The Next Generation of Vertical Farming | Alexander Olesen | TEDxWarrenton

NOTE FROM TED: This talk only represents the speaker's personal business approach to and understanding of nutrition and agriculture. We've flagged this talk because it falls outside the content guidelines TED gives TEDx organizers. TEDx events are independently organized by volunteers. The guidelines we give TEDx organizers are described in more detail here: storage.ted.com/tedx/manuals/t...
Large commercial greenhouses and vertical farms dominate the emerging field of controlled environment agriculture. This talk explains how a new generation of accessible, modular vertical farms are empowering businesses and communities to grow their own food while developing innovative programming to educate and inspire consumers. Alexander Olesen is the CEO & Co-Founder of Babylon Micro-Farms Inc. They build and operate a distributed network of on-site vertical farms that allow food service operations to grow fresh produce and ingredients in a safe, reliable, and convenient way, benefiting consumers and the planet. He founded the company as a student at the University of Virginia while studying social-entrepreneurship. He is an award-winning entrepreneur, including being listed on Forbes 30 Under 30, and a keynote speaker on climate technology and vertical farming. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at www.ted.com/tedx

[@raygilmer]

Congrats on this important initiative. It appears this model is best suited for leafy greens production. California and Arizona are the biggest shippers, especially in colder months, and the shipping/handling to the eastern markets takes a toll on product quality. Scaling down from those massive operations (both in field and greenhouse production) would allow "locally grown" to be more feasible for leafy greens commodities. I wonder about the strategies for managing whatever pest and disease pressures there may be in these micro-greenhouse installations, especially providing support for novice growers. Also, how do these systems translate for other produce crops that would require more space?

[@Valeria.N817]

I’ve shared this far and wide - brilliant!

[@dioneymora246]

This is great TED !

[@FernandoRamirez-np7lm]

Really well done

[@alanvalencia-gd2jj]

love this

[@ChuchinFlores-oo4eo]

I’ve never thought of this before

[@adri-ls4ub]

Great

[@swanknightscapt113]

Still expensive and out of reach for budget-conscious normies

[@BabylonMicroFarms]

You have to start somewhere! Our goal is to drive the manufacturing costs down so this becomes accessble to anyone.