VOA科学技术2023--Indoor Food Growing Operations Face Uncertain Future

Indoor Food Growing Operations Face Uncertain Future

Indoor food growing operations are seeing both successes and failures in the United States. Some companies in the food industry are investing even as competitors fail.

California-based Plenty Unlimited¹ this summer began work on a $300 million indoor plant, while Kroger announced that it will be increasing its availability of vertically³ farmed produce.

Meanwhile, two indoor farming companies that got strong backing — New Jersey's AeroFarms and Kentucky's AppHarvest — filed for bankruptcy⁴ reorganization. And a five-year-old company in Detroit, Planted Detroit, shut its doors this summer.

The industry changes do not worry Jacob Portillo, a grower with Eden Green Technology, an indoor farming company.

"The fact that other people are failing and other people are succeeding, that's going to happen in any industry you go to, but specifically for us, I think that ... the sustainable competitors ... are going to start winning," he said.

Support and criticism of indoor farming

Indoor farming brings growing inside in what experts sometimes call "controlled environment agriculture." There are different methods. One method called vertical² farming involves stacking produce from floor to ceiling, often under artificial lights and with the plants growing in nutrient-enriched water. Other growers are trying very large greenhouses, indoor beds of soil in big buildings and using special robots for parts of the farming process.

Supporters say growing indoors uses less water and land and permits food to be grown closer to consumers, saving on transport. Indoor growing is also a way to protect crops from increasingly extreme weather caused by climate change. The companies often say their products are free of pesticides⁶, although the foods are usually not marketed as organic.

But critics question the sustainability of operations that can require a lot of energy for artificial light. And they say paying for that light can make profitability impossible.

Tom Kimmerer is a plant expert who taught at the University of Kentucky. Kimmerer has followed indoor farming alongside his research into the growth of plants both outdoors and inside. He said his first thought on vertical farm companies — especially those that used a lot of artificial light — was, "Boy, this is a dumb idea," mainly due to high energy costs.

The industry has admitted those high costs. Some companies are seeking to push costs down by using solar power. But even the companies that use a lot of artificial light that does not come from renewables say they can be profitable by eventually producing a high volume of produce year-round.

But Kimmerer thinks there are better ways to provide food locally and extend the growing season — outdoors. He pointed⁷ to Elmwood Stock Farm outside Lexington, Kentucky. The farm can grow tomatoes and greens the whole year using tools like high tunnels, also known as hoop⁸ houses. These are greenhouse-like structures that protect crops while still being partially⁹ open to the outdoors.

He thinks investment flowing toward new versions of indoor farming would be better spent on solutions for outdoor farmers like special robots, or money support for regenerative practices.

Curt¹⁰ Covington of AgAmerica Lending, a private investment company centered on agriculture, is not convinced that indoor farming operations can work - except in special cases.

Given the high cost of indoor operations, Covington said, "It's just hard... to be very profitable."

Words in This Story

vertically -- adv. positioned up and down rather than from side to side

bankruptcy -- n. a condition of financial failure

sustainable – adj. involving methods that do not completely use up natural resources

stack – v. to put things one on top of the other

pesticide⁵ – n. a chemical that is used to kill insects that damage crops

organic – adj. grown without the use of artificial chemicals

dumb -- adj. stupid or foolish

regenerative practices – n. a food production method that supports and nurtures soil health

1 unlimited   

adj.无限的，不受控制的，无条件的

参考例句：

• They flew over the unlimited reaches of the Arctic.他们飞过了茫茫无边的北极上空。
• There is no safety in unlimited technological hubris.在技术方面自以为是会很危险。

2 vertical   

adj.垂直的，顶点的，纵向的；n.垂直物，垂直的位置

参考例句：

• The northern side of the mountain is almost vertical.这座山的北坡几乎是垂直的。
• Vertical air motions are not measured by this system.垂直气流的运动不用这种系统来测量。

3 vertically   

adv.垂直地

参考例句：

• Line the pages for the graph both horizontally and vertically.在这几页上同时画上横线和竖线，以便制作图表。
• The human brain is divided vertically down the middle into two hemispheres.人脑从中央垂直地分为两半球。

4 bankruptcy   

n.破产；无偿付能力

参考例句：

• You will have to pull in if you want to escape bankruptcy.如果你想避免破产，就必须节省开支。
• His firm is just on thin ice of bankruptcy.他的商号正面临破产的危险。

5 pesticide   

n.杀虫剂，农药

参考例句：

• The pesticide was spread over the vegetable plot.菜田里撒上了农药。
• This pesticide is diluted with water and applied directly to the fields.这种杀虫剂用水稀释后直接施用在田里。

6 pesticides   

n.杀虫剂( pesticide的名词复数 )；除害药物

参考例句：

• vegetables grown without the use of pesticides 未用杀虫剂种植的蔬菜
• There is a lot of concern over the amount of herbicides and pesticides used in farming. 人们对农业上灭草剂和杀虫剂的用量非常担忧。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

8 hoop   

n.（篮球）篮圈，篮

参考例句：

• The child was rolling a hoop.那个孩子在滚铁环。
• The wooden tub is fitted with the iron hoop.木盆都用铁箍箍紧。

9 partially   

adv.部分地，从某些方面讲

参考例句：

• The door was partially concealed by the drapes.门有一部分被门帘遮住了。
• The police managed to restore calm and the curfew was partially lifted.警方设法恢复了平静，宵禁部分解除。

10 curt   

adj.简短的，草率的

参考例句：

• He gave me an extremely curt answer.他对我作了极为草率的答复。
• He rapped out a series of curt commands.他大声发出了一连串简短的命令。