The Future of Farming Comes In A Box

Who's Saving the Planet?

Nate Storey, the Chief Science Officer of Plenty, has a vision for the next evolution of agriculture, and it has nothing to do with a farm. At least not the kind humans have cultivated, so far.

Plenty is a unicorn a few times over, having raised over half a billion dollars to recreate our conception of how our food is produced. They have created a means of farming indoors, using hydroponics and carefully crafted lighting, to maximize the crop yield while minimizing the resources needed to produce staples of the modern cuisine, including fruits and vegetables we need for a balanced diet. The bet Nate, and his team, are making, is that when we run out of room, in order to survive here on earth, we'll need to go up.

However, with every technological innovation, especially in the world of agriculture, costs are often unforeseen but never avoided. Pesticides increase yields but destroy ecosystems, the plow explodes the productivity of the farm but at what cost to the soil health? Nate discusses how he views Plenty's role in evolving our relationship with food, what we can learn from the past and how it will help inform the decisions we make today which will impact the future to come. We all need to eat lunch, and that lunch is never free.

This episode was edited and mixed by David Weitzenhoffer. The Watermelon was entirely his idea, and he has my full support.