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Diversification can yield growth for wilting vertical farming market 

Vertical farming
Image credit: Something Special / Shutterstock

Vertical farming is not a new concept. In fact, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, designed between 605 – 562 BC during the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar II, are arguably one of the first examples.

While these ancient gardens were designed to be beautiful, in the modern world, vertical farms remain largely hidden from view. Vast warehouses of stacked crops, grown either in air or water rather than soil, with LED  rather than sunlight, they are offering a new hi-tech way to farm.

Over the last decade or so we have seen a glut of startups in this area, with investors throwing billions of pounds at them in the hope that they can solve one of our most pressing problems – how to feed an ever-increasing population in a world where severe weather is destroying crops on traditional farms....