Another vertical farm comes to Saudi Arabia

Another vertical farm comes to Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia will soon receive a new vertical farm. 

The Saudi agriculture technology company Mowreq and YesHealth Group, another agrotech firm based in Taiwan, established a joint venture today to develop a network of vertical farms throughout Saudi Arabia. They will start by building a vertical farm in the capital, Riyadh. The venture, named Vertical Farms Company, aims for the farm to be operational by the fourth quarter of 2023, they said in a press release. 

What it means: Vertical farming is the process of growing food in vertically stacked layers in an indoor space. It utilizes technology to grow plants in the air or in water as opposed to soil. Some vertical farms use fish to generate nutrients, while others use solutions containing nutrients. Artificial light is also used instead of sunlight. 

Vertical farming aims to address the fact that the world population is growing but arable land is not, thus creating food security concerns. 

Vertical farming has numerous upsides. It requires significantly less space than traditional farming and also uses fewer chemicals and less water, thus making it potentially beneficial to the environment.

Why it matters: Vertical farming could be particularly helpful in the Middle East due to increasing desertification in the region.