Does green vertical farming offer a sustainable alternative to conventional methods of production?: A case study from Scotland

Life cycle analysis using lettuce as an example crop indicate that electricity consumption by VF account for 91% of the carbon footprint. Under the 2020 Scottish electricity mix, vertical farming was seen to be comparable with UK open-field agriculture in environmental impacts. This lowers further under a 100% renewable electricity generation scenario, offer a low carbon production method and a potential alternative for sustainable future produce. AbstractClimate change is an existential global reality that is placing considerable stress on agriculture sectors. With the recognition of the impacts of climate change on food security, there has been a greater uptake of controlled environment agriculture (CEA) to provide climate-resilient and high-quality production. Vertical farming (VF) can allow primary production in urban locations as well as reducing seasonality and variability in produce. It is emerging as an alternative to traditional farming methods. This research aimed to explore the major environmental impacts of VF produce in comparison with conventional farming methods, using lettuce as an example crop. Life cycle analysis indicate that electricity consumption by VF account for 91% of the carbon footprint. Under the 2019 Scottish electricity mix, VF did not offer a viable competitor for UK open-farmed lettuce or Spanish imports in terms of low greenhouse gas emissions (at approximately 1.49  kgCO2 eq. kg−1). However, with increasing use of renewable electricity ...
Source: Food and Energy Security - Category: Food Science Authors: Tags: ORIGINAL ARTICLE Source Type: research