Nottingham Trent University in the English Midlands has created a master’s degree in smart agriculture. According to the university, applications are coming from across the world for the new course, scheduled to begin this September.

The course will explore how AI, vertical farming, automation, and precision agriculture can be deployed to improve farming productivity and cut energy and fertiliser costs.

The course will be run at the university’s Brackenhurst campus. Researchers will work in glasshouses and solar-powered shipping containers to develop methods to produce food crops far faster than possible outdoors.

The course will study and develop hydroponic technologies coupled with AI in high-tech vertical farms.

In parts of Europe, hydroponic and vertical farming have been affected by changes in energy prices. The UK, although affected by similar energy challenges as other European countries, has sustained interest and focus on vertical farming. Higher population density, smaller land mass and a drive to reduce carbon output encourage adoption of vertical farming.

Extreme weather in the United Kingdom and across Europe has also increased interest in vertical hydroponic farming systems.

According to the university, its course is attracting interest from the commercial food sector which wants to install shipping container-based hydroponic farms in distribution centres.