Last reviewed: August 11, 2026
Key Facts
- Term
- Vertical farming
- Category
- Subset of controlled environment agriculture (CEA)
- Defining characteristic
- Crops grown in vertically stacked layers rather than a single horizontal plane
- Typical growing methods
- Hydroponics, aeroponics, or aquaponics (soilless cultivation)
- Typical facility types
- Repurposed warehouses, shipping containers, dedicated indoor farm buildings; sometimes high-tech greenhouses with vertical racking
- Environmental control
- Light, temperature, humidity, CO2, and nutrient delivery are monitored and adjusted, largely independent of outdoor weather and season
- Related but distinct term
- Controlled environment agriculture (CEA) — the broader category that also includes traditional greenhouses; not every CEA operation is vertical
- Government classification (US)
- Referred to by USDA and the 2018 Farm Bill under “urban, indoor, and other emerging agricultural production”
- Key industry association
- Association for Vertical Farming (AVF), founded July 2013 in Munich, Germany
What Vertical Farming Is
Vertical farming refers to crop production in fully or partially controlled environments, usually arranged in stacked layers, often inside repurposed warehouses, shipping containers, or purpose-built facilities. This approach can achieve higher yields per unit of land area than conventional outdoor agriculture while reducing water use, and it enables consistent, year-round production regardless of outside weather conditions. The USDA groups vertical farming together with related approaches such as rooftop farms, green walls, and hydroponic, aeroponic, or aquaponic systems under the broader heading of “innovative production.”
Distinctions
Vertical farming is not the same as controlled environment agriculture (CEA) in general: CEA also includes traditional single-layer greenhouses that do not use vertical stacking. Vertical farming is also distinct from conventional outdoor or field farming, which does not control environmental variables such as light, temperature, or humidity, and it differs from general “urban agriculture,” a broader term that also includes community gardens and backyard plots without necessarily involving environmental control or vertical stacking.
Growing Methods Used in Vertical Farming
- Hydroponics
- Growing plants with roots in a nutrient-rich water solution instead of soil
- Aeroponics
- Growing plants with roots suspended in air and periodically misted with a nutrient solution
- Aquaponics
- A combined system in which fish waste supplies nutrients to hydroponically grown plants
Frequently Asked Questions
What is vertical farming?
Vertical farming is the practice of growing crops in vertically stacked layers, typically indoors, using controlled environmental conditions and soilless growing methods such as hydroponics, aeroponics, or aquaponics.
Is vertical farming the same as a greenhouse?
Not necessarily. A greenhouse is a broader category of controlled environment agriculture; it becomes a vertical farm specifically when crops are grown in vertically stacked layers rather than a single horizontal growing plane.
Is vertical farming the same as controlled environment agriculture (CEA)?
No. Vertical farming is one form of CEA. CEA is the broader category and also includes non-vertical systems such as traditional greenhouses.
What organizations track the vertical farming industry?
The Association for Vertical Farming (AVF), a non-profit founded in Munich in 2013, is a leading international industry organization. In the United States, the USDA and its National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) fund and track research on vertical and other indoor agriculture through programs including the Urban, Indoor, and Emerging Agriculture Initiative.