A plant biologist by trade, Jack is passionate about creating
a more sustainable, circular system that puts power back
into the hands of producers. We need to produce food in a
more localised, transparent, controllable way, he says. “The
food system of the future must be more local to where
people are actually consuming the food, and for this to work
we need to develop technology and practices that work in
environments that are limited by things like water or
temperature. Controlled-environment agriculture works
really well here.”
The global aeroponics market is
booming, and expected to grow in value
by around 20% annually in the next few
years as we increasingly favour fertiliser-
and pesticide-free food.
LettUs Grow is one of a growing number of companies
worldwide focusing on aeroponics, a futuristic system
that suspends plant roots in air and bathes them in a
nutrient-dense mist of water. This mist is produced by
firing sound waves at water, causing ripples that throw
droplets up into the air like a wave breaking at sea. LettUs
Grow’s greenhouses are filled with tray upon tray of
delicate leafy greens bathed in sunlight. Viewed from
beneath, the perforated trays reveal gnarly, finger-like
root systems, all naked of soil and cloaked in mist.
Aeroponics delivers win upon win: it can use less water,
reducing the environmental impact of cultivating crops;
and plant roots can be fed precisely controlled amounts
of water and nutrients while not being waterlogged,
improving yield. The reduction in water is especially
important, says Jack, and may even be the difference
between parts of our planet remaining populated or not.
Many regions are becoming starved of water, causing
them to either import large quantities of food — via long,
complex and unstable supply chains — or to make
inefficient use of the limited water they have — a strategy
that has a short shelf life.
“Most equatorial regions are growing produce using
groundwater. It’s just not sustainable or feasible for the
next 50 years, as they’ll deplete their reserves and run
out”, says Jack. “As rain patterns change with our climate,
people are going to have to start making serious choices
about whether they adopt agricultural practices that use
less water, or migrate out of those areas completely.
There’ll be a laser focus on which food products use the
most water… and it’s no surprise that the one where you
just spray loads of water on the ground is the most water-
intensive. A system where you use and recycle water more
efficiently is really the only way forward.”
While controlled-environment agriculture uses more
electricity to cultivate a crop than traditional farming
methods, it also requires far less fertiliser and no diesel
—something that will prove more favourable to the
environment in most cases, says Jack, as our energy
grid shifts away from fossil fuels and towards
renewable sources.
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