Summary: This study conducted a life cycle assessment (LCA) of a large commercial vertical farm in Sweden producing packaged lettuce, comparing its environmental performance to conventional imported and domestically produced lettuce. The LCA included production, transportation, processing, packaging, and distribution. Results indicated the vertical farm had lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions than conventional lettuce but potentially higher impacts in other categories primarily due to significant electricity demand, with electricity use, packaging, infrastructure, and distribution identified as key hotspots. The study also provided key performance indicators (KPIs) showing the vertical farm had better water use efficiency, GHG emissions, and energy use efficiency compared to other indoor farming studies.

Summary: This study employed attributional life cycle assessment to compare the environmental footprints of lettuce produced via hydroponic controlled-environment agriculture (CEA) with various electricity sources against field-based supply chains. Hydroponic CEA systems consume significant electricity (around 15 kWh/kg) for operations, leading to high carbon footprints (up to 17.8 kg CO2 eq./kg) when using typical grid electricity, comparable to or worse than air-freighted field lettuce. However, CEA offers vastly higher yields per area and can be integrated into urban spaces. The research suggests that if CEA electricity is sourced from genuinely additional renewable capacity and land use is accounted for with nature-based solutions, its carbon footprint could be significantly lower (0.48 kg CO2 eq./kg). CEA uses substantially less water than field systems, potentially mitigating water stress, provided upstream electricity generation water impacts are managed. The paper concludes that while CEA has environmental hotspots, careful design and scaling in appropriate contexts can contribute to sustainable food system transformation, with potential synergies like linking building systems to CEA.

Summary: This review critically examines the sustainability claims of vertical farming (VF), acknowledging its potential for precise crop cultivation in enclosed, sunless environments and benefits like land conservation and reduced water usage. However, it highlights that staple crops are not economically viable in VF, though leafy vegetables are. The paper quantifies VF's production potential and electricity consumption, questioning whether urban VF is more climate-smart than distant transport, even with green energy, due to VF's high electricity demand and grid balancing issues. It also notes that greenhouses can achieve water and chemical emission reductions without VF's associated electricity costs, concluding that VF's inherent environmental friendliness compared to conventional agriculture is questionable, though it may suit niche markets.

Summary: This review paper explores the concept of dynamic growth conditions in vertical farming systems (VFS) to optimize resource use efficiency, product quality, and energy costs. It highlights how VFS, as advanced indoor cropping systems, offer stable production but can benefit from dynamically adjusting environmental parameters like light, CO2, temperature, and nutrient availability in response to plant physiology and fluctuating electricity prices. The paper presents findings from modeling and experimentation showing that dynamic light patterns can reduce costs without impacting biomass, and proposes a smart, dynamic VFS climate management system that relies on sensor feedback and crop growth models to generate optimal setpoints. Additionally, it discusses the early stage of breeding for VFS environments and the need for trait selection specialized for these conditions.

Summary: This review compares hydroponics, a soilless cultivation technology, with conventional soil agriculture based on environmental impact, water consumption, and energy usage. The study evaluated criteria such as soil loss, contamination, greenhouse gas emissions, water consumption rates (L/kg), and energy consumption (kWh), using tomato and cannabis as case studies. Key advantages of hydroponics identified include zero-soil cultivation, land-use efficiency, planting environment cleanliness, fertilizer and resource savings, and reduced water consumption. However, disadvantages noted were high initial investment costs, the need for technical expertise, and higher energy demands.

Summary: This study focuses on improving leafy greens production (lettuce, arugula) within container-based vertical farming systems using Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) and automation. The research involved retrofitting a shipping container with energy-efficient LED lighting and precise climate control to create an optimal growth environment. Results showed significantly higher productivity, up to 11 times that of traditional methods, enabling continuous cultivation. The integration of low-cost sensors and automation (under USD 300 per unit) demonstrated economic feasibility and scalability for urban agriculture enterprises, highlighting vertical farming's potential as a sustainable urban food production solution.

