Leafy vegetables have been growing in a new vertical farm in an industrial area in Amsterdam-West for a few weeks. This is Growy's vertical farm, one of the few actively producing vertical farms in the Netherlands, notes Trouw on a visit to Amsterdam.
The newspaper speaks to down-to-earth grower Ard van de Kreeke about the initial hype, now the "valley of disillusionment" the sector is in, plans, and the possibilities for vertical farms in the Netherlands. "Tech giants invested hundreds of millions in this kind of business. They wanted to build something gigantic and futuristic, but we are just talking about lettuce leaves."
Multilayer cultivation Growy, which also operates outside the Netherlands in countries including Singapore and Kuwait
In the newspaper, Leo Marcelis, David Katzin, and Luuk Graamans also shed light on recent developments. Katzin and Graamans are critical, partly because of the well-known argument about "free sunlight" being missed in a vertical farm.
Grower Ard emphasizes the positive of even more control over growing factors than in the greenhouse. The WUR scientists also mention this. They especially see opportunities for a hybrid form, with propagation in a vertical farm and propagation in a greenhouse.
Source: Trouw (€)