Vertical Farming

Future of Food
Amrit Kumar (10BM60010)
Vinod Gupta School of Management
IIT Kharagpur
Abstract

“What’s more, population increases will soon cause our farmers to run out of land. The amount of
arable land per person decreased from about an acre in 1970 to roughly half an acre in 2000 and is
projected to decline to about a third of an acre by 2050, according to the United Nations. With billions
more people on the way, before we know it the traditional soil-based farming model developed over
the last 12,000 years will no longer be a sustainable option.”

One solution to this problem is vertical farming, growing food inside and on high-rise buildings. These
buildings will be nowhere but in the heart of the cities. If implemented successfully, they can help in
urban renewal, continuous production of safe and varied food supply throughout the year. Not only
this, there are many more advantages of vertical farming. Crops grown in these high rises won’t be
affected by vagaries of weather such as drought, flood, pests etc. Crops will be grown organically
without the use of any fertilizer, herbicide and pesticide. There are many more direct and indirect
benefits of it.

Introduction
Today, over 800 million hectares is committed to agriculture, or about 38% of the total landmass of
the Earth. Over the next 50 years, the human population is expected to rise to at least 8.6 billion,
requiring an additional 109 hectares to feed them using current technologies. This quantity of farmland
is no longer available. Thus, alternative strategies needs to be found out for obtaining an abundant
and varied food supply without disturbing the few remaining functional ecosystems.
With ever increasing population the food requirements is on constant rise. There has been food
shortage in multiple countries which is countered by imports from other countries. Not only the
demand for food is increasing day by day but the same time fertile agricultural land is decreasing. This
situation will aggravate the problem of food shortage in forcible future. One solution for this is Vertical
farming.

Vertical farming is not about growing crops on roof top gardens but what it means is growing crops on
high rise buildings which would be made of glass and steel and filled with artificial light. Where in say,
tomatoes can be grown on 1st floor and wheat on 12th floor.

Dr. Dickson Despommier, a Columbia University professor who spearheads the Vertical Farming Project,
developed the idea of vertical farming with help from his public health and microbiology students. “The reason
why we need vertical farming is that horizontal farming is failing,” he said. “If current practices don’t change by
mid-century, he points outs, an area bigger than Brazil would need to become farmland just to keep pace with the
demand.”
Benefits of Vertical farming

Preparation for the future

A 2007 united nation report estimates that there will be nearly 5 billion urban dwellers worldwide by
the year 2030, which is 3.2 billion today. Large amount of land will be required to feed this growing
population depending on the change in yield per hectare. Now converting the forest land for meeting
the requirements of the ever increasing agricultural and will cause a severe damage to the earth and
its ecosystem. Properly designed Vertical farm can be the solution for this problem which will
eliminate the need to create additional farm land and hence conserve our ecosystem and create a
cleaner environment.

Increased Crop yield

Farming inside a building in a controlled environment can produce crops year round which are not
possible in most places in traditional farming. All season farming will enhance the productivity by 4 to
6 times depending on the crop from the same area of farmed surface. With some crops, such as
strawberries, productivity enhances as much as 30 times.
Research has shown that 30% of harvested crops get wasted in transit from the rural location to the
urban city centre though this figure varies from country to country. Developed country with good
infrastructure shows lower percentage of wastage. This problem will be encountered as the crops can
be sold at the same place where it is grown in the midst of the city. With no transportation requirement
multiple benefits can be derived such as less spoilage, infestations and zero transportation cost as
compared with traditional mode of farming.
Despommier suggests that, if dwarf versions of certain crops are used (NASA developed the dwarf
wheat, which is smaller in size but richer in nutrients), and grown year-round, a 30-story building with
area of 5 acres would yield a yearly crop analogous to that of 2,400 acres of traditional farming.

