Locally grown produce with a Vertical Farm in Copenhagen

We’ve seen urban vegetable gardens, guerrilla gardening and for some now more structured solutions when it comes to growing vegetables in cities. We also showcased a Canadian enterprise, the Lufa Farms commercial greenhouses that are hidden on the rooftops of disused architecture, providing locally grown, fresh produce for the community. We can see a real surge in the numbers of people seeking feasible and, where possible, sustainable solutions when it comes to growing vegetables locally for people living in the city.
One of the possible answers to the problem of growing fresh, healthy produce for city dwellers is Vertical Farming, which uses just a fraction of land and water compared to traditional farming methods. The vegetables are grown in dedicated indoor facilities, where the climate is maintained at ideal conditions all year round, and there are no insects, bacteria or other pests to fear. This, of course, means no pesticides are required. Technological advances are a fundamental feature of this type of farming, which was developed by the Taiwan-based YesHealth Group. This technology has evolved into agriculture 4.0 that underpins the Vertical Farm they are about to launch in Copenhagen. 
In the case of the greenhouses developed by the Taiwanese company, their proprietary technologies play a prominent role in limiting environmental impact, not least in terms of energy requirements, which are obviously higher than traditional agriculture in the fields. This is, in fact, one of the accusations fired at vertical farming. Here though, their technologies include a LED grow light system, micro-nano bubble hydroponics technology, and liquid microbial fertilizer formulae. This is in addition to their knowledge of plant physiology, as well as their use of big data and artificial intelligence to increase efficiency. 
The group’s latest Vertical Farm, constructed by YesHealth Group in partnership with Nordic Harvest, is located in Copenhagen, Denmark, in Copenhagen Markets, Northern Europe’s biggest wholesale food market. Here they will be growing greens, herbs and kale on shelves that rises as high as 14 floors, as far as the eye can see. This will be the world’s largest vertical farm, capable of harvesting up to 3000kg of leafy greens per day at maximum capacity. It will also be one of the most sustainable Vertical Farms, thanks to Denmark’s renewable energy infrastructures. “Vertical farming helps Denmark to reduce CO2 emissions per unit of agricultural crop produced, and thus we at Nordic Harvest help agriculture with the green transition that is highly needed when Denmark has to deliver a 70% reduction in greenhouse gases in 2030”, says Anders Riemann, CEO and founder of Nordic Harvest.
In short, a defining moment for the vertical farming movement and the cleantech sector as a whole. With the transparent policies in place in Denmark, the figures and statistics of the Copenhagen Vertical Farm will be made public to verify these claims so you can enjoy a delicious organic salad without feeling guilty.

Christiane Bürklein

Project: Nordic Harvest
Location: Copenhagen, Denmark
Year: 2020
Images: courtesy of YesHealth Group