Growing Underground: Rethinking Space for Swiss Agriculture
Growing Underground: Rethinking Space for Swiss Agriculture
What if unused underground space could become part of the solution to Switzerland’s future food needs?
We are proud to contribute to Green Farming, an innovative project supported by Innosuisse – the Swiss Innovation Agency. Bringing together research and industry, the project explores the potential of unused underground spaces for food production.
At the heart of the project is the cultivation of lettuce within an underground cavern, using vertical plant cultivation. This approach could enable year-round regional production, including during winter, while making use of existing underground space rather than requiring additional surface land.
For Amberg Engineering, Green farming offers an exciting opportunity to apply our underground engineering expertise beyond conventional infrastructure and explore new possibilities for the spaces beneath our feet.
The project aims to develop a scalable prototype for growing lettuce, red oak leaf lettuce and trio lettuce. Key factors including climate conditions, air circulation and CO₂ management will be investigated alongside the economic feasibility of the solution.
The project brings together ZHAW and Hagerbach Test Gallery (VSH) as research partners, alongside Forster Gruppe AG and SCAUT as industry partners. This interdisciplinary collaboration combines expertise in research, underground engineering, construction and agricultural technology.
Optimal growing conditions will first be tested in the climate chamber at ZHAW and subsequently validated through a large-scale prototype at VSH. The project also takes into account the Swiss federal government’s guidelines for the use of underground spaces.
At Amberg Engineering, we believe underground space is more than infrastructure, it is an opportunity. By connecting underground expertise with agricultural innovation, we are exploring new ways to use space smarter, strengthen regional food production and build a more sustainable future.
From tunnels to lettuce: engineering new possibilities beneath the surface.
More Information: https://hagerbach.ch/research-development-innovation/projects/green-farming
