If you , like me , have been discover a quite a little about perpendicular horticulture / farming you are also plausibly asking yourself what is vertical agriculture ? Since this seems to be a movement that is fail to be around for a while , I investigate . I found out on the nose what vertical farming is and what makes it such a big deal these days .
Vertical agriculture is the act of work plants in stack layers to save up outer space and gain yield . So , basically , it is any garden or farm where crops are stacked one on the other . This is done to increase the bit of plants you could raise in a limited amount of space .
Sounds interesting right wing ? Well , I was intrigued and wanted to learn more so I continue to labour and found some pretty persuasion - provoking information . erect farming has been around for a while and could have an impact worldly concern - widely . Keep reading to ascertain all you could ever want to roll in the hay about vertical horticulture !
Hydroponics
The History of Vertical Farming
Vertical farming is not a new concept , it has been used by unlike culture throughout history . It seems that people have naturally pull back the close that when you ca n’t circularize out , then you have to spread up .
In South America the indigenous people used vertically layered proficiency to grow more in circumscribed spaces . East Asians used terraces to increase their rice yield exponentially . Since then , many have believed it could combat the issues of over - population and decreased intellectual nourishment product .
1900-1999
In 1915 American geologist Gilbert Ellis Bailey mint the terminal figure “ vertical agriculture , ” prior to that there was n’t a undivided term used to account this proficiency . Over the year architects and scientist have looked at ways to use this method of farming .
In the 1950 ’s a Danish sodbuster tried to grow herbs in a manufacturing plant to achieve aggregative production . This was the first documented case of integrating a construction into agriculture practices . Once the two mind merged it was easy to see how they could be incorporated to the betterment of all .
In 1999 a professor , Dickson Despommier , asked his student to feed in the population of Manhattan , then around 2 million people , using only 13 acres of rooftop gardens . The course of study do to the conclusion that using typical gardening method acting would provide enough food for only 2 % of the population .
Aeroponically-grown kale in The Land greenhouse at Epcot in Walt Disney World | Photo by Benjamin D. Esham
Despommier disliked this conclusion and tongue-in-cheek suggest growing plant indoors using vertical husbandry techniques . From there , he begin to really explore and plan how a farm could be housed in skyscraper .
2000-Today
By 2001 , the first vertical farm was outlined and people began design and producing these urban farms . As culture medium interest increased , others set out building on these idea and happen ways to improve on them .
In 2011 a plant in Chicago introduced an anaerobic digester which allows the farm to operate off the energy grid using waste from nearby buildings .
Back in 2013 in Munich , Germany the Association for Vertical Farming was founded . It is an organization dedicate to promoting the growth of the vertical farming industry through education and collaboration .
Culinary herbs in a greenhouse aquaponic system. Vertical towers allow for efficient use of space. | Photo by Heather Husen
Today vertical agriculture is used in urban areas so that produce can be grown in fully controlled upright indoor environments . A lot of research is being conduct in the US , Europe , and Asia to arise this concept and recover the best agency to integrate it into today ’s cosmos .
There are multiple upright farms operating in the United States , including Vertical Fresh Farms in New York . Another one is operated by the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency .
New advances are constantly being made to better perpendicular farming and make this a sustainable , and profitable , way of farming .
Why Vertical Farming?
The United Nations anticipate that by 2050 the population of the earthly concern will be great than 9 billion citizenry . Yet there is no way to increase the amount of land uncommitted for food yield .
The more people in the world , the more food we will take . Yet , there is no step-up in land to grow the intellectual nourishment . Most metropolis have already go vertical , skyscrapers are everywhere so that people can go and work in areas with circumscribed landed estate to expound on .
So , why not utilise this same construct for farming ? Or on a smaller scale , for people living in apartments or condos who want to be able to have gardens ?
Types of Vertical Farming
upright farming has lead to many different innovations within the field of operations . There is a lot of enquiry being done to bump the serious potential way of growing crops so as to reduce the negatives and increase the output .
Hydroponicsis a mental process that involves growing plants in a solution of nutrients almost completely free of filth . The nutrient solution is frequently circulated and monitored so that the right physical composition is sustain .
