01-06 Vertical Farming - John Bulloch

Growing crops indoors on vertically stacked layers. Artificial lighting, no soil, water with nutrients, no herbicides or insecticides. The future of agriculture?

I will never forget visiting farms in China in 1985 that combined raising ducks with fish farming. A farmer’s home surrounded with water full of fish and ducks everywhere. Some fish food for the fish. And fish and duck poo fertilized plants at the bottom of the pond that fed the ducks. An historic solution for feeding the population.
The excitement today in agriculture is vertical farming where crops are grown in vertically stacked layers. And what is so interesting is the use of old warehouses, mine shafts, tunnels and even 40 ft. shipping containers.
In what they call hydroponics, there is no soil, but vegetable and fruits growing in water that is full of the necessary nutrients. All held together with bits of sand or gravel or even wood chips.
The range of vegetables and fruit grown using hydroponics is pretty extensive. Lots of lettuces, tomatoes, strawberries, herbs and broccoli. And no herbicides or pesticides.
The economics are interesting. High upfront capital costs and energy costs for the LED lighting unless you have a solar energy facility. But with light on the veggies 24 hours a day you have very efficient form of agriculture.
What is happening in so many areas of the world with climate change is extreme weather that is making traditional forms of agriculture uneconomic. No surprise that nations in the Middle East are investing heavily in vertical farming.
What they call aquaponics is combining fish farming with hydroponics. Pretty healthy looking fish in the photo. And here, of course, the fish poo is the fertilizer needed for the plants.
The term “The future of agriculture.” for vertical farming may seem a little hyped. But all kinds of experimentation and innovation is taking place. What everyone is trying to do is bring down the costs of vertical farming.
How about a turnkey vertical farming operation all set up in a shipping container that is dropped off at your door. Better live in a rural area if you want a shipping container out front. But lots of fruit and veggies to sell to your local restaurants and grocery stores.
Not too many things get me excited at my age, but vertical farming suggests agriculture for so many parts of the world that are now facing a future of arid soil and extreme weather. And agriculture that can be grown in urban communities.