indoor farming
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Credit: Petr Magera/Unsplash
Indoor farming's impact on the environment scrutinized amid tech advances
Amid rising environmental concerns, high-tech indoor farms present a paradox, offering water-efficient agriculture that heavily relies on energy from fossil fuels.
In short:
- High-tech greenhouses and vertical farms provide controlled environments for crops, potentially mitigating the impacts of climate change on agriculture.
- These systems use a significant amount of energy, mainly from burning fossil fuels, to create perfect growing conditions.
- The industry is growing, with an increase in greenhouse space and a notable market presence in some regions, despite the energy concerns.
Key quote:
"It's a lot of the same technologies you'd see in a building for human comfort, but being put to use for plants. There’s extraordinary water efficiency in these facilities, but energy is really the Achilles’ heel."
— Jennifer Amann, senior fellow at the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy
Why this matters:
One of the standout benefits of high-tech indoor farming is its remarkable water use efficiency. However, the energy demands of high-tech indoor farms can be substantial. Farms powered by renewable energy sources, like solar or wind, can offer a more sustainable alternative, significantly reducing the operation's carbon footprint.
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Photo by Petr Magera on Unsplash
AppHarvest promised Kentucky green jobs. It delivered 'hell on earth'
The inside story of how the celebrated startup AppHarvest's indoor farming scheme imploded — and took its blue-collar workforce down with it.
William Alexander: Indoor farming is a 'no-brainer.' Except for the carbon footprint
Why greenhouses might be the future of vegetable agriculture.
Nicolás Boullosa/Flickr
The trendy, spendy future of tech-enabled indoor farming
Apps and sensor-laden gadgets are helping farmers shift from the fields to indoor food-growing operations. But these innovations still don’t make it easy.
In farming, a constant drive for technology
Although real-world data is scant, proponents say robotics and AI will soon revolutionize agriculture.
What will the rise of giant indoor farms mean for Appalachian Kentucky?
AppHarvest says it’s inventing an industry ‘from scratch,’ but it’s unclear how the upstart will balance its promise to rural people with a move toward automation.
This robot shakes flowers to pollinate them when bees can’t
It can be hard to get bees to do their vital work in indoor farms or greenhouses. Instead, the plants may need a little robotic assistance to reproduce.
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