Dubai GigaFarm is taking shape at Food Tech Valley, bringing a 900,000-square-foot vertical farming project to Dubai that is designed to grow millions of kilos of fresh produce while using resources more efficiently.
Developed by ReFarm Global Investments LLC in partnership with British vertical farming company Intelligent Growth Solutions (IGS), the project will feature 200 Growth Towers. But its scale is only part of what makes it interesting. The GigaFarm is being designed as a circular food system, where food waste, water and other resources are reused rather than simply discarded.
A giant farm that grows upwards
Located within Dubai’s Food Tech Valley, the GigaFarm will use vertical farming to grow crops in stacked indoor environments instead of traditional horizontal fields.
Its 200 Growth Towers are expected to produce more than 3 million kilograms of fresh food each year. The project is also designed to support the UAE’s food security goals by potentially replacing around 1% of the country’s fresh produce imports.
The controlled environment allows crops to be grown with greater precision, while making it possible to produce food in a region where traditional farming can be challenging.
It could use up to 98% less water
Water efficiency is one of the most significant features of the project, particularly in the UAE’s hot and dry climate.
IGS says its vertical farming technology can be up to 98% more water-efficient than growing crops in an open field. The system recycles and reuses water within the growing process, reducing the amount needed for cultivation.
The GigaFarm is also designed to recover water through its wider waste-to-value system. Water produced while processing organic waste can be fed back into the vertical farming towers, creating a more circular approach to food production.
Turning food waste into something useful
Food production is only one part of the GigaFarm’s plans. The facility is designed to divert more than 50,000 tonnes of food waste and other organic waste streams from landfill every year.
Six complementary technologies will work together as part of a closed-loop system. Artificial intelligence will help manage the operation, while waste can be transformed into useful outputs including agricultural compost, animal feed, water and energy.
The project is therefore designed to tackle several challenges at once: producing more food locally, reducing waste and making better use of precious resources.
A glimpse at Dubai’s future food system
For Dubai, the GigaFarm represents a different way of thinking about food production. Rather than relying entirely on traditional farmland and imports, the project combines vertical farming, technology and circular resource management in one large-scale facility.
If its targets are achieved, the GigaFarm could become an important part of Dubai’s food-tech ambitions, while offering a glimpse at how fresh produce can be grown in a city where land and water are both valuable resources.
