The Future and Technological Enhancement of Indoor Farming

Indoor farming is the latest technology in agriculture to sustain food production.

By 2050, the world’s population is expected to reach 9.7 billion people, requiring a 70% increase in global food production in the next 30 years to feed everyone.

Before fears of the global food crisis dispel due to rising temperatures, frequent droughts, and unseasonal rains, measures must be taken to sustain food stability. Traditional farming methods are becoming increasingly inefficient and unpredictable, and they have to overcome many obstacles.

The global indoor farming technology market is estimated to be valued at $12,767.3 million by 2026, growing at a 14.80% CAGR during the forecast period 2021–2026.

The demand for food commodities, fresh and organic produce, and the need for an alternative growing method for sustainable agriculture is expected to fuel the growth of the global indoor farming technology market.

What is Indoor Farming?

Indoor farming is a type of crop cultivation performed in a controlled atmosphere. It is done on vertically inclined surfaces or under greenhouses and container farms to grow varieties of vegetables and fruits, microgreens and herbs, and ornamentals.

Indoor farming technology combines technologies that include big data analytics, robots, artificial intelligence (AI), and the Internet of Things (IoT) to create the perfect crops without agronomic constraints.

Technologies utilized for indoor farming include aquaponics, aeroponics, and hydroponics. They are unconventional ways of cultivating crops.

Technologies for Indoor Farming

Hydroponics

Hydroponics is a sort of horticulture, which helps in plant growth without the use of soil. It is a subset of hydroculture.

Flowers, herbs, and vegetables that are grown hydroponically are planted in the inert growing substrate and fed nutrient-rich solutions, oxygen, and water. This approach promotes quick expansion, higher yields, and higher quality.

When a plant is grown in soil, its roots are constantly looking for nutrients to keep itself alive. When a plant’s root system is exposed to water and nutrition, the plant does not need to expend any energy to survive.

The plant can use the energy used to obtain food and water for its growth. As a result, leaf growth, as well as fruit and flower blooming, improves.

Aeroponics

Aeroponics literally means drawing plants out of thin air. Aeroponic systems rely solely on nutrient-rich mist to feed these plants.

The idea is based on hydroponic systems, in which the roots are held in a soil-less growing media, such as coco coir, and nutrient-rich water is pumped over them regularly.

Seeds are “planted” in aeroponics systems on pieces of foam stuffed into tiny pots exposed to light on one end and nutrition mist on the other. Seeds planted on a foam base grow, and the foam holds their stems and roots in place.

Aeroponics does not require a growing medium like soil or air. It allows the roots to dangle in the air and be watered by specially designed misting devices regularly.

Aquaponics

Aquaponics literally means growing plants using fish. Aquaponics is a type of indoor farming that includes aquaculture with plant cultivation. Aquaculture is the breeding of fishes in a stipulated environment.

The nutrient-rich water used to raise fish acts as a natural fertilizer for the plants. It is a circle in which plants purify the water for fishes, and the fish manure fertilizes the plants.

Year-round, in any climate, aquaponics can be used to sustainably cultivate fresh fish and vegetables for a family, to feed a village, or to create profit in a commercial agricultural endeavor.

Aquaponics is an excellent example of indoor farming that can be done throughout the year. It can be done anywhere, and it provides fresh local food that is pesticide, herbicide, and mineral fertilizer free.

Use of AI and IoT in Indoor Farming

Artificial intelligence has made the treatment of individual crops and trays possible. It is now assisting farmers in producing healthier crops by controlling pests, monitoring soil and temperature conditions using IoT sensors, organizing data for farmers, and improving a wide range of agriculture-related tasks along the food supply chain.

AI is expected to have a significant impact on the yields and efficiency of crops. Every growing cycle collects a vast quantity of data from the measurements used for crops.

The data is processed by machine learning algorithms that learn from it to improve the next growing cycle. Every time a plant is developed, its growth is recorded. The standard formula for a particular crop can be created using the recorded data. The formula can specify the growing route that future crops require to yield a healthy harvest.

Indoor farms also don’t compete; instead, they collaborate by building a network that shares data.

Finally, whatever the future holds for traditional and AI-based indoor farming, there’s little doubt that indoor farming is helping to satisfy the requirements of a growing global population while also supporting traditional farming, which is both at the mercy of increasing global warming.