The UAE may already have the world’s longest zipline, the world’s largest aerial projection, and the world’s largest jigsaw puzzle, but there’s another record-breaking milestone that we’ll soon be adding to the list — the world’s largest vertical farm.
Dubai South, in coordination with Emirates Flight Catering and Crop One Holdings, recently signed an agreement to build the largest vertical farm in the world, WAM News Agency reported.
Dubai South to Have Largest Vertical Farm in the World
You might be thinking, what exactly is a “vertical farm”? As the term suggests, it is “the practice of growing food and/or medicine in vertically-stacked layers, vertically inclined surfaces, and/or integrated in other structures,” according to the Association for Vertical Farming.
The agreement between Emirates Flight Catering and Crop One Holdings marks a significant milestone in their partnership. The new vertical farm to be established at Dubai South will cover 130,000 square feet — twice the size of the current largest vertical farm in New Jersey, U.S.A.!
Notably, the upcoming new facility shall:
- Cover 130,000 square feet of space
- Involve an investment of AED 146.8 million
- Use 99 percent less water than traditional farms
- Produce an output equal to 900 acres of farmland
- Harvest 2,700 kg of pesticide-free & herbicide-free leafy greens daily
What’s more, since the farm is located at close proximity to the consumers, carbon emissions would be minimized. At the same time, the fast delivery ensures optimum freshness and high nutritional value of the harvest.
Improving Productivity & Service Quality
“As one of the world’s largest airline catering operations, we are constantly looking at ways to improve our productivity, product and service quality,” declared Saeed Mohammed, CEO of Emirates Flight Catering.
“Building our vertical farming facility in the Aviation District, we will deliver our fresh products from farm to fork within hours of harvest, while significantly reducing our environmental footprint,” he explained. “We look forward to continuing our fruitful partnership with Dubai South.”
Meanwhile, the Executive Chairman of Dubai Aviation City Corporation, Khalifa Suhail Al Zaffin, shared: “The construction and operations of the world’s largest vertical farm in Dubai South will benefit the district and airlines flying from Al Maktoum International Airport and Dubai International Airport, where Emirates Flight Catering is considered one of the leading partners in the aviation industry.”
“The location of the farm in the Aviation District will ensure quick delivery and high quality of the produce,” he added.
Notably, constructing the world’s largest vertical farm will take about one year, beginning November 2018. By December 2019, the first harvest is expected to be delivered to the customers of Emirates Flight Catering. These include 105 airlines and 25 airport lounges.
Indeed, the vertical farm at Dubai South would make another great addition to the country’s long list of world records. Speaking of which, do you want to know more about the record-breaking feats made here? Check out this list of Guinness World Records made in the UAE!