In Favor of Vertical Farms

I have read about the concept of vertical farms many times. Those not familiar with the concept might want to read this article on the Huffington Post, or the Wikipedia entry on the topic. Both are informative. More extensive information can be found at VerticalFarm.com.


At first, I deemed this idea to be too, well, 'science-fiction'y would be the word. I could only envision these skyscrapers full of floor after floor of plants and crops, and even livestock... Unless there were also flying cars in the picture, there was no way I could really see it.


But the more I think about it, the better idea they seem to be. If done properly, they would allow people in the cities to have fresh produce without the need of hauling them all the way from the farmlands - that's less carbon impact in a way.  It also frees farmland which can be devolved to wildlife. Or used for other kinds of farming. Can it be done?

Cuba has been experimenting with urban farming for almost two decades now, more so in the last few years. Granted, the Cuban case is one of resorting to these measures due to desperation and hunger - but necessity is the mother of invention, and crisis the best fuel for human intellect available. So, the Cubans have shown the world that good, healthy, organic crops can be grown in urban settings, enriching the diet of people in those areas. But they do it in flat tracts of land. Is going vertical too farfetched?


I believe that we will see a vertical farming revolution start somewhere like Singapore or Japan, places where real estate is at a premium and where the population density and its demands will at some point force a crisis of this sort. 


When will this happen? That's difficult to foresee, but I believe that the triggers will be some unprecedented rise in the price of food due to farmland being lost to drought or flooding (hint: climate change); or perhaps the price of oil going through the roof, to levels unheard of, will be the trigger. Whatever the reason, I believe we will see the first vertical farms within the next decade. It will take a while for them to become widespread practice, but that they will. I imagine organic and free-range food advocates might raise an eyebrow or oppose vociferously, depending on their own personal beliefs. I don't know. 


I just know that in perhaps twenty years time I will be having a delicious meal at a rooftop restaurant, surrounded by gardens and with the cityscape all around us. And all the ingredients of the meal will have been grown a few floors below us.