Inside your local supermarket, in company cafes or college cafeterias, in abandoned urban buildings, on side yards of businesses and schools, vertical farms are popping up. Vertical farming, established in the US in 2012 uses large panels, like vertical window blinds to grow microgreens, fruits, and vegetables indoors without soil or sunlight. This can be a boost in urban areas cutting down on transportation and land use. Growing food where people live can meet food demands in an environmentally responsible and sustainable way.
Some advantages to vertical crops are a year-round local supply, reduced water use, less crop loss by weather or pests, and a lower carbon footprint due to decreased transportation costs. A disadvantage to vertical farming is the considerable use of electricity for LED lighting plus heating, cooling and ventilation systems. Most vertical farms fall into one of three categories.
Hydroponics – Plants are grown without soil in a liquid solution of water and nutrients.
Aeroponics – Roots of plants are misted with water, nutrients, and oxygen without the use of soil or fluid water.
Aquaponics – Nutrient-rich wastewater from fish tanks is filtered and fed to plants, then it is recycled back to the fish tanks.
As the world’s population grows and 2 out of every 3 people are predicted to live in urban areas by 2050 innovative farming technology is an inviting option.
