Greenhouse farming is the agricultural practice of growing crops in sheltered structures covered by a transparent material such as, glass houses, shade houses, screen house and even crop top structures. The main purpose of greenhouses is to allow the crops to adapt to the different growing conditions and to protect crops from uncertain weather and pests.

The process of planting produce stacked one above another in a closed and controlled environment is what we call indoor vertical farming. This vertical process evidently reduces the land space for plants to grow as opposed to traditional farming methods. Indoor vertical farming is often practiced in cities and urban farming areas due to its ability to thrive in a limited space. There are several advantages of indoor vertical farming which includes sustainable urban growth, maximizing crop yield and reduced labour costs.

Through technology and knowledge, the Netherlands has become a world leader in agricultural innovation and is the second largest exporter of food as measured by value, with United States being the first. This is contributed by precision farming, with the cultivation of crops, via drones which essentially provides accurate readings of soil health, water content, nutrients and growth.Farmers have reduced dependence on water for key crops by 90% and almost completely eliminated the use of chemical pesticides on plants in greenhouses.With 80% of cultivated land being under greenhouse glass, crops are able to grow timely and in any kind of weather through the climate-controlled farms.

One of the main purposes of a greenhouse is to promote a year-round plant production irrespective of its weather, location, and other environmental conditions. Shaul Rabin, managing director of South African greenhouse systems supply company Cyclone Technology, says that climate changes are one of the many key factors that drives greenhouse farming around the world. To sustain a good production of crops, there are several types of equipment that play important roles in greenhouses. This includes the control systems such as, hot air generators, screens, extractor fans, air circulation fans, fertigation, and others. These control systems are extremely crucial in maintaining a smooth crop production year round.

Photo by Spandan Samiran on Medium.