Tackling the Issue of Indoor Berry Cultivation
February 27, 2026 
Photo of Blackberries, Raspberries, Blueberries, and Strawberries. | Adobe Stock
A heavy reliance on leafy greens within vertical farming limits both potential revenue and the chance for market expansion, posits Agritecture in a recent article: “Vertical farming must expand into higher-value, differentiated crops that command stronger price premiums and face less direct competition from conventional greenhouse or field production.”
Additionally, new crop categories help create new market opportunities. While leafy greens are often constrained to the market of salad mixes, different specialty crops, including ” nutraceutical-rich produce, specialty ingredients, and high-value berries,” can better serve market partners and consumers while strengthening resilience against volatile economic conditions.
One strong opportunity to consider among new crops is berries. However, indoor berry cultivation within vertical farming faces the problem of pollination.
The Pollination Problem of Growing Berries Indoors
Compared to leafy greens, berries require extremely precise flower fertilization in order to produce uniform and therefore marketable fruit. However, indoor berry cultivation creates several complications, including a lack of UV wavelengths and light patterns that aid bee navigation and environmental controls disrupting bee pheromone communication.
Researchers at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU), led by Professors Habiba Bougherara and Lesley Campbell, are exploring how to tackle this issue through environmental engineering, using a system that “uses airflow dynamics and precise microclimate control to autonomously transfer pollen between flowers.” Replacing insect and/or manual vibration with controlled air patterns, the system “stimulates pollen release and transfer in a way that mimics natural pollination.”
In June 2025, TMU’s project was awarded up to $5 million in funding by the Weston Family Foundation through the Homegrown Innovation Challenge, in order to “unlock scalable, pollinator-independent indoor berry production.”
For additional insights into TMU’s indoor pollination project, including the involvement of MoFarm and Montel, please read the original article found on the Agritecture website.