According to the Vertical Farm Project, almost 80% of the world's population will reside in urban areas by 2050. From now until then, over 3 billion people will be added to the population count. As of now, 80% of farm-able land is being used.How to feed them? And with what land will we grow crops?
The solution, according to this Columbia University project, headed by professor Dickson Despommier, Ph.D., is to look skyward:
Vertical farms, many stories high, will be situated in the heart of the world's urban centers. If successfully implemented, they offer the promise of urban renewal, sustainable production of a safe and varied food supply (year-round crop production), and the eventual repair of ecosystems that have been sacrificed for horizontal farming.Read more...
Is this a viable option for our planet? Is it a solution for people, or a boon for corporations? A solution for rich countries, or poor?
This is an idea whose time is long overdue. City roofs are typically vast amounts of non-utilized space - baren and lonely. Projects like this can help to bring them to life in a very useful way. However, in many cities, many of the multi-story rooftops are in buildings reserved for the wealthy - whether they're homes or offices. Will the food produced find it's way to those who really need it?
ReplyDeleteAs "anonymous" said, this project is long overdue. Apparently it is happening in other countries though, but not a mass scale. This particular professor figured that to feed 50,000 people in Manhattan, it would take 100+ thirty story buildings (averaging an NYC city block wide). That is when it becomes a real estate problem, because it is not just the roof tops being used.
ReplyDeleteI love this idea so much, and there are so many buildings, huge buildings that sit unoccupied for years. This stuff can be happening.