In New York, Bowery, an innovator in vertical farming, raised a cumulative $7.5 million and announced their first farm in Kearny, New Jersey is producing six varieties of greens that are being sold in select tri-state markets including Whole Foods. The greens are grown twice as fast as traditional agriculture while using no pesticides and 95 percent less water. And, planting in vertical rows and operating 365 days a year, makes for higher productivity as compared to the same footprint on a traditional farm.
A number of technologies have matured to make growing food indoors commercially viable. LED lights are cheaper and more efficient, it’s easier than ever to process large amounts of data, and vision systems, along with machine learning can monitor plants and all the variables that drive their growth, quality, and flavor, from germination to harvest. Bowery intends to replicate its scalable model in other urban areas.