The rise of city farming
Population is booming and this won't stop the coming decades. How are we going to feed all these hungry mouths?
Estimations are made that the human population increases with about 3 billion people by the year of 2050. One of the effect will be a lack of space in cities. If we continue with traditional farming as practiced today, we should create 10 billion hectares of new land worldwide. The Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) has issued a sobering forecast on world food production. They say the following:
“Food production will need to rise by 70%, and food production in the developing world will need to double”.
How are we going to feed all these hungry mouths? The increase of human population drives the demand for food, which results in additional use of arable land and water. The absence of adequate food production and integrated programs for food and reproductive health is a growing matter in our community. Where is the solution to prevent famine?
The new ways of farming
Vertical farming is a new way of feeding the world in the 21st century. This means that 80% of the world wide population will reside in urban centers. The development we see around this trend can best be described as an agricultural evolution as opposed to a revolution. But it is extremely needed. Vertical farming turns out to be nearly 10 times more efficient than traditional agriculture. The concept is easy and simple. Instead of reserving 109 hectares of new land for agriculture horizontally, you build vertically. The sky is the limit? This sounds perfect considering the lack of space in cities. It does not promise radical change in the way we farm, but it is more productive, efficient and takes up less space.
An example is the Urban Skyfarm in Seoul, Korea. It is a prototype designed by Aprilli. The Urban Skyfarm features vertical stacking of 60-70 farming decks. The prototype looks like a giant tree. It aims to create balance between ecology and urban development. This results in the fact that a city is able to provide fresh food, air, and relaxation within our busy urban lifestyles. Besides this, the Urban Skyfarm is equipped with solar panels to produce renewable energy.
Also a vertical farm startup AeroFarms is about to open. Crops sit on stack trays outfitted with sensors and LED lights that keep track of the growing process. AeroFarms has the potential to harvest 2 million pounds of leafy, fresh greens a year, without any sunlight, soil or pesticides. The 69,000 - square - foot warehouse is located in Newark, New Jersey.
The green future
The rise of creative urban agriculture is worldwide. It provides nutritious food and economic opportunities for community. Distributed Urban Farming initiatives use the empty spaces. It builds gardens and prompts neighbours to eat healthy food. Besides that it also drives entrepreneurship and tourism. Also Sharing Backyards offers a possibility for people who lack space but want to grow their own food. It works with a website where you can sign up, and available space nearby will be offered.
Aquaponics is an sustainable food production technique that combines vegetable and fish production. Wasted water from fish production are recycled as fertiliser for vegetables. Plants can also purify the water that will be reused for fish production. Aquaponics can save up to 90% water usage. It is invented to maximise resource efficiency. This sustainable invention is moving from the realm of experimental to commercial.
The main goal of all these initiatives is to turn their cities from extracting to providing to our planet. The biggest city garden in Europe is located in The Netherlands, The Hague. But also other cities are taking over this idea. Everything should be green, sustainable, and provide a place for food production. Urban cities are becoming more and more popular.
Vertical farming,shared agriculture, aquaponics, and green cities are examples of innovations that provide arable space to grow crops in major cities. Scarce resources should disappear. The world has the knowledge and technology to ensure long-term food security for all and eradicate hunger. Yet it needs political will to build necessary institutions to ensure that key decisions on investment are taken and implemented effectively. The human population will not stop growing for the coming decades. We have to act now.
The video below shows you a prototype concept of vertical farming designed by Aprilli