Protection from problems related to weather

Crop grown on the traditional outdoor farming are subjected to extreme natural conditions such as
undesirable temperatures or rainfall amounts, monsoons, hailstorms, tornadoes, flooding, wildfires,
and severe droughts. With the threat of global warming the risk of adverse condition has all the more
increased. Recent devastating floods in Pakistan have affected 2.6 million acres of cultivated land,
which has resulted in the loss of crops worth $2.35 billions. This also leads to even more devastating
losses in topsoil. India’s agricultural output could be reduced by 30% with the changes in rain patterns
and temperature.
As vertical farming provides a controlled environment, the productivity of vertical farms would be
mostly independent of weather and protected from extreme weather events. Although the controlled
environment of vertical farming negates most of these factors, there are still some threats from
earthquakes and tornadoes to the vertical farming infrastructure. But these threats are not present at
all the places.
Resources conservation
Vertical farms will give new life to the land that was damaged by traditional farming. It is expected that
one acre farmed in VF will give new life to some 10 to 20 outdoor acres of farmland which can turn
back to forest with passage of time. Abandoned farms do this free of charge, and it requires no human
help.
As the population increases we need more of agricultural land and hence more of deforestation and
pollution. Vertical farming can reduce the need for new farm land and hence conserve the
environment. This will also reduce the fossil fuel consumption as the vertical farms will be located in
close proximity to the consumer and hence avoid the fossil fuel currently used to transport and
refrigerate farm products on the way to the cities. Even conventional farm machinery used for
ploughing, planting, and harvesting won’t be used and hence save fossil fuel used to run them.
Burning less fossil fuel would reduce air pollution and the carbon dioxide emissions which is the
primary cause of global warming.

Irrigation now claims some 70% of the fresh water that we use. Excess water which runoff is not fit for
use as it gets contaminated with the silt, pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers. Techniques such as
hydroponics and aeroponics used in vertical farms use far less water than conventional cultivation
techniques, in some cases as much as 90% less. Moreover the water used is recaptured by
dehumidification and used over and over again.

Organic crops
The controlled growing environment reduces the need for pesticides,
namely herbicides and fungicides.

Halting mass extinction

Mass extinction of land animals which is caused by human activities can be greatly reduced by
withdrawing human activity from large areas of the agricultural land surface. Traditional agriculture is
growing in and around forest area which highly disrupts wild animal populations that live in those
forests. There is a lot of human and wild animal conflict because of ever expanding agricultural land.
There have been many incidents of wild animal getting killed by farmers who do so to protect their
crops. Vertical farming can change all this as it would do very little harm to wildlife.

Impact on human health

Traditional farming environment contains certain risk such as exposure to infectious diseases such
as malaria and schistosomes, exposure to toxic chemicals commonly used as pesticides and
fungicides, confrontations with dangerous wildlife such as poisonous snakes, and the severe injuries
that can occur when using large industrial farming equipment. These can be mitigated by vertical
farm. Moreover usage of fresh produce would encourage healthier eating habits of the surrounding
population, decreasing the occurrences of major health issues related to poor dieting.

Urban growth
Vertical farms will allow cities to expand while remaining self-sufficient and hence reduce the
agricultural land requirement and hence would conserve forest. New employment opportunities for
vertical farms would be created as it would require managers and workers to manage and raise crop
in it. Abandoned city properties would become productive once again as it can be used for VF.

Green city
Vertical farms would also make cities more pleasant places to live. The structures designed by
Architects would be very different and unique which will enhance the beauty of the city. Walls and
ceilings needs to be completely transparent in order to allow maximum exposure of plants and crops
to natural sunlight. So from a distance, it would give a feeling as if there were gardens suspended in
space.
Vertical farms would increase the concentration of plants into cities to a great extent. Hence carbon
dioxide produced by automobile emissions in the cities can be converted into oxygen at a greater rate
by increase in plant density. This will reduce the air pollution from the city atmosphere and hence one
can breathe clean air. Vertical Farms also have the potential to generate revenue by tourist visits as
these buildings would be iconic in its own sense and would be easily accessible by tourist as it would
be in the city.

Energy production
Vertical farms can generate small portion of its own electrical needs by using methane digesters.
Methane digesters convert organic waste generated at the farm into biogas which could be burned to
generate electricity.

