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Advancing vertical farming with automation for sustainable food production

  • Senthold Asseng

    Senthold Asseng is Professor of Digital Agriculture and the Director of the Hans Eisenmann-Forum for Agricultural Sciences at the Technical University of Munich (TUM). He earned his PhD from Humboldt University Berlin before becoming a Principal Research Scientist at CSIRO in Australia. Later, he held the position of Full Professor in Agricultural and Biological Engineering at the University of Florida, where he also served as the Director of the Florida Climate Institute. In 2020, Prof. Asseng joined TUM as a Professor, bringing his expertise to the institution. His research focuses on analyzing atmosphere-crop-soil systems, with interests in the impacts of climate variability and climate change, cropping sustainability, and food security. Additionally, Prof. Asseng explores how systems analysis and crop modeling can support autonomous robot-managed cropping systems in the field and fully environmentally controlled vertical farming setups.

     ORCID logo EMAIL logo     and Sebastian Eichelsbacher

    Sebastian Eichelsbacher is a Research Associate and PhD student at the Chair of Digital Agriculture, Technical University of Munich. He completed his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Agricultural Sciences at the same institution. Through numerous internships and study trips, Sebastian gained a comprehensive understanding of agriculture across the United States of America, Brazil, China, Singapore, and Europe. In 2021, he embarked on his PhD journey, focusing on vertical farming. Sebastian’s research centers on the limits of the production of indoor wheat within fully controlled environmental systems. He optimizes climate conditions, including temperature, light, CO2 levels, and hydroponic nutrient solutions, to maximize productivity in vertical farming.
Published/Copyright: June 28, 2024
at - Automatisierungstechnik
From the journal at - Automatisierungstechnik Volume 72 Issue 7

Abstract

The increasing global population, combined with the impacts of climate change, underscores the urgent need for novel food production systems. Conventional field-based agriculture strains planetary boundaries. Vertical farming (VF) emerges as a promising alternative. It enables precise manipulation of growth factors, including light, temperature, humidity, and nutrient delivery, leading to higher yields and superior crop quality while reducing the environmental impact. Automation and robotics will enhance efficiency, while hydroponic techniques minimize fertilizer usage. Collaborative efforts are essential to address challenges such as energy consumption and technology costs to fully realize the potential of VF. Vertical farming aligns with many of the Global Sustainability Goals, offering a pathway towards food security challenges while fostering sustainability.

Kurzfassung

Das Wachstum der Weltbevölkerung kombiniert mit den Auswirkungen des Klimawandels, unterstreicht die dringende Notwendigkeit für neuartige Systeme zur Nahrungsmittelerzeugung. Die konventionelle, auf Feldern basierende Landwirtschaft belastet die planetaren Grenzen. Vertical Farming (VF) erweist sich als vielversprechende Alternative. Es ermöglicht eine präzise Steuerung von Wachstumsfaktoren wie Licht, Temperatur, Luftfeuchtigkeit und Nährstoffversorgung, was zu höheren Erträgen und besserer Qualität der Ernte führt und gleichzeitig die Umweltauswirkungen reduziert. Automatisierung und Robotik werden die Effizienz steigern, während hydroponische Bewässerungssysteme den Einsatz von Düngemitteln minimieren. Gemeinsame Anstrengungen sind unerlässlich, um Herausforderungen wie den Energieverbrauch und die Kosten der Technologie zu bewältigen, um das volle Potenzial im Vertical Farming auszuschöpfen. Vertical Farming steht im Einklang mit vielen globalen Nachhaltigkeitszielen und bietet einen Weg zur Bewältigung von Herausforderungen der Nahrungsmittelsicherheit und zur Förderung der Nachhaltigkeit.

Keywords: automation; food production; robotics; vertical farming
Schlagwörter: Automatisierung; Nahrungsmittelerzeugung; Robotik; Vertical Farming
Corresponding author: Senthold Asseng, Department of Life Science Engineering, TUM School of Life Sciences, Digital Agriculture, HEF World Agricultural Systems Center, Technical University of Munich, Liesel-Beckmann-Str. 2, 85354 Freising, Germany, E-mail:

About the authors

Senthold Asseng

Senthold Asseng is Professor of Digital Agriculture and the Director of the Hans Eisenmann-Forum for Agricultural Sciences at the Technical University of Munich (TUM). He earned his PhD from Humboldt University Berlin before becoming a Principal Research Scientist at CSIRO in Australia. Later, he held the position of Full Professor in Agricultural and Biological Engineering at the University of Florida, where he also served as the Director of the Florida Climate Institute. In 2020, Prof. Asseng joined TUM as a Professor, bringing his expertise to the institution. His research focuses on analyzing atmosphere-crop-soil systems, with interests in the impacts of climate variability and climate change, cropping sustainability, and food security. Additionally, Prof. Asseng explores how systems analysis and crop modeling can support autonomous robot-managed cropping systems in the field and fully environmentally controlled vertical farming setups.

Sebastian Eichelsbacher

Sebastian Eichelsbacher is a Research Associate and PhD student at the Chair of Digital Agriculture, Technical University of Munich. He completed his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Agricultural Sciences at the same institution. Through numerous internships and study trips, Sebastian gained a comprehensive understanding of agriculture across the United States of America, Brazil, China, Singapore, and Europe. In 2021, he embarked on his PhD journey, focusing on vertical farming. Sebastian’s research centers on the limits of the production of indoor wheat within fully controlled environmental systems. He optimizes climate conditions, including temperature, light, CO2 levels, and hydroponic nutrient solutions, to maximize productivity in vertical farming.

Acknowledgments

We want to thank Werner Siemens-Stiftung for supporting our research in vertical farming.

  1. Research ethics: Not applicable.

  2. Author contributions: The authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this manuscript and approved its submission.

  3. Competing interests: The authors state no conflict of interest.

  4. Research funding: None declared.

  5. Data availability: Not applicable.

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Received: 2024-04-24
Accepted: 2024-05-02
Published Online: 2024-06-28
Published in Print: 2024-07-26

© 2024 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

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https://doi.org/10.1515/auto-2024-0065
Keywords for this article
automation; food production; robotics; vertical farming

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Survey
  3. Biological engineering – an engineering discipline crucial to the future of our civilization
  4. Forum
  5. New biological solutions to the many problems of our time
  6. Survey
  7. Biological engineering as a driver of innovation: implications for the economy
  8. Advancing vertical farming with automation for sustainable food production
  9. Harnessing microalgae: from biology to innovation in sustainable solutions
  10. Generation of molecular hydrogen (H2) by microalgae and their biocatalysts
  11. Biocatalytic approaches for plastic recycling
  12. Engineered living materials: pushing the boundaries of materials sciences through biological engineering
  13. The fabrication-assembly challenge in tissue engineering
  14. Evolution of biofabrication and 3D-bioprinting technologies – from market pull to technology push
  15. A bio-engineering approach to generate bioinspired (spider) silk protein-based materials
  16. RNA aptamers: promising tools in synthetic biology
  17. Automated handling of biological objects with a flexible gripper for biodiversity research
  18. Building with renewable materials
  19. Growing new types of building materials: mycelium-based composite materials
  20. Façade greening – from science to school
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