Summary: This review paper compares the land, water, and energy requirements of hydroponic cultivation against conventional soil-based farming for horticultural crops, including leafy greens and herbs. Through a literature review, it found that hydroponic systems offer significantly higher land use efficiency and superior water use efficiency (up to 90% reduction) due to recirculating systems and precision nutrient management. However, hydroponics requires higher energy inputs for lighting, climate control, and pumping, prompting exploration of strategies like renewable energy sources to optimize efficiency.

Summary: This study conducted a life cycle assessment (LCA) of an indoor vertical farm (IVF) producing microgreens to evaluate the environmental performance, particularly global warming potential (GWP), under various operational conditions such as air temperature, CO2 concentration, and photoperiod. The research found that GWP can vary significantly (3.3 to 63.3 kg CO2 e/kg-1) based on these settings, with optimal conditions (20°C, maximum CO2, maximum photoperiod) yielding the lowest GWP (3.3 kg CO2 e/kg-1) and highest production (290.5 kg fresh weight/week). The findings indicate that intensifying production through adjusted growing conditions can lower environmental impacts by increasing yield more than resource use, highlighting the importance of operational management for the sustainability of urban food production.

Summary: This study conducted a life cycle assessment (LCA) comparing the environmental performance of mixed salad bags sourced from a large-scale vertical farm versus a conventional supply chain. The findings indicate that while vertical farming can offer lower CO2-eq emissions (approximately 44% reduction), it also resulted in higher emissions in five out of eight assessed impact categories, particularly concerning resource use. The research highlights that the location of the vertical farm significantly impacts its sustainability due to variations in electricity sources and transportation distances, and notes the sensitivity of comparisons to conventional supply chain data.

Summary: This paper reviews the emerging concept of vertical farming as a response to food security concerns, urban population growth, farmland scarcity, and the environmental impact of long food supply chains. It highlights vertical farming's suitability for dense urban environments where land is limited and costly, enabled by advancements in hydroponic, aeroponic, and aquaponic technologies. While these high-tech systems promise efficient urban food production, the paper identifies significant obstacles to implementation, including economic feasibility, regulatory frameworks, and a lack of expertise, while also considering the broader consequences, advantages, and disadvantages of its widespread adoption.

Summary: This review explores plant factories (PFs), also known as vertical farms, as advanced agricultural systems for year-round horticultural production in urban areas. It highlights their potential for stable, efficient supply of high-quality produce and enhancement of resilient urban food systems. The paper reviews current and future economic and environmental benefits, including breakthroughs in increased yields, improved quality, reduced energy input and CO2 emissions through optimized conditions and automation, adoption of clean energy, enhanced resource use efficiency, and shorter food transport distances. It also discusses innovations addressing economic and environmental challenges, presenting PFs as a comprehensive and promising approach to urban horticulture.

Summary: This article evaluates future food production systems, specifically urban vertical farming, as a response to increasing population, urbanization, diminishing water, and arable land. It highlights vertical farming's use of technology and automation for land-use optimization within climate-controlled indoor environments to boost productivity and reduce environmental impact. The abstract claims potential advantages such as being a clean and green food source, offering biosecurity, pest freedom, drought resilience, and reduced transportation needs, while also noting the need to evaluate associated issues, advantages, disadvantages, and implications for policymakers and economic analysis.

Summary: This review paper examines the evolving technological landscape and engineering considerations in vertical farming, highlighting innovative developments and future prospects. It details technological trends such as advances in sensing, monitoring, control systems, and artificial intelligence for data-driven optimization. The paper also presents a global perspective on vertical farming, including its current status and trends across Asia, the USA, and Europe, while exploring innovative concepts and upcoming enterprises. Furthermore, it addresses the challenges and future prospects of vertical farming, focusing on crop production limitations, environmental sustainability, economic feasibility, and contributions to global food security, offering insights for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers.

Summary: This global meta-analysis synthesizes 200 studies and 2,062 observations on urban agriculture crop yields to compare them with conventional agriculture and across various urban spaces and growing systems. It found that urban agriculture yields are generally on par with or exceed global average conventional yields, with notable differences observed for specific crops like cucumbers and gherkins, and for growing systems such as hydroponics versus soil-based for tomatoes. The study highlights the agronomic suitability of urban areas and provides an evidence base for scaling up urban food production and assessing city self-sufficiency.

