Food production in cities has always faced constraints, but those constraints are becoming harder to ignore. In a city like Toronto, limited land, climate variability, and long supply chains make traditional farming difficult to scale locally. Because of this, hydroponics has emerged as a practical way to grow fresh food year-round within the city itself.
Through our work at Just Vertical Commercial, we collaborate with groups using hydroponics across Toronto for commercial production, education, and community food access. We've watched indoor farming shift from a niche idea to a necessary part of the urban food system. By managing light, climate, nutrients, and timing, hydroponic farming enables reliable production without dependence on outdoor conditions. As a result, growers can plan, scale, and operate with far more certainty.
From large commercial farms to smaller community projects, the city is actively shaping what urban food production can look like. Whether you're researching hydroponics or already running a farm, this guide offers context on where the industry stands today—and where it's going next.
Across urban environments like Toronto, new food production methods are becoming essential as space, climate pressure, and food access challenges continue to grow. As a result, hydroponics and controlled environment agriculture (CEA) are now central to how fresh food is produced in cities. So, what do these systems actually mean, and why are they used so widely today?
Hydroponics is a method of growing plants without soil by delivering water, nutrients, and oxygen directly to plant roots. In other words, plants get exactly what they need, right when they need it. As a result, crops often grow faster and more consistently. For example, leafy greens grown hydroponically can mature in less time than traditional field-grown crops.
Hydroponic systems typically rely on:
Therefore, hydroponics works especially well in dense urban areas where land is limited.
Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) refers to growing food in fully managed indoor spaces where light, temperature, humidity, and airflow are controlled. Consequently, growers can produce food year-round, regardless of outdoor weather. Moreover, CEA reduces risk by creating stable, repeatable growing conditions.
Because of this consistency, hydroponic systems in Toronto often rely on CEA to ensure predictable harvests and a reliable food supply.
Why are sustainability goals pushing adoption forward?
Sustainability is a major reason these systems are expanding. Hydroponics and CEA use significantly less water, require far less land, and support local food production. That is to say, food travels fewer kilometers before reaching consumers.
Beyond water and land savings, indoor farms reduce emissions by shortening delivery distances and minimizing waste throughout the supply chain. As a result, hydroponics supports a more resilient food system while helping cities reach environmental goals.
Hydroponic systems in Toronto are expanding rapidly, but why is this growth happening now? In short, the city's density, food needs, and focus on resilience are all pushing new farming methods forward.
Toronto is a large, growing city with limited available farmland nearby. As a result, traditional agriculture struggles to scale close to where people live. Therefore, hydroponics offers a smart alternative by allowing food to be grown indoors, vertically, and in unused urban spaces. For example, warehouses, basements, and rooftops can all support food production. Consequently, growers can produce more food using far less land.
People increasingly want fresh, local food that is available all year. However, Ontario's climate makes outdoor farming seasonal. That is to say, supply drops in winter while demand stays high. Hydroponic systems solve this problem by growing food indoors, regardless of the weather. Moreover, local growing reduces transportation time, improves freshness, and strengthens food security.
Key drivers behind this demand include:
Governments, institutions, and businesses are prioritizing food resilience. Therefore, indoor farming and vertical farming in Toronto are seen as reliable solutions. New technology, supportive policies, and local innovation ecosystems all help hydroponic projects move forward. Likewise, these systems align well with sustainability and economic development goals.
Behind Toronto's growing indoor farming movement is a strong ag-tech ecosystem. A range of companies design, build, and operate hydroponic and CEA solutions for different users.
Here are three of Toronto's top Ag-tech players:
Background: Just Vertical began as a research-driven project connected to the University of Toronto, focused on extending growing seasons and improving food access through indoor farming. Over time, it evolved into a Toronto-based ag-tech company designing and delivering hydroponic systems for a wide range of environments.
Focus and specialization: Just Vertical specializes in modular and custom hydroponic growing systems designed for indoor spaces. These systems are built around controlled environment agriculture, prioritizing efficiency, scalability, and long-term operability.
Primary markets served:
Background:
Elevate Farms is a Toronto-based vertical farming company focused on large-scale indoor food production. The company operates and develops advanced vertical farming facilities using proprietary growing methods and automation technologies.
Focus and specialization:
Elevate Farms concentrates on high-density vertical farming systems supported by automation, data-driven controls, and integrated facility design. Their approach emphasizes consistency, yield optimization, and scalable commercial production.
Primary markets served:
Background: Dunya Habitats is a Toronto-based company that integrates indoor agriculture into architectural and urban environments. Their work focuses on combining food production, sustainability, and design within the built environment.
Focus and specialization: Dunya Habitats specializes in building custom hydroponic farms and free standing grow racks. Their projects prioritize aesthetics, education, and environmental impact alongside food production.
