Key Takeaways:
- Inagro and Urban Crop Solutions have launched the first of three vertical farming towers at Agrotopia, utilizing dynamic LED lighting and natural sunlight for space-efficient agriculture.
- The installation supports Flanders’ ambition to lead in sustainable and space-efficient urban farming, offering new possibilities for greenhouse horticulture.
- The project combines advanced technologies with nature, allowing for optimized plant growth and maximum flexibility for growers.
- Collaboration with Ghent University will validate the system, initially testing leafy greens, strawberries, and microgreens.
- The project aims to inspire innovation in greenhouse horticulture and address challenges in urban agriculture.
Inagro, in collaboration with Urban Crop Solutions, has taken a major step in the future of greenhouse horticulture with the commissioning of a cutting-edge vertical farming installation at Agrotopia. This innovative system, which integrates multi-layer cultivation with dynamic lighting and natural sunlight, optimizes space usage and represents a new chapter in sustainable agriculture for urban food production. The 12-metre high façade greenhouse at Agrotopia provides the ideal environment for this breakthrough project, demonstrating the potential of vertical farming in an urban setting.
Vertical Farming Tower: A Sustainable Innovation
The first of three planned towers, the new vertical farming installation stands ten meters high and contains eighteen moving tables, designed to grow crops across multiple layers. This efficient use of space is a model for future food production, especially in urban areas where space is limited. The system incorporates dynamic LED lighting, allowing for the adjustment of the light spectrum to maximize plant growth and sustainability. This flexibility offers growers significant opportunities to increase the productivity of their crops.
“With this first vertical farming tower in Agrotopia, we show how advanced indoor farming technology can be combined with the power of natural sunlight,” said Jean-Pierre Coene, CEO of Urban Crop Solutions. “This project shows the future of sustainable agriculture, where technology and nature go hand in hand.”
Research and Development Collaboration
The vertical farming tower project is the result of close collaboration between Inagro and Urban Crop Solutions, with additional technical validation from Ghent University. The university will help develop a digital model of the system to improve irrigation and lighting configurations through computer simulations, while the data collected from the tower will inform ongoing research and innovation.
“By developing a digital model of the tower, we can quickly identify key focus areas in lighting and irrigation,” explained Maarten Ameye, research leader of covered horticulture at Inagro. “The knowledge gained will be applied to current systems, improving both greenhouse and urban horticulture, and we’ll be able to provide practical implementation advice for future projects.”
Initial crops to be tested include leafy greens, strawberries, and microgreens, all of which are critical for greenhouse and urban farming. The results from these tests will guide further innovations and practical applications in the horticulture sector.
A Vision for Urban Agriculture
The vertical farming tower is not only a scientific and agricultural breakthrough but also a vision for the future of urban farming. As land becomes scarcer, especially in urbanized regions like Flanders, the ability to grow food vertically provides a solution to the challenges facing modern agriculture. By maximizing space and reducing the environmental footprint, vertical farming offers a path toward sustainable and efficient food production.
Bart Naeyaert, West Flemish deputy for agriculture and horticulture, emphasized the significance of the project during the inauguration: “In an urbanized landscape where agricultural land is becoming increasingly scarce, this installation is an excellent example of how we can grow in height to produce more food on a limited surface area. This project can provide solutions to the challenges facing our agriculture and horticulture, and confirms Flanders’ leading role in the field of innovative and sustainable food production.”
Future Expansion and Impact
Following the commissioning of the first tower, the construction of the second and third towers is set to begin. The technical research will continue over the coming years, with a focus on collecting economic data to explore new business models that combine vertical farming with traditional greenhouse horticulture. Agrotopia also includes modern greenhouse facilities, allowing for side-by-side comparisons of different growing systems, and highlighting the potential of vertical farming to enhance traditional horticulture practices.
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Image provided by UCS
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