• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to secondary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • Subscribe
  • Your Membership
    • Edit Your Profile
  • Services
    • Advertising
    • Case studies
    • Design
    • Email marketing
    • Lead generation
    • Magazine
    • Press releases
    • Publishing
    • Sponsored posts
    • Webcasting
    • Webinars
    • White papers
    • Writing
  • Shop
    • My Account
    • Cart
  • About
    • Contact
    • Privacy
    • Terms of use
  • Events

Robotics & Automation News

Market trends and business perspectives

  • News
  • Features
  • Video
  • Webinars
  • White papers
  • Press releases
  • Featured companies
    • BlueBotics
    • SICK Sensor Intelligence
    • Vicor Power
farm

Vertical farms in urban areas ready to grow after harvesting tons of seed money

August 18, 2017 by David Edwards

Even if you’ve never heard the term before, you probably understand what “vertical farming” is. 

Unlike some buzz phrases, it sounds like what it means – farms built upwards, inside a building on multiple levels, unlike traditional farms, which occupy large, flat, single-level fields, covering thousands of acres of earth if done on an industrial scale.

The concept of vertical farms has been around a long time, but perhaps only now is the technology available to sustain the sector commercially. 

Japanese company Spread Vegetable Factory has been producing 21,000 heads of lettuce every day at its Kyoto facility since 2007.

Ten years on, Spread is building another facility (illustration below) which will produce 30,000 heads of lettuce every day when fully operational by the end of this year.

Spread, which says it was profitable by 2013, plans to export its “Techno Farm” idea to other countries where, like Japan, the population is highly urbanised and yet demands farm-fresh produce.

spread techno farm crop

City slickers

Slightly more than half the world’s 7 billion people currently live in urban areas.

For decades, consumers’ demands for fresh produce has led large retailers to create vast logistics networks connecting farms that may be hundreds or even thousands of miles away to their local store.

But now, it looks like the farms themselves have been tempted by the bright lights of the big city and could be moving in to a neighbourhood near you.

In the latest development, a company called Plenty has raised $200 million in its most recent funding round.

The San Francisco-based startup’s backers now include telecommunications giant SoftBank, and tech investment funds Innovation Endeavours, headed by Eric Schmidt, and Bezos Expeditions, led by Jeff Bezos, and several others.

Bezos, of course, is the CEO of Amazon, probably the world’s largest online retailer. The company recently acquired Whole Food Market, so the strategy here may be obvious.

Closer to nature 

Many industry experts predict that, in the forthcoming era of mass customisation, manufacturing will become more nimble, flexible and move closer to consumers, and the first wave is apparently being led by agricultural companies.

A quick search shows several dozen companies are already operating vertical farms at some level or scale, and with more money being invested in the sector, that number is likely to increase.

According to Acumen Research and Consulting, the vertical farming market will grow to more than $6 billion by 2023.

Some of the key technologies required for vertical farming are also likely to emerge from the legal marijuana growing sector, which has seen its business grow exponentially in the past few years, with some companies investing in advanced automation technologies, such as:

  • self-cleaning glass with snow melt technology;
  • rainwater collection and reuse systems;
  • automated climate control;
  • mobile platforms for farm management; and
  • end to end digital tracking systems.

According to ArcView Market Research, regulated marijuana sales reached $6.7 billion in 2016, with projections for 2021 currently at around $20 billion.

Back at the ranch 

While vertical farming may be hogging the headlines of late, the traditional farm has also been seeing significant changes brought about by robotics and automation technology.

Increasing numbers of manufacturers are building robotic solutions, such as the autonomous tractor by CNH Industrial, or the autonomous strawberry picker by Harvest Croo.

And then there’s the drones of course.

Those are just some examples of individual pieces of hardware, which of course can be just some of the components of a large agricultural operation.

Other technologies include massive sensor arrays which monitor the soil and plants and send back data to the farmer through internet of things networks to an app.

Sounds expensive, but actually it need not be, especially if it’s built using some of the open-source computing hardware currently available on the market.

And pretty soon, the farmer himself or herself will be a robot. Or rather, robots will be seen wandering the fields and taking care of the crop.

Bosch, one of the world’s largest manufacturing companies – making anything from autonomous car systems to cookers – outlined its own vision of what the farm of the future could look like, complete with robot farmer and connected asparagus.

