With abundant wealth, energy, and land available in the region. The Middle East is a viable option for various companies that grow or trade in fruits and vegetables to set up their indoor vertical farms here. From a health perspective, there are a few key advantages to growing crops in an indoor vertical farm versus crops grown using traditional methods.
- Pesticide-free produce: Indoor vertical farms can reduce or eliminate the need for pesticides and herbicides, reducing the amount of chemicals released into the environment and the consumption of residual pesticides by humans.
- Quality control: Indoor vertical farms can provide consistent quality crops because they have the ability to monitor and control the growing conditions throughout the entire growth cycle. With precise planning, we can achieve a continuous harvest throughout the year.
- Food safety: Indoor vertical farms can provide a safer environment for crops because they are grown in a controlled environment that is less susceptible to contamination by bacteria or viruses.
Having said this, building Indoor vertical farms are not cheap and come with their own set of challenges.
- Managing high temperatures: The Middle Eastern summers are hot and arid, with temperatures that can reach up to 50°C. Making this one of the key challenges to address for plant growth in indoor vertical farms. Dehumidification cooling systems and insulation is required to maintain a suitable environment for plant growth.
- Managing high humidity: These High temperatures are usually accompanied with high humidity. Leading to growth of mold and fungus in indoor farms, in turn leading to a host of other problems that also need to be managed.
- Limited water resources: Water as a natural resource is a scarce commodity in many parts of the Middle East, and indoor vertical farms require a significant amount of water for plant growth. Using Hydroponics and aeroponics system with an efficient water recirculating systems we are able to manage this concern.