The 83,612-square-meter GigaFarm vertical farm is expected to grow 3 million kilograms of vegetables per year and use "green" production methods.
Plant towers use hydroponics and LED lights to grow plants indoors. Photo: IGS
The world’s largest vertical farm is currently 31,000 square meters, located at Dubai’s Al Maktoum International Airport, and produces more than 1 million kilograms of greens a year. But it won’t hold that title for long. Across town, in the Food Tech Valley, an even larger facility is coming, CNN reported on March 13. The new vertical farm, called GigaFarm, is 12 meters tall and 83,612 square meters.
In addition to being the world’s new largest vertical farm, GigaFarm is also going greener. GigaFarm plans to use a range of technologies to convert waste like food waste and wastewater into agricultural products like compost, animal feed, energy and clean water. The system promises to reduce the carbon footprint of food production while growing up to 3 million kilograms of vegetables per year.
GigaFarm’s vertical farming solution is provided by Scottish company IGS. IGS’s “planting tower” system—which resembles a multi-storey car park but is filled with plants instead of cars—is a controlled environment, with water and fertilizer frequency and amounts carefully monitored and regulated.
With hydroponics, each growing tray uses a substrate, such as compost or coconut fiber, instead of soil. LED strips under each tray provide synthetic sunlight. Sensors and cameras monitor the plant growth. The towers can automatically control light, temperature, humidity, water, and nutrient levels.
GigaFarm has 200 growing towers, each 6 to 12 meters tall. They are modular, making them easy to scale up. Horizontal shelves hold dozens of trays, which can be moved between towers. Each tower module is lined with thick foam insulation, allowing for tight climate control. “Once you bring in air and control the humidity and temperature, the amount of top-up you need is incredibly small,” says Andrew Lloyd, CEO of IGS.
The GigaFarm project, costing about $327 million, is expected to break ground this year and be fully operational in 2026.
Vertical farming offers many benefits over traditional methods, including faster plant growth, up to 98% less water usage, and less space. Additionally, vertical farms can be built in areas where land is degraded and unsuitable for traditional agriculture. Because they are indoor farms, they are not restricted by seasons or climate.
Thu Thao (According to CNN )
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