Vertical Farming - A Model for Sustainable Agricultural Development!

 According to the forecast of the United Nations, the world's population will reach 9.6 billion in 2050, and a 50% increase in food supply is required to feed all human beings. However, the facts in front of us are this: arable land is shrinking sharply, water pollution is serious, and global climate is warming... In the future, to solve the problem of feeding such a large population, we may need a new mode of food production, in skyscrapers vertical farm for growing food and vegetables.

Imagine a scene in a downtown skyscraper with tomatoes, cucumbers, watermelons, etc. grown in every room full of LED lights. Does it sound like a sci-fi movie? In fact, this is the vertical farming, which provides unlimited imagination for solving the food problem of 9.6 billion people in the future.

David Rosenberg, co-founder and CEO of AeroFarms, a global leader in indoor vertical farming and sustainable farming, said:

"The United Nations estimates that by 2050 we need to increase food by 50 percent, and we have lost 30 percent of our arable land in the past 40 years," Rosenberg said. "Looking at all these macro issues, a new kind of way to feed our planet."

The Future of Vertical Farm

Together the world's 6.8 billion people use land equal in size to South America to grow food and raise livestock—an astounding agricultural footprint. That figure is expected to be 9.5 billion by 2050...But where to find that much new, arable earth? It simply does not exist...

Agriculture also uses 70 percent of the world's available freshwater for irrigation, rendering it unusable for drinking as a result of contamination with fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides and silt....Clearly, radical change is needed. One strategic shift would do away with almost every ill just noted: grow crops indoors, under rigorously controlled conditions, in vertical farms.

Plants grown in high-rise buildings erected on now vacant city lots and in large, multistory rooftop greenhouses could produce food year round using significantly less water, producing little waste, with less risk of infectious diseases, and no need for fossil-fueled machinery or transport from distant rural farms. Vertical farming could revolutionize how we feed ourselves and the rising population to come.

Vegetables Hydroponically Cultivated

Vegetables that can be hydroponically cultivated are generally mainly leafy vegetables, such as lettuce and water spinach, and of course some fruit vegetables can also be used, such as cucumbers and tomatoes. And their breeding methods are similar, mainly placing the roots of the vegetables in the nutrient solution. And this nutrient solution will provide water, oxygen and other things for vegetables, and these vegetables rely on these nutrients to grow. Therefore, in this way, things such as land preparation, weeding and arable land are also reduced, a lot of workload is reduced, and labor and time are saved.

Hydroponic vegetables are usually grown in boxes with good water storage. There are common wooden boxes and large pots. A clean medium and large plastic foam box is suitable, and a floating board of suitable size is placed at the bottom of the foam box, which can not only store water, but also carry the importance of vegetables, and it is good to colonize vegetable roots. After all, whether it is building a hydroponic tank or preparing a nutrient solution, we all need to learn from scratch.

Impact of Promoting Greenhouse Vertical Farming on Natural Environment

 With the popularization of smart greenhouses, especially glass greenhouses with high construction costs and long service life, more and more soilless cultivation technology is applied! Soilless cultivation technology can make full use of the limited planting space, not only limited to the surface plane, but also three-dimensional planting!

The main nutrient source of the current three-dimensional soilless culture technology is a nutrient solution, and the crops need water and fertilizer to complete the planting method of vegetable nutrient supply. Plant nutrient liquid fertilizer, which is prepared from an organic substrate dominated by industrial and agricultural waste after high temperature fermentation, can provide necessary nutrients for the growth of plants, not only can reduce environmental pollution problems at a corresponding level, but also can be used for soilless cultivation The vegetables are given sufficient organic fertilizer nutrients. It can also greatly reduce the problem of repeated cropping caused by continuous soil cropping, as well as the infestation of soil soil-borne diseases!

Haikou explores a new vertical farming system model

A farmer named Wu Chuntao from the Village of Haikou City outskirts works in the city's "Vegetable Basket Project" -- Xinyi Photovoltaic Longwan Agricultural-Solar Complementary Perennial Vegetable Planting Base (hereinafter referred to as the Agricultural-Solar Complementary Vegetable Base). The longer he works there, the more he understands one thing, that is, in terms of growing vegetables, open-air growing and photovoltaic greenhouses are completely different.

Affected by the cooling and frost a while ago, Wu Chuntao's leafy vegetables grown in the open air have been unable to grow, and he can only buy vegetables at the market with money.

However, in the agricultural and light complementary vegetable base in Fuchang Village, Jiazi Town, cabbage, loosestrife, pakchoi... all kinds of leafy vegetables are green and connected into a large area.

