The Right Answer
The right answer depends on where you are.
In northern Canada, where produce travels thousands of miles and winter production is exceptionally difficult, a vertical farm may be the most economical option.
In southern India, where strawberries are available for only three months each year, imports are restricted, and one company built a vertical farm for half the cost of a Dutch greenhouse, vertical farming starts to make economic sense.
But those are market-specific solutions, not proof that the technology belongs everywhere.
That's why I'm skeptical of vertical farms growing lettuce in regions where a simple greenhouse could produce an excellent crop at a fraction of the cost.
Economics should choose the technology, not the other way around.