Primary markets served:
Alongside companies that design and supply hydroponic systems, Toronto is also home to a growing number of operational hydroponic farms that focus primarily on producing fresh greens rather than manufacturing technology. Farms such as The Six Farms and etobiGrow use indoor, hydroponic growing methods to supply leafy greens, herbs, and microgreens to local consumers and businesses year-round. Having both technology providers and produce-focused hydroponic farms is important because it creates a balanced ecosystem: system builders enable new projects to start, while local growers prove the viability of indoor farming at different scales. Together, these complementary roles strengthen Toronto's hydroponic landscape and support a more resilient, locally rooted food system.
Hydroponic systems in Toronto are being used far beyond commercial farming, but how are schools, nonprofits, and charities putting this technology to work?
Schools and postsecondary institutions are using hydroponics as a hands-on learning tool that connects science, food, and sustainability.
Examples include:
Together, these programs use hydroponics to support STEM education, food literacy, and workforce readiness in urban settings.
Beyond schools, hydroponics is also being used to support food security and community-based outcomes. In Toronto, organizations such as 5N2 operate hydroponic growing projects that supply fresh greens directly to meal programs and community initiatives. By growing food indoors, these organizations reduce dependence on seasonal supply and long transportation routes, helping ensure consistent access to nutritious produce.
Together, these educational and community-based projects show how hydroponic systems in Toronto extend beyond production alone. They support learning, workforce development, and food access at the same time—demonstrating how indoor agriculture can serve social, educational, and community goals alongside commercial farming.
Local expertise plays a major role in successful indoor farms. At Just Vertical, projects are supported from concept to long-term operation, ensuring growers have both the technology and guidance they need.
Just Vertical works with organizations that want to build reliable, scalable indoor farms. As a result, commercial growers can produce food year-round with predictable results. Therefore, farms are designed around space, production goals, and operational needs. For example, systems are customized to fit warehouses, unused buildings, or purpose-built facilities. Moreover, these farms are designed to grow consistently, not just at launch, but over time.
Support for commercial farms often includes:
Consequently, growers reduce risk and improve long-term performance.
Shipping container farms and custom builds offer flexible options for tight city spaces. However, every project is different. That is to say, space, budget, and goals vary widely. Therefore, Just Vertical designs systems that can scale up or start small. Likewise, container farms can be deployed quickly while custom builds allow for long-term expansion.
These options make hydroponic systems in Toronto accessible to many different users.
Technology alone is not enough. As a result, consulting and training play a key role in farm success. Just Vertical supports growers through onboarding, operational training, and ongoing advice. In addition, growers receive help optimizing yields, improving workflows, and solving challenges as they arise.
As cities rethink food systems, hydroponics is becoming a long-term solution rather than a short-term experiment. So, what trends will define what comes next?
The future of hydroponics in Toronto is expected to be practical, scalable, and deeply connected to urban life. Therefore, instead of one single trend, several shifts are happening at the same time. As a result, hydroponics will play a larger role in how cities feed themselves.
Below is a look at what's ahead:
In conclusion, hydroponic systems in Toronto are set to become a core part of urban infrastructure, supporting food access, education, and resilience for years to come.
Hydroponic systems in Toronto are used to grow fresh produce indoors without soil. These systems support commercial farms, schools, nonprofits, and research facilities. As a result, they help produce food year-round while reducing reliance on long-distance supply chains.
Yes, hydroponics in Toronto is considered highly sustainable. It uses significantly less water than traditional farming and requires less land. Therefore, it fits well within dense urban environments while supporting local food production.
Hydroponic farming in Toronto can scale from small rooms to large warehouses. Indoor hydroponic systems are flexible and modular. In other words, farms can be designed to fit available space rather than the other way around.
Beyond commercial farms, Toronto hydroponics is widely used by schools, nonprofits, and charities. These groups operate hydroponic farms for education, food security, and workforce development. As a result, hydroponics delivers social and economic value.
We believe hydroponics and CEA will play a major role in Toronto's food system. While it will not replace all farming, it will complement traditional agriculture. Therefore, hydroponics strengthens food resilience and local supply.
Hydroponics in Toronto is no longer an emerging idea—it is becoming a practical part of how the city produces food. As urban density increases and supply chains face growing uncertainty, indoor hydroponic systems offer a way to grow fresh food closer to where people live, learn, and work. By removing dependence on weather and seasonal constraints, these systems help cities like Toronto build more reliable and adaptable food infrastructure.
What makes hydroponics especially relevant in Toronto is its flexibility. From commercial farms and institutional projects to classrooms and community spaces, controlled environment agriculture allows food production to fit within existing buildings and urban landscapes. As technology continues to improve, indoor farms are becoming easier to operate, more efficient, and more accessible to a wider range of organizations.
Looking ahead, we expect hydroponics to play an increasingly visible role across the city. More buildings will integrate food production, more schools will use indoor growing as a learning tool, and more communities will rely on local indoor farms for fresh produce. In this way, hydroponics is helping Toronto grow smarter—using space more efficiently while strengthening food access, education, and long-term resilience.
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