On the morning of March 3, when interviewed by a reporter from Hainan Daily, Wu Chuntao looked up from behind a long green leafy vegetable and couldn't help but say, "Guess what are we busy with? The vegetables at the base are too dense, so hurry up. Unplug some!"

In fact, the agricultural and light complementary vegetable base was built in response to the decline in leafy vegetable yields caused by bad weather.

"Especially from April to October every year, Hainan has a lot of rain and heavy raindrops. Sometimes the raindrops even pierce the leaves of vegetables. Coupled with the influence of typhoons, greenhouses must be used for planting at this time. However, many small vegetable farmers do not have such equipment, resulting in The supply of leafy vegetables in Hainan is low in summer." Wan Shuming, assistant general manager and planting technical director of Haikou Vegetable Basket Agricultural Technology Development Co., Ltd., explained to reporters.

In order to ensure stable supply and stable prices for citizens' "vegetable baskets", Haikou Caibasanzi Group cooperates with social capital Fang Xinyi Company to build a vegetable basket Longwan agricultural and photovoltaic complementary vegetable planting base, combining vegetable planting and photovoltaics ingeniously to explore the three-dimensional agricultural and photovoltaic complementary A new model of agriculture. At present, Haikou has built 1,200 mu of photovoltaic vegetable greenhouses, of which more than 200 mu of vegetables are grown.

The reporter saw at the scene that, different from ordinary greenhouses, transparent thin-film solar photovoltaic glass and solar thin-film solar panels are installed on the greenhouse roof of the agricultural and light complementary vegetable base to achieve power generation on the roof and vegetable cultivation in the greenhouse. There is a gap of about the size of a long vegetable between every two photovoltaic panels. The dishes under the gap can receive sunlight through the transparent film, while the dishes under the photovoltaic panels are equipped with supplementary lights. Vegetables under the two light conditions were planted alternately.

Tao Junqiang, technical director of Xinyi Solar (Haikou) Co., Ltd., said that this model makes full use of the land resources and support resources of photovoltaic projects, which not only improves the land utilization rate, but also ensures the structural stability of the greenhouse. ."

Since the trial in October 2020, the 200-acre agricultural and light complementary vegetable base in Haikou has been continuously transformed and improved according to the actual situation. Now it has realized six major functions including irrigation, rain and wind resistance, waterlogging drainage, insect control, temperature control and video surveillance. The leafy vegetables in the base are sprouted every 35 to 45 days, with an average yield of 1,500-1,800 catties per mu, which effectively guarantees the supply of leafy vegetables in Haikou, especially in the off-season.

"These are almost the same size, and they will be ready to serve in about a week." Wan Shuming put on his straw hat and pointed to the long vegetables in front of him.

Right now, Xinyi Solar (Haikou) Co., Ltd. is doing film renovations on 1,200 mu of land in Tuling Village and Xin'an Village, Jiazi Town. It's gone." Tao Junqiang said.

Strawberry up in the air - Vertical Hanging Strawberry Planting System

Strawberries are a fruit that many of us like, and with the modernization of agriculture, growing strawberries in smart greenhouses is becoming more and more diverse, and hanging strawberries in the air has become a popular model.

Growing strawberry up in the air is the hanging strawberry planting system which looks like cascading waterfall of strawberries. It is a relatively expensive model that is rarely planted now, but an indispensable attraction for the future of greenhouse strawberry picking gardens.

Why are strawberries grown in the air becoming more and more popular? First, strawberry picking in the air is more aesthetically pleasing. The tallness of the appearance determines the new attraction of people. People are generally interested in things that look high-end at first glance. Second, the growth cycle of vertical-farming strawberries is short. Due to the use of soilless cultivation equipment, the Internet of Things and the integrated water and fertilizer machine, strawberries can grow rapidly. Third, the strawberry in the air is built in a smart greenhouse, the temperature and humidity are suitable, and the strawberry tastes better. Fourth, picking is convenient, no need to bend over to pick, strawberries absorb sunlight on the roof when they grow, and use the hanging system to fall vertically when picking.

In Europe, large amounts of strawberries are grown off the ground in polytunnels, a method that makes picking easier and protect the fruit from heavy rain and hail. Plant the strawberries in open fields, leaving them exposed to the elements and the warming rays of the winter sun which they said helped develop the flavour of the fruit.

Role of Vertical Farming in Future Agriculture

Vertical farming is becoming more and more popular, whether it is smart greenhouses, container planting, abandoned factory buildings, or even underground basements, it is a relatively good choice. Focus on greenhouse engineering technology and serve modern agriculture. As technology has changed, improved and improved every aspect of our lives, it's no surprise that vertical farming has also changed how and where we grow crops and other commercially grown plants. As climate change alters weather patterns, growing crops indoors is becoming a viable and profitable option. If reproduced, please keep the copyright information.

