HowStuffWorks "Will there be farms in New York City's skyscrapers?"

HowStuffWorks "Will there be farms in New York City's skyscrapers?": "The key to vertical farming is space. The Vertical Farm Project, led by Dr. Despommier, claims that one indoor acre of farming is equal to 4 to 6 outdoor acres [Source: The Vertical Farm Project]. They cite a farm in Florida that was converted into an indoor hydroponic farm where strawberries grow in stacks. That farm now grows the equivalent of 30 acres of strawberries in a one-acre greenhouse.

By converting from 'horizontal farming' to vertical farming, humanity would never have to worry about running out of arable land. By operating indoors, crops could be grown all year, free of concerns about bad weather, drought or natural disasters. If the building is sealed and carefully monitored, there would be no need for pesticides to eliminate invasive insects or parasites, a particularly devastating problem in the developing world. All food would be organically grown without fertilizer and free of disease. Vertical farmers wouldn't have to worry about conflicts over land, water and other natural resources or contend with genetically modified foods, unwanted strains of plants or wandering animals."

More Great Links

• The Vertical Farm Essay
• Vertical Farm Designs
• Planet Green
• TreeHugger.com

Sources

• Chamberlain, Lisa. "Skyfarming." New York Magazine. http://nymag.com/news/features/30020/
• Cooke, Jeremy. "Vertical farming in the big Apple." BBC News. June 19, 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6752795.stm
• "Professor sees vertical farms on horizon." Knight Ridder Newspapers. Columbia Daily Tribune. Aug. 30, 2005. http://www.columbiatribune.com/2005/Aug/20050830Busi010.asp
• "The Vertical Farm Project." http://www.verticalfarm.com/
• "Farm of the Future?" U.S. News & World Report. May 28, 2007. http://www.verticalfarm.com/images/news/usnews-article.jpg