NARRATOR: You can't
see it on the outside, but this old
industrial neighborhood is an agricultural oasis. Inside this former
laser tag arena, about 250 kinds of leafy greens
are growing in huge quantities, to be sold to local
supermarkets and restaurants. This is AeroFarms, a massive
indoor vertical farm in Newark, New Jersey. DAVID ROSENBERG: Our mission
is to build farms in cities all over the world
so people have access to fresh, great tasting,
highly nutritious food. NARRATOR: Crops are stacked
more than 30 feet high inside this 30,000
square foot space. They're grown using
aeroponic technology. DAVID ROSENBERG: Typically
in indoor growing, the roots sit in water and one
tries to oxygenate the water. Our key inventor realized
that if we mist nutrition to the root structure,
then the roots have a better oxygenation. NARRATOR: AeroFarms
says the root misting system allows them to use 95%
less water than a regular field farm. They also use no
pesticides or herbicides. Instead of soil, plants are
grown in reusable cloth, made from recycled plastic. And instead of the sun,
there are rows and rows of specialized LED lighting. DAVID ROSENBERG: A lot
of people say, sunless? Wait, plants need sun. In fact, the plants don't
need yellow spectrum, so we're able to
reduce our energy footprint by doing
things like reducing certain types of spectrum. NARRATOR: This
sophisticated climate controlled system cuts
the growing cycle in half, so crops can be
grown all year round, but with a much smaller
impact on the environment. DAVID ROSENBERG: There's all
these stresses on our planet. 70% of our fresh
water contamination comes from agriculture. 70% of our fresh water
usage goes to agriculture. One third of our
arable land has been degraded in the last 40 years. All these macro trends
point to the fact that we need a new way
to feed our planet. NARRATOR: One of the early
champions of vertical farming is Columbia University
ecologist Dickson Despommier. In 1999, Despommier
and his students proposed that vertical farms
could feed overpopulated cities while using less
land and less water. They would also cut
greenhouse gases by eliminating the
need to transport food over long distances. And the idea is
finally taking root. Over the past few
years, vertical farms have sprouted all
over the world, including in Vancouver,
Singapore, Panama, the UK, and around the US. Here in Newark, AeroFarms is
building out another new farm in a former steel
mill, one that's bigger than a football field. Once it's fully
operational, it's expected to produce two
million pounds of greens a year-- all grown vertically. DAVID ROSENBERG: We
listen to the plants very carefully to
try and understand what they're telling
us and try and optimize all these different
qualities of the plant. It's a tough business, but
it's one that's going to stay and it's going to have a
bigger and bigger impact. NARRATOR: Do you think vertical
farms will help solve our food production problems? Let us know in the
comments below. And check out this
next episode to see how this major US city is
striving to become zero waste. ROBERT REED: When I started
at Recology 23 years ago, the recycling rate
was around 38%. Today, we've more
than doubled that. NARRATOR: So far, San Francisco
has diverted 80% of its waste away from landfills,
and its success has been getting global attention. Thanks for watching and be sure
to subscribe for more Seeker Stories.
Vertical farming reduces land use and fresh water contamination; lab-grown meat will reduce CO2 emissions and land use; electric cars reduce air pollution...25 years from now, planet Earth will be a very different place. Personally, I can't wait!
It will be interesting to see how these projects hold up over the next few years. Are they a more sustainable option? Can they be powered by on-site renewable energy systems? How efficient is their water recovery & recycling rate? What's the cost of production compared to a conventional greenhouse or dirt farm? Lots of great things to test. :)
Aeroponics is actually pretty easy to do in your own home on a small scale with a five gallon bucket, a water timer and some LED lights. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eMt3kCUYnw
How much electricity does it use? How much fertilizer is used? Hydroponics creates alot of fertilizer runoff into the water system.
Just to put things into perspective here - a 30,000 ft2 building with seven layers comes to 4.82 acres assuming 100% coverage. Just by watching the video, I think their coverage would be closer to 60%-70%. However you want to count it, they have well less that 4 acres planted here. To a real farmer, that's not even a hobby, that's a distraction. These days, real farmers do hundreds of acres. These guys are off by at least two orders of magnitude.
The science of farming has been advancing steadily. Improvements in crop and soil science, genetic modification, production techniques, more efficient diesel motors. That is what will feed the next generations.
How many people can 2 million pounds of greens feed a year? Is this technology useful for grains such as wheat and barely? Can it be used for fruit?
It looks like a great idea; and if the human population continues to grow unchecked technologies like these are a must.
But I feel like this video just over hyping a new way to grow indoor lettuce. Correct me if I am wrong.
I am with the trade association that is working to advance vertical farming businesses, designs, and technology. Aerofarms is one of our many members. Message me if you would like to learn more and check out our website: https://vertical-farming.net/
The only metric that matters is will they be able to sell these for cheaper than regular farm produces.
Also, there is no food production problem. We produce more food than we can eat.
We need sustainable, cheap, plentiful energy to make it a reality. With current technology it doesn't make much sense.
http://www.alternet.org/story/146686/why_planting_farms_in_skyscrapers_won%27t_solve_our_food_problems