Summary: This paper reviews alternative vegetable production methods such as greenhouses, indoor farms, high tunnels, and screenhouses as a response to increasing global population and dietary needs, addressing limitations in open-field production. These alternative systems offer benefits like reduced land, pesticide, and water usage, along with controlled environmental factors (temperature, humidity, CO2) and extended growing seasons. The abstract highlights the potential for uniform nutrient supply to enhance growth and yield, mentioning hydroponics, aeroponics, aquaponics, and soilless mixes as key techniques. It also acknowledges current challenges, specifically mentioning energy costs, and suggests further exploration of these methods to boost crop production.

Summary: This study investigates indoor urban vertical farming (IUVF) within the context of megacities, aiming to provide sustainable and efficient food supply solutions with lower environmental and energy costs. It highlights IUVF's potential for resource savings, energy efficiency, and integration with other sustainable activities like water recycling. Using internal rate of return (IRR) and net present value (NPV) indexes, the research compares IUVF with greenhouse (GH) facilities, concluding that IUVF is more profitable for investors and saves significant resources compared to GHs.

Summary: This study conducted a cradle-to-customer life cycle assessment (LCA) of lettuce production in a UK commercial vertical farm, comparing its environmental impacts to field cultivation using literature data. The findings indicate that vertical farming (VF) has similar or lower Climate Change impacts than field cultivation, contingent on the electricity source, but slightly higher impacts in categories like freshwater eutrophication and acidification. Key hotspots identified were electricity demand and the growing medium for plugs. The research also explored scenarios for electricity sources, waste, water, and nutrient management, providing insights into VF's environmental performance, resource efficiency, and feasibility for larger-scale deployment.

Summary: This review explores the application of controlled environment agriculture (CEA) techniques to urban agriculture (UA), driven by increased demand for locally grown produce. It highlights the potential of controlled environments to enable year-round production, optimize resource-use efficiency, and address high production costs in urban settings. The paper covers current and potential CEA applications for UA, methods for controlling the production environment, resource management strategies, economic viability, food safety, and social benefits, concluding with author viewpoints on the future of CEA in urban food production.

Summary: This paper reviews hydroponic agriculture as a soilless cultivation method that enhances crop yields and sustainability, particularly relevant given decreasing arable land and water availability for global food security. It analyzes current status, future innovations in precision hydroponics, application crops, geographic adoption, growth potential, and technological advances, while also discussing key challenges such as high infrastructural costs, lack of expertise, and insufficient research investment. The abstract highlights how improvements in automation, renewable energy integration, biocontrols, and tailored crop varieties can overcome limitations, and suggests that hydroponics, alongside vertical farming innovations, can enable sustainable intensification to meet future nutritional demands, with a note on the need for expanded technical training and appropriate technologies globally.

Summary: This study investigated the impact of five different electrical conductivity (EC) levels of nutrient solutions on the growth and development of basil and lettuce in hydroponic vertical farms. The experiment maintained fixed environmental parameters and used the ebb-flow technique. Results indicated that EC levels of 1.2 and 0.9 dS m−1 led to significantly higher growth parameters (dry/fresh weight, leaf count, leaf area) for both plants compared to other tested levels, including higher EC values previously recommended. However, chlorophyll and nitrogen concentrations were highest at the full strength nutrient solution (EC = 2 dS m−1).

Summary: This article examines vertical farming (VF) as a proposed solution to urban food production's environmental challenges, including climate change and food security, defining it as a high-yield, multi-layered controlled environment agriculture system for leafy greens and vegetables within cities. The research assesses the contextual conditions necessary for VF to be sustainable, particularly for climate mitigation, by analyzing its up-scaling potential in the Global North through a Multi-Level Perspective. Key findings suggest that VF interventions should integrate further functions at the farm scale for viability, benefit most from urban-level systemic food planning for sustainability contributions, and require consideration of globalized neoliberal political economy dynamics and their localized effects on food systems when framing up-scaling policies.

