One possible vertical farm design

Many of us, when asked what comes to mind with the words “sustainably harvested” or “organically grown” and all the other buzz-words used to describe a more eco-centric farming approach, tend to picture the countryside rather than cityscapes.

But what if that’s not the only way to keep the environment in mind? Indeed, completely returning to nature, forgoing modern technologies, and scrapping our skyscrapers is not really a viable option.  The unsurprising fact is, the human population is growing and the amount of available land is shrinking. But instead of expanding out, what about expanding up?

The United Nations World Urbanization prospect of 2007 estimates well over half of the world’s population will live in cities by the year 2050. Some city planners and “green builders” have decided to use this growing trend to their advantage through “vertical farming.”

What is vertical farming? Basically, it is just what the name says. It’s throwing this traditionally horizontal setup on land, and turning it vertical. Dickson Despommier, an environmental health professor at Columbia University in New York City, had his class take the idea of rooftop gardening in cities to a whole new level. Literally. Their idea was 30-story urban farms with a greenhouse on every floor.

These city-block-size, 30-story skyscrapers would have transparent walls to maximize sunlight and would produce enough food for 50,000 people using hydroponic greenhouse methods.

According to the Vertical Farm Project, some of the advantages of vertical farming include:

• Year-round crop production; 1 indoor acre is equivalent to 4-6 outdoor acres, or more
• No weather-related crop failures due to droughts, floods, pests
• All vertically farmed food is grown organically
• Eliminates agricultural runoff by recycling black water
• Converts black and gray water (waste water) into potable water
• Dramatically reduces fossil fuel use (no tractors, plows or shipping)
• Converts abandoned urban properties into food production centers
• Creates new employment opportunities

However, these sky-high structures have sky-high prices to match. As of yet, no vertical farms have been constructed, at least on such a grandiose scale. Although this concept may take more time and tweaking to put into place, it is just these types of innovative ideas that are key towards a more sustainable future.

For more information on Vertical Farms and plans for them in the future, visit http://www.verticalfarm.com/index.html.

*Image courtesy of The Vertical Farm Project