The word “farm” may conjure up images of vast expanses of land covered with endless crops. Vertical farms may conjure images of scientists in lab coats wearing starchy coats examining soil samples under a microscope. Get these images out of your head and let your imagination sow. It’s about creating a vertical farm in your kitchen.

Arizona farmers have suffered years of drought and now use more than 70% of Arizona’s water supply for irrigated agriculture. Drought and water reductions have forced some to reduce plantings in recent years. Lecturer at the Integrated University of Science and Arts, facing an agricultural crisis, Homer Farmsis a startup that converts organic waste into bioenergy and liquid fertilizer. vertical farmdecided to look for a solution.

He found it indoors—through vertical farming, to be exact. Employing a combination of artificial lighting, nutrient-enriched water, and stacks of trays containing leafy greens, vertical farming uses up to 90% less water than conventional farming, making it easier to grow than conventional farms. Harvest 10x more crops in the same space used. , according to ASU News.

In the fall of 2022, ASU’s School of Integrated Arts and Sciences will begin offering a certification program in indoor farming led by Chen and his colleague Yujin Park, a CISA assistant professor.

Students in ASU’s Indoor Farming Lab will have the opportunity to learn about vertical farming and adopt the applicable knowledge and training that the industry is looking for, Chen said. Some of the students who completed the program were later recruited by Homer Farms.

Third-year sustainability researcher Matthew Easter joined the Indoor Farming Lab because he wanted to gain career experience and was interested in the science behind vertical farming.

“I come from a farming family… apparently the gene was passed on to me,” said Easter. “I see indoor farming as a way to provide food in a sustainable way.”

Easter says vertical farming will allow fresh produce to be produced locally that Arizona would normally not be able to grow. “This controlled environment where things can grow allows us to have more fresh options where we desperately need them.”

The indoor farming lab mainly grows leafy greens, strawberries, and herbs because growing other plants vertically, such as grains, is costly. The conditions in which the plants grow are meticulously controlled, allowing Park and his student researchers to ensure nutritional value by adding nutrient solutions.

For medicinal plants like marigolds, the Indoor Farming Lab “can manipulate all environmental factors to increase certain key chemicals to make them more nutritious,” Park said. increase.

Cheng and Park are working with the City of Phoenix to help ordinary citizens build small vertical farms in their own homes. The two plan to hold workshops to educate residents about vertical farming techniques. food desert.

When residents want to sell their crops, Homer Farms buys them and distributes them to buyers. That way, if small businesses aren’t comfortable finding a market for their produce, Homer Farms can help them get to the market, Chen said. You can also store produce yourself to grow food.

Jonathan Reese, a graduate student studying applied biological sciences, envisions vertical farms in people’s homes becoming commonplace in the future. In fact, he already has one in his house.

His prototype, made out of PVC pipe, is a bit technical, but he said someone could even start a vertical farm using a bucket they bought from Home Depot.

“For the average person who just wants fresh produce and probably hates getting their hands dirty and doesn’t want to dig the ground,[vertical farming]seems like a very good solution for people who literally want that produce. It’s their kitchen,” Reese said.

A private vertical farm, once started, requires considerably less maintenance. All Ries needed was water, LED lights, and nutrients purchased from Amazon. In Arizona, vertical farms can also be set up outdoors, so LED lighting is not required.

In the future, “I think there will come a time when we will have to farm indoors,” says Ries.

Ries believes the future will require vertical farming, both large and small, for its water efficiency, faster food production, and easier access to the region. In rural communities, vertical farms require less space, so instead of driving miles to the nearest grocery store, you can have a farm in or near your neighborhood, he said. container.

Homer Farms is also transforming a 10,000-square-foot warehouse in Phoenix into a vertical farm, aiming to build a more resilient food system in the city. The farm is projected to produce at least 500,000 pounds of produce annually. Both training and farms are supported by the Phoenix Resilient Food System initiative, first adopted in 2021.

The initiative is designed to reduce food insecurity and create a more resilient food system in Phoenix due to the increased need to have strong local food networks during the pandemic due to supply chain disruptions. less impact.

