Thailand: Farmers pivot to indoors

With no background in agriculture, Dr. Wilas Charmlertwat, 46, is a software developer who dabbled in indoor farming as a hobby about five years ago. Today, he is one of the founders of noBitter, an indoor vertical kale farm with a customer base of about 5,000 people.

There are now three noBitter farms in Bangkok and its surrounding provinces of Nakhon Pathom and Samut Prakan, and each can produce up to 20kg of leafy green kale a day.

Through the use of hydroponics, noBitter’s kale plants are not subject to pesticides and herbicides or the unpredictable weather elements that plague outdoor-grown plants, said Dr. Wilas.

“When you consume kale from our indoor farm, you can be confident that you are receiving the full nutritional benefits of this superfood,” said Dr. Wilas as he munched on a freshly harvested leaf. “You don’t even need to wash it.”

In the confines of an indoor farm like noBitter’s, temperatures, humidity, nutrients, and the amount of sunlight can be controlled – same for the yield, appearance, and even taste. “We are able to eliminate the bitter taste associated with kale so we can enjoy its sweetness,” Dr. Wilas said.

This is a promising solution for farmers, as it addresses the threat of climate change, where drought, flooding, or climate shock can damage crops on outdoor farms and result in lower yields and incomes.

Read the entire article at The Straits Times