More than a year from the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain issues are still grabbing headlines and delaying packages. Vertical farming companies — with much shorter supply chains — were still trying to capitalize on the moment and make themselves indispensable to grocery stores, consumers and restaurants. The issues with protein and produce imports, labor shortages, and changes to precipitation and heat cycles due to climate change have all been tailwinds for the sector this year.

"[The COVID-19 pandemic] really highlighted the need for food sovereignty," said Sanjeev Krishnan, managing director and chief investment officer at S2G ventures, a food and agriculture venture fund. "Figuring out import substitution and establishing the ability to create your own climate, as opposed to relying on outdoor climates for food production."

As the pandemic moved even more consumerism into the e-commerce realm, Krishnan calls the United States "over-retailed" and sees tremendous opportunity for unused retail real estate to be taken over by vertical farms for food production.

Many important players in the vertical farming spaces had big plans for 2021. But there have also been real setbacks for the vertical farming world over the past 12 months, which could indicate that investors, entrepreneurs and consumers are getting disillusioned after a few years of intense hype around the sector.

With both these forces in mind, here’s a recap of the biggest 2021 news from top vertical farming companies and what that could mean for the industry going forward.

Read the full article about vertical farming by Jesse Klein at GreenBiz.