According to Mark Korzilius, the founder of the first indoor vertical farm in Hamburg using dryponics, which is a completely unique method of growing salad indoors, the food chain established during the last 50 years is not sustainable for our planet.
His company &ever GMBH, was recently acquired by global vertical farming giant Kalera, which owns a 3,000 square meter farm by Kuwait City, and it grows over 250 various herbs and greens nearby their consumers, which ultimately eliminates the need for complicated and long-distance supply chains.
This vertical farming giant is considered one of the most revolutionary farms in the entire world, and the whole production plan runs on an integrated SAP Business Technology Platform.
Seeding, germination, harvesting, temperature, humidity, emissions, and airflow are all digitally controlled and monitored by IoT sensors that are constantly collecting data for analysis.
Hydroponic growers have essentially eliminated the need for soil and its micro-organisms.
The benefit is that the crop quality is better, and in addition to that, there is a significantly higher growth rate while simultaneously resulting in healthier produce. All of this is done without soil erosion or water supply contamination.
The fertilizers used in hydroponics are more pure than the ones utilized in organic growing, and they also leave no residue in cultivated produce.
This all results in more people being fed and less precious natural resources are being used, and of course, the produce is healthier and more flavorful.
While indoor farming requires high operational costs as well as expert digital skills, the advantages might outweigh the challenges.
