Sustainable Future and Vertical Growing

The more I look around at the world; the amount of cultural diversity is astounding. Yet we all need food to survive and most of that food is common amongst all groups. Grains, fruits, vegetables, all need different environments to grow. Which up until now, had to be grown in specific regions and out in rural areas. However, Vertical Farming is poised to change all of that. The food deserts that plague the inner cities can easily fade into the rearview of society. Those old abandoned factories that could only amount to an unwanted eyesore can now be transformed into a community sustaining tool that have a slew of other economic benefits. The World Health Organization issued a statement in 2017 (1) indicating starvation levels are on the rise. The report stated, “After steadily declining for over a decade, global hunger is on the rise again, affecting 815 million people in 2016, or 11 per cent of the global population…”

An indoor garden will need to be built, which takes some construction and sealing needs. After that, people will be needed to run the equipment and provide some general labor agriculture jobs within the community. Even after harvest, transporting the produce to the local grocery store or farmer’s market is significantly cheaper than shipping in goods from the more rural agriculture areas or some massive processed food factory. With an indoor farm, this can be done year round. Depending on the growth cycle of your crops, it can really produce a significant amount of produce to feed your community. Populations in the city have steadily risen, and will most likely continue. The only realistic way to feed all of these people in a healthy and sustainable way is to employ vertical farming. In an article in The Detroit News (2), they highlight one company that has shown to be more efficient that a traditional farm. They Interviewed Jeff Adams with Artesian Farms housed in a 7,500-square-foot former vacant warehouse. The article has some very promising facts like “California farms use seven gallons of water to grow a bundle of lettuce, while his system uses three-tenths of a gallon.” and “Adams has five plant racks — one recently produced 95 pounds of lettuce in 36 square feet.”

Not only is indoor urban farming ideal for large cities, it is also well equipped to help those in desert climates. Not only is there plenty of sunshine for plant growth, but solar panels could also be very useful to really reduce the overall expense of the vertical farm for water pumps, HVAC, and ventilation systems. Even a fully indoor grow, with the use of LED Lights, could be realistically powered by the sun. An Aeroponic system would help keep the water needed to an absolute minimum. So with the sun, water, and environment taken care of, you are ready to grow in any situation.

It doesn’t even need to be in desert extremes to be very useful. Picture every country, no matter what part of the globe it may be, being able to produce food in mass to feed their country. International conflict over food and devastating famine can be battled fiercely and with great effect. With the ability to control and alter the growing environment, anyone can grow anything very efficiently. Then maybe, mankind can take another giant leap forward.

Citations-

1- World Health Organization Report
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2017/world-hunger-report/en/

2- Indoor Farms Give Vacant Detroit Buildings New Life- Breana Noble, The Detroit News
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/2016/08/15/indoor-farms-vacant-buildings-detroit/88813972/