Estimates show that the agriculture industry produces over 6.4 billion tons of greenhouse gases annually. This amounts to approximately 8.5% of the world’s yearly emissions. With the continuously growing human population, the food industry’s demands will have to be met despite the inevitable effects of climate change. These include limited access to water, inconsistent weather patterns and poor soil quality. Hence, agricultural innovations will be required to grow substantial quantities of produce to meet our needs. One of the agricultural processes that could do this is vertical farming. This is a subcategory of Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA), where conditions are fulfilled to support the growth of specific plants.
CEA systems and vertical farming are not new practices. Vertical gardens stem from the time of the Babylonians almost 2,500 years ago. Their hanging gardens are believed to be the earliest form of vertical farms. About 1,500 years later, the Aztecs invented a form of hydroponics. This is the process of growing plants without soil. Instead, plants are suspended in a nutrient-rich solution. The Aztecs grew crops on marshy beds that would float in shallow water bodies.
In the 1600s, vertical farming was used in Europe to maintain thermal comfort using fruit walls. The plants would grow along masonry walls that would absorb the heat and create a microclimate. This thermal stability would allow Mediterranean crops to grow in places like England and the Netherlands. Present-day vertical farming stacks crops in enclosed environments and uses LED lights to replace sunlight and closed-loop water systems. Since the produce is grown in indoor spaces, there is no need for pesticides, and crops can be consumed without washing them before eating. Indoor farms do not use soil and can grow using hydroponic, aeroponic or aquaponic systems.
