Vertical farming
Vertical farming is a proposal to perform agriculture in urban high-rises. These building have been called "farmscrapers."[1] Using greenhouse methods and recycled resources, these building would produce fruit, vegetables, fish, and livestock year-round in cities. This proposal might allow cities to become self-sufficient.
Dickson Despommier has promoted most recent research. Despommier is a professor of environmental health sciences and microbiology at Columbia University in New York City, New York.
There have been architectural designs by Andrew Kranis, Columbia University; Gordon Graff [2][3][4], University of Waterloo; Chris Jacobs[5][6] (Creative Director of United Future) of Los Angeles, California; and SOA Architects in Paris, France (Augustine Rosenstiehl and Pierre Sartoux).
Mass media attention began with an article by Lisa Chamberlin in New York magazine[7]. Since 2007, articles have appeared in The New York Times[8], U.S. News & World Report[9], Popular Science[10] and Maxim, among others, as well as radio and television features.
Advantages
Vertical farms have a number of advantages over previous methods of agriculture including
- Year-round crop production; 1 indoor acre is equivalent to 4-6 outdoor acres or more, depending upon the crop (e.g., strawberries: 1 indoor acre = 30 outdoor acres)
:No weather-related crop failures due to droughts, floods, pests :All VF food is grown organically: no herbicides, pesticides, or fertilizers :VF virtually eliminates agricultural runoff by recycling black water :VF returns farmland to nature, restoring ecosystem functions and services :VF greatly reduces the incidence of many infectious diseases that are acquired at the agricultural interface :VF converts black and gray water into potable water by collecting the water of
evapotranspiration
:VF adds energy back to the grid via methane generation from composting non-edible
parts of plants and animals
:VF dramatically reduces fossil fuel use (no tractors, plows, shipping.) :VF converts abandoned urban properties into food production centers :VF creates sustainable environments for urban centers :VF creates new employment opportunities :We cannot go to the moon, Mars, or beyond without first learning to farm indoors on
earth
:VF may prove to be useful for integrating into refugee camps :VF offers the promise of measurable economic improvement for tropical and subtropical
LDCs. If this should prove to be the case, then VF may be a catalyst in helping to reduce or even reverse the population growth of LDCs as they adopt urban agriculture as a strategy for sustainable food production.
:VF could reduce the incidence of armed conflict over natural resources, such as water
and land for agriculture
Plans
Professor Despommier argues that the technology to construct vertical farms currently exists. He also believes that the system can be profitable and effective, a claim evidenced by some preliminary research posted on the project's website. Developers and local governments in the following cities have expressed serious interest in establishing a vertical farm: Inchon (South Korea), Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates), and Dongtan (China).[11]
See also
- Aeroponics
- Indoor plant cultivation
- Agriculture
- Aquaculture
- Farm
- Folkewall
- Hanging Gardens of Babylon
- Horticulture
- Hydroponics
- Sprouting
- Terrace (agriculture), Terrace (gardening), and Terrace (building)
- Development Supported Agriculture
References
- ^ Urbanism and the environment | Gristmill: The environmental news blog | Grist
- ^ Whyte, Murray (2008-07-27). "Is highrise farming in Toronto's future?". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2008-08-12.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ http://www.sky-farm.com
- ^ Sky Farm Proposed for Downtown Toronto : TreeHugger
- ^ Chris Jacobs Vertical Farm
- ^ http://verticalfarm.com/images/design/chris/chris_jacobs_dark.jpg
- ^ Chamberlin, Lisa (2007-04-02). "Skyfarming". New York Magazine.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Venkataraman, Bina (2008-07-15). "Country, the City Version: Farms in the Sky Gain New Interest". The New York Times.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Shute, Nancy (2007-05-20). "Farm of the Future? Someday food may grow in skyscrapers". U.S. News & World Report.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Feldman, Amy (2007-07-11). "Skyscraper Farms". Popular Science.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ McConnell, Kathryn (2008-07-01). "Vertical Farms Grow Food by Growing Up, Not Out". Bureau of International Information Programs. United States Department of State. Retrieved 2008-08-12.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help)
External links
- The Vertical Farm Project
- Various Vertical Farm Designs
- Animation of large Vertical Farm in city - Chris Jacobs and Dean Fowler
- CNN Vertical Farming; Sky Farming Video
- "Professor sees vertical farms on horizon," Columbia Tribune, 8/30/2005, accessed 9/3/06
- "La Tour Vivante de l'agence soa architectes" (French and English)
- wiseGEEK-"What is a Vertical Farm?"
- "Comment on article "Urbanism and the environment" - Gar Lipow coins the term "farmscraper" 4/23/2007
- "Vertical farming in the big Apple" BBC article from June 19, 2007
- Chris Jacobs Vertical Farm Blog
- Howstuffworks - "Will there be farms in New York City's skyscrapers?"
- "Sky Farm Proposed for Downtown Toronto"
- "Grow Up" Pullquote: "If designer Gordon Graff gets his way, a new skyscraper in Toronto's Theatre District could be the unlikely source of food for 35,000 residents."
- Crowd-Sourcing a Vertical Farm in NYC
- The Hanging Gardens of Babylon An informative Blog about Green Roofs, Rooftop Gardens, Vertical Gardens, Interior Gardens and all solutions to bring Green back into the cities of the 21st century.