There are success stories, but also problems and even bankruptcies. The development of vertical farming is happening in fits and starts. Commercial Manager Rudy van den Berg with Artechno shared with the local Westland news medium WOS 'the sobering truth.'
"On the one hand, there are real startups with often beautiful sustainability goals and ideas to tackle food problems," says Van den Berg. "These are companies that often have little knowledge about crop cultivation. On the other hand, some of our clients are high-quality horticulture companies that want to take the next step by doing part of their cultivation indoors or by breeding their plant material in a vertical farm. This is a hybrid system: the propagation takes place in a vertical farm, and the cultivation is done in a greenhouse or in the field."
At Artechno, they are realistic and do not see vertical farming as the only solution to the global food problem. "We see vertical farming as a valuable addition to the various cultivation technologies that already exist." The key to successful multi-layer cultivation, according to Rudy and his team, is "that all dots are connected. All components must communicate with each other. That involves not just the technology but the entire concept around the plant. The work must be perfectly coordinated to ensure you can achieve the expected output."
Read the full report (in Dutch) on WOS here.
The AVF+ Compact in the picture is 6.5 meters high but can reach up to 12 meters, creating optimal conditions for plant growth in the system from the Westland company.
Images via LinkedIn Artechno Growsystems
For more information:
Artechno Growsystems HQ
Bandijkweg 2, 2676 LJ
Maasdijk, the Netherlands
Tel.: +31 (0)174512051
info@artechno.nl
www.artechno-growsystems.com