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The development of vertical farming, with its promises of sustainability, affordability, and modernity, may have suffered a setback in some sectors. Yet, the situation isn’t the same everywhere, nor in all sectors.
Recently, given climate issues, droughts, and the need for increased production, sectors such as rice have begun to look toward vertical farming.
As the term implies, when we talk about vertical farming we are referring to a type of technological cultivation on structures placed vertically on top of each other in an enclosed environment.
The overlapping layers save a lot of space, making it an impressive solution to excessive land consumption. This type of agriculture is generally adopted near large, densely populated cities, as a practical response to high demand for food products.
Vertical farms typically fall into two categories. On the one hand, there are farms with overlapping levels, consisting of a series of growing platforms placed on top of each other; on the other hand, there are farms in which crops grow on vertical surfaces, without spreading horizontally.
Structures with overlapping levels are typically used for commercial horticulture. The crops are placed in fully controlled environments, such as urban greenhouses, where everything from temperature to humidity to brightness is regulated to maximize growth. Natural sunlight is often swapped for LED lamps, and it’s not uncommon for the energy used to come from sustainable sources, reducing the environmental impact of the system.
Many of these installations use hydroponic systems, which use substrates such as rockwool to accommodate the crop roots, instead of traditional soil. A water solution rich in essential nutrients circulates constantly, ensuring that plants have everything they need for optimal growth.
Another interesting technique is aeroponics, which mists crop roots with a nutrient solution, providing significantly greater water efficiency than other methods.
There is also aquaponics, which creates a circular ecosystem between crops and aquatic animals. The waste produced by aquatic animals is converted into nutrients for the crops, which in turn purify the water.
Green walls are another form of vertical cultivation, using vertical or sloping structures, often located on building facades. However, this solution presents several difficulties, such as maintaining uniform irrigation along the entire surface and ensuring sufficient exposure to sunlight.
Although it may seem like a futuristic solution worthy of a science-fiction novel, this type of agriculture provides solutions to particularly important and current issues.
Indeed, these systems result in reduced land consumption not only by ensuring sufficient supply in heavily populated areas, but also by countering phenomena such as deforestation. What’s more, the fact that the crops are grown in closed, controlled environments drastically reduces the presence of pests, effectively eliminating the need for herbicides and pesticides.
Finally, by allowing crops to be grown near the areas for which they are intended, it becomes a form of zero-mile agriculture, eliminating transport pollution.
Also from the perspective of environmental benefits, vertical farming significantly reduces the need for water since the circular system reuses water through a purification process.
However, despite these benefits, the disadvantages must also be considered.
The top factor that opponents of vertical farming highlight is related to cost. It’s no secret that the upfront costs are substantial, but the fear is that such a business model is not actually profitable. After a period of substantial investment in the sector, some major vertical farms have declared bankruptcy, probably also due to rising energy costs.
In Italy, the situation is somewhat different. In 2023, about 40% of investments[1] in the AgriFoodTech sector were in vertical agriculture, for hydroponic crops in particular.
[1] https://www.thefoodcons.com/report
The critical issues that have affected rice crops in certain areas of the world in recent years, such as prolonged droughts and climate change, have prompted an investigation into alternative solutions, including vertical farming.
Moreover, recent restrictions on rice exports from countries such as India, Russia, and the United Arab Emirates due to poor harvests and growing domestic demand have brought to light the fragility of a system that sustains a very large population.
The appeal of vertical farming is also linked to the good yields demonstrated by scientific studies for this type of crop. Rice could be an ideal candidate because it is a water-intensive crop and a hydroponic system is already used in nature.
Vertical rice farming are experiments already underway in South Korea, China, and Japan, although they cover small areas and processing takes place manually.
The real challenge lies in automating these systems. For instance, small machines have been devised in the last decade to enable precise seeding in boxes. More machines are emerging for transplanting seedlings and transport, as well as small mowers and harvesters.
However, not all rice varieties can be grown using this system. It’s best to focus on early maturing varieties with low stems that don’t require deep flooding.
On the other hand, rice has an appealing advantage over other crops in that it doesn’t require many hours of daylight, as we know from the fact it’s grown in tropical and subtropical countries. It also doesn’t require air cooling, therefore the energy costs of vertical rice farming would be lower.
This suitability could be attractive to the most heavily populated countries with serious issues stemming from a constantly growing food demand. However, vertical rice farming doesn’t seem economically viable in countries like Italy.
Nevertheless, the situation could evolve as technologies advance and with climatic and economic changes, which means we must continuously evaluate the agricultural options we have at our disposal.
An Italian company belonging entirely to the Spanish Ebro Foods Group, the first agri-food group in Spain, world leader in the rice sector, a strong position in pasta sector, boasts a range of over 60 brands distributed all over the world.
Mundi Riso S.r.l.
Via Camillo De Rossi, 14
13100 Vercelli
Tel. +39 0161 28 28 28
Fax: +39 0161 21 33 65
