Canada: Vacant office towers could become vertical farms
Could acres of empty office space in Canada, particularly in Alberta, be reinvented as vertical farms?
By Bronwyn Scrivens
Western Investor
Jan 21, 2022
Excerpt:
Canada, however, is lagging behind on this trend despite being a prime example of a nation that would exponentially benefit from an indoor-farming model, thanks to our six-month winters.
In fact, a 2020 report by the Alberta government on the vertical farming industry counted just seven indoor farming operations in the province, including warehouses and transport containers.
Leaders in this space — including the Netherlands, Israel, U.S.A. and Singapore — are encouraging this industry within national borders through a slew of grants and incentives.
Canada has dipped a toe into this type of assistance, but it has a long way to go.
Unfortunately, high energy costs, high development costs and overall high barriers to entry mean indoor farms require substantial scale, financial backing and a smooth permitting process to be economically viable.
Were Canada (and Alberta) to take a more active role in attracting new and existing vertical farm operations, agritech could grow into a burgeoning industry. Its technology and processes could be exported worldwide.
