Vertical farming/urban farming is a plan to grow produce in vertical, multi-story structures within urban areas to reduce the dependence on food grown and transported long distances.
Vertical farming will be using new versions of hydroponics and aquaponics. It will use about 100 times less water and provide over 5 times greater energy efficiency. The system can provide positive monetary returns within two years.
$122 million investment for 5 warehouses to grow spinach, broccoli, tomatoes, fish, head lettuce, leaf lettuce to feed the city of Chicago
$4.7 annual operating
$97.7 million annual revenue
Professor Despommier argues that the technology to construct vertical farms currently exists. Developers and local governments in the following cities have expressed serious interest in establishing a vertical farm: Inchon (South Korea), Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates), and Dongtan (China).
Omega garden Carousel
Aquaponics (fish farming + hydroponics) hybrid with Raft System
One floor of vertical farm
FURTHER READING
Vertical farming at wikipedia
Brian Wang is a Futurist Thought Leader and a popular Science blogger with 1 million readers per month. His blog Nextbigfuture.com is ranked #1 Science News Blog. It covers many disruptive technology and trends including Space, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Medicine, Anti-aging Biotechnology, and Nanotechnology.
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