Gastronomy and Culinary Arts Department students and department faculty members visited the Istanbul Indoor Vertical Agriculture Application Center, which was implemented in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and the private sector on December 6, 2024.
The department team, who were welcomed by the relevant people from the center, were first given general information about the installation and facilities of the facility. The center, which has a budget of 4 million 100 thousand TL and was built in the total 700 square meter parking area of the New Cultural Center Complex in the Kağıthane district, was completed on September 28, 2022; It was shared that the first seeds were planted and production started as of September 30, 2022. The center, which was implemented with the aim of developing new nature-friendly technologies in the face of the increasing population and climate crisis, draws attention as a facility where plant production is carried out with artificial light at a depth of 30 meters. Located on the minus eighth floor of the parking lot, at a depth of minus 30 meters, this facility makes significant contributions to sustainable agriculture with its advanced technology solutions. After the general information, the center's application rooms were toured with the instructor and detailed information was shared. It was shared that the vertical farming technology used in the center, which is the second deepest agricultural production unit in the world, can yield 10-40 times more products than traditional methods. During the technical tour, where the application rooms, preparation stages and production were explained in detail, the students' questions were answered with interest.
At the end of the event, the instructors were thanked and promotion bags were presented. The department faculty members left a note in the center's memory book expressing their gratitude for the event. This event provided students with a valuable perspective on future technologies for sustainable agriculture.
