After the Covid-19 outbreak, there occurred a big threat to access agricultural products due to the lack of labor power. Thus, vertical farming became an appealing phenomenon as a sustainable option to grow vegetables without pesticides and with less amount of water in urban areas recently, although this method has already been known from east Asia. Vertical farming can be defined as cultivating vegetables vertically using new agriculture methods, which bring agriculture techniques and architectural technology together (Kalantari, 2017). According to Statista projection (2019), the market value of vertical farming will be increased to 15.7 billion in the U.S in 2025. The reasons underlying this forecast are the world population, which is expected to increase to 8.9 million by 2050, and the opportunities that come with vertical farming.
Firstly, to meet the needs of the world population in 2050, food production must grow more than 70% globally. However, it doesn’t seem realistic since the arable land per person is decreasing (Zhang et al., 2021). Vertical farming can be practiced anywhere, and doesn’t need a large space, as crops grow on top of each other. Furthermore, vegetables don’t need any sunlight, and it requires less water than vegetables need in traditional agriculture to grow. How can it be possible? Of course, with a combination of technology and traditional agriculture methods.
The technology used in vertical farming
A myriad of technologies is combined to keep vertical farming running. With the help of artificial intelligence, robotics t lightning, optimized LEDs, water filtration and hydroponic to control climatic conditions, vertical farming is transformed into plant fabric (New ways to make vertical farming stack up, 2019). Hence, scientists try to get improvements and automation monitoring every data of crops and vegetables.
Moreover, the energy used in vertical farming is electricity, which can be provided from renewable sources. Thus, it becomes not only greener and cheaper, but also an alternative for sustainable food cultivation (Vertical farms are growing more and more vegetables in urban areas, 2020).
Will vertical farming be a disruptive innovation for agriculture in the future?
I personally believe that vertical farming will have a greater and more essential role in our lives in the following years. However, I do not think that it can eliminate traditional agriculture that has been inherited from our ancestors. I believe that with the breakthrough of technological advancement, it will be a significant competitor against old-fashioned greenhouses.
References
Kalantari, F. (2017). A Review of Vertical Farming Technology: A Guide for Implementation of Building Integrated Agriculture in Cities | Scientific.Net. Scientific.Net. https://www.scientific.net/AEF.24.76
The Economist. (2019, September 3). New ways to make vertical farming stack up. https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2019/08/31/new-ways-to-make-vertical-farming-stack-up
The Economist. (2021, September 28). Vertical farms are growing more and more vegetables in urban areas. https://www.economist.com/technology-quarterly/2021/09/28/vertical-farms-are-growing-more-and-more-vegetables-in-urban-areas
Statista. (2020, July 20). Global vertical farming market projection 2019 & 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/487666/projection-vertical-farming-market-worldwide/
Zhang, Z., Rod, M., & Hosseinian, F. (2021). A Comprehensive Review on Sustainable Industrial Vertical Farming Using Film Farming Technology. Sustainable Agriculture Research, 10(526-2021-496), 46-53.
Interesting articles to read
Vertical farming start-up AeroFarms to list at $1.2bn valuation in Spac deal: https://www.ft.com/content/48aff9a0-47b1-4456-a60f-a1c0d48be2c2
Vertical farming: hope or hype?: https://www.ft.com/content/0e3aafca-2170-4552-9ade-68177784446e
