Growing insurgency

: Embodied experiences and agroecological pathways in vertical farming

Abstract

This thesis critically explores the role of vertical farming (VF) in reshaping urban food systems, human relationships with food and nature, and urban spaces, while considering its potential contribution to agroecological transitions. Building on political ecology and agroecology frameworks, the study interrogates the tensions between techno-solutionist approaches to VF and visions of more resilient and just future food systems. Through a participatory methodology that incorporates a ‘Vertical Farm Experience’, focus groups with Bristol citizens, and semi-structured interviews with VF experts and urban food and planning stakeholders, the project examines perceptions of VF and its socio-environmental impacts. Findings reveal that embodied encounters with VF can foster critical reflection on modern food systems, generating concerns about disconnection from nature and the commodification of food. Interviews with VF proponents further illustrate the tensions between sustainability claims and VF’s underlying capitalist-driven models, echoing broader critiques within political ecology that question the extent to which VF can transcend capitalist logics. The thesis argues that while VF presents opportunities for urban food production, it remains constrained by governance challenges, and the risks that accompany its embeddedness in capitalist paradigms. An insurgent potential is proposed for VF as a pedagogical platform ‘shocking’ visitors into reflecting on the social, political and environmental dimensions of wider food systems. Thus it is proposed that, despite being soilless, VF could foster engagement from publics in food production and systems, an element of the science, practice and movement of Agroecology.

Date of Award	4 Feb 2025
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Bristol
Supervisor	James Palmer (Supervisor) & Lauren J Blake (Supervisor)