Vertical Farming – What Is It And Is It The Future For Agriculture?!
An increasing population demands a rise in agricultural production, and the world is looking forward to increasing the area of land for agricultural purposes. To find a solution to this, scientists have introduced the idea of vertical farming. It is as great as kasyna muchbetter. As the name implies, vertical farming is the technique of planting crops on vertical surfaces rather than on the ground. The concept was first introduced by Dickson Despommier, a professor at Columbia University, in 1999, but the name was coined by Gilbert Ellis Bailey well in advance, in the year 1915. Dickson and his students designed a skyscraper that could provide food for about 50,000 people.
According to the World Wildlife Fund, more than half of the earth’s topsoil has been lost due to land degradation caused by some natural and man-made reasons like droughts, pollution, and over-forming. The UN expects the world’s population to reach 9.7 billion by 2050. All these facts give the world a push to adapt to the concept of vertical farming. Countries with limited land mass can use the technique to produce food products, reducing their reliance on other countries to some extent.
Vertical farming uses minimum space and preparing the soil for vegetation is not at all needed. Growing crops indoors using vertical farming uses LED lighting and plants are grown in a controlled environment, which gives great relief from the difficulties that are faced due to changes in weather conditions. No matter the location, weather conditions, or temperatures, crops can be grown continuously throughout the year. Another major advantage of the controlled environment is getting rid of pests and using pesticides. Cultivating products that are free from chemicals is possible. The use of water to its maximum and minimizing water usage by using hydroponic methods allows plants to grow without soil and reduces up to 95% of water usage when compared to traditional methods. Moreover, the water used can be recycled and reused. Transportation costs are minimized since the plantation can be done in the location where the end-users are located. The major cost that a traditional form would incur in transportation is curbed. Fresh fruits and vegetables supplied from the local area will extend the shelf life of the products. Wastage of food materials due to transportation is eliminated. With fewer greenhouse gas emissions, vertical farming is more eco-friendly than the traditional methods of farming, which account for 10% of GHG emissions.
Like any other system, vertical farming also has some disadvantages, like the inflated cost of setting up farms. The plants require continuous monitoring; even a small mishap can lead to great damage. One must consider every aspect that a plant would need to grow, but thanks to technology and artificial intelligence, the vertical farming system is gaining success.
Conclusion
Even though the major food crops like rice and wheat production are not done in vertical farming, it can be expected that without this method of farming, meeting the growing needs of food supply will not be possible in the future and Farmer’s Markets would become a thing of the past..