The rise of vertical farms

Vertical farming is gaining momentum, with companies, from retail behemoth Walmart to fruit markets like Oppy, jumping on the bandwagon. Now, Florida-based vertical farm operator Kalera has completed the first phase of constructing a multi-layer vertical farm in Singapore’s Changi Logistics Centre, which promises to revolutionise how the country sources its fresh greens.

Henner Schwarz, chief commercial officer at Kalera, said in a statement: “The new indoor farm will change consumption of locally-grown and harvested greens in Singapore as we know it. We’ll be producing 500,000 kilograms of greens each year, which can be harvested right before consumption, resulting in higher nutritional value, less food waste and reduced CO2 emissions. We’re expecting the first harvest in the third quarter.”

Kerstin Köhler, country manager for Singapore at Kalera, said: “The new farm will offer holistic support to Singapore’s long-term food security plan, which gained added significance during the COVID-19 pandemic. By changing the way food is grown and eaten, our Singapore farm, paired with our R&D centre, will continue to drive the global urban farming revolution.”  

This initiative is made possible through the Singapore Food Agency’s (SFA) 30 x 30 Express Grant, which supports the local agri-industry to produce 30% of Singapore’s nutritional needs locally and sustainably by 2030. The grant will help to ramp up local production of leafy vegetables through Kalera’s patented “Dryponics” cultivation method which keeps the plants alive with roots intact and allows consumers to harvest the plants just before consumption for better-tasting greens.