Vertical farming is the practice of growing crops in vertically stacked layers. It typically includes controlled environment agriculture, designed to optimize plant growth, and soilless cultivation techniques, such as hydroponics, aquaponics, and aeroponics. By providing fresh local produce, vertical farming increases food production and expands agribusiness. As the world's population continues to expand, it is expected that by 2050, two out of every three people will live in metropolitan areas. Growing fresh vegetables near urban areas helps meet growing food demands in an environmentally sustainable way. Reducing the time it takes to transport produce to cities can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and provide more nutrient-dense vegetables while saving valuable resources like water and fertilizer. Let's take a look at how vertical farming is changing the way crops are grown.

Vertical farming

Vertical farming technology enables vertical farmers to monitor every environmental condition imaginable. But monitoring is only the first step. To get the most out of vertical farming technology, you need to connect equipment to operating systems to automate processes and provide insights into your data. Actionable insights provide a more straightforward approach to accurately predict yields. Let’s take a look at the technical areas available for vertical farming.

Monitoring

Collecting data starts with monitoring the most important aspects of controlled environment growing using sensors placed throughout the growing operation. Temperature, soil moisture levels, humidity, EC, light and carbon dioxide levels are fundamental points of monitoring. Connect these sensors to unlock the potential of your device.

Control

Industrial IoT controllers provide the ultimate smart farm experience, with the processing power to coordinate hundreds of smart devices throughout the indoor growing process. Smart Motor Controllers allow you to write rules from your smartphone to trigger timers, schedules, open vents, and more. You can even use the Crop Guidance Guide to create rules to guide the growth of your plants. You can read more about crop steering here.

Analytics

Connecting your equipment and using a top operating system will give you a clear view of your farm data. It provides meaningful insights through dozens of data visualizations. Most offer Excel integration to share data with your team. Vertical farming method of growing crops in piles. It combines controlled environment farming to optimize plant growth and utilize soilless farming techniques such as hydroponics, aquaponics or aeroponics. Next let's look at the benefits of vertical farming.

Vertical farming benefits

1. Year-round crop production

Vertical farming, because it is not weather dependent, can achieve consistent crop production year-round without being affected by adverse weather conditions. Growing in a safe, climate-controlled environment enables repeatable and programmable crop production. Technology allows automation to reduce harvest time and increase yields without compromising taste or quality.

2. Space rationalization

Traditional farms require fertile arable land and a lot of arable land. Vertical farming can be designed and built in any climate or place, regardless of weather conditions or extreme temperatures. Vertical farming allows you to achieve higher productivity in a relatively small space. Depending on the crops you grow, the vertical farming productivity per mu is 10-20 times that of traditional ordinary farming.

3. More sustainable than soil farming

Greenhouse vertical farming can be more environmentally friendly than farming because it reduces the operating costs required for farming equipment. While heating energy bills can be high, solar energy can help mitigate these environmental costs. Furthermore, the three-dimensional planting density is relatively large, and the cost is negligible and acceptable. Vertical farming helps improve biodiversity because it does not cause surface disturbance and reduces a range of soil problems such as pests and diseases. This helps the crop populations living in and around the farm to thrive.

4. Reduce resource waste

Vertical farming When properly managed and using the proper methods, growing crops in vertical farming offers the opportunity to eliminate the need for pesticides. Pests cannot easily enter a controlled environment to cause infestation, and fungal diseases cannot survive humidity control. Vertical farming, especially those that use hydroponics, also uses much less water than conventional farms. Water is recycled and almost no water is wasted.

5. Reduce shipping costs

Vertical farming Growing crops close to where customers live is a huge agricultural benefit. It reduces transportation costs, CO2 emissions and reduces the need for refrigerated storage making produce fresher and more profitable.

6. Reduce labor costs

Fully automatic indoor growing systems and greenhouses for vertical farming do not require a lot of manual labor for successful year-round production. But staff are still required to register crops and make sure the equipment is working properly, and very few people are needed to manage the growing environment.

Finally, Agricultural Big Data Internet Innovation Enterprise provides a platform with artificial intelligence capabilities and machine management that can accurately predict the size of your harvest. The output can be really calculated, and order-based sales can be realized.

What Is Vertical Farming

 Vertical farming is to use vertical space to multiply the utilization area of a piece of land. This can be indoor or outdoor cultivation (in a greenhouse or on a building shell), or the cultivation of various animals. The cultivation methods are soil culture, substrate culture, hydroponics, aeroponics and aquaponics. Indoor planting must use artificial light, and outdoor planting usually chooses to use artificial light because it is stacked very high.

