Vertical farming

Vertical farming (VF) is a broad term that encompasses a suite of technologies for increasing productivity per unit area of crop available land. It does this by extending plant cultivation into the vertical dimension and in locations where crop production may have been difficult or impossible previously. Over recent years, the interest in VF approaches has increased considerably in both the scientific and commercial community. The term has been used interchangeably to describe both large-scale concepts such as food-producing skyscrapers and smaller scale Vertical Farming Systems (VFS). Many of these systems utilise and integrate knowledge on plant abiotic responses such as those to light, nutrients, temperature and CO2. Elucidating the fundamental and applied plant science challenges linked to growing crops within VFS will be key for the success of the VF sector.