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A unique approach to indoor farming could help save the planet.
No Soil, No Sun,
No Problem
Plenty, a trailblazing company in the indoor-farming
industry, is making headlines with its innovative
solutions for the global food crisis. Recently, it
announced plans to build the world’s largest indoor verti-
cal farming complex. This new facility near Richmond, VA,
will span a staggering 120 acres. The $300 million facility
will grow multiple crops, including leafy greens and toma-
toes, but is starting with strawberries in partnership with
conventional strawberry grower Driscoll. Plenty says the
project, expected to generate up to 20 million pounds
of produce annually, will also create 300 new jobs. And
in May of 2023, they opened a farm that can grow up to
4.5 million pounds of leafy greens every year on a single
city block in Compton, CA.
The company has developed
an entirely new way to grow
plants. While greenhouses and
other “vertical” farms grow on flat
planes that mimic the field, Plenty
grows in 3D — on vertical towers
nearly two stories high. Its indoor
farming process is a marvel of en-
gineering and automation, meticu-
lously designed to ensure optimal
plant growth and harvest effi-
ciency. Inside the massive ware-
house, a bright yellow robot
gracefully handles towers filled
with fresh kale that were growing
in the neighboring aisles of
greens just moments before. The robot gently places the
tower on a conveyor belt, where a spinning wheel expertly
trims the greens, readying them for harvest.
In another section, robots work diligently, packing trays
with soil and seeds before transporting them to a separate
room for germination. Adjacent to them, four robots in
glass boxes carefully lift seedlings from trays and deli-
cately plant them into the tall, white growing towers.
Advanced infrared cameras and sensors continuously
monitor the indoor climate throughout the indoor farming
complex. Powerful software then uses this data to pre-
cisely adjust the light and water levels — creating the ideal
“recipe” for optimal plant flavor.
In addition to saving land, Plen-
ty’s indoor farms also address wa-
ter shortages. Providing water to
each plant individually can save mil-
lions of gallons of water compared
to traditional farming methods.
By 2050, the demand for food
is predicted to increase by more
than 50%. At a time when agricul-
ture faces evolving environmental
pressures, including soil degrada-
tion, Plenty has developed a
unique method of farming that
is insulated from those challenges
and uses just a fraction of the
land and water of conventional
agriculture.
features
COURTESY PLENTY