What are your views on vertical farming?

Question

What are your views on vertical farming?

Answer 1

It makes for interesting architectural concepts, but isn't a practical way to solve any problems.

The area of crops that can be grown in urban areas will remain small relative to the population density. Think of how many people work in one city block. The food that could be grown there would only be enough to feed a few families over the course of a year.

Furthermore, the farther up you go, the higher you have to pump irrigation water. Unless you live somewhere like Seattle, there won't be enough rainfall to supply multiple stories of crops. Pumping water requires electricity, and electricity requires burning coal. (If you think solar or other renewable energy will solve this - go ahead and build it, but use it to displace other coal use, not to pump water to the top of buildings.)

Lastly, there will be problems of shading - the higher levels, and the bulk of the building itself, will at least partially shade the plants below. They may grow, but this will limit your choice of crop and your yield.

Despite all this, I wouldn't be surprised if there is a limited market for some high-value low-volume specialty products. Perhaps tropical fruits that would otherwise be flown in from across the world? Mostly though, I see this as an opportunity for "greenwashing".

Answer 2

The concept is one that allows for a greater greenhouse production level, and it is that management with respect to the greenhouse that is the "money". The same idea holds true to field farming but only to a point, and only considering that one has a very limited space to produce a crop. That would be important if one is growing products for personal use on a very small plot. It allows even the small home a way to produce all it's needs in this age of the modern victory garden. For larger acreage farms though light and ventilation as well as space are important for growth and disease/ pest management. Start jamming stuff in to high and too close and production drops dramatically. This is why so much research over so many years has given us stats on crops with respect to row and plant spacing. Anything else is begging for problems. Greenhouses differ somewhat in that one is controlling the environment of a closed space but even there one falls on best management practices as defined for a specific crop(s).

Answer 3

I believe the concept is great.  On a small scale it's already being done, in particular I know that mushrooms are grown in vertical hothouses.

I'm not sure how large-scale vertical farming will work.  Obviously, the need for new machinery will be a given.  But naturally, that in itself creates new jobs, just as the vertical farming will create more food.  Certain foods grow well in greenhouses and would be suitable options.

I've always wondered what would happen to all the city folk of they no longer had access to farm raised produce.  I'm fortunate to live on a large farm where we can raise our own food (we don't raise it all, but we could if we had to).

Certainly, our nation needs to be digging deep -- or in this case, raising the bar -- to find new ways to feed our people.

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Great question!