Greener Cities with Vertical Farming

Professor Dickson Despommier felt the need for alternative greenery and farming in the cities and he came up with the term Vertical farming which made use of aeroponics and hydroponics to grow plants without soil in the city buildings named as ‘farmscrapers’. We have only limited land and water supply and there is high demand for space and water. According to the reports, by the year 2050, there would be no land unoccupied by man where cultivation and farming could be done. There is a rampant search to find a good alternative to produce feed without using up much space. This was then that Dr. Dickson Despommier came up with the thought of Vertical farming.

We depend upon land to live, like farmlands to grow crops and animals and we also need the forests to keep the atmosphere fresh and oxygen filled. With people being worried over the consequences of excess land usage and the issues related, the idea of Vertical farming has been very warmly welcome by the masses. The idea of growing and farming plants, cattle, fishes and poultry in concrete and glass buildings in the heart of the city, under controlled environment is on its way to becoming a reality. The benefits that Vertical farming provide makes it preferable than conventional farming.

With vertical farming, crop production will become more efficient and healthy. They are grown in a controlled environment and therefore there is no way that insects or pests can enter the ‘farm’. The food thus obtained from vertical farming will be of better quality and contamination free as there are no pesticides or insecticides used in vertical farming. The crops can be grown in purely organic cultures and thus the quality of the crops thus produced can be ensured. The loss of crop and farm lands due to natural disasters and changing climates is prevented with vertical farming. The temperature is maintained at the optimal level and also, any fruit or vegetable can be grown according to the demand in that area as there will be no seasonal restrictions in vertical farming.

 Vertical farming ‘farmscrapers’ are intended to located within the cities and this will contribute in a huge extent to the transportation charges and the related fuel emissions while transporting it from distant villages. In these vertical farming centres, the black water will be recycled and reused for irrigation and this will help to reduce the scarcity for drinking water which is one of the major problems that the world is facing today. When compared to conventional farming methods, the bulk load of water that is spent in cultivating a crop is several times more the water that is used in vertical farming. Reuse and recycling of water will be done in the maximum possible ways within these vertical farming towers. Even the transpiration waters are collected are used in the controlled environment. This will also reduce the events of contaminated water run-away from the farmlands into the lakes and rivers.

Vertical farming is not a benefits alone technology and has its related disadvantages too. One of the main problems of vertical farming is absence of pollination. Under controlled environment, there will be no insects that bring about pollination and thus pollination will have to be manually performed. Due to the involvement of intensive labour, the crops, fruits and vegetables produced from vertical farming will be priced high. The whole set-up of these vertical farming towers will involve a good deal of investment as land, creation of the vertical farming lab, lights, temperature and ambience settings and other related expenses. There are several limitations and scientists are working to make vertical farming a reality.