Vertical Farming Bethany Pultorak • Jul 29, 2009 • 4 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
Where Our Food Comes From
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Graphic is the “Dragonfly” Vertical Farm project for Roosevelt Island, NYC, designed by Vincent Callebaut Architectures
Comments and Discussion
Anybody read the op-ed on vertical farming in the NYT this week? you scooped them Bethany!
It is an interesting idea but I think the benefits you describe are probably overly optimistic. Having worked extensively in indoor controlled environment plant growth facilities, I can vouch that pests are sill a problem indoors. We are continuously battling aphids, thrips, fungus gnats and more. So indoors does not automatically mean no sprays. Similarly, vertically-grown plants will still need nutrients (fertilizer) and there is nothing inherent in the vertical design that favors organics. Indeed the space constraints and artificial environment of a vertical farm may cause synthetics to be favored. On a positive side, an enclosed environment should mean that vertical farms are more water-efficient than traditional farms.
Interesting discussion in any case, raising different aspects of the food production problems!
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Bethany Pultorak
Bethany Pultorak is a server at nopa.
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