Co-ordinated technology development to provide an optimised and integrated system of leading vertical farming technologies

“垂直农业（VF）有可能彻底改变粮食生产。该行业正在经历巨大的增长，这是由于对无农药食品的需求增加，全球人口增加，土地供应减少以及全球全年粮食生产需求的推动。与传统耕作方法相比，它具有许多好处，包括减少用水量，减少对农用化学品的依赖，以及生产高质量，一致，全年作物生产的能力。发展VF部门有望为社会和农业带来重大利益。通过不断增加我们在VF系统中消费的食物比例，农田压力将减少，全年的本地粮食生产可以实现，同时改善农业部门永久性就业机会的前景。然而，该行业需要进一步创新，以降低运营成本并提高产量，使其在高价值、利基作物生产之外具有商业可行性。VF生产系统汇集了一系列不同的技术，其中许多技术是从温室园艺行业中改编而来的。目前，这些技术降低了集成度，缺乏对作物产量、质量和控制的优化。该项目汇集了一个多学科的合作伙伴联盟，代表了广泛的技术和专业知识，他们都在VF市场拥有丰富的经验。该项目的成果将是一个完全优化的原型VF增长系统。它将提供一个高科技的交钥匙解决方案，将降低建筑的复杂性和成本，并调整和监测VF生产系统的最佳生长条件。它将通过数据驱动的信息为种植者提供更好的控制，并自动响应检测到的变化，使他们能够提供更高质量，更高产量的产品，同时更好地适应市场需求并降低业务失败的风险。该技术将促进作物生产中的科学知识转化为种植者的利益。该系统将包括低成本的LED照明，在整个植物生长周期中匹配理想的生长条件，并改进营养控制和输送系统，以提高植物产量和质量。我们将评估大规模整合视觉传感功能的可行性，这些功能可以为作物健康提供有价值的实时反馈。这反过来又将有助于开发一个自动控制大气环境的决策支持系统。种植者参与开发一个单一的用户友好的控制系统，以控制所有业务将是一个核心成果。"

"Vertical farming (VF) has the potential to revolutionise food production. The industry is experiencing enormous growth, propelled by the increased demand for pesticide-free foods, rising global populations, decreased availability of land and demand for year-round food production worldwide. It delivers numerous benefits versus traditional farming methods including lower water usage, reduced dependence on agrochemicals and the ability to produce high quality, consistent, year-round crop production. Developing the VF sector holds the promise of significant benefits to society and the farming industry. By growing an ever-increasing percentage of the food that we consume in VF systems, pressures on farmland will reduce, and year-round local food production can be enabled while improving the outlook for permanent jobs in the farming sector. However, the industry requires further innovations to reduce operational costs and improve yields to allow it to be commercially viable beyond the production of high-value, niche, crops.VF production systems bring together an array of different technologies, many of which have been adapted from the glasshouse-based horticultural industry. Currently, these technologies have reduced integration and are lacking optimisation for crop yield, quality and control. This project brings together a multidisciplinary consortium of partners, representing a wide range of technologies and expertise, all of whom have significant experience in the VF market. The outcome of the project will be a fully optimised prototype VF growing system. It will offer a high-tech, turn-key solution that will reduce the complexity and costs of building, and adjusting and monitoring for optimal growth conditions in VF production systems. It will provide growers with better control, through data-driven information, and automate responses to changes detected, enabling them to deliver higher quality, higher yield produce, whilst better equipping them to adapt to market demand and reducing the risks of business failures. The technology will facilitate the transfer of scientific knowledge in crop production into benefits for growers. The system will include low-cost LED-lighting, that match ideal growing conditions throughout the plant growth cycle and improved nutrient control and delivery system, for increased plant yield and quality. We will evaluate the feasibility of incorporating vision sensing capabilities at large-scale which can provide valuable real-time feedback on crop health. This, in turn, will allow the development of a decision support system for the automated control of the atmospheric environment. Grower engagement in the development of a single user-friendly control system for control of all operations will be a central outcome."