VERTICAL FARMING

“Vertical farming is a concept that argues that it is economically and environmentally viable to cultivate plant or animal life within skyscrapers, or on vertically inclined surfaces”-Wikipedia. Vertical farming is basically a plan developed to build high rise buildings, so that it would allow the growth of food crops in urban areas. We are expected to encounter a food shortage in the near future and hence this is an essential need.

Gilbert Ellis Bailey initially coined the term "vertical farming". In his book "Vertical Farming", he defined vertical farming as:

 "Vertical Farming is the keynote of a new agriculture that has come to stay, for inexpensive explosives enable the farmer to farm deeper, to go down to increase area, and to secure larger crops." So the farmer now concentrates on less land rather than opting for massive land usage and so becomes an intensive agriculturist rather than an extensive one. This means that he learns that doubling the depth of his fertile land obviously yields more profit than doubling the area of land. The best aid to a farmer serving this purpose would be a good explosive. Bailey believes that "The farmer is busy turning explosives from war to agriculture, from death dealing to life giving work."

Vertical farming is actually an old concept. People in South America have been using this technique over a long period of time. East Asians also follow a similar process for their rice terraces. But now the steadily growing population has increased the demand on vertical farming and has made it more attractive.

The main advantage is that it would give year round crop production. There will not be any weather related crop failures due to droughts, floods etc. Food is grown organically because no herbicides or pesticides are used. It reduces many infectious diseases that may be acquired at the agricultural interface. It also creates new employment opportunities.

Despite all these advantages they exist only in small scale. The main problem is light because sunlight has to be replaced by LEDs. So it will be sometime before vertical farming is implemented on a commercial scale.

My view : It has been estimated that by 2050 the global population will be shoot up to 7.5 to 10.5 billion. The vertical farm project estimates that to feed this large population agricultural area equal in size to nearly half of South America will be needed which is not practically possible. And besides as population grows more and more land will be used up for residential purposes and cultivable land will soon get exhausted. So there is an essential need to develop vertical farming.