It is no secret that long-standing macro-economic trends (i.e., scarcity of land, labor, and water) are a challenge to the stability and sustainability of traditional field agriculture. Additionally, it is becoming clear that the broad and unpredictable effects of climate change will only exacerbate the existing issues with our current produce production model and increase the volatility of our food supply chain. These dynamics are more than enough to encourage the exploration of innovative solutions, but at Wilder Fields we believe there is more to the story:
90% of the leafy greens in this country are harvested and shipped from either the Central Valley of California or the Yuma Valley in Arizona - the flavour, quality, and nutritional content of our country's produce is a function of this constraint
One of the most prosperous countries in the world has been forced to develop a term to describe endemic nutritional inequality - "food desert"
The rise of eCommerce has shuttered Big Box retail stores across the country, to the significant detriment of local economic activity
Wilder Fields' model is predicated on the belief that vertical farming technology and innovation, executed thoughtfully, can make a positive impact on all of these issues. We believe in doing good by doing well, because being sustainable requires a sustainable model.
We will discuss how vertical farming works, the vertical farming industry's current landscape, the role that technology and innovation plays in this space, and how vertical farming can be applicable to food innovation, more broadly.
Andrew Opp, COO, Wilder Fields
