Greenland entrepreneur gambles on leafy greens

A whiff of lemongrass and wet soil tickle the nose in Palli Fleischer Lyberth's vertical farm in Sisimiut, the second-largest town in the Danish autonomous territory.

In his makeshift greenhouse, Lyberth mainly grows Japanese mizuna, lettuce and microgreens which he sells to cruise ships, hotels and supermarkets across Greenland.

"A lot of people think it's crazy, because we can have very cold winters here with lots of snow, but the advantage is that you can use insulated buildings, LED lamps and pumps that keep the business running," he told AFP.

"We're about 50 kilometres (30 miles) from the Arctic Circle, and as you can see, the plants grow very well here," he said, giving a tour of his facility.

Lyberth said the cool climate was "very good for leafy greens", in contrast to Europe's sweltering, drought-wracked summers.

The absence of crop-damaging insects also means he doesn't have to use pesticides.

Lyberth, who has a background in tourism, learned to grow lettuce without using soil from YouTube tutorials.

A water system irrigates the plants via a nutrient substrate, a liquid fertiliser that replaces the nutrients and minerals naturally present in the soil.

He admits the business isn't profitable yet, and the bills are piling up.

But he hopes to qualify for a government subsidy and believes in his dream: that Greenland will import less and produce more.

With 81 percent of Greenland's surface covered in ice, the country imports 3,600 tonnes of vegetables each year, according to an article published by the Nordic Council of Ministers in 2021.