Vertical Farming

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Vertical farming is the method of growing plants and crops over each other, mostly in buildings with many stories. They often look like a skyscraper with glass around them, similar to a giant greenhouse. Such farming methods can already be seen in cities. For agriculture experts, vertical farming will be in widespread use in the future because the world’s population is growing constantly and there is more need for farming land.

The idea comes from Dickson Despommier, a professor at Columbia University, who is 1999, developed a method of growing food in city skyscrapers that could be as tall as thirty storeys. 

Vertical farming offers many advantages. Crops can be grown on a smaller area of land, water can be recycled and used over and over again. Plants grow on minerals and do not need soil.  Many farming products can be harvested more than once per year. With some fruits, like strawberries, up to 30 harvests would be possible.

This new form of farming can also help nature and the environment recover from mistakes humans make when farming. Many resources could be saved, forests could be preserved and desertification limited. Burning fewer fossil fuels would result in fewer emissions, a reduction of global warming, and healthier environments. Especially tropical regions with their high risk of getting diseases like malaria would benefit.

Vertical farming can protect crops from bad weather or disasters like hurricanes, storms, droughts, or floods. The same weather conditions all year round provide ideal conditions for perfect crops. With traditional farming, 30% of all food does not find its way to the consumer, either because it becomes spoiled during transport or is infested with bacteria. Vertical farming produces food where it is needed.

On the other side, building such vertical farms can prove to be a costly undertaking.  During the beginning of such a project, a lot of energy is needed. Because plants require large amounts of sunlight, buildings need to be provided with artificial sunlight for the whole year. But compared to traditional farms that take up a lot of space, vertical farming has a low carbon footprint. It can do without fossil fuels because it relies on energy from the sun.