Seeds of time

According to a study into agricultural technology, the market for robotics in dairy farming will reach $8 billion by 2023.

Thousands of robotic milking parlous are already in operation, making the sector worth almost $2 billion already.

The value of drones being sold is forecast to reach almost $500 million by 2027, with this year’s InterDrone event expecting many more drone solutions catering to the agricultural sector.

And that old tractor on that traditional farm may no longer be as “agricultural” as it looks, since around 300,000 of the ones sold in 2016 are said to be equipped with autosteer, mapping and guidance systems, and other autonomous features.

That figure is expected to increase to 660,000 in the next 10 years.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Share this:

  • Print
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • Twitter
  • Tumblr
  • Pinterest
  • Skype
  • WhatsApp
  • Telegram
  • Pocket

You might also like…

Filed Under: Industry, Miscellaneous, News Tagged With: plenty, spread, vertical farming

Join the Robotics & Automation News community

Primary Sidebar

Latest articles

  • Reasons to Consider a Career in the Manufacturing Industry
  • Why is My Car Key Stuck in the Ignition?
  • Bachmann Engineering gains certification from Universal Robots for its robot module solution
  • Walmart and Symbotic expand partnership to implement automation system
  • Comau brings high-speed robotic precision to the cosmetics industry
  • EAVX unveils autonomous ‘walk-in van’ prototype
  • MassRobotics launches $50,000 robotics competition
  • Remy Robotics exits stealth mode with launch of third autonomous robotic kitchen
  • Radial expands relationship with Locus Robotics
  • Things to consider while choosing a 45ft flat rack container

Most Read

  • Track your lost Android
    Track your lost Android
  • Top 20 electric vehicle charging station companies
    Top 20 electric vehicle charging station companies
  • Difference Between Three-Phase and Single-Phase Power
    Difference Between Three-Phase and Single-Phase Power
  • Top 20 programmable logic controller manufacturers
    Top 20 programmable logic controller manufacturers
  • What You Need to Know About Fixing an Engine Misfire
    What You Need to Know About Fixing an Engine Misfire
  • Top 25 vertical farming companies
    Top 25 vertical farming companies
  • The Best Mechanical Engineering Design Software in 2022
    The Best Mechanical Engineering Design Software in 2022
  • Top 10 graphics processing unit manufacturers: Nvidia clearly in the lead
    Top 10 graphics processing unit manufacturers: Nvidia clearly in the lead
  • Scientists have found more water in space than they ever knew possible
    Scientists have found more water in space than they ever knew possible
  • How to become a G-Code master with a complete list of G-Codes
    How to become a G-Code master with a complete list of G-Codes

Overused words

abb ai applications automated automation automotive autonomous business china companies company control customers data design development digital electric global industrial industry logistics machine manufacturing market mobile platform process production robot robotic robotics robots safety software solution solutions system systems technologies technology time vehicle vehicles warehouse

Secondary Sidebar

Latest news

  • Reasons to Consider a Career in the Manufacturing Industry
  • Why is My Car Key Stuck in the Ignition?
  • Bachmann Engineering gains certification from Universal Robots for its robot module solution
  • Walmart and Symbotic expand partnership to implement automation system
  • Comau brings high-speed robotic precision to the cosmetics industry
  • EAVX unveils autonomous ‘walk-in van’ prototype
  • MassRobotics launches $50,000 robotics competition
  • Remy Robotics exits stealth mode with launch of third autonomous robotic kitchen
  • Radial expands relationship with Locus Robotics
  • Things to consider while choosing a 45ft flat rack container

Footer

We are…

Robotics and Automation News was established in May, 2015, and is now one of the most widely-read websites in its category.

Please consider supporting us by becoming a paying subscriber, or through advertising and sponsorships, or by purchasing products and services through our shop – or a combination of all of the above.

Thank you.

Independent

Archivists

August 2017
M T W T F S S
 123456
78910111213
14151617181920
21222324252627
28293031  
« Jul   Sep »

Complex

Old-skool

This website and its associated magazine, and weekly newsletter, are all produced by a small team of experienced journalists and media professionals.

If you have any suggestions or comments, feel free to contact us at any of the email addresses on our contact page.

We’d be happy to hear from you, and will always reply as soon as possible.

Future-facing

Free, fair and legal

We support the principles of net neutrality and equal opportunities.

Member of The Internet Defense League

Copyright © 2022 · News Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie SettingsAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT