Urban Farming

Hexagro has launched a new vertical garden designed to bring a splash of green to the home. Designed for folks with limited space, the Clovy is made using recycled or upcycled materials, and offers growers the choice of hydroponics or aeroponics.

You might think that the ol' wood-and-wire chicken coop is one thing that's ineligible for a high-tech makeover. The designers of a camera- and alarm-equipped chicken home known as The Coop, however, would be inclined to disagree.

Last month we reported that a huge vertical farming operation near Copenhagen in Denmark recently completed its first harvest. That setup uses hydroponics, but the veggies grown in Vertical Field urban farming pods take root in real soil.

Assuming it goes ahead as planned, this solar-powered urban poultry farm will host roughly 7,000 egg-laying hens, as well as an area for growing food, in a harbor in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

The world’s biggest vertical farm is set to be built – like so many other “world’s biggest” things – in Dubai, where it will grow salads and leafy greens for Emirates Airlines passengers.

Recently opened vertical farms from the likes of FarmedHere and AeroFarms allow produce to be grown more efficiently, transported shorter distances and arrive fresher in stores. A vertical farm in Germany, however, is going more local and fresher still, with produce actually being grown in-store.

AeroFarms' new 69,000 sq ft (6,410 sq m) facility in Newark, New Jersey, will be based in a converted steel factory and will incorporate a new corporate HQ for the firm. It's expected to grow high-quality and healthy produce all year round.

Philips has opened a new facility for developing LED "light recipes" for indoor farming. The GrowWise City Farming research center will be used to study how light can maximize the quality and yield of different crops. The aim is to help producers grow tasty and healthy food indoors all year round.