Case Study of Smart Innovation in Agriculture on the Example of a Vertical Farm

Abstract

AbstractThis paper aims to conduct a case study of smart innovation in agriculture on the example of a vertical farm to translate the successful experience of Agriculture 4.0. The methodological basis of this research is the case study method, which detailly describes the successful use of smart innovation in agriculture on the example of a vertical farm. The author considers the case study of the creation and functioning of the site of automated cultivation of crops of the Institute of Scientific Communications and Federal Scientific Center Agroecology of the Russian Academy of Sciences on the basis of the Consortium for Sustainable Development. In particular, the author discloses the following issues: production capacity of a smart vertical farm; smart technologies used; experience of power supply of a vertical farm; experience in organizing the irrigation system of a smart vertical farm; experience of agricultural production on a vertical farm; financial characteristics of the creation of a smart vertical farm. Using the method of comparative analysis, the author compares the experience of growing crops under different production technologies. The presented case study of smart innovation in agriculture on the example of a vertical farm showed that, among alternative technologies of growing plants in smart vertical farms, hydroponics proved the most preferable, providing twice as much tomato growth, more leaves, and more than twice as much yield compared to growing the same plant in the ground.KeywordsCase studySmart innovation in agricultureVertical farmSustainability consortiumJEL ClassificationQ12M11M14M21