Summary: This review examines the opportunities and challenges of vertical farming as a method for sustainable urban food production to meet growing global food demand, particularly as urban populations increase. It uses a sustainability framework to analyze vertical farming's role in future urban food provision, drawing on a review of 60 published documents. The paper suggests vertical farming has potential benefits for increasing food production, maintaining quality and safety, contributing to sustainable urban farming, and enhancing food security, with advantages across environmental, social, and economic aspects within urban territories.

Summary: This study investigates the sustainability of vertical farming (VF) compared to conventional agriculture, using lettuce as a case study in Scotland. Life cycle analysis revealed that electricity consumption constitutes 91% of VF's carbon footprint. In 2019, VF's greenhouse gas emissions were higher than UK open-farmed lettuce or Spanish imports due to the Scottish electricity mix. However, with the increasing use of renewable electricity, VF emissions dropped significantly, becoming comparable to open-field agriculture and potentially offering a low-carbon, seasonality-independent production method with higher water and nutrient efficiency.

Summary: This paper reviews vertical farming as a supplementary agricultural practice for sustainable food production under climate stress, noting a shift from technological focus (design, automation, LEDs) to resilience and circularity. It highlights research into water quality and microbial life in hydroponics, specifically the use of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) to enhance plant performance and resilience. The application of PGPRs is presented as a method to improve the circularity of vertical farming systems by reducing reliance on chemical fertilizers and crop protection products, while also providing a historical overview and discussing opportunities and challenges in economic, environmental, social, and political contexts.

Summary: This review paper explores vertical farming as a sustainable practice to enhance global food security amidst threats like climate change, population growth, and resource scarcity. It highlights recent advancements in vertical farming, particularly the integration of Internet of Things (IoT) for precision monitoring and control, and discusses the opportunities and challenges associated with urban agriculture in meeting economic, social, and educational needs.

Summary: This study used Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to compare the environmental impacts and resource-use efficiency of lettuce production in vertical farming versus conventional greenhouses in Finland. It assessed categories including climate change impact, cumulative energy demand, fossil energy use, mineral/metal use, land use, and water scarcity, considering different energy scenarios (average vs. renewable) and waste heat recovery for vertical farming. The findings indicate that vertical farming with renewable energy and waste heat recovery had the lowest climate change impact, while greenhouse production with average energy use had the highest. Vertical farming showed lower energy and energy resource use but higher mineral/metal and water scarcity impacts under average energy conditions without heat recovery. The study concludes that optimizing energy sources and heat recovery can significantly improve the environmental sustainability of both production systems.

Summary: This paper investigates the synergetic integration of vertical farms within buildings (apartments, offices, restaurants, swimming pools, supermarkets) in the Netherlands to reduce collective energy, water, and nutrient consumption. By leveraging waste heat and resource synergies, the study calculated the impact of integration on building climate systems and the vertical farm's resource needs. Results indicated that integrating vertical farms with buildings reduced the year-round energy use of climate systems by 12-51% compared to non-integrated approaches, demonstrating significant potential to decrease external resource demands and environmental impacts while supporting urban food production.

Summary: This paper reviews recent horticultural innovations aimed at enhancing crop yields and environmental sustainability. It highlights advancements in high-tech greenhouses, precision agriculture, improved irrigation, biofertilizers, resilient cultivars, and vertical farming. The abstract notes that intensive greenhouse production can achieve yields up to 20 times higher than open-field methods, while vertical farms maximize yields in small footprints through multilayer indoor cropping. It suggests that integrating these technologies can boost global food production sustainably, requiring increased public and private investment and institutional support.

Summary: This review discusses strategies for enhancing the productivity and nutritional quality of leafy vegetables in tropical greenhouses and indoor farming systems, particularly in Singapore, to improve food security. It highlights the adaptation of aeroponic systems, including root-zone temperature manipulation and heat priming for energy savings, and the use of deficit irrigation for cost-effective yield and nutritional enhancement. The paper also details the development of a commercially viable LED-integrated aeroponic system for vertical farming and examines the impact of LED lighting parameters on vegetable production.

