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 grain yield is increased by 390 times, but the water consumption is 95% less than that of ordinary planting. No sunlight, no soil, no pesticides are used, and no agricultural pollution is caused. It is the only way for a new generation of farming mode and sustainable human development - vertical farm.
Now let me introduce to you a few famous vertical farms in the world.
01 A farm of New Jersey that Breathes
AeroFarms implements year-round agricultural planting in the local area, subverting the traditional crop growing season. Monitoring all stages of green leafy vegetable and herbal production, from seed to packaging, sets new standards for product tracking. And, most strikingly, AeroFarms are 390 times more productive per year than commercial farms, while using 95 percent less water than regular crop cultivation.
AeroFarms, known as the world's largest "vertical farm", is located in New Jersey, USA. In a space of 7,000 square meters, it uses patented planting methods such as aerial cultivation to allow vegetables to be harvested every 16 days. 10,000 kilograms of total production - an astonishing feat.
From a productivity standpoint, vertical farming could be the future of farming, as this method will save 95% of water usage compared to growing crops on regular fields.
At the AeroFarms base, plants grow in trays stacked on top of vertical pillars that are 36 feet tall (1 foot ≈ 0.3048 meters). The trays are covered with a patented cloth, or culture medium, on which the seeds are dipped to germinate and grow without soil, pesticides or wasted nutrients.
Crop roots are suspended directly indoors to absorb the ideal nutrients, and below is a cloth soaked with medium. They can also obtain the ideal LED lighting spectrum to meet the needs of plants for their 12- to 16-day growth cycle. Precise plant growth algorithms allow AeroFarms to supply just-in-time supplies throughout the year to partners who sell its products.
Once the plants are mature, they are collected directly on-site, packaged, and distributed to local grocery stores. The close linkage of the farming operation to the final consumer greatly reduces transportation costs and plant decay rates.
In addition, for traditional agriculture, severe weather and natural disasters often reduce crop yields and cause food shortages, while vertical farm plants are grown indoors, which is immune to these factors. Therefore, especially for regions with harsh climates, such as the Middle East, it is of great significance to develop vertical farms.
02 A Little Closer to Intelligent Farming - Kyoto, Japan
In Japan, where land and labor resources are relatively scarce, people are "building" the urban map of vertical farms.
As an agricultural company rooted in "sustainability", Spread has built two factories in Kyoto that resemble "containers". Among them, Techno Farm, located in Keihanna Science and Technology City, is known as one of the most automated vertical farms in the world.
▲ The new plant, called Techno Farm, will more than double Spread’s crop production, producing nearly 11 million lettuce plants per year.
If we only look at the appearance, we probably will not associate it with the "vertical farm", until the inside of the "factory", the vertical appearance can be revealed.
The trays stacked layer by layer are arranged in an orderly manner, and the robotic arm is familiarly "planting" the newly sprouted lettuce; the white or purple LED lights are bright all night. These timely and changing "lights" can assist batches of crops to complete "photosynthesis" 24 hours a day without interruption.
Compared with previous farms, the irrigation and harvesting of this "AI farm" are almost entirely handled by robotic arms.
03 Manhattan Vertical Farm - The cooks' backyard
When most of the vertical farms in the world are still piling up "shelves" to grow vegetables, the vertical farm in the basement of a Michelin restaurant in Manhattan has become "the backyard of the cooks".
FarmOne claims to "provide 'special ingredients' for chefs across New York". In the basement of 140 square meters, more than 500 recycled coconut shells are grown with basil flowers, lemongrass and other spices.
From growth to maturity, the light wavelength, quality and light color required for each link are accurately and detailedly recorded, and the "more energy-efficient" hydroponic technology reduces water consumption to 10% of traditional farms.
Compared to before, the delivery process of special ingredients is extremely cumbersome. Chefs need to order ingredients from California, Mexico and even Israel to fly to New York, which will result in a certain waste of packaging materials such as plastic, foam and cardboard boxes.
Today, FarmOne will be planted in batches on the farm according to the requirements of the chef, from the crop, leaf size to the growth date (freshness), which means that more fresh and diverse vegetables will appear on people's table at the same time. .
Self-sufficient...
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