Future of Farming: Will Agriculture Move Indoors?
How interesting that big law is looking at the future of farming, too. I attended a discussion last week on the opportunities of Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) to meet our world’s growing food needs. It was hosted in partnership by K&L Gates law firm and the WA Clean Tech Alliance.
The guest speakers, from Generate Capital sited a 75% net carbon reduction by growing lettuce indoors compared to traditional agriculture. This is mainly based on reduced transportation miles, despite increased electric use. However, buyer beware: carbon reductions depend heavily on the source of the electricity. In other words, the carbon effect of electricity varies by location. How clean is the source of electricity? Is it coming from burning coal, or solar?
Another speaker from Root Advisory stated that CEA is most appropriate for specialty crops such as leafy greens, peppers or tomato. And less appropriate for commodity or permanent crops like wheat, soy and almonds.
Is conventional agriculture threatened by CEA? Like most complicated topics in the world, the answer is nuanced. According to the panel, given the 70% increase in food required to feed the world’s 9.8 billion population, CEA opportunities are incremental and will necessarily supplement existing farms. Feeding humans amidst global warming and fluctuating markets will require conventional and indoor farmers.
In conclusion, not all crops are appropriate to grow indoors, but some are. Not all locations for CEA are cleaner than outdoor farming, but some may be. And not all farming will move indoors, but CEA is certainly not going away. Diversifying our food supply across building types and climate zones will increase food security. I’ve been musing on this subject for a number of years now with utilities and growers. And I’m happy to expand the participants in this conversation (albeit surprisingly) to lawyers.
