Panasonic's vegetable farm resides in an inconspicuous warehouse in Singapore.
The farm's 20 workers put on hairnets, face masks, gloves, and hazmat suits before handling the produce to make sure they don't contaminate it.
The farm produces 81 tons of greens per year — 0.015% of all produce grown in Singapore. The hopes to eventually raise that percentage to 5%.
There are currently 40 types of crops in the warehouse, including mini red radish, mini white radish, rocket lettuce, mizuna, Swiss chard, romaine lettuce, and rainbow chard. By March 2017, the farm plans to start growing 30 more varieties.
To plant the greens, Panasonic's workers place tiny seeds on growing beds. Unlike many vertical farms, Panasonic's grows its greens in soil.
Everything grows under LEDs instead of sunlight. The lights come from a local company and waste less energy than typical light bulbs.
Panasonic's farm likely still has high energy costs, however, since the LEDs are on 24-7. Even the best LEDs have only a 50% efficiency rate, meaning half the electricity is turned to heat, not light, The New York Times reports.
The LEDs shine at a specific frequency that encourages the plants to grow quickly. The farmers also control the warehouse's climate, including its oxygen and pH levels, as well as temperature.
Once the seeds begin to sprout, the farmers transfer the plants to small pots.
Small nozzles feed nutrient-rich water to the crops.
The farm's goal is to increase the amount of produce grown in Singapore, which imports over 90% of its food. The island nation has a shortage of arable land, so indoor farming could become a viable way to grow more greens, Tham says.
Each 3-ounce bowl of salad greens from the farm sells for about $5 in Singapore's grocery stores, under the brand Veggie Life. In late December 2016, Panasonic also started selling greens to local restaurants.
Panasonic's indoor agriculture project is part of its Factory Solutions division, which creates industrial machines and systems. Given the division's experience with engineering and manufacturing, Panasonic sees indoor agriculture as a profitable extension of its business, Tham says.
"We foresee this business to be a potential growth portfolio, given the global shortage of arable land, increasing populations, climate change, and demand for high quality and stable food supply," Tham says.
