CRUX ESSAY CONTEST WINNER 2019 - 2020
energy from fossil fuels ( Beckman et al .). The earth has a limited supply of fossil fuels ,
making them an expensive power source for farmers . While conventional agriculture is
depleting our planet ’ s natural oil reserves , vertical farms , on the other hand , can be
run on solar energy . Since solar power is a free and renewable source of energy ,
operating vertical farms would be much less expensive compared to the cost of using
fossil fuels . Solar energy technology has come a long way over the past decade
which makes this power - generating alternative possible . With the earth ’ s unlimited
supply of sunlight , energy for vertical farms would be easily sustainable .
Moreover , conventional crop production uses much energy indirectly by the
manufacturing process of agricultural chemicals — specifically , fertilizers . Unknown to
many , fertilizer production is “ extremely energy - intensive requiring large amounts of
natural gas ” ( Hicks ). The EIA ’ s Manufacturing Energy Consumption Survey estimated that
in 2010 the U . S . nitrogenous fertilizer industry consumed “ more than 200 trillion Btu of
natural gas as feedstock and another 152 trillion Btu for heat and power .” Huge amounts of
these costly fertilizers are used in conventional field farming because large amounts of it
are wasted in the wind , soil erosion , and water runoff . On the other hand , indoor vertical
farming is very contained . Plant fertilization is targeted and controlled , resulting in the use
of much less fertilizer . In this closed system , any excess fertilizer is recaptured , and then
reapplied to crops . This frugal method of fertilization in indoor vertical farms will greatly
reduce the demandfor fertilizer production and thus will result in much less energy
consumed .
To add to high energy usage , there is enormous water usage involved in conventional
farming . In a U . S . Geological Survey , the USDA reported that agriculture accounts for
approximately 80 - 90 % of U . S . water consumption . And in 2013 alone , U . S . agriculture used
over 28 trillion gallons of water for irrigation . Eighty percent of this water was applied in
the western states (“ Irrigation & Water Use ”). But according to NASA models , much of our
western states are predicted to suffer a 20 - 25 % decrease in rainfall and severe drought by
the end of this century due to global warming (“ World of Change ”). With this projection ,
agriculture will soon be unsustainable , especially considering our population is continuing
to increase in size . More people create a higher demand on our agricultural industries
leading to a strain on our water resources . This is why vertical farming is such an important
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