Vertical Farming: a novel farming technology

Abstract

Vertical farming is a concept that argues that it is economically and environmentally viable to cultivate plant or animal life within skyscrapers, or on vertically inclined surfaces. It is the concept of growing food crops in multi-storey green houses, in a controlled environment with the aid of modern technologies. A Vertical farm is always incorporated with renewable energy systems, soilless culture and artificial lighting. The use of soilless culture technologies namely Hydroponics and Aeroponics saves huge amount of water. The LED Grow lights and computerized sensing systems control the micro climate. This guarantees the year round crop production inside a vertical farm. It is possible to cultivate crops anywhere on the globe irrespective of the climate conditions. Moreover the productivity of land can be increased tenfold, since the crops are grown in each floor. Designers all over the world are inspired by the concept and numerous projects are on their infancy. Glass is replaced by cheaper translucent ETFE membranes in latest vertical farm designs. It‟s high time to check the need of vertical farming among the leading global scenarios such as population inflation and global warming. The idea still remains to be proved. Key wordsaeroponics, hydroponics, modern agriculture, vertical farming *Corresponding author: Ajay gokul