Why Greenhouses Are Winning the Indoor Farming Race
Via Ambrook
The Story
Greenhouses are having a moment in American agriculture, winning the indoor farming race while heavily funded vertical farming startups collapse.
Modern greenhouses pair free sunlight with hydroponics, climate control and robotic automation that runs from seeding through packaging, avoiding the crushing electricity bills that doomed vertical farms lit entirely by LEDs.
Controlled environment agriculture doubled between 2009 and 2019, and greenhouse-grown lettuce has increased fivefold in the past five years.
Demand for bagged salads, climate pressure on California farmland and supply chains shaken by the pandemic are all pushing growers under glass.
Greenhouse lettuce still costs about 50 percent more than field-grown alternatives, so producers lean on premium branding around local and pesticide-free produce.
High upfront capital and tariffs on imported Dutch greenhouse technology remain real hurdles.
Experts predict economies of scale will eventually let greenhouses replace the field-grown lettuce supply altogether.
Modern greenhouses pair free sunlight with hydroponics, climate control and robotic automation that runs from seeding through packaging, avoiding the crushing electricity bills that doomed vertical farms lit entirely by LEDs.
Controlled environment agriculture doubled between 2009 and 2019, and greenhouse-grown lettuce has increased fivefold in the past five years.
Demand for bagged salads, climate pressure on California farmland and supply chains shaken by the pandemic are all pushing growers under glass.
Greenhouse lettuce still costs about 50 percent more than field-grown alternatives, so producers lean on premium branding around local and pesticide-free produce.
High upfront capital and tariffs on imported Dutch greenhouse technology remain real hurdles.
Experts predict economies of scale will eventually let greenhouses replace the field-grown lettuce supply altogether.
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