Article 1: Is the future of farming vertical?
Last week I read a case study “Lufa farms: High yields, high above the city.” The growing urban world population and rural land being taken over to develop cities was described as the problem at hand. The solution was to utilize the unused acres of land on rooftops to grow crops. Such farms are perfect for rainwater irrigation; the crops get free energy from the sun and heat that comes from the buildings below them. Intrigued by the idea, I chose this week’s current article to be about rooftop farming.
The article explored this idea, presenting strong points in its favor. Because of the changing climate, states such as California—one of the three biggest producers of the U.S.’s vegetables—are impacted through hot, dry weather. By taking farming vertical, you can reduce expanding into grasslands and instead seek benefits from unutilized areas. The article also stated that people don’t take advantage of stranded assets, abandoned buildings, such as old thermal power plants. Usually such buildings are in low-value areas and food deserts—poor neighborhoods where people do not have proper access to grocery stores—thus they can be acquired cheaply. Energy generation at thermal power plants results in heat, water, energy, and slipstream emissions. It can be annoying and costly to dispose of but it could be used in the production of food instead. I think this method is an excellent example of heading toward a more circular economy. It also cuts down on waste as the produce is close to its consumers thus cutting down the time it takes to harvest, move, and sell the product, extending its life. Considering the fact that nearly half of the fruits and vegetables in the U.S. end being discarded, this is a step in the right direction. In fact, the U.S. should follow Europe’s example in selling “Ugly” fruits and vegetables at marked down prices. Trashing produce simply for cosmetic reasons is ridiculous and only contributes to unnecessary waste.
One issue with vertical farming is that there is not enough research done. Questions such as how much sun or soil is required or what the costs will need to be answered first. And you must also consider other implications such as if it would give corporations more power than they already have in the food system. Still, in industrialized countries such as the U.S., expanding farms to concrete jungles rather than eating up land already used for crops is the more efficient way to go.
Notable vertical farms:
AeroFarms
Plenty Inc.
Source: GreenBiz
Article: Is the future of farming vertical?
Author: Jason Clay