Vertical farming

Vertical farming is a technique used for growing crops indoors in cities. The plants are grown hydroponically, in nutrient-infused water, or aeroponically, which uses mists of nutrients and water sprayed around the plants, under artificial lighting and in temperature-controlled environments. Proponents say it is a way to grow crops in urban areas or other places where the ground or climate is unsuitable for farming. They claim vertical farming may one day help with world food shortages. Opponents say that the cost of growing produce this way limits it to providing high-priced specialty produce for the rich, and they argue that such methods use too much energy.

Background

Vertical farms are crop-growing facilities that are located inside a building. They use stacks of shelves to grow multiple layers of plants. The growing conditions are manufactured using lights and temperature and humidity controls. In some cases, where the design of the building permits it, the plants may receive natural sunlight supplemented by artificial lighting from LEDs customized to provide the ideal light needed for growth.

Most vertical farming is done with special techniques, such as hydroponics or aeroponics, which deliver nutrients to the plants without soil. The nutrients needed by that specific type of plant are mixed with water in custom solutions that provide exactly what the plant needs for optimal growth. Vertical farms can also use aquaponics. This creates an environment where fish and plants are raised together, with the fish waste providing the fertilizer for the plants. In some cases, soil may be used if the building design is appropriate.

People have considered the idea of vertical farms throughout most of the twentieth century, and a few prototype buildings were even designed. However, interest in vertical farming increased after promotion by Columbia University professor Dickson Despommier. In 1999, Despommier asked one of his graduate classes to figure out how to feed the population of New York City using rooftop gardens. When the class's research indicated the available acreage would fall short, Despommier and his students came up with the idea of stacked indoor gardens instead.

The plan they came up with used abandoned apartment buildings to grow crops in areas where traditional farming could not be done, such as large metropolitan areas. Despommier called his idea vertical farming and wrote about it in the 2010 book The Vertical Farm: Feeding the World in the 21st Century. The idea also received a great deal of interest from the media, which soon produced stories about this alternative way of growing crops.

Overview

Since Despommier popularized the concept, vertical farms have been started in a number of countries. Some limited versions of the concept existed prior to the time Despommier and his students began promoting vertical farming, but most were experimental rather than commercial in nature. It is estimated that within five years of the publication of Despommier's book, there were more than two hundred vertical farms around the world. The United States, Japan, India, Nigeria, Antarctica, and a number of European countries all have one or more vertical farms. The most commonly grown crops are lettuce, kale, herbs, cucumbers, and strawberries, as these crops adapt best to the conditions found in basic vertical farms.

Vertical farms have been created in abandoned buildings, including apartment high-rises and stores. One former school in Japan, which was closed because the population of children in the area declined, was transformed into a strawberry farm. In just two rooms measuring about 1,400 square feet total, two businessmen started growing about 3,200 strawberry plants in four levels of racks made from materials that are readily available in most communities. Computers control the heat, light, water, and food, and a manager runs the entire complex with a handful of part-time helpers to pick the ripe berries.

Advocates for vertical farming say that it will be necessary to increase food production by 70 percent to feed the world's population by the year 2050. By that time, it is estimated that nearly 80 percent of the population will live in urban centers. This means that there will be more people living further away from the areas where food has traditionally been produced. Vertical farming proponents say that it makes sense to begin growing food closer to where people live to save on transportation costs and shorten the time it takes to get food from the farm to the table.

Supporters also say that the optimal growing conditions provided by vertical farming techniques means crops can be grown faster. Salad greens are one of the most popular crops grown in existing vertical farms; they grow quickly and are available year-round. They have a short shelf life once harvested, so producing them closer to where they are consumed makes sense. Growing plants without soil also eliminates the possibility of many food-borne diseases and prevents the presence of insects, so pesticides are not required, according to advocates. They also note that while crop variety is limited, the potential exists to grow tomatoes, rice, and many other types of plants in vertical farms.

Opponents, however, note the high cost of produce grown in vertical farms. This cost is mostly due to the huge energy demands of such farms. Vertical farm produce is often sold to high-end grocery stores that sell organic produce to wealthy clients. Such high-cost specialty foods will do nothing to alleviate potential food shortages, critics argue. Traditional farming is better at producing sufficient yields of staple cereal crops, such as corn, rice, soybeans, and wheat.

By 2025, vertical farming researchers were addressing cost concerns by converting used shipping containers and abandoned warehouses into vertical farming units. Such repurposed structures were readily available, as well as less expensive and more sustainable than other structures.

Those who oppose vertical farming also call attention to the large amount of fuel it takes to run the electrical components necessary to keep such enterprises operational. The lights, heaters, and pumps all use energy, which increases the carbon footprint of these facilities. Solar sources are generally not sufficient to provide all the energy needed, opponents say. Nonetheless, they concede that such problems could be overcome if energy costs come down and techniques are developed to increase crop variety.

Bibliography

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Davis, Nicola. "Vertical Farming Explained: How Cities Could Be Food Producers of the Future." The Guardian, 6 Feb. 2014, www.theguardian.com/science/2014/feb/06/vertical-farming-explained-erik-murchie. Accessed 16 Jan. 2025.

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