Cleantech Collides with the Future of Food
Imagine you’re a head of lettuce in the kitchen of a restaurant, about to get chopped up and thrown into a salad, or placed on a sandwich for a bit of color and crunch. Generally speaking, you’ve been grown, harvested, and transported from hundreds, if not thousands of miles away to reach this point.
Your earlier life wasn’t easy. The farmers that raised you had to use an inordinate amount of fresh water to grow you. ~15 gallons per pound on average. And lettuce is on the low end of water usage. Avocados, for instance, use ~220 gallons per pound.
They constantly had to fight off pests from eating you with chemicals that made you sick. Those same chemicals have also been linked to a variety of different health issues including damage to the nervous, endocrine and reproductive systems, as well as cancer.
Not to mention half your friends and family never had the opportunity to accomplish their life’s goals. According to the National Resources Defence Council, up to 40% of food in the US goes uneaten.
For the most part in 2016, being a head of lettuce, or any food for that matter, kind of sucks. If you’re thinking, jeesh there has got to be a better way, pat yourself on the back.
You’re right. It’s called vertical farming.
Vertical farming uses controlled-environment agriculture (CEA) technology, where all environmental factors can be controlled.
Sink your teeth into these tasty facts courtesy of the Association for Vertical Farming:
- Ideal for urban spaces: 1 acre of a vertical farm is equal to 10–20 acres of traditional soil-based farming.
- Less waste: 90% of crops planted are harvested.
- Less water: Use of aquaponics and aeroponics growing methods requires 70–95% less fresh water.
- Less energy for transportation: Perfectly suited for growing locally in urban areas, eliminating the need for long-distance transport.
- Safer and limited agricultural runoff: Controlled environment alleviates the need for using pesticides and herbicides.
Seems like a no-brainer right?
Especially considering our growing population, our diminishing resources, and the trend of more humans moving to big cities. As it turns out, it is a no-brainer.
The future of food is lookin’ fresh
Here’re a few startups literally innovating the manure out of food:
Gotham Greens of Brooklyn, New York harvests 365 days per year, rain, snow or shine. Their greens travel to the Whole Foods downstairs where they’re sold to the local community.
Isabel of San Francisco, motivated chiefly by water conservation, is testing their “Seeds to Chef” system, and dedicated to inspiring the next generation of farming.
Agrilution of Munich has developed a beautiful in-home vertical farming ecosystem.
Freight Farms of Boston retrofits old shipping containers with hydroponics and LED lighting systems for customers ranging from entrepreneurs to hotels and restaurants, to corporations and educational institutions.
Check out more companies in the space on AngelList’s list of 23 vertical farming startups.
Calling all entrepreneurs
Starting in Fall 2016, the first-ever urban farming startup accelerator, Square Roots, is set to commence.
Kimbal Musk invites you to apply. He believes that for entrepreneurs ready to dive into vertical farming, “the opportunities in front of them will be endless.”
The time is now to welcome the future of food, and it’s looking as bright as the LED lights we’re using to grow.
Is urban farming popping up in your local community? If not, maybe it’s time to pressure your local market to consider starting one. Or maybe, for you risk takers, it’s worth pursuing starting one of your own.
