Association for Vertical Farming

The Association for Vertical Farming

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Association for Vertical Farming logo
The AVF is an internationally active non-profit organization focusing on advancing Vertical Farming technologies, designs and businesses. AVF consists of individuals, companies, research institutions and universities. And all of them are united by the goal to foster the sustainable growth and development of the Vertical Farming movement through collaboration, education, and transparency.
The AVF was founded in 2013, under the advisement of Dr. Dickson Despommier (Author of The Vertical Farm). It was an alliance between Max Loessl and Philip Wagner in Munich, Germany and Henry Gordon-Smith in New York City, USA. Their shared mission from the start was built upon the principles of collaboration: together we can do more than we can do alone. Their vision was to build a sustainable industry where collaboration is standard, not rare.
Association for Vertical Farming

Since 2013 the AVF has spread throughout Europe, the USA and into Asia and India. The AVF has continued along its path of collaboration by enlisting volunteers throughout the world to grow its network and influence. What began as a small idea has grown into a recognized name. For many looking to be actively involved in vertical farming, the AVF has served as a consistent resource for achieving their goals.

The AVF is just getting started and they have many bold plans for the future. In 2016 they are launching the first e-learning platform for Vertical Farming, expanding their member-base, organizing more of their well-received collaborative workshops and multiple conferences around the world. Their capstone event in 2016 will be the AVF Summit, which is taking place in Amsterdam on June 13th, just after GreenTech. Moreover, they are initiating data benchmarking within the nascent vertical farming industry, having received expert guidance from Columbia University’s Sustainability Management Program on strategies for developing a sustainability certification framework for indoor agriculture. In 2016 the AVF will also release its first whitepaper presenting certain knowledge gained since inception. To achieve all this and more, they are starting up project groups consisting of their members.

Above all, the AVF is a network of professionals driving the dialogue and business of vertical farming. For more information and to join their network, visit www.vertical-farming.net. You can also subscribe to their monthly newsletter, join interesting discussions in their Forum or LinkedIn group and follow them on facebook (https://www.facebook.com/vfassociation), Twitter (@AVerticalFarm), and Instagram (@VerticalFarm).