Clean methods.
Clean consciences.
Good for the earth.®
It’s estimated that by 2050, we’ll need to double the number of crops we grow to feed 2 billion more people in the world. We’re committed to helping to meet that need while preserving our planet. Farmland is a finite resource. Our cutting-edge greenhouses use less water, land, and chemicals, and we’re constantly introducing new technologies to help us be even greener.
Less water.
The earth’s finite water supply is one of its most precious resources. In hydroponics, plant roots are in a nutrient-rich water. Village Farms sterilizes and recirculates the same water four times and 100% reaches the plants with no waste. Village Farms Hydroponic growing uses less water compared to growing outdoors. And at some of our farms we collect and reuse rainwater throughout the year to reduce water use.
Less land.
At Village Farms Fresh, we grow 20-30 times more per acre compared to growing outdoors, without depleting the soil. In fact, a 50-acre greenhouse can produce the same as a 1,500-acre farm – a 97% reduction in land use.
Less chemicals.
Outdoors, plants are vulnerable to bugs and disease, but in a greenhouse, this is much easier to control. We use beneficial insects to control pests and stimulate healthy plant growth. Bumble bees keep our plants thriving by pollinating them, and beneficial predator insects, like wasps, help combat the bad bugs.
A big reduction in CO2.
Plants use CO2 in the process of photosynthesis. We recycle carbon dioxide (CO2), a byproduct of the very efficient heat boilers used to keep the plants warm. We pump the CO2 back into the greenhouses instead of into the air outside. The CO2 is converted by the plants into oxygen, helping us achieve a significant reduction in our carbon emissions.
Clean energy.
At our greenhouses in Delta, we create clean energy from methane gas from the city of Vancouver landfill. Methane gas is captured at the landfill and pumped to the VF Clean Energy powerplant where it is burned to create heat and electricity. We use this heat at the greenhouse for our boilers to create CO2. The electricity goes to BC Hydro as a sustainable energy source. Village Farms is a leader in clean technologies that help create a healthy and vibrant future for people and the planet.
(Not) seeing the light.
At Pure Sunfarms, we use blackout curtains to eliminate potential light pollution to prevent disruption to normal patterns of local wildlife. As we like to say, happy neighbours make a happy planet.
Happy & healthy.
Next time you’re enjoying our fresh foods or botanicals, you can feel good in knowing we’re doing right by Mother Nature. Our products are grown for a healthy future and a healthy planet.
