Vertical indoor farm is the height of ingenuity
The vertical farm based at the James Hutton Institute
The Invergowrie based James Hutton Institute is now home to an indoor vertical farm aimed to help revolutionise the global horticulture market.
The project, run by Intelligent Growth Solutions Ltd (IGS), the Scottish-based agritech business, unveiled its first indoor vertical farming demonstration facility at the institute last week.
Vertical farming aims for huge reductions in water wastage, the elimination of the use of pesticides and a huge reduction in food miles.
It allows produce to be grown locally and on demand, which could potentially reduce fresh food waste by up to 90 per cent.
Energy usage may by reduced by 50 per cent and labour costs by 80 per cent when compared with other indoor Left to right, David Farquhar, CEO of IGS, John Swinney MSP, Pete Wishart MP, Dave Scott, CTO of IGS and Colin Campbell, CEO of James Hutton Institute unveil the plaque to mark the official launch
environments.
Scientists and researchers at the institute will be working with the team at IGS to better understand how growing under lights can impact different varieties of crop growth, as well as drive increased productivity.
Professor Colin Campbell, CEO of James Hutton Institute said:“There have been fantastic synergies coming out of the combination of the IGS technologies and Hutton’s cuttingedge plant science and collaboration.
“There are genuine potential gamegrowing
changing opportunities both for new and conventional horticultural and agricultural systems that can come from our collaboration.”
John Swinney, MSP and Pete Wishart, MP unveiled the plaque to mark the official launch.