Thinking outside the box: Vertical farming, insects and DIY biologicals

Whilst there are lots of headlines around vertical farming, there are many other examples of controlled environment agriculture (CEA) – with a spectrum ranging from lower-tech, less costly options such as soil-based polytunnels, all the way up to artificial light and vertical farming.

In between, there are almost infinite options, said Mark Horler, founder and chairman of UK Urban AgriTech, speaking at a recent Agri-TechE webinar.

Choosing the appropriate level of technology for your farm, and thinking about how it fits with your existing business is key, he emphasised, also noting that CEA doesn’t have to be seed to sale.

For example, you could use vertical farming for propagation, then send the plant to a glasshouse or polytunnel to achieve a faster or more consistent crop. 

Knowing your market is also essential for success, he added. Whether it’s supplying edible flowers to the Michelin-star restaurant down the road, or selling lettuce in a farm shop, you need the appropriate technology for your venture, and make sure the market it there.

CEA tends to focus on salad crops and soft fruits but the number of crops can be almost unlimited, Mr Horler continued.

For example, a project with Surrey University is looking to speed up willow production in a glasshouse/polytunnel environment. Plant-based proteins and medicinal crops offer good margins if you can find the market in your area. 

CEA: What to consider

There is lots to consider though, with energy, labour and capital cost being the biggest challenges, he added. You should consider ways to take out some of the energy costs, and design it in from the beginning, as retrofitting will be very difficult.

Meanwhile, think about the labour you’ll need and plan for it – not just for growing and picking the crop but packing and logistics too.

When it comes to capital cost, the higher up the tech spectrum you go, the higher the cost will be – if a polytunnel with simple A-frame hydroponics works for you, don’t spend money you don’t need to, he added.

Other key considerations are: do you have somewhere suitable to locate it, with sufficient power? Is it environmentally sound? Can it be profitable?

Finally, Mr Horler advised working with institutions who can help with the adoption to take some of the risk away, and some funding is also available.

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Insect farming

It’s estimated that the amount of food waste needing treatment in the UK will double by 2030, with the Simpler Recycling Scheme meaning that by the end of 2028, organic waste will no longer be sent to landfill.

The Anaerobic Digestion and Bioresources Association estimates that the capacity for organic waste treatment will fall short by 1.4 million tonnes by 2030.

With this in mind, Larry Kotch, CEO of Flybox, discussed how vertical farming of invertebrates could offer a solution to this problem, whilst creating an additional revenue stream.

Black soldier flies are the best insect for waste management and will eat a wide variety of things – such as fruit and vegetable waste, breads, grain husks, eggs and dairy waste, he explained.

There are some regulatory limits in the UK and insects will not eat anything cellulose-based. 

Explaining the process, he said feedstock is put into trays in a controlled environment such as the units supplied by Flybox, and five-day-old seedlings are placed on top, getting through the waste in a matter of days. What is left is a 3-3-3 biofertiliser which is also a biopesticide.

Grown larvae is then sieved from the frass, which can be self-pasteurised or pasteurised in a self-composting process and sold. 

Key end markets for the larvae produced are pet food and aqua, while there are also good margins for frass in the organic fertiliser world.

Mr Kotch concluded: “We’re still lighting our waste on fire; we want to match increasing expectations of regulators and consumers to do more with waste in a profitable way.”

DIY biologicals

Joanne Neary, senior technical lead at the Centre for Process Innovation (CPI) noted that biologicals are a growing market due to the increasing trend for sustainable farming practices, as well as rising pest resistance. 

On-farm production of biologicals, for on-farm use only, is unregulated – but these cannot be sold to third parties, she said. Bacteria and fungi are the easiest to grow in this context and it’s usually barrel fermented, unlike the aseptic stainless-steel bioreactors used in commercial production.

Additionally, shelf life will be days to weeks with a farm-produced biological, with high levels of contamination likely, so they are for immediate use.

Whilst you might not get exactly what you want in terms of the development or morphology of the cell, they are cheap compared to buying commercial products for small family farms, Joanne concluded. 

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