Established in Istanbul in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and the private sector, the world's second-deepest indoor vertical agriculture center aims to cultivate new technologies in the face of an ever-growing population. The center also aims to eradicate problems caused by the climate crisis, saving 95% of the water used in a fully automated process that relies on specially produced artificial lights and does not require soil or the sun.
Explaining the project, Istanbul Provincial Director of Agriculture and Forestry Ahmet Yavuz Karaca said, "We are at the second deepest point in the world where indoor vertical farming is practiced. The production area in London is 2.5 meters (8.2 feet) deeper. There is no soil here, there is no sun, we do this with specially produced artificial lights and full automation."
With the participation of Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Vahit Kirişci, Istanbul's Indoor Vertical Agriculture Application and Research and Development Center was inaugurated on Dec. 8 in the New Culture Center Complex in Kağıthane. The center was built to bring production closer to the city to reduce logistics costs and product loss and to provide city residents with access to fresh and cheap vegetables.
Responding to questions, Karaca said that the project was launched in 2019 and represents a first in Türkiye. He explained that 95% of the water used in the process of producing the vegetables is saved since averting a water crisis is the biggest goal. In addition, no pesticides are used on the vegetables, which saves costs and results in more organic produce.
Stressing the importance of the center, he said, "The center can be useful during droughts, natural disasters and war situations, as COVID-19 and the Ukraine-Russia war recently showed how essential food can be."
"The site is located in a parking lot of the Kağıthane Municipality 30 meters underground, on the minus 8th floor. This makes it the second-deepest indoor vertical farming center in the world while London's center is 2.5 meters deeper," he explained.
Expressing concerns about projections that the world population will reach 10 billion in 2050 and 105 million in Türkiye respectively, Karaca said they will maximize the efficiency of the limited agricultural areas through different production models.
"The whole place is 700 square meters (7,534 square feet) in total, but the production section is 250 square meters and you get a yield that equates to approximately 20 acres in a year. As an added value, when you create the optimum conditions, you can produce any tropical vegetable, you can grow all of them, no matter where they are from," he added.
Noting that they currently grow lettuce, Italian basil and lollo rosso (red curly lettuce), Karaca shared that they also aim to establish the production parameters for the products they grow in the center.
The facility has the capacity to grow 24,000 items at once but because lettuce needs to be planted intermittently, 16,000 pieces of produce are currently growing, he explained. Karaca also added that the production costs almost match that of traditional agriculture, highlighting that they can be reduced further if solar energy systems are introduced instead.
Seedlings are ready to be harvested in 30 to 35 days, he said, adding that it is a great advantage to be able to produce continuously throughout the whole year with the vertical farming system unlike in traditional agriculture. "Our ultimate goal is to grow high value-added products in areas like this with vertical farming. There are some products in particular that are precious, such as saffron which is one of our goals," Karaca shared.
Explaining that carrying out research in the field of vertical agriculture is a priority, the official concluded: "Our aim is to develop local and national technology by encouraging research and development in this field instead of making money. Türkiye should be the center for investors, universities and researchers like other developed countries such as in Britain and the U.S., etc."