To discover rows upon rows of basil, green butter lettuce, mint and even cannabis in Las Vegas, you will have to step inside.
Southern Nevada’s indoor farming industry has been growing in recent years, with some attributing its success to the expanding national cannabis industry.
With population in Southern Nevada booming, local experts say indoor farming has the potential to provide local produce and increase food security within the state.
“The indoor ag industry has grown quite a bit,” said Jennifer Ott, plant industry division administrator for the Nevada Department of Agriculture.
According to data from the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation, the number of private companies in Clark County the state classifies as growing food “under cover” jumped from at least three in 2014 to at least 42 last year.
Part of that growth “is due to a huge amount of education across the U.S. regarding indoor ag and the benefits of indoor ag,” Ott said. “There’s more research being done, more adoption in the industry.”
