Vertical Farming
ne of mankind’s many near future problems is food supply. Farming for Earth’s current population requires an area equal to the size of South America. Scientists estimate a total of 9.5 billion people by 2050, who are in need of additional farming space equal to the size of Brazil alone.
Fertile land in this dimension does not exist.
On top of that, farming requires a total 80% of our planet’s freshwater resources. Combined with the fact that by 2050, about 80% of Earth’s population will reside in urban centres, freshwater supply is doomed to run low.
There are many approaches to solve this problem. One of them is Vertical Farming.
isionary Dr. Dickson Despommier coined the term Vertical Farm in 1999. He originally challenged his students to come up with an idea to feed Manhattan. Their result using Rooftop Gardens only fed about 2% of Manhattan’s 50,000 inhabitants. Despommier craved for more. He imagined whole skyscrapers filled with farmland.
From there, the idea grew wings. Today, architects like Jung Min Nam and Chris Jacobs use a mixture of these technologies to grow plants in their high tech buildings:
Aeroponics
Plants are grown in an air environment without the use of soil. Mist is used to transmit nutrients.
Hydroponics
Plants are grown using mineral nutrient water solutions. Again, no need for an aggregate medium.
Drip irrigation
This form of nutrition is widely used in conventional farming. Plants receive minerals and nutrients from constant water dripping.
Exploded View
Advantages
No transportation costs. Crops are harvested on location: In city centres. The complete shortfall of transportation costs allows for competitive prices compared to conventional crops.
Reduced carbon footprint. Did you know that traditional farming in the USA takes 20% of their fossil energy resources? resulting side effect: food prices are closely linked to the oil price. Vertical farming means less tractors, less plows and an independent food market.
Efficient farming. Vertical agriculture relies on cultivation trimmed for use in enclosed spaces. For example dwarf corn, originally developed for NASA, takes less room and can be harvested multiple times a year. Crops are not exposed to weather related failures such as droughts or floods.
Sustainable technology. Sufficiently big Vertical Farms are able to take a vital part in the city ecosystem. Urban sewage is purified, while cellulose waste is burned to produce energy. Solar panels and wind turbines add up to make the complex entirely sustainable.
Organic Growth Food is grown without the use of herbicides, pesticides or fertilizers.
A 30 story tall Vertical Farm is nearly able to produce the same amount of food than 1,000 hectare of farmland.
Outlook
That’s where the sad news kicks in. At the moment, Vertical Farming happens mostly in the creative minds of scientists, engineers and architects. Dr. Dickson Despommier has done a great job branding the term and setting up a website to channel all efforts on the subject.
Architects from all around the world indulge themselves in different concepts but we’re still short of a working prototype.