Jonathan Brandon | Vertical Farming Planet

Vertical farming is the smart new way to grow and produce food for the world's population faster than traditional 2D farms do. Imagine stacking the land used for farming instead of spreading it across acres. You would be producing more produce on less land. Vertical farming is farming in a controlled environment, often indoors, that produces food using recycling methods and technology. Stacking the plants on shelves can grow more produce per square foot. Now, we grow more food on less land and we can cut down on how much 2D farm space we need to use. The benefits of vertical farming are very appealing, and the technology used is very advanced. The agricultural systems of the future are here, and learning more about these revolutionary methods will benefit you years into the future. What is the Layout of Vertical Farming? Vertical farming is set up to use space more efficiently. As it says in the name, vertical farming is done vertically. There are racks with shelves built into them that hold the plants. Farming this way creates significantly more product per square foot which reduces the amount of land needed to grow plants and food. If you have one shelf that fits 10 plants, and there are 10 shelves stacked above the shelf, then you have 100 plants growing in the amount of floor space it takes for 10 plants to grow. On a traditional farm, if you had space for 10 plants, the only way you can grow more plants is to use my land. For example, if you have one row of 10 plants, to plant 100 plants you now need 10 rows. This takes up more space on the ground, and vertical farming cuts down the amount of floor space needed to grow plants. Inside a vertical farming building, you can find lots of shelves of plants on top of one another. The plant is on the shelf, and underneath the shelf directly above the plant, there are lights. Plants grown this way can't get as much natural light, so to solve that problem scientists use LED lights as the sun source. How do the plants get sunlight? Vertical farming is done indoors, so getting direct sunlight is not possible. Instead, experts found that the best artificial lighting to use is LED lights. Beams of LED lights are placed above the plants, and they stay on all day and all night. By controlling the amount of light, plants grow faster and evenly. When plants are grown outside, cloudy days and bad weather can affect the number of sunlight plants get, which increases their chances of becoming diseased or weak. By not relying on sunlight, these plants can be grown faster because of the amount of control these experts have. The plants are fed as often as necessary, and the amount of water used is significantly reduced in comparison to traditional farming. Does Vertical Farming use Soil? This farming method used other recycled materials apart from soil to root the plants in. These farms use hydroponic or aeroponic systems. These systems replace the use of soil with other materials. They use polyurethane sponges, biodegradable peat moss, perlite, and clay pellets to base the plant in and have it take root. Scientists have developed a nutrient formula that is cycled through the plants at their roots for maximum plant growth, recycled, and pumped into the circulation again. This system uses water and nutrients efficiently. By not being outside where the water can be vaporized by the sun, these plants are getting the most out of the food and water they are given. What Benefits come with Vertical Farming? There are lots of benefits to vertical farming, but there are downsides as well. Some major benefits are that you have consistency with your product, you have consistent quality, you can produce food year-round without seasons interfering, and you can predict your output. If you plant 5 seeds, you can guarantee that all 5 of the seeds will grow with the vertical farming system compared to traditional farming where the weather can interfere with growth. The amount of resources required to grow the food is far less than what traditional farms need. When comparing vertical farming with traditional farming, vertical farming uses 90-99% less water. It also uses 90-99% less fertilizer, 90-99% less land, and zero chemical pesticide. The plants are grown indoors, away from bugs, insects, and pests. So, the amount of chemical pesticides needed is zero and is completely cut from the budget. By being in complete control, the outcome of farming is at a much higher rate. With no weather or pest interference, you have a higher rate of the amount of usable produce. Meaning, the plants grown won't go bad and can all be sold. Whereas some plants grown traditionally are unable to be sold because of weather and pests ruining them and making them inedible, which therefore causes them to be thrown out instead of sold. Is Vertical Farming Energy-Efficient? Vertical Farming uses a lot of energy. They use artificial sunlight through LED lights, some robots tend to the plants so that human error is minimized. Water is on an automatic system and is run through, and turned on and off remotely. Having all of these things run by electricity is costly, but there are solutions in the workings to minimize those costs. In this video, Stuart Oda explains how vertical farming works and functions. He also explains how the company he is a part of is working on and advancing the technology to make it more cost-efficient. This video explains what vertical farming is, and it gives great insight into how and why it is used and can be better for growing food compared to traditional farming. The video also explains the efforts being made to reduce the cost of energy used to produce these plants. They are making lights are more energy-efficient, trying to incorporate natural sunlight, and more to make this process of growing food more affordable.