Hydroponics in Vertical Farms

Hydroponics is one method that has made vertical farming more attractive. It is a method of growing plants with mineral nutrients without the presence of soil. It not only prevents the risk of soil erosion, but also maintains the natural state of the environment. It is cheaper than the soil gardening processes and protects the plant from bacteria and pathogens. Plants that are grown hydroponically do not require herbicides and pesticides to grow as required in traditional farming. The system provides both constant temperature and light to maximize the crop yield. The pH of water while using the conventional farming is maintained for the crops to get a higher yield but using this technology pH is tested regularly with the addition of acid when necessary. This results in improved plant health and the crop produced is highly nutritious. Hence, hydroponics leads to cost effective production, which involves higher quality products, higher growth of crops, weed control, automatic watering and feeding, extended growth seasons, clean products and reduces crop management labor cost.

Crops

Certain crops like tomatoes, cucumbers, hot peppers and lettuce are grown periodically, but with the hydroponic technique they can be grown yearly. Similarly, the vegetables that are grown only in winter or the short growing season can be produced yearly.

http://www.greendiary.com/entry/vertical-farms-can-architectural-design-save-the-world-from-starvation/

Skyland, Vertical Farm Project

Advantages of Vertical Farming

	Year-round crop production; 1 indoor acre is equivalent to 4-6 outdoor acres or more, depending upon the crop (e.g., strawberries: 1 indoor acre = 30 outdoor acres)
	No weather-related crop failures due to droughts, floods, pests
	All VF food is grown organically: no herbicides, pesticides, or fertilizers
	VF virtually eliminates agricultural runoff by recycling black water
	VF returns farmland to nature, restoring ecosystem functions and services
	VF greatly reduces the incidence of many infectious diseases that are acquired at the agricultural interface
	VF converts black and gray water into potable water by collecting the water of evapotranspiration
	VF adds energy back to the grid via methane generation from composting non-edible parts of plants and animals
	VF dramatically reduces fossil fuel use (no tractors, plows, shipping.)
	VF converts abandoned urban properties into food production centers
	VF creates sustainable environments for urban centers
	VF creates new employment opportunities
	We cannot go to the moon, Mars, or beyond without first learning to farm indoors on earth
	VF may prove to be useful for integrating into refugee camps
	VF offers the promise of measurable economic improvement for tropical and subtropical LDCs. If this should prove to be the case, then VF may be a catalyst in helping to reduce or even reverse the population growth of LDCs as they adopt urban agriculture as a strategy for sustainable food production.
	VF could reduce the incidence of armed conflict over natural resources, such as water and land for agriculture

Urban Farming

As cities expand and urbanization increases farms and rural areas will be eaten up by the city, leaving little room for agriculture. In Vancouver it is a common sight to see small community gardens around the downtown areas, however a recent project has just gone underway to build a full fledged working farm, that will create jobs and sell produce to local businesses. On a half acre of parking lot in the Downtown Eastside, among the syringes and used condoms, volunteers have erected the wooden frames of the farm which will utilize spin farming (system of rotating crops which make it possible to gross $50,000+ from a half- acre) to create a profitable inner-city farm.

link to news clip

http://watch.ctv.ca/news/clip230073#clip230073

http://projectsinplace.wordpress.com/

http://www.spinfarming.com/