Due to climate change and the ever-growing demand for vegetables, farmers in Japan have been forced to conjure up new ways to approach agriculture. Now they have, with the world’s largest indoor farm that measures at about half the size of a football field.

This indoor farm is located in Miyagi Prefecture where the massive earthquake and tsunami hit in March 2011. Despite most of the area’s infrastructure being completely destroyed in the aftermath, the locals combined their strength to convert a barren building into this impressive factory.

Built by Mirai Co. and GE Japan, this enormous facility makes indoor large-scale farming possible, where every aspect of the environment — from light and temperature to humidity and irrigation — can be controlled.

Where over 17,500 LED lights nurture the plants growing inside the myriad vertically-stacked racks, over 10,000 lettuce heads are produced on a daily basis.

Having the ability to create the most optical environment for the plants obviously comes with numerous benefits. For one, the vegetation grows up to 2.5 times faster inside the structure than it usually would otherwise. There is also less need for water, as the air quality is perfectly modified for photosynthesis. Because indoor farming can produce food with less energy, less water, less waste and in less space, it can contribute greatly to the earth’s environment and even food shortages across the globe.

In this vein, vegetation can be cultivated in any part of the world regardless of location and weather. And although this indoor farm in Miyagi currently only produces lettuce, the future is bright, and it will only be a matter of time before other vegetables and plants can be grown indoors in large quantities.