It is no longer a surprise that there are more people on the planet than there are people who can feed them, and vertical farming offers a big potential to address this issue. In the next 30 years, it will be needed to feed 10 billion people with less water and less arable land. Due to urbanisation and industrial development, we are losing arable lands and rainforests every day. To let you know, in 2015, scientists gave a report that stated - the Earth had lost a third of its arable lands over the previous 40 years. With few resources available, the world requires more innovative and reliable ways to grow safe food.
So, let's take a look below at what vertical farming is exactly and how it works!
The agricultural approach - "vertical farming" involves growing food on vertical walls, much like the shelves in a grocery store, is actually an entirely fresh and long-lasting concept. This approach produces food in vertically stacked layers that are typically incorporated into other structures like skyscrapers, shipping containers, or converted warehouses rather than producing vegetables and other crops on a single level.
Vertical growth increases crop output per square foot of utilised land since it conserves space. As a result, farmers can grow a lot more food on a given area of land. Finally, controlling the environmental factors that influence plant success and productivity can be accomplished by growing food indoors and utilising green technology.
Yet, vertical farming entails much more than simply stacking plants and crossing one's fingers. To be successful, the practice needs artificially controlled humidity, light, and temperature. It is possible to lose an entire crop if a delicate balance is not maintained, just like what happens with a traditional farmer at the time of famine or flood.
Modern technology like cameras and sensors that gather millions of data and store it in a data warehouse is used in vertical farming to measure each of these components and determine whether adjustments are necessary. With the use of all these data, vertical farming farms may use artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques to accurately determine when a crop needs to be harvested and what adjustments should be made to help it grow more quickly. All of these innovations make it possible for vertical farming to increase yields while lowering production costs and conserving precious natural resources.
The usage of vertical arrangement is the final aspect of vertical farming that makes it genuinely unique. In contrast to conventional agriculture, vertical farming involves planting crops in vertical tubes and storing them on top of one another using vertical racks. Farmers are able to produce more crops in a smaller space by growing plants vertically, which allows them to make the most of the available space and boost yield per sq foot of land.
Vertical farms use hydroponic, aquaponic, and aeroponic processes in place of the soil-based growing techniques often used in horizontal farming. Growing media like clay pellets, perlite, coconut coir, rockwool, and oasis cubes give plants physical support. Direct nutrition and water delivery to plant roots are made possible by an effective network of tubes, pipes, and pumps. This system is a perfect illustration of the circular economy because it also collects extra water and recycles it back to the plants.
