More than 20 vertical farming companies have committed to a Vertical Farming Identity Statement and Industry Manifesto
A number of vertical farming companies have signed the first Vertical Farming Manifesto and Identity, which have been described as ”clear and bold industry standards”.
According to the more than 20 signees, they highlight the impact and contribution the industry intends to make to transform current food systems and help to solve one of humanity’s toughest challenges of providing food for a growing population in a sustainable, circular way.
The Vertical Farming Identity and the Manifesto describe the urgency of transforming current food systems and explain how vertical farming systems can contribute to designing food systems that are resilient and future-proof.
”Through technological innovation, indoor vertical farming decouples food production from external factors like climate or public health crises,” the statement said. ”By localising production and controlling the growing environment, vertical farming provides pesticide-free produce, uses significantly less land and water, and requires fewer transportation miles.”
Toward the industry’s goal of driving the transformation of food systems, the companies said they were striving to set high standards by aligning with globally accepted impact frameworks – for example, the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), B Corp, or the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Furthermore, the industry is dedicated to continuously investing in research and development to improve vertical farming technology and grow ”even smarter and more sustainable food systems”.
Signing companies were 80 Acres, AeroFarms, Bowery, Crop One, CubicFarms, Elevate Farms, Fifth Season, Fischer Farms, Freight Farms, Infarm, Infinite Acres, Jones Food Company, Kalera, La Grangette, Ljusgårda, N Thing, Plenty, Stacked Farm, Urban Crop Solutions, Urban Harvest, Vertical Future, YesHealth Group and ZipGrow.
The Vertical Farming Manifesto was signed at the Vertical Farming World Congress in Brussels, which took place on 19-21 September.
