Vertical Farming

Vertical Farming • Comments »

California, with its moderate climate and abundant agricultural land, has always been on the leading edge of the locally grown, sustainably-farmed produce movement, but could New York take the lead? With the right funding, it's very possible.

NYC has more experience with the vertical life than any other city in the nation, so why not start farming that way too? Although in its infancy, Vertical Farming is a captivating idea. Many stories high and chock full of organic plant life, enough produce to feed 50,000 people could be contained in the space of one square block. Indoor farming doesn't require protection from the elements, making sprays unnecessary and year-round crop production possible. It provides jobs on top of quality organic food and takes the pressure off of existing farmers to feed the growing masses - an impossible task, since by 2050, we will need new farmland the size Brazil to accommodate the additional 3 billion people on the planet. Most of the existing farmland on the planet has been so despoiled that it needs to be restored, and Vertical Farming would give it the reparation time that it so desperately needs. The air would be a lot cleaner as well, without chemical fertilizers and transportation burning fossil fuels. So if farming horizontally has run its course, then it's time to go Vertical.

New York chefs might soon get the advantage in their kitchens that we've been so lucky to have for so long, but we'll accept the leveled playing field in the spirit of (very) local, sustainably grown, delicious food.

Posted by Bethany Pultorak on July 29, 2009 • Filed under Food
Graphic is the “Dragonfly” Vertical Farm project for Roosevelt Island, NYC, designed by Vincent Callebaut Architectures