Towers Of Vegetables Go Up As Singapore Builds First Vertical Farm

Located at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, Singapore, about three times the size of Washington DC, has limited land for farming. Only about 7 percent of Singapore’s food is grown locally. The vertical farms are part of the country’s efforts to increase locally grown foods. And enthusiasm for the locally grown vegetables is high, as evidenced by the fact that the greens were already being sold out before they were commercially available.  And this occurred even though customers are paying about 10 to 20 cents more per vegetable. Choices are still pretty limited, however, as only three different types of vegetables were grown. But Sky Green is planning on expanding their current 120 towers to 300 in 2013, over which they expect production to increase from half a ton to two tons and increase the proportion of locally grown from 7 to 10 percent. The increased production would also drive prices down and attract even more customers.

But only when they ramp up production will we see if prices are driven down enough to be cost-effective. Sky Green will be in big trouble if current sales for the vertically-farmed greens are just a short-lived enthusiasm for the novel system or a fleeting willingness to pay higher prices for locally grown food. If it is shown to be cost-effective, the system could show the way for other places with limited farming space or even urban areas where a little green could go a long way. Cutting down on transportation and storage costs – not to mention providing vegetables with unparalleled freshness that people may be willing to pay a little bit extra for – could make vertical farms a staple in future farming.