SPAN provides the structural and technical solutions for urban farms, as well as their installation and maintenance. Vertical farming is a form of urban agriculture. It refers to the vertical growth of crops in controlled, indoor environments. This can be in smaller, modular equipment towers, in large warehouse structures, or even in abandoned buildings. Vertical farming is thought to be the future of agriculture, and is propelled forward by a growing world population, climate change, shortage of arable land, the desire for national self-sufficiency, and for fresher, closer food, free of nasty pesticides.

Vertical farming allows more efficient use of space; one square meter of floor space in a vertical farm produces roughly the same amount of vegetable crops as 50 square meters of conventional farmland. In addition, because the water is recycled, vertical farms are able to use 95% less water. Producing indoors also means that vertical farms need little to no herbicides and pesticides, and that cultivation for a variety of crops can be done year-round. Automated vertical farms cut labor costs and provide a safer alternative to the occupational hazards of traditional farming. At the end of the supply chain, vertical farms enable transportation cost reduction by their proximity to consumers.