Agriculture requires 70% of all water utilised globally, which adds to the overall cost. Not only this, its production processes are unsustainable, with projections predicting that half of the world's population would confront water scarcity by 2030, a troubling number in and of itself. Hydroponics let's say is practised globally now but people still refrain from giving it a thought because they still think that investment in this sector would not reap its full benefits.
To address this, a logical solution that not only handles the food distribution issue with adequate annual output but is also long-term sustainable must be discovered. Vertical farming, also known as soil-less and water-less farming, is based on the concept of making the most of a little amount of land.
Today's vertical farms answer a slew of issues, but there are a couple that many fail to address. They provide the capacity to grow a large amount of food in a small amount of area, independent of environment, weather, or season. They're great methods to get nutritious, fresh food into cities or regions where growing conditions aren't perfect.
Vertical farms or hydroponics for that matter must consider both energy and labour as vertical farms require energy to operate round-the-clock LED lighting, heating and cooling, and robots, energy expenses can vary from 50 to 70 per cent of the cost of items supplied. In a world where digitization is unquestionably the most important——global corporations are banding together, aided by government backing, to reduce the initial investment in vertical farming cost in this ultra-beneficial way of farming.
Businesses in the investing industry have long sought a solution that would provide them with high future returns while also adhering to the social cause of sustainability, and this strategy is helping them achieve that goal. There will be a significant investment in infrastructure for the first time, but this might be repaid in as little as 2-3 years, and the business is very scalable and lucrative.
Let's have a look at how vertical farming is sustainable & is capable of handling food security issue:
Season and space independent: Less area is utilised to raise more food when rows of in-demand vegetables are placed on top of one other. Crops are produced in a controlled setting with variables that can be changed. Outdoor-grown fruits and vegetables are influenced by the weather and their surroundings, but vertical farms may grow all year without being harmed by external hazards, which is not feasible in traditional farming.
Technologically based farming: Vertical farming is an energy-intensive crop production method that employs a combination of technologies such as big data analytics, robotics, the internet of things, artificial intelligence, and others to allow crops to grow without agronomic constraints, allowing the country to keep track of all relevant food data and which sections are denied access to it. Transparency is indeed accomplished, and food waste is reduced by half.
Helps shrinking supply chain, time and cost reduction: By bringing crop production closer to the people who eat it, fresh produce supply chains are minimised. Increased freshness, less reliance on imported fruit, fewer food miles to reduce the environmental impact of moving produce, and elimination of "food deserts" are just a few of the benefits of vertical farming in those regions. Due to its small footprint, an indoor farm can be positioned close to customers (e.g., in and around cities), lowering long-distance transportation expenses.
Less uses of natural resources: When growing using hydroponics or aeroponics, little inputs like herbicides and insecticides are utilised, and soils are not obligated. Furthermore, massive agricultural machinery is not required.
So to conclude, the combination of vertical farming and sustainability, as well as energy and resource saving, has sparked the interest of stakeholders all over the world. Since no country wants to rely on others for food or raw resources, this modern agricultural practice is gaining traction year after year, with investment in vertical framing from affluent countries such as the Middle East, the United Kingdom, the United States, and China, to name a few. Almost every country's government has adopted this farming practice as part of its long-term sustainability plan. There are also substantial environmental benefits. One such example is the supply of sufficient and healthy organic food (i.e., food security) that is free of chemicals.
