Vertical farming is the method of growing plants and crops over each other, mostly in buildings with many storeys. They often look like skyscrapers with glass around them, similar to a giant greenhouse. Such farming methods can already be seen in cities. For farming experts vertical agriculture will be in widespread use in the future because the world's population is growing constantly and there is more need for farming land. The idea comes from Dickson Despommier, a professor at Columbia University, who in 1999, developed a method of growing food in city skyscrapers that could be as tall as thirty stories. Today, such projects are carried out in many countries, for example Korea, Japan, Abu Dhabi and Singapore. Vertical farming offers many advantages. Crops can be grown on a smaller area of land, water can be recycled and used over and over again. grow minerals on Plants and do not need soil. Many farming products can be harvested more than once per year. With some fruits, like strawberries, up to 30 harvests would be possible.
This new form of farming can also help nature and the environment recover from mistakes humans make when farming. Many resources could be saved, forests could be preserved and desertification limited. Burning less fossil fuels would result in fewer emissions, a reduction of warming environments healthier global and . Especially tropical regions with their high risk of getting diseases like malaria would benefit. Vertical farming can protect crops from bad weather or disasters like hurricanes, storms, droughts or floods. The same weather conditions all year round provide ideal conditions for perfect crops. With traditional farming, 30% of all food does not find its way to the consumer, either because it becomes spoilt during or infested bacteria transport with is . Vertical farming produces food where it is needed.
On the other side, building such vertical farms can prove to be a costly undertaking. During the beginning of such a project a lot of energy is needed. Because plants require large amounts of sunlight buildings need to be provided with artificial sunlight the whole year. But compared to traditional farms that take up a lot of space vertical farming has a low carbon footprint. It without fuels can fossil do because it relies on energy from the sun. Overall transportation costs are lower because products are consumed in the cities in which they are produced. This could be extremely cost effective because trends show that more and more people are moving to cities. By the middle of the 21st century about 80% of the world's population will be living in urban areas.
Critics are not sure whether vertical farming projects can really be profitable in the long term. They claim costs that too are high initial and suggest that such farms actually need more light and power than in normal regions. Heating and cooling costs would also be enormous. They also say that not all crops can be grown in this way. Wheat and maize, for example, among the world's most important food source, would be almost impossible to grow because they are too large and heavy. Such farming methods could only apply for lightweight produce, like small fruits, lettuce and other vegetables.