| Old Codger 2008-03-30, 9:25 am |
| Agriculture goes up in the world
http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/?storyID=7251
ravi somaiya on the rise and rise (and rise and rise) of vertical
farming
Traditional farms are beautiful. They're sweeping, green, majestic
even, and without them we wouldn't have the Archers. They're also a
waste of space.
We will need 60 per cent more food to meet the needs of the world's
ever-growing population in the next thirty years, according to UN
figures. Unfortunately, expanding planet earth is not an option.
One scientist believes that the only way is up - farms built
vertically, giant greenhouses piled on top of each other which use
space, water and energy more efficiently than Farmer Brown with his
rolling landscapes. Instead of soil, plants float on trays of
nutrient-rich water, growing hydroponically
Dr Dickson Despommier, professor of environmental sciences and
microbiology at Columbia University, began developing the concept six
years ago. His theory, that 'skyscraper farms' could provide plentiful
food organically, without herbicides, pesticides or fertilisers, has
attracted venture capitalists and scientists from around the world,
intent on making the theory into reality within 15 years.
After a strawberry farm in Florida was wiped out by Hurricane Andrew,
the owners took production into high-tech indoor farms. They now grow
on one acre what they used to grow on 30. Expanding that to all crops
(and some livestock - pigs are a possibility) as Despommier suggests,
is the next step.
It's a tempting proposition - no more weather-related crop failures,
diseases spread by livestock, or runoff polluting water sources.
Skyscraper farms can operate year-round with artificial lighting
Not to mention locally-grown produce for the residents of central
London, Manhattan and Tokyo, eliminating the environmental costs of
transport (with fresher lettuces to boot).
Skyscraper farms can operate year-round with artificial lighting, so,
on average, one indoor acre is the equivalent to between four and six
outdoors, and companies are vying to reap the financial rewards that
come from this increased efficiency.
OrganiTech, a company based in Delaware, wants to turn abandoned
shipping containers piled on top of each other next to I-95 in Newark,
New Jersey into farms. "This is a factory, not a farm," says Lior
Hessel, the company's CEO, of the plan. "We just build lettuce instead
of CPUs."
With the powerful combination of money and morals behind the idea,
it's only a matter of time until the Archers relocate to a farm tower
in Dubai.
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