CEAg World Industry Report on Vertical Farming Launches
March 16, 2026 
CEAg World’s 2026 Industry Report: Vertical Farming puts the spotlight on fully indoor CEA operations and the people, research, and market forces moving the sector forward. The following editorial kicks off the issue; to download the full report, click here.
I get tired of talking about where everything went wrong.
The narrative around vertical farming is pretty well established by now. Exuberant investment based on overzealous tech promises was followed by bankruptcies, restructurings, and scaled-back ambitions when everyone realized how hard it is to grow plants profitably at scale in a fully indoor environment. The money is no longer pouring in, and many entrepreneurs who signed on with both stars and dollar signs in their eyes have crashed to earth.
Although I didn’t ask them, I have to think the vertical farm leaders I interviewed for “The Way Forward” must be really sick of rehashing the near past. Our group conversation touched on it a bit (tackling persistent industry misconceptions), but the real focus was more forward-thinking — and decidedly more practical and positive than the headlines would suggest it should be.
These CEOs from Growcer, Plenty, 80 Acres Farms/Infinite Acres, and OnePointOne have learned through experience that technology is a tool, not a differentiator in and of itself. Each organization wields that tool differently, toward different goals and business models, with a focus on disciplined, strategic growth.
They all have the talking points down pat when it comes to the industry’s missteps and how their current operations offer something better, something more realistic and grounded. And as you’ll read, the details of these approaches have plenty of lessons for growers across the spectrum of CEA.
But what really got them energized was talk of what’s next. In many ways, widespread vertical farming is a puzzle to be solved, and the diehard believers are eager to dig in, innovate, and put the next piece in place. Toward the end of our interview, for instance, a tangential exchange on seed genetics wandered gleefully into the weeds and could have gone on for another hour.
The people behind these companies, and others we’ve spoken with, are still motivated by the promise of producing food more reliably, more predictably, and with greater intentionality. The starry-eyed potential of vertical farming still shines; now it’s time to get down to business.
To download the full Vertical Farming report or any of our reports from 2025, click here.