World's largest vertical farm in Dubai

"If you walk into a grocery store in Dubai, the spinach on the shelves will probably be from Europe — or even from as far away as the United States. Because of limited arable land and water, the United Arab Emirates imports about 90% of its food. But inside a warehouse-like building near the Dubai airport, a new vertical farm is now beginning to grow more than 2 million pounds of local leafy greens per year. The farm, called ECO 1, is now the largest vertical farm in the world, with the more than 330,000-square-foot facility stacked with shelves growing lettuce, spinach, arugula, and mixed greens . . . Like other indoor farms, the new facility automatically tracks and adjusts lighting, humidity, nutrients, and other factors to boost plant growth . . . The facility also uses 95% less water than is required to grow greens in a field, and no pesticides or herbicides; because it’s grown in a controlled environment and immediately sent to stores . . . Unsurprisingly, there is less spoilage than with produce that has traveled thousands of miles . . . The farm runs on conventional energy, though the company plans to use solar power in the future."