vertical farms, which consume less water, but consume more energy

In Tarascon (Bouches-du-Rhône), a building grows aromatic herbs, grown above ground. It is a vertical farm. “These plants will be in permanent rotation around a light. This light replaces the sun. We are recreating the best day of June”, explains Pascal Thomas, co-founder of Futura Gaïa. The plant receives exactly the water and nutrients it needs, which limits water consumption.

Production remains the same, whatever the vagaries of the weather and the month of the year. The only black point of these farms, the intensive lighting that is necessary for the plants. Their energy cost is on average four times higher than that of traditional agriculture. “Going massively on the development of these systems instead of other forms of agriculture is really not something we can afford”, says Christine Aubry, researcher at INRA AgroParis Tech, specialist in urban agriculture.

– Futura Gaia

– The limits of the vertical truss model

Non-exhaustive list