Growth industry: more farmers of the future

James Lloyd-Jones Jones Food Company

Jones Food Company runs the largest vertical farm in Europe, in Scunthorpe, and will open the world’s largest in Gloucestershire next year.

The premise of vertical farming is simple: produce is grown indoors, in layers stacked floor to ceiling, thereby increasing the yield per acre significantly. It uses up to 95 per cent less water than traditional farming and crops can be grown entirely free from pesticides, with more frequent growth cycles resulting in a greater output.

“Vertical farming is one way we can alleviate climate change,” says Lloyd-Jones. “It can take the pressure off land by giving it time to rejuvenate and can produce output 365 days a year for a more secure supply chain.”

Jim McDougall Outfield Technologies

Cambridge-based Outfield Technologies supplies drone software that helps arable farmers make more accurate yield predictions. “A grower uses an off-the-shelf drone, we tell that drone where to fly and they launch it in their orchard,” says co-founder Jim McDougall. “The drone can survey 10,000 trees in the time it would take a farmer to survey 10.”

Outfield’s system then produces an accurate picture of tree growth. “If they know how much fruit they’re going to have, they can prime the whole supply chain with an understanding of what’s coming through – being 10 to 20 per cent more efficient makes a massive difference to the bottom line.”