Vertical Agriculture in the IoT Era

Vertical farming represents a modern agricultural approach, employing technology-driven methods to cultivate crops in vertically stacked layers. This innovative method effectively addresses food security challenges while offering numerous advantages, such as heightened crop yields, year-round production, reduced water consumption, and decreased reliance on pesticides and herbicides. Moreover, vertical farming enables the cultivation of fresh and nutritious produce in urban areas, consequently reducing the carbon footprint linked to food transportation from rural regions. Despite its remarkable benefits, the implementation of vertical farming necessitates substantial investment due to the expense of technology, particularly artificial lighting and climate control systems, which result in high energy costs. Nevertheless, this paper aims to provide a comprehensive overview of vertical farming, including its principles and practices, as well as explore current and future trends of IoT technology in agriculture.