Clean Farming:
Urban Vertical Farming resolves environmental degradation
Vertical Farming is an instant driver of more sustainable food production. Vertical Farming systems leverage data to produce food three times faster than traditional farming methods while using up to 95 percent less water. A vertically farmed acre can produce the equivalent of four to six soil-based acres, depending on the crop, alleviating pressure on arable land. In addition, VF production sites can be set up close to urban populations, reducing transport emissions and minimizing supply chain risks. Together, these savings could drive environmental stewardship and help advance several of the sustainable development goals
The consumer experience can also be improved, with VF produce providing superior flavor, more nutrients and an extended shelf life, helping to reduce food wastage while clearly meeting the demand for more environmentally-conscious consumption.
Resource consumption
Conventional farming practices rely upon finite resources such as the availability of arable land, fossil fuels and clean water. As such, conventional farming practices cannot support our growing population indefinitely. We are also facing additional pressures caused by climate change, including more frequent extreme weather events (such as droughts, forest fires and flooding) and invasive pest species surviving further afield due to warming climates; both issues will have a significant impact on crop yields and decrease our capacity to feed people and livestock in the future. Some studies predict that climate change could reduce global crop yields by as much as 2% per decade over the next century.
How Controlled Environment Vertical Farms use finite resources more efficiently
Controlled Environment Farms use growing trays which can be stacked vertically, meaning that they are not limited to just one horizontal surface for growing. This gives CEFs the potential to produce many times more food per square metre than conventional in-field farming (as you can’t stack fields one on top of another!). So, CEFs are clearly more efficient in terms of land use. Their productivity has proven especially valuable in cities, producing food locally where space is very limited and there is a high population density. Potentially, many more CEFs could be set up in redundant urban spaces such as disused factories, multi storey car parks and subterranean tunnels in the future, creating new jobs and reducing a city’s reliance on food imports. If expanded upon, a model of local food production and distribution within cities could help to keep carbon emissions associated with food transportation and refrigeration down to a minimum, helping to prevent further climate change and giving city folks access to food with a longer shelf life.
But it’s not just land requirements where CEFs have the edge over conventional farming techniques. Hydroponic systems use in the region of 70% less water than in-field farming. Aeroponic systems (which atomise water into a fine mist) have shown to be even more efficient, with a 90% reduction in water use compared to in-field farming and great crop yields. With a growing global population, fresh water is likely to become a more precious commodity over time and we will have to use it more sparingly. If we can optimise the recycling of water within CEFs even further, then this bodes well for the future of food production.
CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT VERTICAL FARMS does not contribute to habitat destruction
When trees are cut down or fires are started to make way for new in-field agricultural sites, biodiversity is severely disrupted. Within the fragments of forest left behind, animal species experience increased competition for shelter, food and water. Habitat loss threatens many species with extinction in the wild, and has already caused plenty of species to die out. Vertical Farms can be set up in a wide variety of indoor settings, crops can be produced without any additional deforestation, thus producing food without subjecting endangered species to further harm. Vertical Farms can also help to reduce eutrophication of aquatic ecosystems, caused by fertiliser run-off from in-field farming. CE – Farms contain their post-irrigation water in drainage systems, whereby water is filtered and then recycled without polluting rivers with excess nutrients or endangering wild fish species.
Safe products for health
Produce grown in vertical farms are fresher and grown without pesticides, herbicides, and other chemicals. Vertical farms are housed in a controlled environment using hydroponic growing methods and biological pest control. There’s no need to contaminate the crops with toxic chemicals..
