What do cars and vertical farms have in common? Plenty, it turns out, as showcased in the Hyundai Motor Group Innovation Center Singapore (HMGICS). Operational since late 2023, the seven-storey centre spanning 935,384 square feet (about 86,900 square meters) of floor space contains two smart farms which make use of robotics and automation (technology commonly used in car production), to produce various greens. There is a 5-meter tall vertical farm with automated rotating conveyors and robots that take care of processes from seeding through to harvesting.
汽车和垂直农场有什么共同之处呢？事实证明，它们的共同之处还不少，这一点在新加坡现代汽车集团创新中心（HMGICS）就得到了充分展示。这座七层楼的创新中心自2023年末开始投入运营，占地面积达935,384平方英尺（约86,900平方米），其中设有两个智能农场。这些农场利用了机器人技术和自动化技术（汽车生产中常用的技术）来种植各种绿色蔬菜。这里有一个5米高的垂直农场，配备了自动旋转传送带和机器人，它们负责从播种到收获的一系列流程。
Vertical farming is the practice of intensively growing plants in vertical stacks within a highly controlled environment. The super low footprint of a vertical farm is perfectly suited for producing fresh, high quality fruit and vegetables in an urban setting, especially in land-scarce, highly populated areas.
垂直农业是指在高度可控的环境中，以垂直堆叠的方式密集种植植物的一种做法。垂直农场极低的占地面积使其非常适合在城市环境中生产新鲜、优质的水果和蔬菜，尤其是在土地稀缺、人口密集的地区。
Although the concept has been around for decades, many regard Sky Greens’ facility in Singapore as the world’s first commercialised vertical farm. Set up in 2012, rotating, multi-layer troughs in a nine-metre-high vertical A-frame are used to grow plants hydroponically, or in soil. Natural lighting and water-powered rotation means the entire system is low energy, as well as low footprint. The inventor of the Sky Greens system, Mr Jack Ng, filed a patent application in Singapore in 2010, then made use of the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) system to obtain protection for his invention in a range of countries around the world.
尽管垂直农业这一概念已存在数十年，但许多人仍将新加坡的“天空绿蔬”（Sky Greens）农场设施视为世界上首个商业化的垂直农场。该农场于2012年建立，在一个9米高的垂直A型框架结构中，使用可旋转的多层种植槽，通过水培或土壤栽培的方式种植植物。自然光照和水力驱动的旋转方式意味着整个系统不仅能耗低，而且占地面积小。“天空绿蔬”系统的发明者吴杰克（Jack Ng）先生于2010年在新加坡提交了专利申请，随后利用《专利合作条约》（PCT）体系，使他的发明在世界多个国家获得了保护。
Market research firm MarketsandMarkets has predicted that the global market for vertical farming will be worth $13.7 billion by 2029, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 19.7% from 2024 to 2029. As awareness for the need for food security increases, government funding support in the agritech area has also been increasing globally, thus encouraging increased innovative activity.
市场研究公司MarketsandMarkets预测，到2029年，全球垂直农业市场的价值将达到137亿美元，从2024年到2029年的复合年增长率（CAGR）为19.7%。随着人们对粮食安全需求的认识不断提高，全球范围内政府对农业科技领域的资金支持也在不断增加，从而推动了创新活动的增多。
In Singapore, there is a 30 by 30 initiative, which is a goal to increase the amount of Singapore's nutritional needs that are produced locally and sustainably by 2030. A S$60 million (about US$44 million) Agri-food Cluster Transformation (ACT) Fund was set up in 2021, to encourage local farmers to upgrade their capabilities to raise productivity, resource efficiency, and reduce pollution and waste, and upscale their technologies.
在新加坡，有一项“30×30倡议”，其目标是到2030年提高新加坡本地以可持续方式生产的满足自身营养需求的农产品的比例。2021年，新加坡设立了一笔6000万新元（约合4400万美元）的农业食品集群转型基金，旨在鼓励当地农民提升自身能力，以提高生产效率和资源利用效率，减少污染和浪费，并升级他们的技术。
In Korea, during the 3rd Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Future Technology Forum conducted in March 2024 by the President's Special Committee on Agriculture, Fisheries and Rural Affairs, 243 billion won (about US$167.8 million) worth of funds were planned for supporting investments in green food technology, smart agriculture, among others.
