As the world population is growing and urbanizing at a fast pace, and with climate change threatening existing supplies of food, there is an increasing urgency for the food industry to come up with new ways to grow food quickly. Recently, vertical farming has been catching the eye of innovators in the industry who are trying to come up with viable solutions to this global challenge.
If you’re not familiar with the concept, vertical farming is an indoor farming method in which crops are grown in stacked layers, often without soil, optimizing the amount of water and land use in the process.
Among the most prominent innovators in this revolutionary industry is Kimbal Musk — Elong Musk’s younger brother — who started Square Roots, an indoor urban farming company based in Brooklyn, in 2016. The company’s mission is to bring fresh, local food to cities around the world by empowering younger generations to participate in urban farming.
Square Roots’ farming involves various techniques, such as hydroponics, which uses mineral nutrient solutions in a water solvent; aquaponics, which uses aquatic creatures — such as fish and snails — and cultivates plants in water; and aeroponics, which grows plants in the air.
Since its inception, Square Roots has grown more than 120 varieties of crops, including greens, vegetables and strawberries. Next, the company plans to open a Square Roots “Super Farm” — with 25 climate-controlled shipping containers, cold storage, biosecurity infrastructure and everything else needed to run a vertical farm at scale — in less than three months.