Summary: This paper reviews the architectural integration of vertical farming systems within urban environments, highlighting their potential to enhance food security and efficiently utilize urban spaces. It explores various design strategies for integrating vertical farms into city landscapes, emphasizing the symbiotic relationship between architecture and agriculture for optimizing resource use, energy distribution, and minimizing environmental impact. The review also examines the role of technology in creating smart, automated systems for precision farming and discusses how bringing food production closer to urban centers improves food security by reducing transportation, enhancing supply chain resilience, and mitigating climate variability impacts on crop yields.

Summary: This study analyzes the operational efficiency of eight leading vertical farms globally from 2018-2022 using a dynamic network DEA model, focusing on energy efficiency and resource allocation. It finds that while inputs like solar power generation and water-saving equipment are generally sufficient and contribute positively to efficiency, vertical farms face significant challenges due to high electricity costs, which severely hamper operational efficiency. The research suggests that reducing operating costs, particularly power costs by an estimated 38.68%, is crucial for achieving optimal overall efficiency, and notes a positive impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on energy and water-saving efficiencies, indirectly benefiting overall operational performance.

Summary: This article explores vertical farming as a promising solution to modern agricultural challenges like population growth, urbanization, climate change, and resource scarcity. It highlights vertical farming's potential as a sustainable and efficient alternative, utilizing innovative technologies such as hydroponics, aeroponics, and aquaponics in controlled urban environments to optimize resource use and crop yields. The paper discusses the economic viability, social implications, and key challenges including high initial costs and energy requirements, concluding with the need for further research and investment to scale up the practice for future sustainable agriculture.

Summary: This paper presents a systematic scoping review of peer-reviewed literature assessing the sustainability performance of four food system technologies (FSTs): plant-based alternatives, vertical farming, food deliveries, and blockchain technology. The review found that included literature predominantly focused on environmental sustainability, with less attention paid to public health and socio-economic dimensions. Key literature gaps were identified, including empirical assessments of blockchain technology, plant-based seafood alternatives, public health impacts of food deliveries, and socio-economic consequences of vertical farming, highlighting the need for a holistic sustainability assessment framework.

Summary: This paper introduces and systematizes 'Zero-Acreage Farming' (ZFarming), defined as farming activities conducted in or on urban buildings without using land acreage, such as rooftop farms and indoor farming. Analyzing 73 ZFarms across continents, the study developed a typology and explored novelties in the context of urban agriculture. The findings suggest that ZFarming generates innovative practices contributing to sustainable urban agriculture by producing food and non-market goods, offering new opportunities for resource efficiency, employing novel technologies, and creating new food supply patterns and urban spaces.

Summary: This paper reviews the energy implications of scaling up urban agriculture (UA) in high-income countries, acknowledging the global interest in UA for environmental benefits like reduced waste and transportation energy. It emphasizes the need to explicitly consider energy and resource requirements to achieve these benefits. The review classifies UA, examines direct and indirect energy pressures, and explores interactions within the food-energy-water nexus, concluding with strategies for utilizing waste flows for resource-efficient UA.

Summary: This study addresses the lack of data on resource use and food production in urban agriculture by collecting data from 72 sites across five countries using a citizen science approach. It quantifies the land, water, nutrient, and energy demands of urban farms, collective gardens, and individual gardens, and compares their productivity to conventional agriculture. Key findings indicate that urban farms can have competitive yields and contribute to biodiversity, with resource use varying significantly by site type and management practices, such as irrigation methods. The research highlights the need for further investigation into crop selection and growing practices to understand the environmental impacts of urban food production.

