Has anyone ever devised a functional system for indoor, multi-level, simulated-conditions farming?

Question

That was a long way to put it, but i don't know of a short name for such a thing.

Has anyone ever invented such a thing? I'm not talking about your average greenhouse...

1. The farm would be totally indoors. Protected from pests and the weather.

2. It's multi-level. If the structure is standing on a 5 acre plot of land, the arable space is multiplied because each or some of the levels or floors of the structure works as a farms.

3. Simulated conditions. The temperature, light, and other condition factors involved in growing crops are fully controlled. This way it wouldn't matter what season it is.

If you know of someone who's done this before or if you know of any project, can you please tell me where to learn about it? Or if you can't remember exactly where to find the information, please tell as much as you know.

If you don't know anything helpful and you think i'm talking about something impossible or a waste of time, i do not welcome you to provide a response.

Answer 1

Way back when I read about maximising land potential in outer space. Co-planting or planting the next crop before or as one matures was discussed or tried. Space applications are the only place where what you are talking about makes sense.

Answer 2

First what you are describing would be enormously expensive.  Millions and millions of dollars.  It would be too cost prohibitive.

The closest that comes to what you are describing are a zoo in Sweeden, and Biosphere Two.

The zoo in Sweeden has an entire tropical ecosystem contained within a temperature controled greenhouse sort of building.  The plants, insects, water, fish, birds, bats, mamals, ect are all contained here.  It has been set up to be a self generating ecosystem.  Eventually the hope is the plants will produce enough food for the animals, and little imput will come from the zookeepers.  The system even generates it's own rain.

Here's a link to Biosphere Two:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biosphere_2

As the link states, it has cost 200 million dollars to build and operate from 1985, to the present.  

What you are describing would be tremendously more expensive than Biosphere Two.  Since you are talking about building it multiple stories high, the lower layers of course would not reap the benifit of free sunlight.  Those layers would need artificial lights which are extremely cost prohibitive to run.  

The only people that make money with artificial lights are those who grow marijona (sp?).  They can comand a very high price for their "crop."

You would also be talking about a staggering structural integrity needed for such a building.  To be able to suport multi levels, and have soil and water on other levels, even in planting pots it would be very, very heavy.    Not to mention workers and equipment.

However scale your plans back dramaticly, and you have something that is totally workable.

We will be building a straw bale house.  The entire south side of the house will be on long running greenhouse.  We will be running the grey water (water from sinks and showers) through that greenhouse to water the plants.  We have also toyed with the idea of running the brown water (water from your toilet) through there also.  

We will be able to produce our produce like fruits, vegtables and berries in there year round.  I also expect to be able to grow "exotic" plants like dwarf citrus (lemon, ornages, grapefruits), and dwarf banana trees.  

This is pretty wild, if you stop for a moment and think about the fact that I live in Idaho, in the high mountain desert.  We are currently at 4500+ feet.  We have looked at more land up to the 7000 foot elivation.  

If one were inclined to, it would be easy to incorperate rabbits into this tiny household eco system for food and manure.  

Also of course it would be very easy to include a "pond" area to grow fish, which would provide food, and neutriant rich water for the plants.  

One could very easily become totally self sufficent, hardly needing a trip to the grocery store at all.

If you are interested in self-sustained houses, I sugest you Google Earthship houses.  A very special type of house.

~Garnet

Homesteading/Farming over 20 years

Answer 3

What you are asking about is called vertical farming or skyscraper farming.

The potential advantages of vertical farming would be the prevention of deforestation, desertification, sprawl, and other consequences of growing agricultural land use. By producing food within population centers, less pollution is produced transporting the food from distant farms. The controlled environment of a greenhouse may also allow greater crop yields and reduced need for pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers. As currently envisioned, the vertical farm would also be designed to turn sewage into fresh water, generate its own electricity from decomposition byproducts, and be virtually self sufficient.  Here are some good articles if you want to read up on it.

http://verticalfarm.com/

http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?s...

http://nymag.com/news/features/30020/

Answer 4

Yes, marijuana growers.

Answer 5

This is the opposite direction than the one we should be going. It is very resource intensive, very time consuming, very power hungry. We need to build soils, build eco systems, investing small amounts of time at the beginning of a project then for them to be very low maintenance. We need to use natural energies, wind, solar, water land  existing forms. Auto sufficiency which requires the things above.

We are too ignorant of natural systems from micro level to full eco system level to manage the type of farming that you describe. For instance wind born fungal spores, wind born seeds. Natural assemblies evolve outside, we do not have enough knowledge to reproduce this.

We need pests to pollinate the plants and many plants need to be frosted. Even in the most 'sealed' systems like in biodome three ants were able to colonize them, bringing materials in and out of the 'sealed' system. This would create yet another imbalance.

Permaculture is the alternative. In this you use a stacking sytem, based on natural ecosystems. Layers of growth from bacteria through, herbs, shrubs, through to full size trees. You use landforms, by terracing, berming and swaling to create layers and auto energy management. You create useful micro climates by planting shelter belts, positioning water and light reflecting gravels and white barked trees to reflect sunlight.  Using large rocks to store heat and disperse heat during cooler times.

Animals within the system are self maintaining self reproducing, provide meats, eggs, weed and pest control, poo and turn over mulches. They do the work for you.

To create an early crop, dig a pond with chinampas attached. These can then be planted, again in layers, so that the falling fruit feeds the poultry, which in turn, poo into the water, so it feeds the aquatic eco system and fish. This can be polytunneled over for an even earlier crop. The reason why you use chinampas is that the frost rolls off the high ground and down to the water so protects the plants from being frosted. Good for usually tender plants. When the pond is dug, the spoil is mounded up at North side and planted along the ridge with trees so that frost can not damage crops. Wind is diverted, drawn down through the trees, where it is warmed from the heat stored in the trees. Forests are always warmer in winter than cleared ground and forests maintain an even temperature in summer, ameliorating the microclimate.

Have a look at Permaculture: Links below.