Living Lab at UCLA

A Seed Concept: Vertical Farming

Vertical Green Technologies hope is to contribute to the UCLA | NRT-INFEWS program with creating a vertical garden on the UCLA campus in the Boelter Hall Courtyard. Food, water and energy are critical elements of the fresh food circular economy and urban sustainability. Vertical farming is all about delivering locally grown safe food using the least amount of fresh water, while reducing its energy footprint with innovative technological advances.

THE PROBLEM

The fresh food consumer market is in the midst of a major transformation. Consumers are asking for more transparency and the elimination of chemically treated food. Several surveys indicate consumer’s preference for locally grown food over organic food. However, demand for locally produced fresh food either far exceeds supply or is simply unavailable. Instead, most urban residents consume chemically treated leafy greens that have been transported thousands of miles and have lost significant nutritional value and freshness. The dramatic rise in demand has incentivized several new vertical farms to spring up. However, existing vertical farms are capital intensive, labor intensive, and are unable to achieve price parity with conventional open field agriculture.

OUR SOLUTION

Vertical Green Technologies has created the next generation vertical farm by designing and developing a fully automated and cost-effective vertical farm. The vertical farm addresses the issues of costs, efficiency, quality, automation and safety.

  • The shelving cluster design increases productivity and saves on space and costs.
  • The modular element design facilitates swift construction of the farm.
  • The enclosed chamber creates a true airtight environment.
  • High-pressure misting irrigation system deliver all the benefits of “Aeroponic Farming.”

Finally, by integrating automation, robots and machine vision to monitor the growth and health of the plants. Therefore reducing human interaction with the plant, human error and labor cost.

How it works:

Aeroponics

  • Exposed roots fed by mist instead of dirt
  • Can produce fresh leafy greens that are chemical free and competitively priced

Partners

  • UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability
  • UCLA Samueli Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering
  • NSF
  • UCLA Samueli School of Engineering
  • Vertical Green Technlogies