show that many of the early PFALs failed due the intensive energy requirements. While the more recent purpose built PFALs can claim to run on solar energy, problems remain with the manufacture and distribution of solar panels, which use valuable natural mineral resources and their subsequent disposal, creating potential environment issues for the future. As researchers Stanghellini and Katzin (2024) found, “…There is no way for producing electricity without environmental impact”, including solar panels.
Other advantages of PFALs according to academic researchers, include increased productivity, crop quality and food security. However, look more closely and these claims may not stack up quite as neatly as the vertical crops in a PFAL. As the BBC reported in 2023, numerous problems with production and quality control have resulted in the closure of PFALs, citing cases in the USA and Europe. On the subject of product quality, well this can vary – the LED lights (usually in varying spectrums of pink, blue or green) used to grow these foods can manipulate the size, colour and rapidity by which the crops are grown – hardly a ‘slow food’ environment. PFALs claim they do not use pesticides, herbicides or insecticides, but pests and diseases still have to be controlled somehow – in many cases, with LED lighting, itself a subject of further research and discussion when used in food production and potential effects on the human immune system. In fairness, the industry is still developing – perhaps PFALs, if fully regulated by Governments and nutritional specialists like other foods, could serve a valuable purpose in future as a back-up food supply, but reflecting on Ellen Heaselgrave’s blog, the question we should all be asking ourselves is which is better for humans, the eco-system, our planet and the environment – food grown in accordance with nature or in an artificial factory or laboratory?
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If you would like to know more, feel free to conduct your own research using openly available/open access published papers. Suggested sources to start with include:
BBC, 2023 (overview):
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-66173872
Konfo et al (2024) (overview, including premium pricing):
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S266615432400022X
Stanghellini and Katzin, 2024 (environment and energy): https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959652624018079
Wired Magazine, 2022 (overview/market energy report):
