vertical farming - the new farming?

Today, with the climate changing drastically, there is pressure on farms to keep producing produce. The solution? Vertical farming.

http://www.agrismart.it/2016/05/26/fujitsu-si-da-alla-lattuga/

Vertical farming is defined as the practice of producing food and medicine in vertically stacked layers. Farming this way will offer the consumers a "Whole Foods quality at Walmart prices." (GreenBiz) In today's environment, climate change is becoming a huge factor affecting the agriculture grounds that the US uses to produce produce for consumers. With this being the case, Innovators have developed a way to utilize buildings to produce food in a more transparent and sustainable way. An idea that soon will be implemented in US cities and would actually start applying this farming method to old thermal power plants. Reusing the heat and energy that the power plant generated can reduce greenhouse gasses. Also growing food that would be closer to consumer consumption can also cut down waste associated with food loss and land, energy, and CO2 emissions. With this method being a newly profound idea, there is still research that is needed to make this idea more of a reality. The biggest threat that is associated with agriculture is protecting biodiversity and critical ecosystems, vertical farming however could be the solution the world is seeking to relieve the pressure on natural resources exhausted. An example of a new farm that began practicing this method is AeroFarms in New Jersey. This farm reported producing up to 1,000 tons of vegetables per acre in a year.

Article: GreenBiz 'Is the future of farming vertical'

by: Jason Clay

https://www.greenbiz.com/article/future-farming-vertical