The Vertical Farm Project, led by Dr. Dickson Despommier of Columbia University, aims to deal with the problem of feeding the growing world population. The idea is to build vertical indoor farming structures within urban centers.
The Vertical Farm must be efficient (cheap to construct and safe to operate). Vertical farms, many stories high, will be situated in the heart of the world’s urban centers. If successfully implemented, they offer the promise of urban renewal, sustainable production of a safe and varied food supply (year-round crop production), and the eventual repair of ecosystems that have been sacrificed for horizontal farming.
This second rendering looks like an eco-friendly data center.
I am deeply interested in projects that make an effort to take waste out, the least power needed for the most beneficial outcome, that way things work more efficiently. This concept of simplicity in design can apply to many different things, Gentoo Linux (optimized and customized flavor of linux), fixed gear bicycles (less parts, less weight), or farming. We must learn to farm efficiently and locally because “by the year 2050, nearly 80% of the earth’s population will reside in urban centers.”
Self watering containers remind me conceptually of The Vertical Farm. The self watering container takes out the effort of that goes into the watering and maintaing of a garden, and work well for urban or apartment living because they are compact and self-contained.
We must have a solution for the future and the Vertical Farm Project has many good ideas. And as they point out, “we cannot go to the moon, Mars, or beyond without first learning to farm indoors on earth.”
As much as I want to speculate about the repercussions of trying to recreate an eco-system that we are not yet able to predict, I am really drawn to the idea. It seems beautiful that our minds would lead us to an answer and a way to problem solve like this. At the same time, I am still afraid of microwaves and of those planters that look like tanning beds.
I am simultaneously excited and skeptical. I love the idea of doing things naturally and we obviously don’t believe in synthetic foods. But I think that the project wants to do this naturally:
All VF food is grown organically: no herbicides, pesticides, or fertilizersVF virtually eliminates agricultural runoff by recycling black waterVF returns farmland to nature, restoring ecosystem functions and servicesVF greatly reduces the incidence of many infectious diseases that are acquired at the agricultural interface
That’s what I’m talking about. It’s the same reason that people truly benefit from taking probiotics or concentrated supplements made from real food — we have to compensate for the past. Although it seems like we shouldn’t have to control the eco system, we do have to. If we don’t, the GMO’s will overtake the heirloom seeds, etc.
Matthew,
I’ve been wanting to do a piece of vertical urban farming for some time. I came across your piece on SpaceCollective and followed it to your blog. It has just been moved up a notch on my to do list. Thanks. I will make sure to link to your story when I do.
cheers, Chris