Is this the end of vertical farming? – Quiz

Answer

1.  Read the text and answer the questions. 

1. What three advantages of vertical farming are given?

Vertical farming was seen as a way to save space, reduce air miles and transform old and abandoned buildings.

2. How are plants watered in a vertical farm?

They are watered with recycled water pumped on a closed-loop system.

3. True or false? It is 15% more expensive to run a vertical farm now, compared to  18 months ago.

True. It is estimated that operational costs for a vertical farm are around 15% higher now compared to 18 months ago.

4. Why did Infarm make 500 employees redundant?

They needed to downsize. They blamed higher operating costs due to energy increases as one reason for the layoffs. 

5. Why might consumers choose to buy more traditionally farmed ingredients than vertical farming produce?

Because compared to traditional farmed ingredients, vertical farming produce are more expensive so could be less in demand as consumers watch their spending more.

2.  Choose the appropriate words or phrases to complete the following sentences.

1. The potential market for the new drones is said to be worth around $1 million.

2. At home, she stacked the books she had brought from the library.        

3. We are buying a smaller house. We need to downsize since the kids moved out.

4. My family always grow carrots and greens in the garden each summer. 

5. We eat a lot of leafy green vegetables at home. 

Is this the end of vertical farming?

Why do farmers grow crops outside in fields when we can stack them vertically? The idea of vertical farming was first proposed in 1999. It was seen as a way to save space, reduce air miles and transform old and abandoned buildings, like warehouses. In 2021, Fortune Business Insights valued the global vertical farming market at 3.47 billion dollars. Now, however, this industry is under threat, partly due to rising energy costs.

According to the magazine Science Focus, vertical farming gives ten times the yield of conventional outdoor farming. However, in order for crops to grow using this method, plants are placed in a controlled environment, grown not under the Sun, but under LED lights and watered with recycled water pumped on a closed-loop system.

Unfortunately, energy prices have risen across the globe. Therefore, this reliance on electricity has meant the last few years have not been easy for the industry. Cindy van Rijswick, from the Dutch research firm RaboResearch, has estimated that operational costs for a vertical farm are around 15% higher now compared to 18 months ago. Infarm, Europe’s largest vertical farming company, made around 500 employees redundant back in November 2022 because they needed to downsize. They blamed higher operating costs due to energy increases as one reason for the layoffs. 

Another issue related to the cost-of-living crisis and affecting vertical farming is the type of produce grown. This includes herbs such as basil, as well as salad leaves and leafy greens. Compared to traditionally farmed ingredients, like onions and carrots, these products are more expensive so could be less in demand as consumers watch their spending more.

So, it seems a future with food grown under LED lights is looking less and less bright.