Are high-tech containers the future of farming?

With increasingly unpredictable weather patterns impacting crops and a continuing global supply chain crisis affecting millions, a Colorado company is using tech-based indoor farming to make sure no one goes without a reliable, secure source of nutrient-rich food.

FarmBox Foods, based in Sedalia, Colorado, has spent the last four years developing automated farms in shipping containers to grow gourmet mushrooms, organic leafy greens, culinary herbs, peppers, small tomatoes, and fodder for livestock. The company is focused on helping feed those living in food deserts while empowering local communities and providing jobs and educational opportunities.

The upcycled shipping containers that house these systems can be placed virtually anywhere in the world — from island nations and urban areas to college campuses and the far reaches of Alaska — and produce food year-round. FarmBox Foods' patented vertical hydroponic system grows highly nutritious leafy greens, culinary herbs, peppers, tree saplings, and more with less labor and maintenance than traditional farms and horizontal hydroponic operations.

The Gourmet Mushroom Farms alone produce an average of 400 pounds of mushrooms per week year-round. Up to 18 varieties and species of gourmet and medicinal mushrooms can grow simultaneously, including oysters, shiitake, reishi, Lion's mane, chestnut, and turkey tail.

The hydroponic fodder system yields more than 1,000 pounds of the protein-rich dietary supplement each day. This takes advantage of every single inch of the shipping container to generate high yields of gourmet mushrooms in a small space.

FarmBox Foods' patented Vertical Hydroponic Farm maximizes growing space while minimizing energy and water usage. Combining vertical farming tubes with sensor technology and automation, the farms' transport easily, can be stacked, and are solar capable.

This uses 99% less water than traditional farms, and the fully controlled enclosed growing environment is protected from pests and pathogens. This reduces and can eliminate the need for pesticides entirely, allowing people to harvest and eat untainted farm-fresh produce. Setting up the 320-square-foot containers in or near populated areas also reduces food waste, as the food is able to get to the table more quickly and can better retain its nutritional value.

"The real mission in this whole thing is to be able to feed the world in places that ordinarily wouldn't be able to grow food," said Rusty Walker, CEO of FarmBox Foods. "Join us in decentralizing agriculture and reducing carbon emissions while helping to feed the world."