Henry Gordon-Smith
Founder & CEO
Henry Gordon-Smith is a globally recognized expert in climate-smart agriculture and a pioneer in the vertical and urban farming movement. With over 10 years of experience, he advises governments, real estate developers, startups, and NGOs on how to design and scale sustainable food systems for cities and regions.
As the Founder and CEO of Agritecture, Henry helps clients clarify their goals, develop winning urban agriculture strategies, and bring complex projects from vision to execution. He has consulted on projects in over 40 countries and visited urban and controlled environment farms across five continents, giving him unique, firsthand insights into what drives success in diverse contexts.
Henry is also a Lecturer on Climate-Smart Agriculture at Columbia University, where he shares cutting-edge strategies for food system resilience with the next generation of sustainability leaders.
He is a frequent speaker and moderator at global forums—including the UN, World Bank, and major AgTech conferences—where he’s known for his dynamic style and forward-thinking perspective on the intersection of technology, agriculture, and sustainability.
Henry holds a BA in Political Science, an MSc in Sustainability Management from Columbia University, and specialized coursework in food security and urban agriculture. He has served as an advisor to multiple AgTech startups and previously sat on the board of Teens for Food Justice, a nonprofit empowering youth to grow food and fight hunger through hydroponics.
Follow Henry’s projects in urban agriculture & sustainability:
Awards & Recognition
2017: 40 Under 40 in NYC Food Policy
(Hunter College Food Policy Center)
2018: Top 10 People in Produce (Produce Grower Magazine)
2019: Top 20 Global Food & Agriculture Influencers (RaboBank)
2019: Food Policy Fellow (University of Guelph)
Watch Henry’s TED Talk
In the News
BLOOMBERG NEWS / FUTURISTIC VERTICAL FARMING STARTUPS ARE STRUGGLING IN THE TECH DOWNTURN / December 2022
AGFUNDER NEWS / UAE & EGYPT WILL FACE A SHORTAGE OF SKILLED CLIMATE-SMART FARM LABOR / December 2022
THE FOOD INSTITUTE / MEET THE TWO BIGGEST ENEMIES OF INDOOR FARMING / December 2022
10,000 DAYS PODCAST / HENRY GORDON-SMITH: SOCIAL ENTREPRENEUR / AGTECH LEADER / December 2022
THE FOOD INSTITUTE / HUGE OPPORTUNITIES EXIST IN TECH-ENABLED AG / November 2022
GLOBAL INNOVATORS PODCAST / DIGITAL NOMAD’S MISSION TO CHANGE THE WORLD THROUGH AGRITECH / November 2022
BLOOMBERG NEWS / GREENHOUSE GROWER GOTHAM GREENS RAISES $310M IN SERIES E / September 2022
GREENTECH PODCAST / PLANT HEALTH / July 2022
NBC NEWS / VERTICAL FARMING PROVIDES ALTERNATIVE WAY TO GROW PRODUCE / July 2022
AGFUNDER NEWS / VERTICAL FARMING IS HEADED FOR ‘THE TROUGH OF DISILLUSIONMENT’ HERE’S WHY THAT IS A GOOD THING / December 2021
TIME OUT/ THESE INCREDIBLE URBAN FARMS ARE SHOWING US HOW TO MAKE FOOD BETTER / November 2021
VEGPRENEUR/ HOW TO DESIGN A GREENHOUSE/VERTICAL FARM / August 2021
BLOOMBERG/ VERTICAL FARMS RUSH TO IMPROVE KALE SALAD ON A PATH TO PROFITABILITY / August 2021
DECENTRALISED ENERGY CANADA/ FUTURE FOOD: INSIGHTS INTO MODERN AGRICULTURE / July 2021
ALLTECH ONE IDEAS CONFERENCE/ THE FUTURE OF URBAN REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE / July 2021
CLIMATE CAPITAL AND MEDIA/ FROM HENRY KRAVIS TO NATALIE PORTMAN, VERTICAL FARMING IS SUDDENLY HOT / July 2021
AGRI-CITY / AMSTERDAM AND PARIS EXCHANGE ON URBAN AGRICULTURE PRACTICES / July 2021
INNOVATORS MAGAZINE / SUSTAINABILITY IS A PROCESS / OCTOBER 2020
HUSH PUPPIES BLOG / MEET OPTIMISM INSTIGATOR HENRY GORDON-SMITH / MAY 2020
TWENTY FIRST CENTURY IMPERATIVE / SUSTAINABLE FOOD SUPPLY IN THE FACE OF CLIMATE CHANGE / MAY 2020
FARMTECH SOCIETY / AGRITECTURE DESIGNER INTERVIEW / APRIL 2020
AGFUNDER NEWS / WHY AGRITECTURE IS LAUNCHING ITS URBAN FARMING PLANNING SOFTWARE PLATFORM NOW / APRIL 2020
DAIMLER / VERTICAL INDOOR OUTDOOR: URBAN AGRITECTURE FOR MORE SUSTAINABLE CITIES / DEC 2019
XTALKS / FEEDING FOOD SECURITY: WHY SMART CITIES INVEST IN URBAN AGRICULTURE / APRIL 2019
AGRI PULSE / WHERE AND HOW WILL FARMERS GROW OUR FOOD IN 2040? / FEBRUARY 2019
MODERN ACRE PODCAST / URBAN AGRICULTURE: INDUSTRY INSIGHT AND BUILDING A BUSINESS / MAY 2018
DIGI.CITY / AGRICULTURE WILL DRIVE CITIES TO BE SMARTER AND STRONGER / MARCH 2018
FUTURISM / URBAN FARMING IS THE FUTURE OF AGRICULTURE / JANUARY 2018
RADIO NEW ZEALAND / AUCKLAND'S FUTURE: VERTICAL FARMING? / DECEMBER 2017
RADIOLIVE / VERTICAL FARMING: GROWING UPWARD IN JAM-PACKED CITIES / DECEMBER 2017
FEED, NOURISH, THRIVE / AGRITECTURE: A CONVERSATION WITH HENRY GORDON-SMITH / SEPTEMBER 2016
HUFFINGTON POST / GROW YOUR OWN FRESH FOOD IN THE MIDDLE OF MANHATTAN - ASK HENRY! / JUNE 2016
CBC NEWS / GREEN ROOFS AND 'AGRITECTURE' HAVE POTENTIAL TO TRANSFORM FOOD SUPPLY IN CITIES / AUGUST 2015
GOOD / AGRI-TECTURE: FOOD'S NEXT BIG MOVEMENT? / MARCH 2013