Feeding Our Future

Mirei Takashima Claremon, PhD & Jared F. Northrop, MBA

How the convergence of indoor farming technology and smart, human-focused solutions can create a more sustainable approach to feeding ourselves

Over the last decade, indoor farming, often referred to interchangeably as vertical or controlled environment farming, has continued to gain momentum as a promising new approach to food production. While the benefits of indoor farming are starting to capture headlines, it is important to unpack the range of realities — both in terms of opportunities and challenges — that are associated with this movement. In this article, we attempt to assess indoor farming in a holistic manner.

While this type of farming is unlikely to scale to the level of conventional farming methods anytime soon, its immediate impact and benefits are too important to ignore. Indoor farming is a viable, present-day, supplementary approach to conventional farming, especially in urban environments.

Despite the rapid technological advances and broad societal benefits of indoor farming, initial upfront investment and high operating costs continue to limit its proliferation as an alternative to conventional farming. However, indoor farming offers a compelling solution that provides numerous benefits to cities, including revitalization of vacant spaces, high-value job…