Organisers of next week’s Vertical Farming World Congress on 20-22 September online are confident that recent developments mean the sector is about to expand even faster than anticipated.

Organisers of next week's Vertical Farming World Congress on 20-22 September online are confident that recent developments mean the sector is about to expand even faster than anticipated.

"Up to now, pioneering companies have been concentrating on quality, systems and efficiency," commented Richard Hall, Chairman of specialist independent food and drink consultancy Zenith Global.

"This year has seen two fundamental changes. One is an acceleration in funding for geographic expansion. The other is a widening realisation that existing complex supply chains are at underlying risk from multiple forces, such as climate change, covid and Brexit.

"Our Congress is designed to digest all this and help businesses chart the way forward. Our theme of ‘raising expectations' is to ensure we reflect the new horizons of opportunity.

"To date, vertical farming has become increasingly established for leafy greens and microgreens. The future will focus on four dimensions - profitability and diversification to spread accessibility and affordability," he concluded.

The Congress programme includes many of the industry leaders at the forefront of recent acquisition, funding and expansion announcements such as AeroFarms, Bowery, CubicFarm, IGS, Infarm, Kalera, Plenty, Vertical Future, YesHealth and 80 Acres.

Other speakers range from technology developers at NASA and retailers like IKEA to pioneers from Chile, India, Japan and Malaysia.

The event also features the 2021 Vertical Farming World Awards, an introductory workshop on planning an urban farming business, virtual farm visits and numerous social networking opportunities. It concludes with policy discussions involving all the industry's representative associations from Africa, Japan and the United Kingdom as well as the Association for Vertical Farming and FarmTech Society.

The Congress is sponsored by several leading industry suppliers including platinum sponsors Vertical Future and IGS Limited, gold sponsor CubicFarm Systems plus silver sponsors Light Science Technologies and Roto-Gro International, with additional support from FarmTech Society.

Full programme and booking details are available at zenithglobal.com/events, with discounted rates for start-ups and companies with 4 or more delegates.