China unveils world’s first unmanned 20-storey vertical ‘plants factory’
A staffer works at an organic vegetable factory in Yongchun County, East China’s Fujian Province
Currently, the entire automated production system in Chengdu is at the forefront plant growing technology
Editor Li Yan
Global Times
2023-12-03
Excerpt:
China’s first homegrown unmanned vertical plants factory was recently unveiled in Chengdu, Southwest China’s Sichuan Province, the first of its kind globally, China Media Group (CMG) reported on Sunday.
The plants factory was developed by the Institute of Urban Agriculture (IUA) under the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, according to the report.
Vertical farming technology represents the advanced stage of facility agriculture and is a crucial frontier in the exploration of global agricultural science and technology. It is an efficient agricultural system that enables year-round continuous green food production within multi-story structures.
This system can be utilized for food production in urban areas as well as in deserts and on barren lands. Its advantages are evident in addressing issues such as stable local food supply in future urban environments to expand cultivation space.
The Chinese research and development team took the lead in creating the so-called “plant light formula” to improve light efficiency, which helped overcome the challenge of “low light efficiency and high energy consumption” at plant factories.
The 20-storey vertical unmanned plant factory they have constructed is the world’s first of its kind.
Currently, the entire automated production system in Chengdu is at the forefront plant growing technology, and the number of layers in a single facility is also the highest in the world, Gan Bingcheng, deputy head of the IUA, said in the CMG report.
