Plenty® has launched the world's first large-scale, indoor vertical farm dedicated entirely to berry production in Richmond, Virginia. This innovative facility is set to revolutionize the controlled environment agriculture (CEA) industry by cultivating strawberries year-round, completely shielded from external weather conditions.
Highlights:
🍓 Yield: The farm is projected to produce over 4 million pounds of strawberries annually in under 40,000 square feet, showcasing the efficiency of vertical farming.
🍓 Plenty will partner with and exclusively grow Driscoll's strawberries, a marriage of their advanced tech and Driscoll's superior genetics for consistent, peak-season flavor year-round.
🍓 AI-Powered Precision Farming: Plenty’s use of AI allows for precise control of growing conditions, optimizing flavor, texture, and size while reducing the need for pesticides and herbicides. Their pollination method also enhances uniformity and efficiency compared to traditional bee pollination.
🍓 The vertical farm uses 97% less land and up to 90% less water than traditional farming methods, significantly lowering its environmental impact.
🍓 Keeping it local: Fresh strawberries can be delivered to over 100 million consumers in the Northeast! This farm will reduce food miles and waste, enhancing freshness while minimizing the carbon footprint.
“This farm is a model for the positive impact climate-agnostic agriculture can have, and proof that vertical farming can deliver the crop diversity, scaled and local production needed to future-proof the global food system,” - Arama Kukutai, Plenty CEO.
#VerticalFarming #IndoorFarming #AgTech #Innovation #Agriculture #Genetics
PhD | Senior Advisor at Mitacs | Innovate BC
4wcongratulations Ishaan Kohli