The farm of the future

The five methods below have a role to play in a more sustainable system, but significant technical, financial and cultural hurdles will need to be overcome if they are to be taken to scale.

Vertical farming

Crops are grown—usually indoors—in vertically-stacked layers to minimise the overall footprint of their production. Farmers have complete control over the environment, allowing them to protect their plants from the vagaries of the weather.

Hydroponic farming

Crops receive their nutrients through fortified water solutions instead of soil, maximising water efficiency and allowing for unseasonal food to be grown locally.

Aeroponic farming

Similar to hydroponic, but rather than regular submersion in water, the process uses a fine mist.

Aquaponic farming

Fish and crops are farmed in the same system, with fish waste fertilising the crops, and the crops in turn purifying the water.

Lab-cultured meat

Meat is grown in vitro from animal stem cells, which are immersed in a nutrient broth in a huge vat known as a bioreactor. The cells multiply and differentiate into muscle fibres, which bunch together to become a piece of meat that can be packaged and sold.