Planting methods involved in vertical farming

Substrate culture

A soilless cultivation method in which the roots of plants are fixed with a solid substrate (medium) and nutrient solution and oxygen are absorbed through the substrate. There are many types of substrates. Commonly used inorganic substrates include vermiculite, perlite, rock wool, sand, polyurethane, etc.; organic substrates include peat, rice husk charcoal, and bark. Therefore, substrate cultivation is divided into rock wool cultivation, sand cultivation and so on. Nutrient solution was supplied by drip irrigation. The advantages are that the equipment is simpler and the production cost is lower. However, it needs a lot of substrate, and the old substrate of continuous cropping is easy to carry germs and spread diseases.

Hydroponics

Hydroponics is the domestication of common plants and flowers using modern bioengineering technology and physical, chemical and biological engineering methods. It is easy to carry, easy to take care of, cheap, clean, the flowers and leaves grow healthy, and it can achieve the picture of fish and flower sharing.

Aeroponics

Also known as aeroponics. Abbreviation for spray cultivation. One of the methods of soilless cultivation. Instead of a solid substrate, it sprays the nutrient solution directly onto plant roots to supply the nutrients and oxygen they need. Usually a container made of foam plastic board is used to make holes in the board, and plants are planted. The stems and leaves are exposed on the board holes, and the root system is suspended in the dark place in the lower space. Spray the root system with nutrient solution for a few seconds every 2-3min. The nutrient solution is recycled, but the solubility of the fertilizer in the nutrient solution should be high, and the spray droplets are required to be extremely fine.

Now, aeroponics plants are in the promotion stage. Especially in places with poor vegetation conditions, it is more suitable for the promotion and application of aeroponics.

Aquaponics

Aquaponics is a new type of compound farming system that combines aquaculture and hydroponics, two completely different farming techniques, through clever ecological design to achieve Scientific synergistic symbiosis, so as to realize the ecological symbiosis effect of growing fish without changing water and without water quality problems, and growing vegetables without fertilizing and growing normally. In traditional aquaculture, with the accumulation of fish excrement, the ammonia nitrogen in the water body increases, and the toxicity gradually increases. In the aquaponics system, the aquaculture water is transported to the hydroponic cultivation system, and the microbial bacteria decompose the ammonia nitrogen in the water into nitrite and nitrate, which are then absorbed and utilized by plants as nutrients. Since hydroponics and aquaculture techniques are the cornerstones of aquaponics, aquaponics can produce many types of systems by combining different modes of hydroponics and aquaculture techniques. Aquaponics allows animals, plants and microorganisms to achieve a harmonious ecological balance. It is a sustainable, circular, and low-carbon production model with zero emissions in the future, and it is also the most effective way to effectively solve the agricultural ecological crisis.

Advantages of vertical farming

High yield

Vertical planting (vertical farming) can give full play to the production potential of crops. Compared with ordinary planting methods, the yield can be increased several times or dozens of times.

Can make full use of space

Getting rid of the shackles of land is of great significance for agricultural development in areas with less arable land.

Cleanliness

It will not cause environmental pollution and other problems, and effectively solve the problem of traditional cultivation of chemical fertilizers and pesticides polluting water sources

Conducive to the realization of modern agriculture

Vertical Farming's Prospects

1. From the perspective of agricultural development,

Humans develop agricultural production by intervening and controlling the growth and development of crops. The emergence of vertical farming (vertical farming) technology enables human beings to precisely control all environmental conditions for crop growth, thus making it possible for agricultural production to completely get rid of the constraints of natural conditions, and to move towards automation, mechanization and factory production in full accordance with human wishes. way to develop. This will increase the yield of crops several times, dozens or even hundreds of times.

2. From a resource point of view,

Cultivated land is an extremely valuable and non-renewable resource. Since vertical farming (vertical farming) can develop and utilize many non-arable lands (indoors, containers, building exteriors), the non-renewable arable land resources have been expanded and supplemented, which is helpful for alleviating and solving the increasingly serious arable land problems on the earth, has far-reaching significance.

3. From the perspective of water resources,

Water is also a major problem in the world that increasingly threatens the survival and development of human beings. Not only in arid regions, but also in developed and densely populated large cities, water shortages are becoming more and more prominent. As the population continues to grow, various water resources are over-exploited, and some areas are nearly depleted. Therefore, controlling agricultural water use is one of the measures to save water, and vertical planting (vertical farming) technology avoids a large amount of water leakage and loss, and water can be recycled to compensate for difficult-to-regenerate water resources. It will become the only way for water-saving agriculture and agriculture in dry areas.

But we must also realize that there are many problems in the practical application of vertical farming (vertical farming) technology, such as high cost and additional energy consumption. But today, overcoming these problems is not a problem. As long as there is a market, there will be development.