Aeroponicswas insert by NASA in the 1990s to grow plants in space . It involve growing plants with very little water supply and no soil . It is a promising construct as it uses 90 % less water than aquiculture and creates plants that are healthier and more nutritious . However , this process has not been canvas as a proficiency used alfresco of quad .
Aquaponicsis alike to hydroponics but considered good because it incorporates fish into the process . The fish help circulate the H2O and create nutrients in the variant of waste material while the plant fee the fish and purify the water . This process maximise efficiency and increases the yield as the Pisces the Fishes are also capable to be sold .
The Advantages of Vertical Farming
Increased Crop Production
Indoor farming allows farmers to produce crop yr - round which multiply the productivity of an domain by 4 to as much as 30 - time normal farming ! base on this data , Despommier predicts that a 30 - story building settle on one city closure could yield a harvest as big as a 2,400 - acre traditional farm .
Weather Independence
Traditional factory farm is for the most part dependent on the mood . Moderate step-up in temperatures and more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere could lead to an increase in craw production but this is only a fraction of the equation .
Soil moisture , body of water availability , alimentary layer , and many other aspects of land are equally of import . planetary weather changes could do a change in the frequency and harshness of droughts and implosion therapy . This would negatively impact the productiveness of farm .
Vertical agriculture take all of the guesswork out of food production , it produce environments contributing to growing with small to no surprises or unexpected issues .
Conservation
erect farming would lessen the amount of traditional farmland necessary for craw product . This would permit the unnecessary domain to be return to its innate state .
unblock up tillage for another use would lessen the disforestation that has been expect up until this item . This would decrease the carbon copy step of farm everywhere .
Producing food in spite of appearance also eliminates many other vista of husbandry that are detrimental to the environment . This includes plowing , planting , and harvesting that is traditionally done by farm equipment .
The Concerns of Vertical Farming
Economic Impact
Let ’s await first at the likely economic shock vertical farming could have on the humanity . In hypothesis grow more food for thought would mean generating more money , right-hand ? Well , in world , the resolution to that question is not necessarily .
The building used to put up these vertical farms would need to be power so that the food could be grown . This would increase the fossil fuels used in the area . The cost of light , urine , and space would be so high , the extra nutrient produced would n’t be enough to offset the increase in expenses .
Energy Use
Where traditional farming relies on sun , rain , and the soil naturally find on the land ’s surface , vertical farming does not . This does n’t reject the need for light , water , and soil . It just creates challenges of how to allow for these necessary factor of land .
With crops pile , sun is unable to contact all of the crops so vertical Fannie Farmer must provide subsidiary light . This light has to come from a generated baron seed . This increases the amount of get-up-and-go economic consumption and cost necessary to grow crops .
In addition , there would need to be bathymetry and lift systems in place to distribute the necessary nutrients and urine to the crops . Between this and the temperature regulation , energy use within a vertical farm is much expectant than that of a traditional farm .
Pollution
As discuss previously , muscularity requirement increase drastically for perpendicular farm over traditional farm . This could potentially increase the amount of pollution produced bet on the type of vigor used by the farm .
Greenhouse crops are also known to bring forth more CO2gases than field bring forth . Theoretically , since the crops are indoors , the gases are contained . Due to the external respiration necessary within a construction some of the gases can leak into the atmosphere .
In accession , in edict to keep craw in a vegetative or procreative point the lights within the erect farm are proceed on past sunset and turn on before sunrise . This make a large amount of lightheaded contamination within the urban region which can compromise health , disrupt ecosystems , and spoil the aesthetics of an orbit .
Best Crops for Vertical Farming
Realistically , almost any plant can be grown in a vertical farm . That does n’t mean all plant life would be best wait on using this process . Current practices and inquiry shows that the most economical and efficient crop are lettuces , kales , chard and collard greens , chives , mickle , basil , and other small woody herbs .
Amateur Gardener Take-Aways
There are many hoi polloi incorporating the perpendicular land outgrowth in their home gardens . Many the great unwashed are using this approximation to beautify ugly fence and terrace , planting flowers in a vertical arrangement . Others are plant herbs in a perpendicular planter so that they can grow more in a special space , like on their kitchen heel counter .
Whatever your cause for vertical gardening , there are many different options usable to make this easy and effective for you . Check out the other C. W. Post on this web site for ideas on how to produce your own vertical garden !
