How to reduce food miles: six indoor farming solutions showing the road to profitable growth

In the last few years, many indoor farming operations have shuttered or dramatically downsized due to escalating energy prices. But the importance of building more sustainable agricultural solutions in an urbanized world threatened by climate change is still pressing. Here are six companies promising to reduce food miles and carbon footprints with their innovative and sustainable indoor farming solutions.

SOURCE: Neil Sharp’s Escatec Blog

The problem with food miles

Food miles are still a major problem in the fight against climate change:

• Global freight transport for fruits and vegetables contributes 36% of food-miles emissions – nearly double the emissions from their production.
• Food miles account for approximately 3 Gigatonnes of CO2 equivalent annually, or nearly 20% of total food system emissions.
• Temperature-controlled transportation emits over 3 times more CO2 equivalent compared to ambient transport.

At the beginning of this decade indoor farming companies look set to solve many of these thorny challenges.

The problem with indoor farming

But in light of the Ukraine war and rampant inflation, many energy-hungry and fast-growing indoor farming companies suddenly became victims of overstretch. Limitations in the range of crops that could be grown (leafy greens anyone?) combined with over-ambitious growth plans and a downturn in customer spending on everyday groceries, saw many go bust or make cuts.

Indoor casualties give way to growth opportunities

Amongst the victims of the downturn were companies like Fifth Season and Glow Farms, as well as Infarm’s new operation in Bedford, England.

But other companies with more sustainable, long-term plans have weathered the storm and continued to grow. Hydroponic, aeroponic, and now aquaponic solutions supported with advanced robotics, sensor tech, and AI technologies are bringing online a new phase of indoor farming solutions. These solutions are increasing the variety of crops grown indoors and delivered to local communities in more profitable ways.

Six indoor farming innovators cutting food miles in innovative ways

Here are some of the innovators who are reimagining the scope and potential of indoor farming in a world challenged by rising energy crises and a need to cut our carbon footprints:

1. Eden Green – Controlled environments powered by local sunlight

Eden Green Technology has developed a hybrid system that combines elements of vertical farming with more traditional greenhouse methods. Their approach uses translucent greenhouse walls and ceilings to capture natural sunlight, supplementing it with artificial lighting for their vertically stacked crops. This system allows Eden Green to benefit from the space efficiency of vertical farming while reducing energy costs associated with fully enclosed systems. By positioning their facilities near distribution centers, one of their principal aims is to shorten supply chains and improve freshness for consumers.

2. Planet farms – Large-scale vertical farming

Planet Farms, based in Italy, has seen extraordinary growth with its vertical farming operations. The company recently secured €40 million in funding at a €500 million valuation to expand its operations. Their advanced indoor farms use hydroponics and AI-controlled environments to grow leafy greens and herbs year-round near significant urban centers, dramatically reducing transportation distances. With a new round of investment completed they are looking to broaden the range of crops they can grow, with rumours swirling around a shift into rearing plants for cosmetic and pharmaceutical purposes to augment their food offerings.

3. Intelligent growth solutions – Energy efficient black box solutions

Intelligent Growth Solutions (IGS) in Scotland represents another innovative approach. Their “growth towers” are described as ‘giant vending machines’ for crops, adaptable to various locations including urban areas.

“Each tray supports plants in a number of formats and is irrigated by a central lift mechanism. Cameras monitor growth activity by recording time-lapse photography and use reference images to predict and monitor crop health.”

IGS also enables energy optimization through a patented power and control platform, which can reduce energy requirements by up to 50% through dynamic LED control. This system allows for precise management of growing conditions while maintaining a degree of transparency about their methods.

4. Ouroboros farms – Fish and farm fresh produce for double revenue streams

Ouroboros Farms, located in Half Moon Bay, California, is a standout example of successful commercial aquaponics. This innovative farm combines fish farming with soilless plant cultivation in a symbiotic system, where fish waste provides nutrients for the plants, and the plants filter and clean the water for the fish.

Their closed-loop ecosystem allows for efficient and environmentally friendly food production. Spanning 30,000 square feet, Ouroboros grows over 100 varieties of vegetables, herbs, and greens, proving that aquaponics can support diverse crops. They sell their fresh produce to local restaurants and at farmers’ markets, capitalizing on the demand for locally-sourced, sustainable food.

Ouroboros is committed to water efficiency, using approximately 90% less water than traditional farming methods—a crucial advantage in water-scarce California. They continually refine their techniques, experimenting with different fish species and plant varieties to optimize their system.

5. LettUs Grow – Local growing using inique, patented technology

LettUs Grow enables local growing at the point of need through their innovative aeroponic farming technology and comprehensive support systems. Their DROP & GROW container farms are designed to be easily deployed in various locations, including urban areas, allowing for hyper-local food production. These 40ft container farms use aeroponic technology to maximize growth rates in a compact 24m² or 48m² vertical growing space, making efficient use of limited urban land.

Their core product is the Aeroponic Rolling Bench™, a patented ultrasonic irrigation system designed for both greenhouses and vertical farms. This hardware has been rigorously tested and proven to increase plant growth rates above industry-standard hydroponics in trials at prestigious institutions like Wageningen University and Crop Health and Protection Limited (CHAP).

6. Interstellar Lab – Pushing the boundaries of indoor farming

Interstellar Lab is designing growing pods that can be fully self-sustaining in space – but with other earthly applications, too. The technology offers a range of crop growing options including plants for cosmetic and biotech purposes and even propagating insects for human consumption. While not strictly focused on reducing food miles on Earth, their technology demonstrates the potential for indoor farming in extreme environments and could have applications for food production in challenging terrestrial locations.

The future of indoor farming

The indoor farming companies that are succeeding today are helping bring adaptable, automated growing solutions – and more sustainable produce to a wide market. They are demonstrating how indoor farming can be scalable in all kinds of different ways.

In case you missed, it here’s a great article by Eden Green Technology about the commercial realities and possibilities of indoor farming.

A final thought

Businesses are offering unique technological farming solutions that can squeeze into spaces and feed markets that conventional farming approaches simply can’t manage.

But amazing mechatronic, indoor farming solutions will likely need further optimisation to reach their full potential for profit and performance.

The war on food miles is bringing many indoor farming solutions online that can solve many different challenges for our world. But their development requires advanced agronomy, technological, entrepreneurial and manufacturing skills.

With each new iteration of their tech, they will require greater collaboration to bring their solutions to ever wider markets. As their need for smaller and more accurate sensor technology increases, a whole ecosystem of suppliers will need to be at their disposal to fine-tune offerings and find further enhance performance efficiencies through value engineering and the right Design for X (DfX) decisions. This is already happening in other areas of IoT hardware – including logistics, automotive, factory robotics and medical devices.

The world can’t wait for more local and less wasteful farming solutions – the market must rise to support the faster realisation of their potential.