Summary: This review synthesizes research on Vertical Farming on Façades (VFOF), an innovative strategy for urban food production that utilizes building skins to address challenges of global population growth and urbanization. It covers design, technology, social impact, and environmental benefits, highlighting VFOF's potential to enhance urban food self-sufficiency, optimize building thermal performance, and promote energy conservation. The review examines planting system designs, technical support, and the symbiotic relationship between VFOF and architecture for sustainability. While VFOF is gaining popularity and offers advantages for carbon-neutral cities, the paper identifies significant challenges including high initial investment, operating costs, technical complexity, security, policy constraints, and public acceptance, suggesting these areas require further research.

Summary: This paper reviews advances in vertical farming, highlighting the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and automation to enhance efficiency, production, and adaptability in sustainable urban agriculture. It details AI-driven systems for optimizing environmental parameters like light, temperature, humidity, and nutrient delivery, alongside automation technologies such as robotics for planting, monitoring, and harvesting to reduce labor costs and improve yield accuracy. The research also evaluates the environmental impact, scalability, and practicality of these automated systems, considering renewable energy contributions and optimal resource utilization for resilient food production, and discusses future directions and challenges.

Summary: This review assesses the energy efficiency of glasshouses and building-integrated plant factories for sustainable urban farming in the desert southwest of the United States, a region characterized by extreme heat and water scarcity. It highlights that controlled-environment agriculture is a promising solution for these harsh conditions. The analysis focuses on energy and water consumption, particularly artificial lighting, heating, cooling, ventilation, and hydroponic water management. Key findings indicate that cooling accounts for approximately 50% of operational energy costs in glasshouses, while artificial lighting constitutes 25-30% in building-integrated plant factories. The study suggests that building-integrated plant factories with aeroponic systems show superior water and energy efficiency compared to glasshouses in desert environments, and integrating solar energy can significantly reduce energy costs.

Summary: This study investigates the economic feasibility of vertical farming by designing and simulating a 37-floor farm in Berlin, capable of producing 3,500 tons of fruits and vegetables annually, alongside 140 tons of tilapia. The simulated farm, utilizing a 0.25 ha footprint, achieves significantly higher yields due to stacking and multiple harvests. It requires an investment of €200 million, 80 million liters of water, and 3.5 GWh of power per year, with food costs estimated between €3.50 and €4.00 per kilogram. The authors project a market potential for approximately 50 farms in the short term and up to 3,000 in the long term, emphasizing the need for extensive research to optimize production processes and unlock the technology's economic, environmental, and social benefits.

Summary: This review paper examines greenhouse urban farming technologies, including hydroponics, aeroponics, aquaponics, and vertical farming, alongside Internet of Things (IoT) applications. It highlights hydroponics as a soilless cultivation method for vegetables and high-value crops, and vertical farming as a space-saving, water-reducing, and yield-increasing trend within hydroponics. The paper notes that hydroponics uses less fertilizer, pesticides, and water than conventional greenhouse cultivation due to precise control. It also discusses IoT's role in managing nutrient solutions by monitoring pH and electrical conductivity. The abstract mentions that hydroponic vertical farming is nascent in India, with few organized farms due to high initial and maintenance costs, and points out a high carbon footprint as a disadvantage.

Summary: This review article explores vertical farming as a promising solution to global food security challenges, driven by population growth, diminishing agricultural land, climate change, and resource scarcity. It details the background, necessity, types (hydroponics, aeroponics, aquaponics), and advantages of vertical farming, highlighting its water efficiency, space optimization, year-round cultivation capabilities, and potential to mitigate climate risks and reduce chemical reliance. The paper notes limitations in research and skilled resources but suggests high yield and sustainability potential, particularly in contexts like India, emphasizing the need for technological advancements, scaling, refined local methods, and government support for economic viability and widespread adoption.

Summary: This review examines technological innovations in urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) as pathways to sustainable food systems in metropolises, addressing challenges like food security and resource scarcity. It highlights UPA's benefits, such as improved food security and reduced food miles, while acknowledging barriers like limited space and economic efficiency. The paper analyzes various UPA technologies for productivity, space utilization, and resource recycling, evaluating their challenges across R&D, dissemination, and commercialization stages. It concludes by recommending enhanced funding, interdisciplinary collaboration, improved dissemination systems, economic feasibility promotion, and supportive stakeholder environments to scale UPA technologies and strengthen urban food systems.

