CROP GROWING SKYSCRAPERS
By the year 2050, nearly 80% of the Earth’s population will livein urban centres. Applying the most conservative estimates tocurrent demographic trends, the human population will increase byabout three billion people by then. An estimated 109 hectares ofnew land (about 20% larger than Brazil) will be needed to growenough food to feed them, if traditional farming methods continueas they are practised today.
At present, throughout the world, over 80% of the land that issuitable for raising crops is in use. Historically, some 15% ofthat has been laid waste by poor management practices. What can bedone to ensure enough food for the world’s population to live on?
The concept of indoor farming is not new, since hothouseproduction of tomatoes and other produce has been in vogue for sometime. What is new is the urgent need to scale up this technology toaccommodate another three billion people. Many believe an entirelynew approach to indoor farming is required, employing cutting-edgetechnologies. One such proposal is for the ‘Vertical Farm’. Theconcept is of multi-storey buildings in which food crops are grownin environmentally controlled conditions. Situated in the heart ofurban centres, they would drastically reduce the amount oftransportation required to bring food to consumers. Vertical farmswould need to be efficient, cheap to construct and safe to operate.If successfully implemented, proponents claim, vertical farms offerthe promise of urban renewal, sustainable production of a safe andvaried food supply (through year-round production of all crops),and the eventual repair of ecosystems that have been sacrificed forhorizontal farming.
It took humans 10,000 years to learn how to grow most of thecrops we now take for granted. Along the way, we despoiled most ofthe land we worked, often turning verdant, natural eco-zones intosemi-arid deserts. Within that same time frame, we evolved into anurban species, in which 60% of the human population now livesvertically in cities. This means that, for the majority, we humanshave shelter from the elements, yet we subject our food-bearingplants to the rigours of the great outdoors and can do no more thanhope for a good weather year. However, more often than not now, dueto a rapidly changing climate, that is not what happens. Massivefloods, long droughts, hurricanes and severe monsoons take theirtoll each year, destroying millions of tons of valuable crops.
The supporters of vertical farming claim many potentialadvantages for the system. For instance, crops would be producedall year round, as they would be kept in artificially controlled,optimum growing conditions.
There would be no weather-related crop failures due to droughts,floods or pests. All the food could be grown organically,eliminating the need for herbicides, pesticidesand fertilisers.
The system would greatly reduce the incidence of many infectiousdiseases that are acquired at the agricultural interface.
Although the system would consume energy, it would return energyto the grid via methane generation from composting non-edible partsof plants. It would also dramatically reduce fossil fuel use, bycutting out the need for tractors, ploughs and shipping.
A major drawback of vertical farming, however, is that theplants would require artificial light. Without it, those plantsnearest the windows would be exposed to more sunlight and grow morequickly, reducing the efficiency of the system. Single-storeygreenhouses have the benefit of natural overhead light; even so,many still need artificial lighting.
A multi-storey facility with no natural overhead light wouldrequire far more. Generating enough light could be prohibitivelyexpensive, unless cheap, renewable energy is available, and thisappears to be rather a future aspiration than a likelihood for thenear future.
One variation on vertical farming that has been developed is togrow plants in stacked trays that move on rails. Moving the traysallows the plants to get enough sunlight. This system is already inoperation, and works well within a single-storey greenhouse withlight reaching it from above: it Is not certain, however, that itcan be made to work without that overhead natural light.
Vertical farming is an attempt to address the undoubted problemsthat we face in producing enough food for a growing population. Atthe moment, though, more needs to be done to reduce the detrimentalimpact it would have on the environment, particularly as regardsthe use of energy. While it is possible that much of our food willbe grown in skyscrapers in future, most experts currently believeit is far more likely that we will simply use the space availableon urban rooftops.
1. The contribution of traditional farming method is expected to*
2. Cutting-edge technologies in executing new idea like‘vertical farm’ is necessary as......
3. Factors like efficiency, economical and high level of safetyin regards to operation should be......
4. As the crops get exposed to the adversity of theweather,.........
5.  The vertical farming method.........
