Vertical farming
Vertical farming is the practice of growing plants in multiple vertically stacked layers so that significant quantities of crops can be produced from an area of relatively small square footage. Vertical farms are on average ten times more productive per square foot
than their conventional equivalent.
As the global population soars, there are ever more mouths to feed and ever less space in which to grow food. Vertical farming is the solution to this crisis. Because it involves growing upwards rather than outwards, vertical farming practices are ideally suited to densely populated urban environments where space is at a premium. This means that food can be grown close to retail premises or end consumers, reducing food miles and the carbon costs of transportation.
Vertical farms can have a transformative effect on underprivileged urban areas, creating their own ecosystems of employment and better nutrition wherever they are installed. In Detroit, for example, a burgeoning urban agriculture scene in abandoned warehouses has revitalised once-impoverished neighbourhoods.