在韩国，总统农林农乡事务特别委员会于2024年3月举办的第三届农业、林业和渔业未来技术论坛期间，计划投入价值2430亿韩元（约合1.678亿美元）的资金，用于支持对绿色食品技术、智慧农业等领域的投资。
According to a report from LexisNexis, there have been nearly 200 patent applications filed for documents that expressly use the phrase “vertical farming” in either their title, abstract, or claims with the top ten global patent authorities (Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, Republic of Korea, Russia, the United States, the European Patent Office, and World Intellectual Property Organization). This does not account for any of the patent applications with applications in vertical farming that do not name it explicitly.
根据LexisNexis的一份报告，在全球十大专利授权机构（加拿大、中国、法国、德国、日本、韩国、俄罗斯、美国、欧洲专利局和世界知识产权组织）中，已有近200件专利申请的文件在其标题、摘要或权利要求中明确使用了“垂直农业”这一表述。这还不包括那些涉及垂直农业但未明确提及该术语的专利申请。
IP associated with vertical farming has also expanded in recent times to cover – amongst other things - sensors which monitor the plants, robots to tend to their needs, specialised lighting to ensure perfect all-year-round growth, and AI technology to manage it all. This “growing” trend is not limited to vertical farming, but encompasses many other Agritech sectors. In particular, the WIPO Patent Landscape Report on Agrifood shows substantial growth in the number of Agritech international patent families in the past 10 years. The sub-domain of connectivity/sensors/smart farming is among the top three sub-domain for patenting in Agritech, and has steadily grown over the years.
近年来，与垂直农业相关的知识产权范围也有所扩大，除其他方面外，还涵盖了用于监测植物的传感器、满足植物养护需求的机器人、确保植物全年完美生长的专用照明设备，以及用于管理这一切的人工智能技术。这种“不断发展”的趋势不仅局限于垂直农业，还涵盖了许多其他农业科技领域。特别是，世界知识产权组织（WIPO）发布的《农业食品专利态势报告》显示，在过去十年中，农业科技领域的国际专利族数量大幅增长。在农业科技领域的专利申请中，连接性/传感器/智慧农业子领域位列前三，并且多年来一直保持稳步增长态势。
Innovation in the vertical farming sector is provided by an exciting mix of established agri-companies, global market leaders in non-agritech sectors, and new start-ups.
垂直农业领域的创新源于老牌农业公司、非农业科技领域的全球市场领军企业以及新兴初创企业的精彩融合。
For example, Malaysian start-up BoomGrow, developed a system using repurposed shipping containers to grow pesticide-free produce grown in a controlled hydroponic environment. BoomGrow currently has pending patent applications in various Asia-Pacific countries, and received pre-Series A funding in 2023 to expand in Southeast Asia.
例如，马来西亚的初创企业BoomGrow开发了一种系统，该系统利用经过改造的海运集装箱，在可控的水培环境中种植无农药农产品。BoomGrow目前在多个亚太国家有正在审批中的专利申请，并于2023年获得了种子轮融资前的资金，以便在东南亚地区进行业务拓展。
Danish start-up Nordetect, founded in 2016, produces portable lab-on-a-chip devices that enable vertical farmers to quickly identify and correct nutrient deficiencies in their crops, thereby obtaining optimum yield. Nordetect obtained a US patent grant in 2023 relating to their microfluidic device and method and system for performing inorganic determinations and has raised more than US$1.5 million in funding to-date.
丹麦初创企业Nordetect成立于2016年，该公司生产便携式芯片实验室设备，使垂直农场主能够快速识别并纠正作物的营养缺乏问题，从而实现最优产量。Nordetect在2023年获得了一项与他们的微流控设备以及用于进行无机成分测定的方法和系统相关的美国专利授权，并且截至目前已筹集到超过150万美元的资金。
As agritech companies continue to innovate, this emerging area of vertical farming presents an opportunity for growing intangible assets, whether it is to secure first-mover advantage, or to unlock licensing prospects for alternative revenue streams and/or collaborations. Whether you are a start-up or a multi-national, protecting your technology is paramount.
随着农业科技公司不断创新，垂直农业这一新兴领域为无形资产的增长提供了契机，无论是为了确保先发优势，还是为了开拓授权许可的前景，以获得其他收入来源及/或开展合作。无论你是一家初创企业还是跨国公司，保护好自己的技术都至关重要。