Summary: This review examines protected cropping systems in Australia, categorizing indoor farm facilities into low-, medium-, and high-tech levels and outlining associated challenges and opportunities. It highlights that high energy costs currently limit indoor agriculture to high-value crops, necessitating the development of new crop cultivars suitable for indoor environments. The paper also notes challenges such as high start-up costs, skilled labor requirements, pest and disease management, and quality control, while concluding that protected cropping offers promising solutions for food security and reducing the carbon footprint, provided economical production of diverse crops is achieved.

Summary: This article assesses the sustainability of indoor agriculture vertical farms (IA/VFs) within the broader context of controlled environment agriculture (CEA) using Elkington's profit, plant, and people (3Ps) framework. It acknowledges the challenges faced by global food systems and positions CEA/IA/VFs as potential solutions to augment food supply and overcome environmental resource limitations, particularly for urban areas. The analysis suggests that IA/VFs have not yet fully realized their potential for future food system sustainability, identifying areas for progress and necessary breakthroughs across the three 'P' dimensions. Key to achieving financial viability and optimizing their role are whole systems solutions, including growing appropriate crops, efficient resource use, and effective consumer targeting, with public-private partnerships and further research being crucial for future advancements.

Summary: This study investigated the impact of planting density on resource use efficiency and productivity in vertical farming for lettuce and basil. By testing three densities (123, 237, and 680 plants m⁻²), the research found that the highest density significantly increased fresh yield, leaf area index, and light use efficiencies for both crops compared to the lowest density. While individual plant weight decreased due to reduced light availability in denser canopies, the findings highlight the potential of optimizing planting density to enhance overall yield and resource efficiency in vertical farming systems.

Summary: This study investigates plant factories and vertical farms in China, identifying low recognition and satisfaction due to high costs, low resource utilization, limited product diversity, and high prices, which hinder sustainable development. Using a questionnaire distributed via face-to-face interviews and social media to 729 participants across various industrial sectors, the research analyzed awareness, concerns, purchase intentions, and trust. Findings indicate growing consumer acceptance and a perception of these systems as crucial for future urban agriculture, with significant variations in consumer attitudes based on demographics. The paper proposes development recommendations to adjust the plant industry structure, enhance urban food supply, boost agricultural modernization, improve product quality and branding, and develop high-value functional products, ultimately contributing to citizens' nutrition and the national economy.

Summary: This review examines hydroponics and vertical farming as innovative solutions for sustainable vegetable production, particularly in urban settings, due to their high yields in limited spaces. It covers their principles, technologies, and challenges, noting optimized water and nutrient use and reduced land dependency. Key hurdles identified include high initial investment, energy-intensive operations, and the need for expertise, while recent advancements in lighting, automation, and AI are enhancing efficiency and scalability. The paper highlights environmental and economic benefits, contributing to food security and reduced carbon footprints, and aims to provide insights for mainstreaming these practices.

Summary: This paper advocates for vertical farming (VF) as a crucial solution to address global food security and environmental challenges posed by conventional agriculture. VF offers precise control over growth factors, leading to increased yields and improved crop quality while minimizing environmental impact. The abstract emphasizes the role of automation and hydroponics in enhancing VF efficiency and reducing fertilizer use, and calls for collaborative efforts to overcome hurdles like energy consumption and high technology costs to fully realize VF's potential for sustainable food production.

Summary: This systematic review examines the impact of CO2 enrichment in protected agriculture, including vertical farms, on crop productivity and resource use efficiency. Utilizing a PRISMA methodology and Scopus database, the review found that CO2 enrichment generally enhances photosynthetic efficiency, water use efficiency, and crop yield. It also highlights the role of computational models in optimizing CO2 distribution. However, critical challenges remain, particularly concerning high energy consumption, carbon footprint, and the sustainability of CO2 sources, necessitating the integration of renewable energy and advanced CO2 management technologies for climate-smart agriculture.

