Vertical farms are growing more
and more vegetables in urban
areas
Introduction
You can find amazing basil in a small village named Genoa, but more people use fresh basil than the
people who live within driving distance of Genoa.
BUT a close approximation can be found in a vertical farm.
Body
Vertical farm
= a farm in which crops grow on top of each other, rather than just next to each other, as they do in a
field, allowing growth at far higher density
Most vertical farms share a few attributes
1 LACK OF SOIL
Their stacked rows of crops are grown aeroponically (= the process of growing plants in the air,
meaning the roods are fed with:
a nutrient-rich mist
hydroponically (= using the solution rather than soil) nutrient-rich solution
a container in which the solution constantly flows over them
2 LESS WATER
no soil > precise control over what level of nutrients all the roots receive
eliminates weeds and keeps microbes, insects and other pests down
no fertiliser runoff into waterways > vertical farms recycle things and not dispose of them
3 SUNSHINE IS ABSENT
light > strips of leds arranged so all the dense-packed leaves are optimally illuminated
PROBLEM: costs a lot of mony
Haitz’s law = efficiency of led lighting systems improves by a factor of 20 every decade
STILL remain the costs for lighting and temperature control high
Things will improve > farms run on electricity > becoming greener and cheaper
Time their “days” and “nights” to match times when power is cheaper
4 CONTROL
Light, temperature and nutrients are directly delivered > conditions for growth can be optimised
Berries can be next
When they are transported for a long time, they don’t taste as good
In the vertical farms you can control the light, temperature and nutrients > all the seasons fresh
berries
A superior product with environmental benefits (no pesticide) that establishes a technology and
a brand
and more vegetables in urban
areas
Introduction
You can find amazing basil in a small village named Genoa, but more people use fresh basil than the
people who live within driving distance of Genoa.
BUT a close approximation can be found in a vertical farm.
Body
Vertical farm
= a farm in which crops grow on top of each other, rather than just next to each other, as they do in a
field, allowing growth at far higher density
Most vertical farms share a few attributes
1 LACK OF SOIL
Their stacked rows of crops are grown aeroponically (= the process of growing plants in the air,
meaning the roods are fed with:
a nutrient-rich mist
hydroponically (= using the solution rather than soil) nutrient-rich solution
a container in which the solution constantly flows over them
2 LESS WATER
no soil > precise control over what level of nutrients all the roots receive
eliminates weeds and keeps microbes, insects and other pests down
no fertiliser runoff into waterways > vertical farms recycle things and not dispose of them
3 SUNSHINE IS ABSENT
light > strips of leds arranged so all the dense-packed leaves are optimally illuminated
PROBLEM: costs a lot of mony
Haitz’s law = efficiency of led lighting systems improves by a factor of 20 every decade
STILL remain the costs for lighting and temperature control high
Things will improve > farms run on electricity > becoming greener and cheaper
Time their “days” and “nights” to match times when power is cheaper
4 CONTROL
Light, temperature and nutrients are directly delivered > conditions for growth can be optimised
Berries can be next
When they are transported for a long time, they don’t taste as good
In the vertical farms you can control the light, temperature and nutrients > all the seasons fresh
berries
A superior product with environmental benefits (no pesticide) that establishes a technology and
a brand
