Urban farmers in the U.S. use vacant buildings to grow crops

Vertical farmers offer hyper-local food

Locales are increasing their incentives to encourage operations

Urban revitalization can be achieved by using smaller, modular systems

By Carey L. Biron

Localized food production is a way to produce food close to people, rather than shipping it in from far away.

"Rather than move food around the globe, we'll simply move farms," said Falkowitz. Falkowitz is CEO and cofounder of Area 2 Farms in Arlington, Virginia, a vertical farm operation located outside the U.S. capitol.

He said, "Our goal is to build many small organic farms for people within 10 miles of these farms."

This would be a significant change for a country in which fresh produce is produced on average 1,500 miles away from where it will be consumed. Climate change is expected to put pressure on these patterns.

Small-scale vertical agriculture can increase the nutritional value of the produce by controlling the environment and providing fresh food in areas that are poor. It also reduces the carbon footprint associated with the transportation system.

Arlington's Area 2 Farms operation is partially automated with containers filled with soil rotating 18 feet up to the ceiling.

The crops receive artificial LED lighting, water, and nutrients according to a schedule. A few workers are responsible for inspecting the crops, planting new containers, and harvesting.

The company has moved into an old paper warehouse two years ago, where they have been growing dozens and dozens of different crops, including herbs, greens and root vegetables, for distribution each week to 300 families.

Officials in Washington, Chicago, Baltimore, Maryland, Virginia, California, and Missouri have all created tax incentives and other incentives.

Arlington's Area 2 Farms benefitted from a zoning change in 2023 that aims to increase access to fresh produce and reduce the carbon footprint, as well as provide "an additional tool for occupying vacant office space", said Rachel LaPiana. She is the communications manager at the county's Planning Department.

The company plans to test out the model at an abandoned gas station located in Fairfax County.

Vertical farming operations at a large scale are facing financial difficulties, due to unrealistic expectations and an overreliance on technology. This is according to Christine Zimmermann Loessl of the Association for Vertical Farming.

She said that the small-scale method is essential as urban farmers learn how to produce food richer in protein and create successful financial models.

She said. Vertical farming is a great way to grow food.

POTENTIAL MULTI BILLION DOLLAR MARKET

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, vertical farming is part of an indoor "controlled-environment" trend that has doubled in size between 2009 and 2019.

In 2023, the U.S. market for vertical farms was estimated at $735 million. It is expected to reach $2.5 billion in the next decade.

Some questions have been raised about the approach's resource usage.

The researchers of a Dutch study conducted last year were skeptical about the "climate-smartness" of the operation, despite its water efficiency.

David Kopsell, horticulture prof at Illinois State University, says that urban farming may be an important resource for the future, given climate change and resource scarcity.

He said: "You'll be able bring food production to areas where there could be problems due to soil type, contamination of the soil, or temperatures."

Kopsell finished the vertical farm in July to grow herbs and teach students for the campus dining services.

Sarah Stevens a graduate student in Agricultural Business who helped to set up the system said that seeing its potential was dramatic.

"When you are a gardener you plant a small seed and harvest 80 days later. Stevens said, "You plant a little seed and harvest within five weeks."

Tackling FOOD DESERTS

Mike Johnson, an urban farmer, said that he saw an opportunity in a low-income area of Washington, across the Potomac River, to address the issue of food deserts. In these areas, there are no grocery stores selling fresh produce.

In some Washington neighborhoods only one grocery store, with limited selections of fresh fruits and veggies, serves tens or even hundreds of thousands of residents.

Johnson said that vertical farming can help but that the start-up costs, which may reach hundreds of thousands of dollar are an obstacle.

In a shipping container at a local homeless services non-profit, his company, Our Farm DC produces about 100 pounds per week of fresh food, which is then made into salad kits and sold locally.

The company is also working on small hydroponics systems that can be placed in public spaces like schools and office atriums.

He said that these systems could occupy a lot of space. It democratizes this and allows us to have more growing space.

(source: Reuters)