Urban Agriculture The future of food

Rapid Population Growth and Food Insecurity  Food insecurity. If supply does not meet demand  The greatest demand will come from the cities by 2050 almost 3/4 of population will be urban CIA: “the number of malnourished people will increase by more than 20 percent...” U.N. -agricultural production will have to grow by 70% to meet urban demand.

 Population pressures have already resulted in overuse of land in some places Soil erosion > new soil formation every year, wind and rain carry away 25 billion metric tons of rich topsoil. Cities and suburbs are expanding onto land once used to grow food.

Unconventional Solutions  Vertical (Skyscraper) Farming -build a glass skyscraper made up of many floors of fields and orchards, could feed 50,000 people. temperature, humidity, airflow, lighting, and nutrients controlled to create the optimum conditions for growth. A conveyer belt would rotate crops on stacked trays around the windows to ensure an even amount of natural light.

However…. additional light would need to be provided artificially to prevent uneven crop growth energy required for this lighting would significantly increase food production costs.

The Vertically-Integrated Greenhouse  should require less artificial lighting  Plants would rotate on a conveyor system in a narrow space between two layers of glass built around a building’s perimeter.  This “double-skin façade” greenhouse can be new or a retrofit for existing office buildings.  The greenhouse could reduce the entire building’s energy use up to 30%.

Rooftop Gardens BrightFarms (Gotham Greens) ○ A 15,000 sq. ft. commercial rooftop greenhouse in Brooklyn, New York, sells 500 pounds of produce every day. ○ automated sensors to activate lights, fans, shade curtains, heat blankets, and irrigation pumps that use captured rainwater.

 To minimize transportation and storage, the greenhouse was located near the supermarkets and restaurants who will receive the produce the very day it is picked.

The VertiCrop System  grows lettuce crops for animals at Paignton Zoo in Devon, England.  Its single-story greenhouse requires less supplemental energy because plants are surrounded by sunlight from the sides and above.

 A VertiCrop system with four-meter towers was built on the roof of a garage in Vancouver, Canada. produces 3500 lbs of greens/week = a 5 acre farm with 92% less water and no pesticides.

The Science Barge  Energy from sunlight, solar panels, wind turbines, and bio-fuels  Uses insects rather than chemical pesticides  gets water by harvesting rainwater and desalinating harbor water.

All use Hydroponics  does not require arable land.  plant’s roots are continuously bathed in a solution of water mixed with essential nutrients.  produce healthier plants in half the time.

 Reduced operating costs + greater yield = bigger profits  help these greenhouses recoup the initial expense for automated and renewable energy technologies.

 hydroponics and controlled interior climate nearly any kind of crop can be grown anywhere, year round  Yields up to times greater than conventional farming. Innovation brings the farm to the city, and if implemented on a large scale, could improve food security.