Vertical farming startups have raised billions, but after visiting a few facilities I'm skeptical they can replace traditional agriculture for staple crops. The energy costs for lighting and climate control are still massive, and I've seen numbers suggesting lettuce grown indoors uses about 10 times more electricity per kilogram than field-grown. Sure, it works for high-value greens in cities, but can we honestly scale this to feed millions without bankrupting the grid? I think we're overselling tech solutions when soil conservation and better water management might do more for less money.