Indoor food growing operations are seeing both successes and failures in the United States. Some companies in the food industry are investing even as competitors fail. 

在美国，室内粮食种植业务既有成功也有失败。即使竞争对手失败了，食品行业的一些公司仍在投资。 

California-based Plenty Unlimited this summer began work on a $300 million indoor plant, while Kroger announced that it will be increasing its availability of vertically farmed produce. 

总部位于加利福尼亚州的 Plenty Unlimited 今年夏天开始投资 3 亿美元建造一座室内植物，而克罗格则宣布将增加垂直农产品的供应量。 

Meanwhile, two indoor farming companies that got strong backing — New Jersey’s AeroFarms and Kentucky’s AppHarvest — filed for bankruptcy reorganization. And a five-year-old company in Detroit, Planted Detroit, shut its doors this summer. 

与此同时，两家获得大力支持的室内农业公司——新泽西州的 AeroFarms 和肯塔基州的 AppHarvest——申请破产重组。底特律一家成立五年的公司 Planted Detroit 今年夏天倒闭了。

The industry changes do not worry Jacob Portillo, a grower with Eden Green Technology, an indoor farming company. 

室内农业公司 Eden Green Technology 的种植者雅各布·波蒂略 (Jacob Portillo) 并不担心行业的变化。 

“The fact that other people are failing and other people are succeeding, that’s going to happen in any industry you go to, but specifically for us, I think that ... the sustainable competitors ... are going to start winning,” he said. 

“事实上，其他人正在失败，而其他人正在成功，这种情况在你所从事的任何行业都会发生，但特别是对于我们来说，我认为......可持续的竞争对手......将开始获胜，”他 说。

Indoor farming brings growing inside in what experts sometimes call “controlled environment agriculture.” There are different methods. One method called vertical farming involves stacking produce from floor to ceiling, often under artificial lights and with the plants growing in nutrient-enriched water. Other growers are trying very large greenhouses, indoor beds of soil in big buildings and using special robots for parts of the farming process. 

室内农业在室内种植，专家有时称之为“受控环境农业”。有不同的方法。一种称为垂直农业的方法是将农产品从地板堆到天花板，通常在人造光下，并使植物在营养丰富的水中生长。其他种植者正在尝试使用非常大的温室、大型建筑物中的室内土床，并在部分农业过程中使用特殊机器人。 

Supporters say growing indoors uses less water and land and permits food to be grown closer to consumers, saving on transport. Indoor growing is also a way to protect crops from increasingly extreme weather caused by climate change. The companies often say their products are free of pesticides, although the foods are usually not marketed as organic. 

支持者表示，室内种植使用的水和土地更少，并且可以让食物在离消费者更近的地方种植，从而节省运输。室内种植也是保护农作物免受气候变化引起的日益极端天气影响的一种方法。这些公司经常声称他们的产品不含农药，尽管这些食品通常不作为有机食品销售。 

But critics question the sustainability of operations that can require a lot of energy for artificial light. And they say paying for that light can make profitability impossible. 

但批评者质疑人造光可能需要大量能源的操作的可持续性。他们表示，为这种灯付费可能会导致盈利变得不可能。 

Tom Kimmerer is a plant expert who taught at the University of Kentucky. Kimmerer has followed indoor farming alongside his research into the growth of plants both outdoors and inside. He said his first thought on vertical farm companies — especially those that used a lot of artificial light — was, “Boy, this is a dumb idea,” mainly due to high energy costs. 

汤姆·基默勒（Tom Kimmerer）是一位植物专家，曾在肯塔基大学任教。基默勒在研究室外和室内植物生长的同时，还关注室内农业。他说，他对垂直农场公司（尤其是那些使用大量人造光的公司）的第一个想法是，“天哪，这是一个愚蠢的想法”，主要是因为能源成本很高。

The industry has admitted those high costs. Some companies are seeking to push costs down by using solar power. But even the companies that use a lot of artificial light that does not come from renewables say they can be profitable by eventually producing a high volume of produce year-round. 

业界承认成本高昂。一些公司正在寻求通过使用太阳能来降低成本。但即使是那些大量使用非可再生能源人造光的公司也表示，他们最终可以通过全年生产大量农产品来盈利。 

But Kimmerer thinks there are better ways to provide food locally and extend the growing season — outdoors. He pointed to Elmwood Stock Farm outside Lexington, Kentucky. The farm can grow tomatoes and greens the whole year using tools like high tunnels, also known as hoop houses. These are greenhouse-like structures that protect crops while still being partially open to the outdoors. 

但基默勒认为，有更好的方法可以在当地提供食物并延长户外生长季节。他指着肯塔基州列克星敦郊外的埃尔姆伍德牲畜农场。该农场可以使用高隧道（也称为箍屋）等工具全年种植西红柿和蔬菜。这些类似温室的结构可以保护农作物，同时仍部分向室外开放。 

He thinks investment flowing toward new versions of indoor farming would be better spent on solutions for outdoor farmers like special robots, or money support for regenerative practices. 

他认为，流向新型室内农业的投资最好花在为户外农民提供解决方案上，比如特殊机器人，或者为再生实践提供资金支持。 

Curt Covington of AgAmerica Lending, a private investment company centered on agriculture, is not convinced that indoor farming operations can work - except in special cases. 

专注于农业的私人投资公司 AgAmerica Lending 的科特·科文顿 (Curt Covington) 并不相信室内农业经营可行——除非在特殊情况下。 

Given the high cost of indoor operations, Covington said, “It’s just hard… to be very profitable.” 

考虑到室内运营的高昂成本，卡温顿说，“很难......获得很高的利润。”