How Vertical Farms Are Finding Their Place in Sustainable Agriculture
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Vertical farming is a revolutionary technique set to redefine the future of agriculture. Vertical farming involves growing crops in stacked layers, similar to how we arrange books on a shelf, to maximize crop yield within a limited space.
A combination of state-of-the-art technology and innovative, technologically-enhanced growing methods, vertical farming offers great potential in addressing food security, while promoting sustainability.
The Growth and Evolution of Vertical Farming
The modern conceptof vertical farming originated in the 1990s, but the quest to maximize crop yield in limited spaces dates back centuries. Ancient Roman farmers adopted the espalier training technique to grow grapes, a technique that has been adapted in vertical farming.
An interesting example of modern-day vertical farming is the Pasona Urban Farm in Japan, an office building transformed into a lush farm. In this office, tomatoes dangle from meeting-room light fittings, and mushrooms sprout from drawers, proving how far creativity can take us in vertical farming.
Benefits and Challenges of Vertical Farming
Vertical farming promises numerous benefits, including increased crop yield and sustainable use of space. An acre of vertical farm can potentially produce as much as a traditional farm of 700 acres.
Vertical farming reduces the need for pesticides since the indoor environment can be kept free of pests. This method also has significantly lower water requirements due to efficient closed-loop water recycling systems.
Competing With Traditional Agriculture
Despite these benefits, vertical farming faces challenges like high setup costs, rents, and energy bills. However, recent advancements in technology such as the use of efficient LED lights are steadily making vertical farming more cost-effective.
Vertical farms have so far been successful with high-value, quick-growing crops like salad greens, tomatoes, and strawberries, but have so far been unable to escape this niche to be broader in the types of value they deliver to the market.
Lessons About Acute Sustainability Learned the Hard Way
While the costs of urban areas serve to limit the value of vertical farms as they relate to traditional agriculture, the process of working out proper roles for upstart technologies that entrepreneurs are still learning can be a painful one.
One typical result of new technologies, as they find their place in an economy, is the failure of an increasing fraction of businesses employing them, and we have begun to see these. This often leads to consolidation in an industry that can propel the next tier of growth.
The Role of Vertical Farming in Education
The inclusion of vertical farming in educational programs, such as those in Mountain Vista High School (MVHS), provides an exciting avenue for hands-on learning experiences. This pioneering effort in integrating agriculture business with the school curriculum has given students a chance to seed, transplant, harvest, and even sell their produce.
This practical approach teaches students not just the lifecycle of plants, but also valuable skills like marketing, management, communication, and problem-solving, which can differ markedly from traditional agriculture.
Vertical Farming: A Sustainable Solution to Global Challenges
From an environmental standpoint, vertical farming holds great promise. It can potentially help reduce food miles by allowing crops to be grown near urban populations, minimizing the need for long-distance transport. Moreover, vertical farms can be integrated into cities, using electricity from rural solar farms, making the process less polluting.
As we push the boundaries of vertical farming, there is, in theory, the potential to move to completely soil-free farming using hydroponic or aeroponic systems; however, this is likely a long way from practicability as the world's food staples, such as corn and wheat, do not lend themselves to indoor cultivation.
Urban Vertical Farming: Ironing Out the Costs for a Robust Future
The potential of vertical farming extends beyond increasing crop yield. It offers an integrated approach to sustainability, education, and the agriculture business.
The fusion of these elements in urban and suburban environments can lead us to a future where our cities, schools, and homes transform into spaces where food is grown, creating a world where everyone plays a more active and knowledgeable role in their food production.
Vertical farming is not just about the future; it's about today. It's about rethinking our approach to agriculture, making it more sustainable, more efficient, and more accessible. But sustainability is first and foremost about profitability; without it, businesses are simply not sustainable.
Ultimately, businesses need to carve out for themselves urban niches where they can profitably outcompete rural farmers. That is a tall order, but one that is being filled, one crop mile and new technology at a time.
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