Between October 9 and 11, 2023, the 4th edition of the vertical farming world congress was held at the Leonardo City hotel in London. There will be two days of conference sessions, where industry leaders, innovators, suppliers, advisers and investors will share their insights through a series of presentations, interviews and interactive panel discussions, in addition to a welcome drinks reception, industry policy round tables, extensive networking breaks and a gala industry dinner where the Vertical Farming World Awards will be presented. Antonio Jerez and Cristian Nieves attended the congress representing the LIFE FARMITANK project.
The different presentations and panels were mainly focused on the business models applied by successful industries, energy costs, crop versatility, how to enhance the brand to attract new customers, new technological improvements and the analysis of the profiles of the new farmers and consumers.
Some main conclusions from the summit were:
• Focus on one product first and make that one viable, then focus on other niche crops such as berries or others.
• The crucial aspect of co-locating your vertical farm somewhere close to sites or factories with waste streams, distribution networks, renewable energy plants, producers with excessive heat, and so on.
• How the current energy crisis helps growers to rethink their resource consumption in general- do I have to pivot my business model to actually become more efficient in production?
• The shift from traditional farming to high-tech farming is attracting a much younger generation to move into farming again.
• When it comes to price points, sometimes it could be more beneficial to aim below the premium and become mainstream first to gain market share, then expand.
• The power of a brand: how it helps to communicate the benefits of vertical farming to consumers.
This event also served to meet again with suppliers, partners and friends of the industry.
