Futuristic ‘vertical farm’ will grow food in towers to feed people in Suffolk – Suffolk Live

Suffolk is a rural county and much of it is farmland, something which is set to increase with the arrival of a multi-million pound investment in a cutting edge farm facility. Most farms you've seen will probably have been flat, or at the very most on a slight hill, while this farm is anything but conventional.

OneFarm is a sustainable food producer which has secured the cash to build a 6,400 square metre 'vertical farm' in Newmarket, promising to grow up to 415 tonnes of food each year to feed local people. The project has been backed by Suffolk County Council (SCC) and New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership (NALEP) and is due to begin construction later this year.

Read more: The up and coming Suffolk couple reinventing livestock farming

You're probably still wondering what the difference is between a normal farm and one which is vertical - here's a hint; it is exactly what you're thinking. The food doesn't just grow upwards, the whole farm is skyward reaching as crops are grown on 'towers' instead of fields.

These growth towers will stand up to nine metres tall, creating an area of 6,400 square metres without needing that in floor space. When complete it will be the second largest farm of its kind in the UK, with a phase two planned to double that in the future - growing more than 1,000 tonnes a year. The farm will be repurposing a disused warehouse site in Newmarket and should be fully operational by early 2023.

The project is being delivered alongside IGS Limited, which is a leading agritech specialist (agritech put simply is the application of technology to produce more with less, make the farming process more efficient, from field monitoring to the food supply chain itself). The vertical farm will also help the LEP to develop its 'clean growth' ambitions for the eastern region.

OneFarm is committed to producing crops sustainably and in an environment requiring no pesticides or herbicides with a vision to operate up 25 indoor vertical farms in the UK. With an emphasis on produce freshness and optimum quality, the new farm will grow a range of herbs and salads on-demand to avoid waste and unnecessary harvesting, with agreements already in place to supply selected retailers.

Mira Merme, CEO of OneFarm commented: "Consumers deserve locally grown, fresh, good quality food, grown without pesticides and with low water usage, and OneFarms in-house brand, Wholly Food, provides just that, every day of the year. Its truly local food for local people. We are excited to be at the forefront of this fast-emerging sector, which we strongly believe will play an important role in the future of food production."

IGS CEO, David Farquhar, commented: "OneFarm, Suffolk County Council and to New Anglia LEP are ambitious and forward-thinking, and steeped in both agritech and agricultural knowledge. We are very proud to have been selected to work alongside them to help deliver their combined vision."

READ MORE ON SUFFOLK LIVE BELOW:

View original post here:
Futuristic 'vertical farm' will grow food in towers to feed people in Suffolk - Suffolk Live