Techno-Economic Assessment of an Office-Based Indoor Farming Unit

Decentralized, smart indoor cultivation systems can produce herbs and vegetables for fresh healthy daily nutrition of the urban population. This study assesses technical resource requirements, productivity, economic viability “Smart Office Farm” (SOF), based on a 5-week production cycle curled lettuce, lolo rosso, pak choi basil at three photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) levels using randomized block design. The total matter yield consumable biomass all crops was 2.5 kg m−2 with operating expenses (without labor costs) EUR 53.14 kg−1; more than twice as expensive compared to large-scale vertical farm open-field cultivation. However, there is no need add trade margins transportation costs. electricity supply SOF 73%, by far largest contributor operational costs office-based crop production. Energetic optimizations such homogeneous PPFD distribution plant level, well adaptation light quality quantity needs increase small farms. With reduced costs, growing become viable option supporting in environments.