Growth area for agriculture as first indoor vertical farm gets under way
Scotland’s first indoor vertical farm is due to be up and running later this year.
The experimental facility, currently being built on the outskirts of Dundee, will be the first full-scale scheme of its type in the country.
Initial crops will be herbs and salad plants, which will be cultivated in vertically stacked layers with LED lighting and special hydroponic systems supplying nourishment.
Tomatoes, cucumbers and strawberries are to be trialled at a later stage.
It is hoped vertical farming can help solve the problem of feeding the expanding world population and minimise damage to the planet from increased agriculture.
Growing in this way can offer a number of benefits over tra- ditional outdoor methods, such as reducing the amount of space required, cutting the need for pesticides and allowing yearround cultivation.
Their compact nature also means the farms can be sited in urban areas, keeping produce local and cutting transportation.
The Dundee project is the brainchild of Scottish-based vertical farming business Intelligent Growth Solutions and is being carried out in collaboration with crop researchers at the James Hutton Institute and automation business Omron.