Future Food: Insights into Modern Agriculture
Rachael Gradeen | Decentralised Energy Canada | July 27, 2021
For thousands of years, conventional agriculture has increased food security, grown population sizes, and dominated landscapes. However, it is being placed under the microscope due to growing concerns about its sustainability and resilience to a changing climate. From rampant fertilizer and pesticide use to freshwater waste, to vulnerability to weather events, conventional agriculture certainly has its flaws.
But what other options are there? How can we reduce the footprint of our food production and protect it from a destabilised climate?
Controlled environment agriculture (CEA), also known as indoor farming, is a food production process often found in greenhouses and vertical farms. It uses a combination of engineering, plant science, and automated control technologies to optimize the food production process. CEA enhances plant growing systems, plant quality, and production efficiency, using systems like hydroponics, aquaponics, or aeroponics (see below for a simplified diagram).
Food production systems in CEA.
To learn more about CEA, I spoke with Henry Gordon-Smith, the CEO of Agritecture, a global advisory and digital services firm focused on the localization of agriculture.
What are three benefits of CEA as compared to conventional agriculture?
The number one benefit is less water use. As we create recirculating systems, we recapture water and we end up using much less - often between 70% to 90% less - depending on the operation. The second one is the reduction or complete elimination of pesticides, thanks to the plants’ enclosure. The third is consistency. CEA controls the growing conditions, so the quantity and quality of yields can be more reliable and consistent than field agriculture.
What challenges face the CEA industry?
The biggest challenge is that there's a high capital expenditure for these facilities. Without significant scale and a significant market demand, it’s very difficult to succeed. A mature fundraising route is also needed for these farms. Based on our 2020 census survey of 371 farms in the industry across 58 countries, around 78% couldn't get funding from traditional means. Another challenge is a lack of experience - 49% of those that we surveyed had zero years of agriculture experience prior to starting their farms. They're excited about the challenge and the potential sustainability, but they don't have experience.
Summary of the Agritecture 2020 census survey of 371 farms.
Is there much greenwashing in the sector?
Yes, the worst example is when operators say they are “sustainable” because they use less carbon by reducing the distance from the farm to the plate. But carbon is increased in other ways - for example, in how the operation is powered. Most vertical farms are powered by non-renewable energy sources. It's something I encourage people to talk about because we’re not going to solve the economic issues if we don't explore all the negative externalities.
A typical vertical farm that produces 2 million pounds of leafy greens per year has an annual electricity use of 15,000,000 kWh - the same carbon footprint as burning over 11 million pounds of coal per year (see this link for a more detailed look at the calculations). In this case, they can say they are trying to increase sustainability, because they’re saving water and reducing pesticide and land use, but they cannot say they’re “sustainably grown.” By excluding the whole story, a reader or a journalist may repeat that information. And that's the worst part of greenwashing: it’s contagious. In fact, the 2021 CEA census is focused exactly on the topic of sustainability and we encourage all CEA operators to participate before August 20th, 2021.
What are three innovations that are changing the CEA industry?
Beginning with the seed, there are some very exciting innovations. For example, breeding plants that require less light to grow - not through GMO necessarily, but through traditional breeding methods. Some are exploring CRISPR to modify the plants, and there's even a company doing an “open source” vertical farming seed project.
The next one is microgrids and strategies for clean and sustainable energy production. Schneider Electric, as well as many others, are actively moving into the sector to develop onsite energy solutions, such as digitalisation and automation, that improve energy efficiency.
Lastly, automation is impacting the labour needs of food production. Labour in agriculture is the most challenging cost because it fluctuates. Most traditional farms are supported by a seasonal workforce. In the case of CEA, harvesting happens frequently, but it's a very time-consuming activity - as is seeding, transplanting, and packing. There are many exciting innovations in automation that are improving the economics a lot.
Where does Canada stand in the world of CEA?
There are many innovative vertical farming companies in Canada, such as TruLeaf, Fieldless Farms, Sustainitech, and Cubic Farms. Canada also had was advertised as the first commercial vertical farm in North America. There are also many innovation grants that are very conducive to CEA startups. Canada has a higher percentage of its production coming from greenhouses than the United States, so there's a lot of talent and maturity coming from the greenhouse sector. There’s also a lot of research being done at higher institutions.
I think the challenges in Canada are the ability to fundraise. The “Silicon Valley” fundraising attitude does not exist here, and it's a little more conservative, so it takes a bit longer for companies to access capital.
What do you think the future of food looks like in 30 years?
We have an enormous challenge ahead of us. The climate is changing and it’s getting more extreme. Unfortunately, the fragile systems that produce our food are at threat. We have to start adapting faster - and bringing food indoors is one way to adapt.
Technological innovation alone will not get us through it, though. We need consumer behaviour to shift around food waste; we need to get used to having less and being more responsible with consumption; we need policies to mature very rapidly; we need entrepreneurship to continue to be amplified. We will need to participate at a community level to increase our resilience. We can look to the past for examples, like the Victory Gardens of World War One and World War Two, or Cuba’s shift to sustainable farming methods in the 1990s. These are examples where urban agriculture and community-based growing have had a meaningful impact on food security.
Overall, I'm optimistic about technological innovation, I'm just concerned about the ebb and flow of investment and the slow pace of policy. We need to collaborate and encourage openness. We need to develop a diverse food system - so that's why Agritecture is working to create change, and is dedicated to helping society adapt through technologies.
Additional Resources:
About Agritecture
Agritecture’s focus is on indoor farming technologies and CEAs. They provide tech-agnostic services for sustainable agriculture, which involves growing food closer to cities and consumers, to improve resilience, use fewer resources, and produce high-quality products.