Heralded as a major advance in the cultivation of leafy greens, vertical farming offered apparent advantages in terms of sustainability, product quality and year-round availability.  It is a reality that high capital and operating costs resulted in losses.    Upward Farms, established ten years ago, recently closed with venture capital firms bearing considerable losses. 

In Europe, Infarm, with operations in the U.K., Germany, France and Netherlands, has restructured due to “challenging market conditions”.  Future Crops, in Holland, recently filed for bankruptcy and Agricool, in France, failed as a result of “insufficient turnover to finance the high structural costs”.

Three years ago, this commentator was considering how obsolete high-rise layer houses could be converted to vertical production of high-value micro-greens.  Now the tables are turned, and the question is, can unused concrete boxes be reconfigured for aviary egg production?