What do you think about Vertical farming?

Question

You can check it out here, but I think it's too good to be true: http://gliving.tv/architecture-design/organic-farm-skyskrapers-is-this-our-future/

Answer 1

Interesting question.

I scanned through the article of the website you provided. This skyscraper farming system sounds fancy and attractive. However, there are practical concerns:

1. Too expensive to build the whole system: the building, irrigation systems, venting system, etc.

2. Labor intensive. Since you can't drive a tractor and harvest a large area at a time, it'll take manpower.

3. High maintenance. The higher technology used, the more maintenance reqired. And again, more expensive.

This is a fun idea. Maybe building one like this for big cities like New Youk will attract visitors and make a lot of money. Definitely not for places like central Texas.

Agriculture is real life. I think for most places, the old school works, unless you have a lot of spare money to play with.

Answer 2

Once upon a time, talking to someone hundreds of miles away was too good to be true.  Finding information on any subject from your own home was too good to be true.  Many advances seem too far out to ever be attainable, but here we are.

So, while it may be a distant future still, it's always possible.

Answer 3

I think it is plausible, but something that is in the distant future.  

It could conceivably work because everything needed to grow plants can be done in that situation.  Certain types of artificial light work almost as well as sunlight.  Soil can be transported, or not even used (search "hydroponics" for more info), and growing seasons could be controlled artificially through temperature and light regulation.

However, at the present time, there is not much money to be made in farming.  It takes government subsidies to keep many farms afloat.  It would take a lot of money to build such a series of skyscrapers to have an impact, and I seriously doubt that it would be financially feasible to do so in the next 50 years.  

At some point in the future, if current population growth and urbanization keeps up, it could happen, though.  Just don't look for it anytime soon.

Answer 4

30 years ago in his book "The Unsettling of America" Wendell Berry spoke of things like this...he was considered extreme and it'll never happen. EVERYTHING he wrote about in 1977 either has happened or is happening.

I don't see how this saves on fossil fuels when it takes 24/7 fossil fuels to power lights, pumps for the hydroponics, etc. People complain about the smell of animals when they move to rural areas yet really think those in the city will not throw a fit at the wiff of manure. And, of further danger, it puts our food supply in the hands of fewer corporate people still - who are NOT agriculture and are anything for a profit business people. There's already abuse of the system of being a farm so therefore exempt from many laws - this will increase that. It allows rediculously easy tampering with the food supply and contrary to the talk of no drought without water there is no hydroponics. The areas will also have to be climate controlled because surely those working in such places don't want to break a sweat.

I think it's a highly dangerous system and the way forward is the way back - letting people make their own choices as to where to buy their food. If that's direct from a farmer they trust then so be it - no one else's business.

Answer 5

That should work only if someone ever decides to forbid Monaco or Vatican city to buy food to other countries.

Or maybe in the year 3,000.

Answer 6

Seems to be a possible way to farm as the world keeps growing with people and land keeps being used. Good space saver I would suppose.

Answer 7

I saw the website, and I have to agree with you.

Answer 8

Great idea if anyone will invest in it so it actually happens.

They have ocean farming ideas too:

http://www.popsci.com/popsci/science/3c2...

Answer 9

farming needs sunlight, the most sunlight is in large areas, like a field.

if you do it vertically, it will cost you more, if lots of people do it, you are going to need more light for the plants.

light for the plants takes energy, where will you get that energy from ?

even if you need to farm indoors to combat pollution or parasites or whatever, you will still likely do it in a large open place with lots of sun (our main energy source).

it must have been invented by one of the "don't bother me with logic" people