The farm itself is made up of 120 aluminum towers that stretch thirty feet tall. In keeping with Sky Greens’ focus on environmental sustainability, the water used to power the rotating towers is recycled within the system and eventually used to water the vegetables. Each tower consumes only 60 watts of power daily — about the same amount as a single light bulb.

From outside, Sky Greens looks like a giant greenhouse, the rows of plants produce about a half ton of vegetables is harvested per day, which are then sold at FairPrice Finest stores . At Sky Greens, the recycled Nespresso coffee grounds are mixed with manure pellets from local farms and vegetable waste to make fertiliser and organic compost. Only three types of vegetables are currently grown with ground coffee compost –Chinese cabbage, bok choy and milk cabbage, but locals hope to expand the farm to include other varieties.

The farm grows 10 times as many vegetables as traditional farming, using up to 9m-tall tiered towers holding rows of Asian vegetables. To avoid pesticides, Sky Greens started to produce mini-vegetables in 2017. Andrew Law from Sky Greens told CNA Lifestyle that the coffee grounds in the compost also serve as a natural pest repellent and helps reduce water use on the farm.

The farm is currently seeking investors to help build 300 additional towers, which would produce two tons of vegetables per day. Although the $21 million dollar price tag is hefty, it could mean agricultural independence for the area.

The vertical farm veggies have become a big hit with the locals too. Although the produce costs 10 to 20 cents more than other veggies at the supermarket, consumers seemed eager to buy the freshest food possible – often buying out the market’s stock of vertical farm foods. This innovative vertical farm could help change the way the world eats, giving dense cities an opportunity to grow food in their own back yard.

According to CNA Lifestyle, Inhabitat and OurWorld