Chinese scientists have put the world’s tallest unmanned vertical vegetable farm into operation in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, in response to President Xi Jinping’s call to reinforce the nation’s food security through technological innovation. The 20-story urban farm, built under the oversight of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences in a downtown part of Chengdu, represents world-leading automation in farming. It also marks the latest effort to leverage technological innovation to ensure there is enough food to feed the country’s 1.4 billion people, as the nation’s self-sufficiency drive has become increasingly prioritized against the backdrop of geopolitical tensions that could affect imports and supply chains. Vertical farms, which have been set up in countries such as Japan, Singapore and the United States, are efficient agricultural systems that enable year-round continuous food production within multi-story structures. They can operate anywhere from urban settings to deserts, offering significant advantages in providing stable food supplies to areas where traditional farming is not possible.
During a July meeting of the Central Financial and Economic Affairs Commission, President Xi Jinping specifically mentioned the need to cultivate vegetables in urban and barren regions, and he pointed to success stories in Gansu province and Xinjiang, which have arid to semi-arid climates. “Many lands that were previously unsuitable for agricultural production can now be utilized,” Xi said at the meeting. Chengdu’s vertical plant farm utilizes a range of cutting-edge technologies, including autonomously bred crop varieties, a vertical three-dimensional cultivation system, an automatic nutrient-supply system, energy-efficient artificial lighting emulating natural conditions, and an AI-based control system.
Unaffected by climate and geographical constraints, the Chengdu facility can produce a harvest of lettuce every 35 days under controlled environmental conditions. Other leafy greens, fruits and edible mushrooms can also be produced on a large scale within the vertical plant. A breeding accelerator precisely regulates light and nutrients, inducing early flowering and promoting rapid crop growth, significantly shortening crops' growth cycles. The scientists said that the produce grown in the vertical farm is just as nutritious as that grown on farmland. China has also built high-rise pig farms in places such as Hubei province and grown rice in the salt deserts of Xinjiang, using advanced technologies, the South China Morning Post reports.
