The Food and Agriculture Organization, FAO, has declared 2021 the International Year of Fruits and Vegetables intending to improve healthy and sustainable food production through innovation and technology and to reduce food loss and waste. The IYFV 2021 is a unique opportunity to raise awareness on the important role of fruits and vegetables in human nutrition, food security, health, and as well in achieving UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Main objectives of IYFV 2021
- Raising awareness of and directing policy attention to the nutrition and health benefits of fruits and vegetable consumption.
- Promoting diversified, balanced, and healthy diets and lifestyles through fruits and vegetable consumption.
- Reducing losses and waste in fruits and vegetables food systems.
- Improved sustainability of storage, transport, trade, processing, transformation, retail, waste reduction, and recycling, as well as interactions among these processes.
Solutions from Plant Factories to the concerns
Water-Saving
As plants absorb nutrients and water more easily in plant factories, they grow 50% faster and use up 90-95% less water than conventional agricultural methods.
Longer Shelf Life
Compared to those grown in soil, the risk of plant infection is lowered for crops grown in plant factories as they are cultivated in a sterilized environment, and therefore, have a longer shelf life.
Optimum Plant Growth Conditions
Keeping control over growth conditions at the highest levels provides the best possible environment for plants, resulting in better quality and farm yields as the risks of climate disasters, preventing plant diseases.
Advantages of Plan Nutrition
Customized nutrition programs can be created for crops to make them healthier for human health; for instance, the amount of potassium can be lowered from lettuce for patients with kidney problems.
Products Ready to Consume
Since pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides are not used in vertical farming, no chemical residues are found in crops. Therefore, they are hygienic enough to eat even without washing.
Eliminating Transportation Issues
Since facilities are built close to places where consumers live, products reach end-users faster, and quality loss due to the problems caused by transportation and delivery will be avoided. Therefore, products will be delivered to end-users in the freshest possible way, enabling them to save on transportation costs, causing less CO2 emission.