Taiwan has chosen the UK to be the home of a new £18 million vertical farming business, with hopes it will bring the next generation of food production to UK shores.
Agritech company YesHealth Biotechnology will set up its European base in York, hoping to provide local consumers with "fresh and pesticide-free products".
The Taiwan-based company already operates a 14-storey vertical farm in Taoyuan City, and now plans to establish a new facility at the National Agri-Food Innovation Campus (NAFIC) in York over the next two years.
Winston Tsai, President of YesHealth iFarm said the UK is the "obvious choice" to be the location for its new farm.
"YesHealth Group has proven that vertical farming is a profitable business that can create new jobs in a farming industry that is finding it increasingly challenging to attract young workers," Mr Tsai said.
"The vertical farming industry in the United Kingdom is still developing; and this, together with attractive market conditions, makes the United Kingdom an obvious choice for YesHealth Group.
"We would like to take this opportunity to express our sincere gratitude to the British government for their support towards making this a reality."
Artificial control
Vertical farming is the process of producing food on vertically stacked layers indoors. It is commercially viable through reduced power and labour costs.
The modern ideas of vertical farming use indoor farming techniques and controlled-environment agriculture (CEA) technology, where all environmental factors can be controlled.
These facilities utilise artificial control of light and environmental control, such as humidity, temperature and gases.
China is seen as one of the innovators in the urban farming industry. Shanghai is currently planning a 250-acre agricultural district, which will function as a space to work, live, shop, and farm food.
In the UK, sitting 33 meters underneath the busy streets of Clapham, a disused air raid shelter from the Second World War is currently producing sustainable and fresh produce using urban farming methods.
