Venture: Farming Upwards
New innovations come into the farming industry constantly, but the novelty idea of farming vertically is one that is relatively new in the world and can have a big impact. Businesses like Bowery Farming is buying out large warehouses and have begun to farm indoors. This idea, known as vertical farming, is where farmers create produce without relying on the outdoor elements and is a sustainable source of farming that has a smaller carbon footprint.
Vertical farming is the practice of growing crops in vertically stacked layers. This method of farming is done in a controlled environment and the goal is to be able to maximize the amount of space while yielding the highest number of crops. This is all accomplished by using growing shelves suspended on a wall or fence, by doing this they use much less space than growing plants on the ground.
Vertical farming plants are typically hydroponic, meaning that plants are grown in a bowl of water containing nutrients, or aeroponic, where the plants’ roots are sprayed with a mist that has both water and nutrients needed for proper plant health.
Vertical farming requires no soil for the plants to grow but some source of artificial grow lights is used as a replacement for natural light. This method of farming is opening new doors in the world of agriculture that is going to make a major difference in how consumers receive their produce.
Farm areas are usually a long distance from the supermarket and allow for the supply chain to have a lot of steps and can be strenuous if one mistake is made.
Vertical farms can be put up in any skyscraper-like building in residential areas that will cut the transportation times from production to the supermarkets to near nothing. This is one of many benefits of investing in vertical farms.
Vertical farming has many advantages and is considered the forefront of the future of agriculture. Starting with lower water use, higher productivity in a much smaller area and some even state a better-tasting product.
(Credit Except/May 2010) Already companies all over the world, such as in China, are starting to invest in vertical farming
Aerofarms are one of the larger vertical farm companies based out of Newark, NJ. They are realizing that the way we are living our lives know cannot last. By 2050 there are going to be an estimated 9 billion people on this Earth.
If we do not find a sustainable way of producing food, then the whole supply chain of how humans obtain food will collapse. A prime example is our current status as the COVID-19 pandemic has hit the nation, supermarkets have been out of stock of staple goods and have begun to put a limit on how much of a product one can buy.
It is necessary to think that a situation like this can happen again and if the number of people in the world increases the food supply will not be able to keep up with it.
Vertical farming is all based on the advancements of technology in CRA (controlled-environment agriculture). In this field, they attempt to control the main aspects of farming such as temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide, light, nutrients, and pest control. Ideally, each crop is in the most ideal growing environment because all aspects of its livelihood are controlled.
This allows companies like Aerofarms to grow all year round and use up to 95% less water than traditional ones as well as yielding up to 390- times more crops per-square-foot.
On the other end of the spectrum, there are also disadvantages to this farming method. Like any large project, it is going to very costly to build structures like these. Some of the buildings may be run down or old that there needs to be a total haul of materials and implantation of new products.
Secondly, vertical farming is 100% dependent on technology and power. If problems were ever to arise with the product it will lead to a loss of product and influence the rest of the world when that certain food in no longer available to the public.
Some buildings maybe too old, thus cost more to implement the infrastructure needed for vertical farming
The primary factor that lies the problem is that pollination would be very difficult as this type of farm cannot depend on outside insects to come and pollinate the other plants but will have to be done by hand until there is further technological advancements.
That will correlate to high labor cost that will run up the price of the product and not make it feasible for the consumer. Being able to keep the cost down will be crucial to bring in the first wave of interested consumers and allow them to let others know.
One of the most powerful marketing techniques is just the word of mouth and letting the product talk for itself. If vertical farming companies can dish out a high-end product at a low cost it will run its competitors in the ground.
Overall, I believe that vertical farming is going to play a major role in the future in how the world produces its food. People have already begun switching to plant-based meats and as time passes more people will be making the switch to plant-based diets.
This increase in demand for plants will force producers to begin looking into more environmentally friendly ways into growing crops. Vertical farming could be a secure way of knowing that your product will be consistent and not be hurt by unfavorable weather conditions.
As land comes scarcely across the world the dependency on growing food will fall into the hand of the vertical farmers and the technology will have to be right behind it.
The typical method of farming will be soon in the past as the new ways of vertical farming are looked upon with wide and glaring eyes of the innovators of the word.