West Sussex Farm Pioneers Year-Round Commercial Strawberry Production
A site in Chichester, West Sussex, spanning approximately 36,000 square metres of glasshouses, has enabled the first commercial year-round production of strawberries in the area. The key innovation facilitating winter cultivation is the use of LED lighting, which provides the energy necessary to achieve the desired sweetness, shape, and size of the berries during colder months.
It is anticipated that around 1.5 million punnets of strawberries will be harvested over the winter period, making British-grown fruit available at Christmas. The greenhouses are partially powered by renewable energy sources and utilize bees for pollination. This expansion has created year-round employment for about 50 people at the facility.
The project also contributes to reducing food miles by lessening dependence on imported fruit from countries such as Egypt. Dr Tara Garnett of TABLE has noted the high energy demands required for maintaining heat and light within the greenhouses. She highlights that UK fruit self-sufficiency stands at only about 16%, with vegetable self-sufficiency at around 50%, emphasizing the need for increased domestic production.
