We are in a global food crisis. Food security is under increasing pressure as globalised supply chain interdependencies unravel. From the Russian invasion of Ukraine to the ongoing climate crisis, the impact is being felt across Europe and is extending across the globe. Add to this the cross-border challenges of Brexit, the recent lorry driver strikes in Spain, non-availability of labour and supply chain disruption, and it’s clear the food industry is facing significant challenges, with no immediate solution in sight.
We have clearly become too reliant on finite resources to feed the world. Russia and Ukraine between them produce over 95 million tonnes of wheat each year, which is 23% of the world’s wheat export [US Department of Agriculture]. However, following Russia’s invasion, European wheat prices have hit a 10-year high as concerns over exports mount. Even if the war were to end soon, this year’s sowing season has almost certainly been missed – piling on more uncertainty for next year’s supply chain.
Additionally, there is our reliance in the UK on other European countries for produce such as leafy salads and herbs. Just before Christmas, major disruption occurred to festive fresh produce due to severe storms and flooding in Italy. More recently, Spain’s lorry driver strikes held the UK’s imported fruit and veg market to ransom.
The countries we once depended on for seasonal and all-year-round produce are becoming increasingly difficult and unsustainable for UK supermarkets to partner with, whether it’s down to export challenges or environmental unpredictability. There is now a critical need to find new, resilient ways of feeding our nation.
Vertical farming can be part of this solution. In fact, for leafy salads and other key produce, it offers real promise for the entire UK population. The process is capable of producing yields 250 times greater than traditional farming, delivering quality produce all year round in a sustainable way, and in an environment unaffected by weather conditions and water availability – providing a key flexible resource in establishing post-Brexit food security in the UK.
Beyond the UK, this infrastructure can be established in almost any country in the world, regardless of climate and soil quality. This provides a significant opportunity for economically disadvantaged and water-scarce regions to transform their food supply chains and revolutionise their economies, by ultimately evolving from net food importers to being entirely self-sufficient.
Currently, vertical farming technology is employed to produce fresh produce such as salads and leafy greens, grown all year round in a stacked, biosecure, climate-controlled environment. However, this technology will soon be used to grow soft fruits, and we believe within the next decade, vertical farming will have developed the capability to grow calorific staples such as rice and wheat, and protein staples such as peas and soya beans, in any location in the world – all at price points that compare favourably to global commodity prices.
Vertical farming uses less than 5% of the water required for traditional farming, needs no pesticides, herbicides or insecticides, and can utilise 100% renewable energy. The produce delivered is of the highest quality, staying fresher for longer, helping retailers and consumers considerably reduce food waste.
Our sector relies heavily on the sustainable energy industry to provide the networks required to power vertical farms on a large scale. As further investment is made in local renewables, this will provide the opportunity for vertical farming to scale significantly and contribute in a meaningful way to “feed the world”.
As an example, our journey at Fischer Farms shows just how scalable this technology can be. We began operations in a shipping container in 2017, moved to a 3,200 sq m facility in 2019, and are currently completing the world’s largest vertical farm, which will provide 25,000 sq m of growing space – capable of producing 72,000 bags of salad daily.
As the renewable energy sector continues to develop, and with investors sitting up and taking notice of the opportunity vertical farming provides, we believe this technology has the real potential to transform the global food supply chain, bolster local economies and address the deepening global food crisis. Vertical farming can be employed to deliver these solutions on a grand scale, and to the poorest areas of the world, which are most vulnerable to both the effects of climate change and global supply chain disruption. And we can achieve all of this without trashing the planet in the process.
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