Some of the fruit and veg in your kitchen…
probably came from across the globe.
When you to the supermarket and you pick up a lettuce or herb or whatever
you don’t really see what goes on behind that. You don’t see the vast, complex supply chain.
And in times of crisis, supply chains get stretched…
like when coronavirus struck.
Could we ease the strain on our future food supply…
by growing more crops in high-tech urban farms like this?
This company in Berlin is part of an agricultural revolution…
which is bringing crop production to big cities.
The idea is to grow produce much closer to where it’s eaten…
practically removing the supply chain altogether.
In this Berlin restaurant…
customers know their salad was grown just metres away.
The units are controlled remotely by the company that makes them…
so no expert plant knowledge is needed.
The beauty of these systems
is that I can grow my own herbs,
but I don’t need to know anything about farming.
The farming is being done automatically.
The crops are grown vertically so you can pack in lots of produce…
without taking up too much space.
We really believe this is going to be a standard thing
in supermarkets a few years from now.
It’s really a no-brainer for end consumers.
We’re talking about produce which is healthier, more sustainable
and contains no pesticides.
And it’s not just leafy greens that can be grown this way.
This company in Paris is growing strawberries.
We have the best climate inside, with CO2, humidity,
we have bumblebees to pollinate the flowers.
So we create an ecosystem that can be a paradise
for our strawberries to get the best quality from them.
Neither of these companies is making a profit yet.
But more vertical farms are opening in cities around the world.
The global industry has received over $2 billion in funding…
as investors bet on more urbanites wanting this kind of food.
Urban farmers say their produce tastes better
as it spends less time in transit than fruit sent from far away.
So it’s really important to be able to grow them locally
so you can get the full power of your strawberry, the taste and the vitamins.
But can Parisians taste the difference?
I prefer the second one
It’s got a lot more flavour.
But experts say not all crops are suited to being grown this way.
With the cost of technology in today’s market,
and the cost of land and a variety of other factors,
we really only see leafy greens, herbs and microgreens
and a few fruiting and flowering crops.
But you’re not going to see any vertical farming operator
grow wheat or rice or soy.
Vertical farms may never fully replace traditional agriculture.
But they could help ease the burden on our supply chains…
as well as inspiring a new generation of farmers…
to get growing.