Vancouver is about to get North America’s first VertiCrop rooftop veggie garden as part of the city’s goal to become the world’s greenest city by 2020.
Developed by Vancouver-based Valcent Products Inc., VertiCrop is a high-tech vertical farming system that enables leafy green vegetables to be grown using a fraction of the land, energy, and water conventionally required to grow produce.
Valcent has entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with EasyPark, a corporation that manages parkades and properties owned by the City of Vancouver, to install a VertiCrop system on the top level of a parkade on Richards Street in the heart of the city’s downtown.
Named in 2009 as one of TIME Magazine’s 50 Best Inventions, VertiCrop enables leafy greens and flowers to be grown year round in a controlled environment without the use of herbicides or pesticides.
“We’re very excited about the possibility of having North America’s first VertiCrop operation installed in the progressive city of Vancouver,” said Stephen Fane, CEO of Valcent.
“Urban farming systems like VertiCrop provide a secure and profitable growing solution by offering more efficient crop production, reduced food miles, and lower distribution costs than traditional field farming.”
Utilizing a series of suspended trays that rotate on motorized conveyors, the hydroponic system provides optimal exposure to either natural or artificial light with each plant receiving precisely measured nutrients.
The system produces around 20 times the yield of normal field crops while using only 8 percent of the water typically required for field agriculture, according to the company.
The Vancouver project, which will include a 550-square-metre (6,000-square-foot) greenhouse built on underutilized space on the top level of the parkade, will yield the equivalent of 6.4 hectares (16 acres) of produce grown in California fields, Valcent said.
“The proposed VertiCrop installation in the City of Vancouver showcases our ability to adapt our urban assets to meet changing market demands and promote environmental leadership,” Mel McKinney, general manager for EasyPark, said in a press release.
“This long-term lease generates direct financial benefit to Vancouverites while showcasing Vancouver’s sustainability innovation.”
Construction of the project is scheduled to begin in January, with the first crops expected as soon as April. Local food supplier PSWJ Holdings Ltd., which entered into the MOU with Valcent and EasyPark, will market and distribute the produce.
“The ability to grow high-volume produce in local environments where weather and natural disasters aren’t a threat has never been more attractive,” said Fane.
“The way we produce food today will not satisfy global demand in the future. VertiCrop is the paradigm shift that we need in agriculture.”
Paignton Zoo in the United Kingdom, an educational and scientific charity dedicated to conserving wildlife, uses VertiCrop to grow herbs like parsley and oregano, leafy greens, and fruits such as cherry tomatoes and strawberries. The produce is used to feed the animals.
