---
title: "PlantLab: Urban Farms 40 Times More Productive than Open Fields"
description: "A Dutch firm on the cutting edge of indoor agriculture estimates that producing food for the entire world could take place in a space far smaller than the area occupied by Holland."
date: "2015-04-03"
modified: "2015-04-03"
authors:
  - name: "Matthew Lincoln"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/justmatt"
url: "https://futurism.com/plantlab-urban-farms-40-times-more-productive-than-open-fields"
categories:
  - "Future Society"
---

# PlantLab: Urban Farms 40 Times More Productive than Open Fields

![Default Futurism featured image](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Futurism-Filler-Image.jpg>)

- PlantLab suggests a solution that involves using existing basements and purpose-built structures for our future food production. This means less energy, space, time and an estimated 10% of water relative conventional methods.
- Urban farming in controlled environments lets growers take full advantage of variables like custom lighting, using far-red LED lamps in this case that reduce moisture requirements for plants. Naturally, interior spaces are also free from the uncontrolled variables of weather and pests as well, increasingly reliability.
- Urban farming in controlled environments lets growers take full advantage of variables like custom lighting, using far-red LED lamps in this case that reduce moisture requirements for plants. Naturally, interior spaces are also free from the uncontrolled variables of weather and pests as well, increasingly reliability.