The sustainability benefits of vertical farms go beyond the space and water saved. ASU’s vertical farms will partner with Homer Farms to convert food waste, including waste from football games, into liquid fertilizer for produce, Chen said.

In addition to providing more food than conventional farming, vertical farming can grow more crops in a more environmentally friendly way, sustaining a resilient and ever-expanding food system. can.

Vertical farming can be certified organic, says Kathleen Merrigan, executive director of the Swette Center for Sustainable Food Systems and former U.S. Undersecretary of Agriculture.

Organic foods don’t use synthetic pesticides, reducing farmers’ exposure to air and water pollution, the report co-authored by Merrigan found. According to the report, organic farming also protects the health of farm workers, farmers and the environment.

“Most of them (farmers) are going through some kind of epiphany in their lives,” Merrigan said. “The way they were producing, using chemicals intensively, doesn’t make sense for the health of their families (and) farm workers.”

Vertical farming is perfect for reducing water use in agriculture. But energy use? Not really. “The big problem with vertical farms is the use of electricity,” he says Merrigan.

Energy accounts for 50-70% of the cost of goods sold on vertical farms. Renewable energy such as solar panels can offset costs, but they require more square footage than regular vertical farms. As technology continues to evolve and LED lights become more efficient, vertical farming becomes more desirable, Merrigan said.

According to Chen, vertical farming is great for leafy greens and herbs, but it’s a different story when it comes to growing crops like rice and wheat. The energy required to grow grain in vertical farms is not commensurate with the market value of the crops, Chen said, and people in the fields are looking for innovative ways.

Still, Park and Chen hope ASU’s vertical farming program can help reshape the future of agriculture in Arizona and the Southwest. Especially during a drought.

The initiative comes at a time when some Arizona farmers are looking for ways to reduce the amount of water they use on their crops, he said. Arizona Agribusiness & Water Council.

In early 2023, Pinal County farmers will lost all the rest Full access to the Colorado River. Arizona has the largest share compared to California, which takes almost half of the downstream water allocation to reduce water use.

“Farmers are very good at adapting to water conditions,” says Udall. Some farmers are moving to growing crops with less water, but there must be a demand for them, he said.

“Farmers do it for a reason,” Udal said. “Many of them are trying to experiment with everything, if not everything, that helps grow their crops.”

Farmers aim to be profitable and water is a major factor in achieving agricultural returns. Some farmers are considering vertical farming, but energy and initial costs are often barriers. Vertical farms should be almost six times more profitable than conventional farms, according to a report from CoBank, an agribusiness bank.

“I think a lot of people would consider vertical farming as an option if it was affordable and profitable,” says Udall. “[They are]businessmen, they are aware of the costs and the inputs. This is a real opportunity.”

Andy Echart, employee and great-grandson of the founder of Evercrisp Vegetables Inc., a three-generation family farm in Arizona, said sustainable farming has always been part of the company’s identity. said in an email.

“We are committed to preserving the ability of future generations to meet their needs on a personal and broad scale. We are now in the third generation of Everkrisp and we hope it continues. We are here,” Etchart said in an email.

Etchart is interested in the future of Southwest hydrology, including access to water from the Colorado River. That concern has led farms to implement more efficient irrigation methods such as drip irrigation.

The farm doesn’t see vertical farming in the future, and Etchart said the initial cost is high.

“Many producers in this space seem to be working with venture capital and private equity groups whose main objective is return on investment. not in the best interest of the people of Arizona,” Etchart said in an email.

While worried about the future of agriculture in Arizona, Etchart is still hopeful.

“More broadly, we want Arizona people to have access to fresh, local produce for decades to come,” Etchart said in an email. , so we are more and more focused on making it happen.”

Edited by Sam Ellefson, Camila Pedrosa, Alexis Moulton, Greta Forsland.

This article is part of The Automation Issue, released March 15, 2022.See full publication here.

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Please contact the reporter at kbippus@asu.edu and follow @BippusKeetra on Twitter.

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