Over the past decade, farming has moved towards less conventional methods. An increasing trend at the moment is vertical farming, which has the potential to counteract the increasing problem of arable land which is exacerbated by increasing populations. A key variable in the discussion on the topic is the prediction that by 2050 there will a global population of over 9 billion people, one that would be incredibly difficult to feed with our current agricultural practices.
The idea of vertical farming is that by using techniques such as hydroponics, aeroponics, and aquaponics, plants can be grown in smaller spaces and increase productivity per square meter than conventional farms can allow for. The hope of those investing in this technology is that they will require less water, have constant “daylight”, and use minimal space. According to a New Yorker article on the topic, “Aeroponic farming uses about seventy percent less water than hydroponic farming, which uses seventy per cent less water than regular farming.”
The techniques also do not require soil, which some argue may hinder it’s ability to enter the market as an organic option. Given the current demand for organic foods this would make the plants substantially more difficult to market. More than this, the consistency of these plants is questioned if they are not being fed by nutrients from the soil. Dickson D. Despommier, Ph.D, who coined the term itself, addressed this at a talk at Columbia University. He stated that the mineral nutrients usually transferred through the soil, such as potassium and magnesium, are added to the water sprayed at the plant roots in a vertical farming scenario.
Marketing is a huge concern because of the start up costs of the large-scale vertical farms. The associated costs to set up the required technology are no small set back, propelling the debate: given that the sun is a free resource, is it more economically viable in the long run? A common response is that growing in urban landscapes cuts out the large transportation costs, but still the companies starting up this industry have not yet reached a point of true financial stability.
Part of the viability of this new agricultural endeavor is dependent on how successfully it could work in the future as a small-scale project for homes and institutions. Much of the reading material on the topic is geared towards those interested in investing from a business standpoint, which often require automated watering and a protected area from outside disease and bacteria. Thankfully, there have been some simpler ideas proposed for at home vertical farming.
One of these is the plastic bottle method developed by Belgian Professor William Van Cotthem. This method involves altering regular plastic bottles so that they can then be held with rope to a wooden board -or in an already existing bottle rack in a pantry. The idea is that using plastic bottles, individuals could set up this system in their own pantry. On his blog, containergardening.wordpress.com, it is explained how to set up your system, how to maintain seeds, how to maintain the environment, where to put your system and more.
So far the industry is still in its beginning stages with many of the already existing companies struggling to turn a huge profit margin to counteract their startup costs. It can be said, however, that those investing in this new technology are already talking about how to move into a better variation of produce, as well as how to make the system more efficient. Given the current global demands for space, it seems the system -and the people that support it- may continue growing .
By Annalisse Crosswell
Please note that opinions expressed are the author’s own. They do not necessarily reflect the views and values of The Blank Page
