Frequently asked questions

You can definitely get involved in the Vertical Farming movement.

The best way to proceed is to

1. Become an AVF-member.
2. Fill in this Survey to find out how we can best help you

This way, you can give us more information about you, your background, your plans and consequently, we can find ways to support you. Also, the AVF hosts a number of events around the world that help you get involved and educated.

If you are new to vertical farming, explore our Media, Glossary, White Papers, Urban Agriculture Integration Typology, Vertical Farming Infographics, the vertical farming Map and our FAQ

The reason that Vertical Farms are not being built by the millions already is that it is a completely new industry, meaning that there’s still a lot of uncertainty about the return on investment (ROI). At the moment there’s the need for more proven Vertical Farms, knowledge & research, experts, investments, innovative business plans, engineering solutions and architecture that integrates food productions into new and existing infrastructure. The technical limiting factor for plants VF’s is still energy costs related to lighting and HVAC but these are being overcome rapidly as more investors and entrepreneurs get involved.

First of all: Every Vertical Farm is different and Construction and Operation costs depend on city location, availability, technology used, local laws and Policy, energy source, climate, type of building and many other variables.

The goal for you is to calculate those variables and make a Vertical Farm work where you want it to work. To help you with those calculations there is 1 website we recommend that will help you: Vertical Farming Academy: Gives you free content from all around the world, while guiding you to even more in depth knowledge.

At the moment, the most feasible plant crops are high value small crops (like strawberries, microgreens) and leafy greens (herbs, lettuces, vegetables) – but of course this differs from region to region. There are also a lot of plants that can be grown in Vertical Farms for non-food purposes, eg. for pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, research etc. Next to plants, there are also proven mushroom and insect farms that use vertical space.

It’s important to know that the sky’s the limit. The more people who get in on this, the more different systems will be built and the more crops that will be grown. Maybe you can contribute to this.

There is 1 website we recommend that will help you chose the right crops: Vertical Farming Academy: It gives you free content from all around the world, while guiding you to even more in depth knowledge.

There’s a lot of information out there on Vertical Farming. You can start by exploring our Media, Glossary, White Papers, Urban Agriculture Integration Typology, Vertical Farming Infographics, the vertical farming Map, our FAQ and join VF-events. As an AVF-member you get access to a list of more important information. Plus, we can get you into contact with the Vertical Farming experts.

Get an overview of all the needed skills and expertise by filling in this questionnaire. Afterward, we can discuss what next steps you can take to proceed.

And last but not least: There is 1 website we recommend for more in-depth theoretical training: Vertical Farming Academy: It gives you free content from all around the world while guiding you to even more in-depth knowledge.

To be up to date about what’s going on in the world of vertical farming, please visit the AVF events-page, subscribe to the newsletter (right bottom of the AVF -website) and follow the AVF through our media (Facebook / LinkedIn / Twitter / Instagram / Youtube ).

What’s in it for me?

• Enjoy exclusive AVF member discounts on events, hackathons and workshops around the world.
• Expose your business to a relevant audience and venture to new markets.
• Secure a spot for your organization on the interactive AVF Map.
• Feature your work on our monthly newsletter and inform a targeted audience about your latest developments (upon request).
• Find like-minded change-makers to share information and accelerate the implementation of Vertical Farming
• Join forces to bring about rapid change and be heard by policy makers.
• Connect with Vertical Farming consultants and technology companies
• Find an internship and/or career opportunity
• Thrive in a synergetic community of vertical farming advocates and associate your initiative with them

To facilitate this and member-involvement the AVF needs its members’ support, in-kind and financially. The AVF-team communicates with members and authorities, does bookkeeping, reports, marketing, website maintenance, events, awareness work and a lot of other organizing.

Read more about AVF Member Benefits.

The AVF is a global network uniting many players involved in vertical farming that want to implement true sustainability. So yes, We can get you in contact with the right people and companies to help you initiate vertical farming the way you want it.

There are two ways for you to proceed:

1) You are very new to the scene:

1. Explore our Media, Glossary, White Papers, Urban Agriculture Integration Typology, Vertical Farming Infographics, the vertical farming Map and our FAQ
2. Become an AVF-member.
3. Fill in this Survey to find out how we can best help you.
4. For more in-depth theoretical training there is 1 website we recommend: Vertical Farming Academy: It gives you free content from all around the world while guiding you to even more in-depth knowledge.

2) You have already have a well thought out project in mind

1. Fill in the Request For Proposal – questionnaire. We will distribute it to our members who can help you start up Vertical Farming
2. Become an AVF-member and help grow the international Movement for sustainable vertical farming

Fantastic that you want to become a part of the international Vertical Farming movement. Joining is simple – just go to this link and fill in the registration form, transfer the membership fee and you’re in.

So you’ve registered as a member of the AVF and you paid your membership fee. These are actually the only steps you need to take to create a user account. Now you can log in on the website and update your profile: Logo, description, address,… you can easily do it by:

1. Logging in on the AVF-website via this link
2. Go to the “menu”
3. Now you can update following things of your user account
   1. Your Account Settings
   2. Change password
   3. Your AVF membership
   4. The “questionnaire” about your company
   5. Your Career-offerings

If you have any more questions. Don’t hesitate and contact info@vertical-farming.net

The AVF website welcomes many unique visitors every day and many want to know who our members are. Logos are reserved for business and institution members only. Our members are entitled to exposure on our website. To get your logo and information into the members-section and your spot on the interactive Vertical Farming map. Seize the opportunity and:

1. Log in on the AVF-website
2. Go to “menu”
3. Go to “questionnaire”
4. Fill in the questionnaire completely
5. Relax and wait until it’s approved (usually within 24h)

We are happy to connect members with each other, so definitely contact us if you are interested in visiting some vertical farms near you or on your travels.

To become a regional chapter of the AVF, there are two possibilities:

1. The regional chapter is an existing organization with the same mission as vision as the AVF, that has a local focus. For the AVF to appoint an existing organization as a regional chapter following steps are required:
   1. The organization is an AVF-member, or several members of the local network organization are AVF-members.
   2. The AVFi and the local organization partner on a specific project: Events, research, policy,…
   3. After 6 months of cooperation the AVFi-team decides if the local organization becomes an AVF regional chapter
2. The regional chapter is an organization set up by members of the AVF
   1. At least 2 local AVF-members decide to set up an organization in a specific region
   2. The AVFi and the local members partner on a specific project: Events, research, policy,…
   3. After 6 months of cooperation the AVFi-team decides if the local organization becomes an AVF regional chapter

There are many ways the AVF supports the PG’s and RC’s. More specifics on this are being handled. For more information email info@vertical-farming.net