Urban sprawl continues to overtake agricultural land in many North American and European cities. Experts have predicted that within the next 50 years, 80 percent of land on Earth will be occupied by urban development. In response, the agriculture industry has developed a new trend: vertical farming.
Vertical farming takes agriculture to the urban space, by employing the concepts of indoor growing in skyscrapers and other modern buildings.
According to the
Vertical Farm Project, there are a number of benefits to vertical farming that make it superior to traditional agricultural methods.
First, vertical farming takes up less usable land since one indoor acre is equivalent to at least four to six outdoor acres depending on the crop. Vertical farming also allows year-round growing for all types of produce. It also keeps crop sheltered from the elements.
| (Photo courtesy of the Vertical Farm Project) |
Advocates for vertical farming also claim that it is less environmentally taxing since crop production is responsible for
degradation of natural resources — though obviously urban building also eliminates natural resources and damages the environment. Additionally, some vertical farm prototypes fail to use green building methods, increasing their contribution to global carbon emissions.
Critics of vertical farming say that
economics is on their side. Urban land is costly compared to the purchase of agricultural land, and the construction of buildings drives the price tag even further up. This will drive up food costs substantially, critics say.
It’s undeniable that agricultural production must adapt to the world’s changes, but whether vertical farming is the answer remains to be seen.
http://www.globalpost.com/notebook/global-green/091124/vertical-farming-brings-agriculture-urban-centers
