Vertical farms
are encountered with the paradox of powering artificial sunlight by using energy generated from natural sunlight. 13
Apart from the major problem of energy, another problem is the need for automation in vertical farms. In order to gain profit from these vertical farms, the scale of production must be enlarged. With this, more sophisticated technology must be needed to facilitate auto harvesting and to keep plants regrowing and living. This can be a fairly simple issue to resolve with sufficient research and development. Another further step that needs to be taken from an engineering perspective is engineering the farms for a consistent input and output. Engineering solutions need to be devised so that plants are not stealing nutrients from others. Besides, selecting systems for peak performance could also pose an issue, especially when attempting to scale up vertical farms. 14
Future of vertical farms
In fact, vertical farms are no new concept. This idea of maximizing space by building upwards has already been implemented long ago in the hanging gardens of Babylon and the terraced farms of Asia. 15 So, what does the future of vertical farms look like? The significant benefit of vertical farms is the fact that they consume a significantly minimal amount of water and save space. With this knowledge, regions that would best be suited for vertical farms should be areas where both land and water are scarce. Furthermore, a renewable energy source should
be available to provide the farm with electricity. Implementing vertical farms will not only bring a sustainable food supply for the region but at the same time employment and technological improvement. However, for locations that do not fit this criterion of access to renewable energy and scarce land and water, a vertical farm may not be the optimal option. As seen, supplying its huge demand for energy may not be feasible, let alone making a profit from the farm. The benefit also will not be significant, as the small amount of cost and carbon footprint saved through reduced transportation will be offset by the huge amounts of CO2 emissions and operating costs. What people should really be focusing on in these areas is creating an efficient network of conventional farms that can act as a reliable source of food and investing in technology that boosts yields and the quality of conventional horizontal agriculture. 16 For, despite the several potential benefits of vertical farming, it is the large demand for energy to power the farms that renders them unfeasible in many parts of the world.
13 Oosterwyk, Johanna. ‘ Six Hard Truths about Vertical Farming ’, Grow , August 2, 2022. https://grow.cals.wisc.edu/departments/front-list/six-hard-truths-about-vertical-farming. 14 See note 11. 15 ‘ Hanging Gardens of Babylon - Arab World - Arab World: Arab Countries ’, Arab World | Arab Countries, June 14, 2022. https://arabscountries.com/hanging-gardens-of-babylon/.
16 Foley, Dr. Jonathan. ‘No, Vertical Farms Won’t Feed the World’, Medium , April 16, 2020. https://globalecoguy.org/no-vertical-farms-wont-feed-the-world-5313e3e961c0.
61
Made with FlippingBook - PDF hosting