"Imagine the dim interior of an old warehouse: shelves and shelves of crops stacked to the ceiling, roots hanging down without soil, illuminated by the otherworldly glow of artificial lights." -- Stella D
Imagine the dim interior of an old warehouse: shelves and shelves of crops stacked to the ceiling, roots hanging down without soil, illuminated by the otherworldly glow of artificial lights.
Vertical farming is an urban farming system that involves stacking rows of crops in a controlled, indoor environment that uses less water, soil, and pesticides than traditional field farming. One of the world’s largest vertical farms is located in Newark, New Jersey, in an abandoned 70,000 square-foot-factory. It aims to produce two million pounds of food every year. It belongs to AeroFarms, one of the leading companies in vertical farming, and uses special technology to grow food by spraying the crops with a mist at certain times, similar to the produce section of a grocery store. Today, vertical farms exist in many U.S cities, including New York, Chicago, Seattle, Houston, and Detroit.
In light of the environmental crisis we are facing – brought to further attention by the recent UN report on climate change predicting consequences as early as 2040 – we are in need of solutions to global problems now more than ever. According to The New York Times, the report describes “a world of worsening food shortages,” among other things. The world’s population is predicted to reach 9.7 billion by the year 2050, according to a 2015 report by the UN. Vertical farming has the potential of being an efficient way to feed a large percentage of the world. Due to its controlled indoor environment, it does not rely on climate in the same way that traditional farming does, which could be an advantage in a world subjected to changing environments.
One of the biggest advantages of vertical farming is its efficiency of space due to its verticality. According to The New Yorker, “Vertical farming can allow former cropland to go back to nature and reverse the plundering of the earth.” Since it allows crops to be grown in urban settings it reduces the distance that food has to travel when it’s grown far away.
Another big advantage is how much water it conserves compared to regular farming. Some vertical farms use hydroponic farming technologies and others use aeroponics. Hydroponic farming involves growing plants in water and uses 70% less water than regular farming. Aeroponics, the kind used in AeroFarms, involves misting the crops and uses 70% less water than hydroponic farming. According to Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, climate change increases the chance of worsening droughts in many parts of the United States and the world: water conservation is more important than ever.
While vertical farming seems to show promise as a sustainable method of agriculture for the future, some are dubious. Because the food is grown indoors, vertical farming uses artificial light instead of sunlight, which brings up the question of its carbon footprint. According to The Washington Post, estimates indicate that “indoor lettuce production has a carbon footprint of some 7 to 20 times greater than that of outside lettuce production.”
However, when I asked Stefan Oberman, a spokesperson from AeroFarms, about this issue, he told me that AeroFarms is always figuring out ways to use cleaner energy, such as LED lights, and that the question of vertical farming’s carbon footprint compared to that of traditional field farming is complicated because there are many factors that aren’t always captured. For example, he said that 10-15% of California’s energy goes to the transportation of water to field farms. Vertical farming uses very little water. It also has a small ecological footprint, compared to field farming, because it uses no pesticides or fungicides. He said, “we believe that [vertical farming] is more sustainable and environmentally friendly than field farming.”
I asked Oberman what his advice was for young people interested in going into a career in vertical farming. He said they’re looking for people from a range of disciplines: almost every type of engineering, scientific, and financial background. He advised that someone looking to enter the field should get a broad degree in something like engineering and math, rather than study a niche subject, given the variety of positions needed.
Given the environmental crisis we are facing, vertical farming could be a good career path for anyone interested in the future of agriculture, as a sustainable and space efficient way to feed our rapidly changing world.
Vertical farming is an urban farming system that involves stacking rows of crops in a controlled, indoor environment that uses less water, soil, and pesticides than traditional field farming. One of the world’s largest vertical farms is located in Newark, New Jersey, in an abandoned 70,000 square-foot-factory. It aims to produce two million pounds of food every year. It belongs to AeroFarms, one of the leading companies in vertical farming, and uses special technology to grow food by spraying the crops with a mist at certain times, similar to the produce section of a grocery store. Today, vertical farms exist in many U.S cities, including New York, Chicago, Seattle, Houston, and Detroit.
In light of the environmental crisis we are facing – brought to further attention by the recent UN report on climate change predicting consequences as early as 2040 – we are in need of solutions to global problems now more than ever. According to The New York Times, the report describes “a world of worsening food shortages,” among other things. The world’s population is predicted to reach 9.7 billion by the year 2050, according to a 2015 report by the UN. Vertical farming has the potential of being an efficient way to feed a large percentage of the world. Due to its controlled indoor environment, it does not rely on climate in the same way that traditional farming does, which could be an advantage in a world subjected to changing environments.
One of the biggest advantages of vertical farming is its efficiency of space due to its verticality. According to The New Yorker, “Vertical farming can allow former cropland to go back to nature and reverse the plundering of the earth.” Since it allows crops to be grown in urban settings it reduces the distance that food has to travel when it’s grown far away.
Another big advantage is how much water it conserves compared to regular farming. Some vertical farms use hydroponic farming technologies and others use aeroponics. Hydroponic farming involves growing plants in water and uses 70% less water than regular farming. Aeroponics, the kind used in AeroFarms, involves misting the crops and uses 70% less water than hydroponic farming. According to Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, climate change increases the chance of worsening droughts in many parts of the United States and the world: water conservation is more important than ever.
While vertical farming seems to show promise as a sustainable method of agriculture for the future, some are dubious. Because the food is grown indoors, vertical farming uses artificial light instead of sunlight, which brings up the question of its carbon footprint. According to The Washington Post, estimates indicate that “indoor lettuce production has a carbon footprint of some 7 to 20 times greater than that of outside lettuce production.”
However, when I asked Stefan Oberman, a spokesperson from AeroFarms, about this issue, he told me that AeroFarms is always figuring out ways to use cleaner energy, such as LED lights, and that the question of vertical farming’s carbon footprint compared to that of traditional field farming is complicated because there are many factors that aren’t always captured. For example, he said that 10-15% of California’s energy goes to the transportation of water to field farms. Vertical farming uses very little water. It also has a small ecological footprint, compared to field farming, because it uses no pesticides or fungicides. He said, “we believe that [vertical farming] is more sustainable and environmentally friendly than field farming.”
I asked Oberman what his advice was for young people interested in going into a career in vertical farming. He said they’re looking for people from a range of disciplines: almost every type of engineering, scientific, and financial background. He advised that someone looking to enter the field should get a broad degree in something like engineering and math, rather than study a niche subject, given the variety of positions needed.
Given the environmental crisis we are facing, vertical farming could be a good career path for anyone interested in the future of agriculture, as a sustainable and space efficient way to feed our rapidly changing world.
