Giving Compass' Take:

• Crop One Holdings (COH) farms, called FreshBox Farms delivers fresh produce to grocery stores within 24 hours of harvest by using vertical hydroponic farming. 

• Farmers are following population trends of individuals residing or moving into urban areas. As a way to address this, vertical hydroponic farming can be useful for growing produce in vertical buildings and structures. 

• Read about other urban farms using various techniques to stay engaged with people who want to buy produce. 

Crop One Holdings (COH) farms, called FreshBox Farms, deliver fresh produce to stores within 24 hours of harvest. The company aims to address the need for a local, fresh, and sustainably produced food supply through vertical hydroponic farming in Millis, Massachusetts.

With 54 percent of the world’s population residing in urban areas — expected to increase to about 66 percent by 2050, according to the 2014 Revision of World Urbanization Prospect — vertical farming projects strive to expand production on and in buildings and vertical structures. In doing so, growers can reduce their agricultural footprint on the environment and address food security of the urban population.

COH vertical farming units grow modularly and use custom-engineered hydroponic systems to produce their leafy vegetables. They can substitute up to 19 acres of farmland with 29.72-square-meter (320-square-feet) growing units. The units use 1/2500th of the amount of water typically used by field-based growing, and due to their farms’ proximity to their urban consumers, they also have a reduced carbon footprint. The COH’s FreshBox Farms produce are available in 30 locations in the Greater Boston Area within the 100 miles radius from the farm.

Read the full article about vertical hydroponic farming at Food Tank.