In 2022, Dubai unveiled the world’s largest vertical farm. The 31,000-square-meter indoor facility at Dubai’s Al Maktoum International Airport, comprised of trays stacked in towers growing plants with minimal water and soil, produces more than one million kilograms of high-quality leafy greens each year. But it’s not going to hold the title for long.
In 2023, US vertical farming company AeroFarms opened a 65,000-square-foot research and development facility in Abu Dhabi, the largest of its kind in the world, but shortly after, the company filed for bankruptcy and restructured. To make a vertical farm sustainable, both financially and environmentally, it needs to integrate waste streams and renewable energy, says Lloyd — which is just what ReFarm plans to do.