21st century has been the century of modernisation and it has been highly beneficial in using technology to better our day to day lives. However, one major downside to it has been the loss of agricultural lands especially in major urban areas as wide-scale urbansiation has led to green lands being converted into houses, commercial zones, Special Economic Zones.
For years many urban and upcoming urban areas have been looking for innovations to make their cities greener and promote agriculture. Vertical Farming has always been a very popular idea to promote farming in confined spaces for years and is now being adopted in various places.
One such place is Bowery Farming located in a warehouse in New Jersey. Bowery Farming is one of many such initiatives where vertical farming is being adopted to optimise the use of land.
Soilless Farming is also a part fo it under which comes the famous hydroponics, aquaponics, and aeroponics
Climate Change is also a major factor when it comes to vertical farming as the UN estimates that over 700 million people will be displaced within the next ten years due to the water crisis.
Bowery Farming is growing crops in labs; they are growing crops under LEDs that mimic the behaviour of the sun. The company uses GMO seeds to grow the crops and the crops are equally spaced and are monitored by the staff. Conveyor belts are used to help transport the crops which make inspection of the crops easier for the workers. The facility uses purified water which is recycled to minimise the dependency on water.
Many countries are also planning skyscrapers that will specifically be used to grow vertical crops to provide agriculture with a sustainable future. Although soil-less farming is being tried in India which is adopted from Israel, the vertical farming industry in India can be a game-changing initiative and all the stakeholders have to think about it.
