Financing or Leasing
Indoor farms have comparatively high startup costs, and raising sufficient capital to cover these or to retrofit new technology into an existing farm, is one of the greater challenges faced by indoor farmers. Consequently, an obvious ‘next step’ for the industry is the development of additional leasing and financing structures that allow farmers to fund capital costs through the farm’s revenue streams.
As was the case for the solar industry, there are plentiful opportunities for innovative entrepreneurs to create technology solutions for the indoor agriculture industry, for everything from tracking plant behavior to creating organic nutrient mixes to planning new farms. What we’ve seen so far is just the tip of the iceberg.