How Vertical Farming and Agtech Can Help Address Food Insecurity

By Forbes

According to recent U.S. Census data, 24.5 million Americans reported not having enough to eat, representing a substantial increase from 18 million a year ago, writes Bryan Fried, Chairman and CEO of PANGEA Global Technologies at Forbes. This increase means food insecurity, a situation where people have limited or unpredictable access to food, due to geographic, financial, social or other roadblocks, is increasing at an alarming rate.

There’s a confluence of factors driving an increase in food insecurity, including the reduction or elimination of support programs offered during the pandemic and increased inflation. Insecurity also comes from “food deserts” which, according to the USDA are areas where at least one-third of an urban population is more than one mile from a supermarket. This distance impedes the ability for lower-income households to reach these stores without undue time and expense, which can then lead to limited or poorer food choices and nutritional deficits. Unfortunately, food deserts often plague areas where low-income individuals reside.

A cost-effective and scalable solution to food insecurity in urban areas is vertical indoor farming. Advancements in AgTech improve indoor farming productivity so that firms can produce greater amounts of product in year-round operations. For example, these types of farms can boast water reductions up to 95% compared to traditional farmland producing the same amount of food.