The benefits
By growing in several tiers on top of each other, a grower uses significantly less space. On average, 80% of the available agricultural land is already in use, making a vertical farm the ideal solution for growing more with less space. A grower has complete control over a vertical farm as well as the cultivation space and process. This enables a grower to cultivate in a shorter period, which means that space can be made available for a new crop within a shorter period of time. A grower has the opportunity to cultivate all year round and the productivity per surface area is more than doubled with vertical farming. The closed environment of the vertical farm means that there are no external influences. Space, energy and raw materials can be used as efficiently as possible. This ensures that there is no chance of wasting water or other nutrients. Another advantage of a vertical farm is that it can be built close to or even in a city. In other words, local production is possible in a residential area. Ultimately, it reduces transport costs and emissions. Vertical farming therefore offers a solution for growing fresh food in large cities such as Amsterdam, Dubai, Las Vegas or New York.
In short, the advantages of vertical farming are:
- Growing more, using less space
- Growing all year round
- No waste of space, energy and raw materials
- Local production possible
- No transport costs
- Limited emissions
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