Summary: This review traces the evolution of vegetable cultivation from traditional methods to modern high-tech practices, emphasizing advancements in seed selection, soilless cultivation using substrates like biochar and coir, and sophisticated environmental controls in greenhouses powered by AI. It also covers innovations in water management, precision fertilization, pest control, and the integration of digital technologies like drones and robots, while acknowledging the challenges and economic aspects of adopting these cutting-edge technologies.

Summary: This chapter explores advancements in greenhouse cultivation strategies, including improved climate management, integrated pest management, and resource efficiency technologies, to promote sustainable food and medicinal plant production. It highlights the role of precision agriculture, AI, and ML in enhancing yield and quality, and identifies vertical farms as disruptive strategies for future greenhouse systems, emphasizing renewable energy integration. The abstract also notes key challenges such as climate variability, high operational costs, and the need for automation to boost efficiency.

Summary: This review explores the role of greenhouse technology in modern agriculture, detailing its principles, design, and advantages such as year-round production and crop protection. It highlights the integration of advanced systems like hydroponics, aeroponics, and aquaponics, alongside precision agriculture techniques, to optimize resource efficiency and minimize environmental impact. The article also covers economic aspects, sustainable practices like energy and water management, and challenges such as high initial costs and technical complexity, concluding with future research directions for global food security.

Summary: This thesis aims to analyze the urban water system from a city scale to specific local alternatives, focusing on the environmental assessment of water supply networks and the efficiency of water-saving technologies in buildings, including vertical farming. It investigates the main factors affecting environmental impacts of urban water supply networks, the effectiveness of building-level water-saving technologies, and the efficiency and sustainability of rooftop greenhouses for urban food production. The research contributes to understanding water supply network impacts and provides tools for environmental analysis, with findings potentially useful for urban planners and network managers, and experimental research demonstrating the viability of vertical farming and water-saving technologies.

Summary: This article provides a summary of various vertical farming approaches, noting the increasing interest in this method to maximize food production per unit area due to pressure on agricultural land. It highlights that the term 'Vertical Farming' encompasses a wide range of scales, from personal to commercial, and suggests that scientific investigation into its potential and feasibility for global food production is currently insufficient.

Summary: This study evaluates the environmental impacts of vertical farming (VF) for vegetables in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, by analyzing its nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) footprints compared to conventional farming. The research quantifies potential reductions in N and P emissions, finding that increased prefectural self-sufficiency through VF leads to decreased N and P footprints. The findings suggest VF's suitability for local communities worldwide due to reduced reliance on imports, lower agricultural environmental impacts, and resilience to natural disasters, making it a valuable option for food security, especially in regions vulnerable to climate change.

Summary: This study explored food safety practices and challenges in indoor, soilless production of leafy greens in the U.S. through semi-structured interviews and surveys with 37 growers. Lettuce, culinary herbs, and arugula were commonly grown. The research identified three major themes: contextual factors, barriers to risk management and regulatory compliance, and research needs, with subthemes including worker hygiene, the regulatory environment, and risk assessments. A significant portion of growers were uncertain about their produce being subject to the FSMA Produce Safety Rule.

Summary: This paper proposes that smart integration of technology can foster sustainable urban food ecosystems (UFEs) to feed the growing urban populations in the developing world, addressing global limitations in land, water, and energy. It identifies twelve innovative technology platforms, including connectivity, precision agriculture, controlled environment agriculture (CEA) like vertical farms, blockchain, renewable energy, advanced seeds, genetics, biotechnology, nanotechnology, and 3D printing. The integration of these technologies aims to create entrepreneurial opportunities and improve resource efficiency within the food-water-energy-nutrition nexus.

Summary: This study explores and analyzes the development of novel "growing-service systems" (GSS) in modular urban-vertical farming, focusing on new business models that provide functions and services rather than just products. These systems involve modular, small-scale farms integrated into various commercial and residential spaces, often featuring automation and digital solutions for remote control and optimization. The research uses qualitative methods to highlight diverse strategies, business models, motivations, and challenges, distinguishing between business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) approaches where modular units are offered as rentals, subscriptions, or purchases coupled with ongoing services.