Examining Strategies for Vertical Farming Business in Malaysia: A Qualitative Research

Abstract

The research study is aimed at examining strategies of vertical farming businesses in Malaysia. The concept of sustainable agriculture is studied in detail and an attempt is made at modelling sustainable agricultural enterprises in Malaysia to act as a benchmark for vertical farming businesses. The purpose of this study is to raise awareness on the unsustainability of traditional agricultural practices and introduce vertical farming as one of the solutions. The three research objectives are studying the business models of sustainable agriculture enterprises in Malaysia, examining the challenges and critical success factors of vertical farms and developing a vertical farming business model that enables sustainable agriculture in Malaysia. The underpinning theory is the Resource Based View which is used to analyse and interpret the resources of the case study organisations to understand how they can achieve a sustainable competitive advantage in vertical farming. An exploratory research design is employed to study the various stakeholders in the vertical farming value chain to understand their existing practices, challenges and critical success factors in managing successful vertical farms in Malaysia. This study employed a Type 4 Case Study design based on Yin’s (2018) typology where 4 vertical farms in Malaysia were studied.  Addition to the case studies, in-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with 4 individual stakeholders involved in vertical farming Malaysia. The findings indicate that vertical farming is seen as a solution to increased production of fresh produce for a growing population as it generates 3 times more crops as compared to conventional farming. It is a welcoming solution to countries who have limited land for agriculture or land which has been depleted of its nutrients as the concept of indoor farming practiced in vertical farming addresses the scarcity of land and is seen as a healthier and more sustainable solution than traditional farming.