Bristol indoor farming pioneer LettUs Grow is fast-tracking the development of two vertical farm modules in the city to help feed vulnerable communities during the coronavirus outbreak.
The award-winning firm wants to ensure the produce grown gets to those who need it most. 
LettUs Grow expects the first of the new aeroponic farm modules to be ready to start producing fresh produce such as salad leaves this month, with the first harvests ready to be delivered to FareShare just 10 days after the farm’s commissioning. A second, larger module will follow in June.
The farm’s automated operations mean it can be run with just one person on site at any given time to allow social distancing of key workers and minimising strain on an already stretched farm labour force.
The food is also produced in a high-care environment with few people coming into contact with it. Once up and running, the farms will be able to provide a consistent, predictable and climate-resilient food supply to the local community all year round.
Lettus Grow said the coronavirus outbreak had shone a spotlight on the fragility of the UK’s just-in-time food supply chain.
The UK produces just half of all the food it consumes, which leaves it vulnerable to shocks in the global supply chain. The closures and lockdowns enforced due to the pandemic, have created logistical bottlenecks that ripple across these lengthy chains.
LettUs Grow co-founder and chief scientific officer Jack Farmer said: “When we founded LettUs Grow, we wanted to enable anyone, anywhere in the world, to grow fresh produce near its point of consumption. That mission has hardly ever felt as urgent as it does today. We knew we had to get involved and help in any way we could.
“Because our farm modules can be deployed anywhere with an electricity and water supply, they are uniquely positioned to increase regions’ food supply chain resilience by diversifying local food production.”
To ensure the produce gets to those who need it most, the food produced in these farm modules will be donated locally.
