4 ms·

I am curious why will this scale for all plants. There are a lot limitations for the type of plants they can grow. What are the factors that will lead to the g

• WheelsAtLarge 4y ago
  Probably not 100% of the plants but a big number of them. I believe robotics will be a big plus and the ability to control the internal environment will lead to higher yields. Both will help keep the costs down. I also think that water conservation will be very important in many areas of the world so vertical farming will help with that. Lastly, lots of fossil fuel is used to move the crops and the fertilizer used to grow them. Vertical farming will help there too.
  • iancmceachern 4y ago
    I've spent a lot of time in this space, tried to build a couple startups. The economics don't really add up for most farming, but do for some. It works for specialized things like the living lettuce already in super markets, sprouts, quick and fresh stuff. Things that take months to reach harvest, and have a lot of waste plant material (we don't eat the entire thing like lettuce) it's wildly uneconomical. It's good from a pest management standpoint as well. Any gains in water efficiency and fuel savings are erased by the energy cost to power the grow lights and climate control. It's great for specific things like lettuce, pot, mushrooms, etc. but for 90% of our food supply like fruits, vegetables, grains, etc. it's just not viable.