University of Surrey to lead £1.4m project exploring potential of vertical farming

Could vertical farming be the key to improving the UK’s food system? This is the central question behind a new research project led by the University of Surrey that’s been awarded £1.4 million by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).

The Vertical Farming to Improve UK Food System Resilience (VF-UKFSR) project will investigate how the practice can improve the country’s supply of nutritious leafy greens, essential for a healthy diet.

Vertical farming is a method of growing crops in stacked layers, often indoors, using controlled environments.

Unlike traditional farming, it doesn’t rely on soil or natural sunlight, but instead uses soilless techniques and artificial lighting to create optimal conditions for plant growth.

This allows crops to be grown year-round, regardless of weather conditions, and makes more efficient use of space and resources.

Dr Zoe M Harris, project lead at the university’s Centre for Environment and Sustainability, said: “We’re keen to explore how vertical farming can provide local, diverse and culturally appropriate food, given its potential to grow a wide variety of crops.

“So far, there’s been little in-depth analysis of the risks to our country’s leafy greens supply, nor a thorough examination of the benefits and trade-offs vertical farming could bring to the UK's food system.

“Thanks to this grant from UKRI, we’re excited to change that and create a clear roadmap to unlock this potential on a larger scale.”

The research team will work closely with farmers, industry, government and the community to make sure that the outputs of the project focus on real-life and immediate benefits.

The core team is made up of whole-system, environmental and social scientists, UK Urban AgriTech (UKUAT), and five farm partners – Flex Farming, Innovation Agritech Group, Farm Urban, GrowPura, and LettUs Grow.

Dr Lada Timotijevic from the University of Surrey added: “Our research is all about identifying and understanding the risks to our food system and seeing how vertical farming can help tackle these challenges.

“We want to create tools that make it easy to see the impact of expanding vertical farming on considerations including food supply, land use and the environment, so we can make smart decisions for the future. 

“We’re also focused on understanding the public’s perceptions of vertical farming and the social conditions needed for vertical farming to succeed, as well as on working closely with farmers, industry and policymakers to build a roadmap that supports its growth across the UK.”

Surrey researchers joining Dr Harris and Dr Timotijevic on the project are Dr Lirong Liu, Dr James Suckling and Dr Damiete Emmanuel-Yusuf 

They’ll be assisted by Professor Astley Hastings from the University of Aberdeen, Dr Alexandra Penn from the University of Sussex, and Mark Horler from UKUAT.