Vertical farming

[Lauxa]

Here's a cool new technology that could solve some of our food production problems:

YouTube - Vertical farming Global Warming

Organic produce, uses 20x less water, can be done in urban environments (reducing transport requirements), and initial tests indicate that it is actually profitable.

Valcent Products Inc,. - High Density Vertical Growth System - High Density Vertical Growth - Fri Jul 11, 2008
Valcent Products Inc,. - News Releases - Valcent's Releases Profitable Initial Production Estimates For its Vertical Vegetable Growing Systems - Fri Jul 11, 2008...

[schola]

That's cool. There's a similar concept I've been studying lately called permaculture: Permaculture: Ten steps to an Organic no-dig Garden

[Brutha]

Is there somewhere a analyses that holds the costs in numbers against the benefits of growing food that way?

You much do you have to pay to produce some fruit in a vertical farm compared to traditional farming?

[Lauxa]

This is from the last link I posted, the closest I could find to a cost analysis:

Data from its fully operational field test plant has confirmed commercial production potential with several companies expressing interest to build out commercial plants on a joint venture basis. A commercial module of one-eighth acre (5,445 square feet) is estimated to have capital costs of $565,000; using a wholesale price for leafy lettuce of $1.10 per head, may have gross annual revenues in excess of $1,300,000 with earnings before tax of approximately $505,000 supporting management's estimated 89% internal rate of return over 10 years.

Valcent's High Density Vertical Vegetable Growing System (VGS) has now been operating over the last six months and has produced leafy lettuce, micro greens, spinach, herbs, mints, beets, strawberries, wheat grass, alfalfa and other grains. During this period, the system has proven production capabilities on average, of approximately 20 times the amount of vegetables per acre grown in a field while requiring only 5% of the water used for field crops. The VGS system will be sold in one-eighth acre modules that contain 1,320 grow panels and the production modules may be scaled, depending on the growers' output and crop diversity requirements.

[schola]

I'm sure the principles could be implemented on a small scale in a back yard or city lot.

[Lauxa]

I'm not sure, probably the most expensive thing is the pumps and the controllers and there is usually some economy of scale with these types of things. So it is probably not profitable to run in your back yard, as cool as that would be.

[ThoughtAddict]

A very cool idea, or rather assembly of various ideas into a coherent whole. It looks like they incorporate architecture, urban alternative fuel, water treatment, water reuse, greenhouse effects, and soil supplementation.

The overhead for such a project would be crippling. Perhaps Dubai would be interested, or Saudi Arabia, both of which are notorious for large, technologically advanced construction projects. The benefits to a city once the technology was running would be immediate and substantial. A partial implementation would probably fail due to the high costs of operation absent the multiple treatment technology.

These would be strategically dubious from a military point of view, as they provide a visible and vulnerable target to damage food production, waste disposal, water supply, and morale.

I think we'll be hearing more about this...

[Brutha]

These would be strategically dubious from a military point of view, as they provide a visible and vulnerable target to damage food production, waste disposal, water supply, and morale.

If you build one-eighth acre modules seperate from each other I don't think that it would make a good target.

Brides, highways and rails that you need to transport food to the right location are a better target.
In addition the food is better protected from plagues. Both natural plagues and manmade plagues.

If you both produce the food nearer to the market and protect it by isolating it from the enviroment the gains I think the food system become less prone to distruption.

Because a vertical farm is better isolated from the enviroment it is also a place where you can grow gen manipulated stuff with less risk that it goes into the enviroment.

[Dan.Linehan]

The first vertical farm is being built, guess where, in Vegas right now.

[Dan.Linehan]

Doh... or maybe not.

So is Las Vegas getting a vertical farm or not? - BusinessGreen Blog