Vertical farms have gained momentum with population growth and also, in particular, with the pandemic. Understand!

Each plant, fruit and foodstuff has its own time and ideal conditions for growing and developing. Vertical farms are designed to create the ideal atmosphere for these supplies within a kind of laboratory - which offers the ideal conditions for the food to develop.

Research by MarketsandMarkets found that by 2026, vertical farms are expected to triple their market, jumping from $3.31 billion in 2021 to $9.7 billion in the next five years. Another study, revealed in the report “Indoor Farming Market Size, Share & Trend Analysis”, carried out by India's Grand View Research, extended the timeframe of the analysis and projected that by 2028 the global vertical farming market will reach $17.6 billion.

It's definitely a growing market, but few people really know what it is and how these vertical farms operate. Here are the main answers on the subject:

What's a Vertical Farm?

Vertical farms are able to pass on the responsibility of producing food to urban centers, something that used to be restricted to the countryside.

Vertical farm brings together different spaces protected from sunlight, rain, wind and other natural phenomena to produce food away from the ground.

Everything is done thanks to blue, red and white LED lights, which together turn the place pink, replacing sunlight.

Population growth has been one of the main reasons why vertical farms have become so popular. With the rising tide of births on the planet, the countryside is unable to meet the food demands of the entire population on its own, and vertical farms have entered the scene as supports that use renewable means to meet demand.

Pandemic Impact

Assunta Lisieux, manager of LED lighting range (ONNO) at Varixx, a manufacturer of power electronics equipment and systems, believes that the pandemic has also had an impact on this sector, as people have become more concerned with eating healthily to boost their immune systems.

Vertical farms are grown in clean environments, designed to be more practical, and have become a viable option for those who want a healthier lifestyle.

“Another important point is that in this model of agriculture there is no type of crop protection, chemical or biological, but it relies on lights, which are usually LED and colored, because when combined they give the plants the energy they need to carry out photosynthesis,” says Assunta Lisieux, manager of Varixx's LED lighting line (ONNO).

LED Benefits

LED is a real revolution when it comes to light bulbs, because it is more economical and has high performance. Households can expect to save more than 30% on their electricity bills just by using this type of bulb.

Besides that, they have a longer lifespan, lasting up to 25 times longer than traditional incandescent bulbs, according to the expert.

For vertical farms, the use of LED is essential to create the perfect climate for the produce to grow, and the positive part is that it is sustainable, as it is free of polluting heavy metals such as mercury and lead, and 98% of the materials involved in the lighting are recyclable.