Key elements of technology

To make vertical farming a reality one needs to combine various technologies and devices in an
integrated whole. Various methods which will make vertical faming successful are discussed below.
Many of these techniques are tried and tested on smaller scale but what one needs is to implement
these techniques on a very large scale in a coordinated manner.

Hydroponics
It is the system of growing plants in a water-and-nutrient solution without using soil. Soil in itself is not
required for plant growth. It is the minerals present in the soil which helps the growth of the
plant. These minerals are absorbed by the plants when they dissolve in water present in the soil.
Hence in hydroponics this process is done artificially ie water with required minerals are provided to
the plant for growth so soil is no longer required for the plant to thrive. With hydroponics technique
almost any terrestrial plant will grow.
Some of the reasons why hydroponics is being adapted around the world for food production are the
following:
 No soil is needed
 The water stays in the system and can be reused- thus, lower water costs
 nutrition levels can be control as required - thus, lower nutrition costs
 No nutrition pollution is released into the environment because of the controlled system
 Stable and high yields

Following are few disadvantage associated with it

 The hydroponic conditions (presence of fertilizer and high humidity) create an environment
that stimulates salmonella growth.
  Because of high moisture levels associated with hydroponics and overwatering of soil based
plants leads to pathogens attacks.
 Also, many hydroponic plants require different fertilizers and systems which can be used to
contain the growth of the plant.

Technique

Types of
Hydroponics

Solution Medium
Culture Culture

Continuous
Static solution Rockwool
flow solution Aeroponics Gravel culture Sand culture
culture culture
culture

Sub irrigation Top irrigation

Solution culture which is one of the types does not use a solid medium for the roots, just the nutrient
solution. The medium culture method uses the solid medium for the roots and is named for the type of
medium, e.g. sand culture, gravel culture and rock wool culture. For each medium there are two main
variations, sub irrigation and top irrigation. Hydroponic reservoirs are built of multiple materials such
as plastic, concrete, glass, metal, vegetable solids and wood. The containers should not be exposed
to light which will help to prevent algae growth in the nutrient solution.

Aeroponics 
It is the process of growing plants in an air or mist environment without the use of soil or
an aggregate medium. The basic principle to grow any plant using this technique is to spray nutrient
rich water solution on the roots which are made to hang in a closed or semi closed environment.
The leaves and crown part of the plant extend above. The roots of the plant are supported by the
plant support structure. To decreases labour and expense closed cell foam is compressed around the
lower stem and it is inserted into the aeroponic chamber via an opening. If the plants are
larger, trellising is used which helps to support the weight of vegetation and fruit.

Aquaponics 
It is the simultaneous cultivation of plants and aquatic animals in a symbiotic environment where the
animal effluents that accumulate in the water are used and filtered out by the plants as nutrients, after
which the water is recirculated back to the animals.

Aquaponics

Aquaculture Hydroponics
part part

For raising
For growing
aquatic
plants
animals

Effluents are generated by fish breeding in aquaculture systems as well as uneaten feeds also
contribute to it. This effluent-rich water becomes toxic for the aquatic animals but it is of great
importance to plants for its growth. Roots of the plants are immersed into this solution and it helps the
plant to grow similar to hydroponic system. Water coming out of aquaculture part of the system is
made to settle down where in solid wastes get removed. This also provides ample time for nitrification
of ammonia which generates nitrates used by the plant. This also helps in oxygenation of the water.
Plants absorb the toxic part of the solution which acts as its nutrient and hence clears the water of all
toxicity for the aquatic animals. This clear water is again circulated back to the aquaculture system
and the cycle repeats.
Greenhouse 
A greenhouse is a building where plants are grown and these building can be made of different types
of materials, like glass or plastic for roof and walls. These structures vary in size from small sheds to
very large buildings. Greenhouse helps in trapping of the energy inside. Plants are grown inside the
greenhouse buildings as shown in the diagram. These plants along with soil absorb the solar radiation
of the sun falling on them. Glass allows this radiation to enter. Soil and plants inside the greenhouse
re-radiate the absorbed energy in the infra-fed to which glass is partly opaque and hence the energy
is trapped inside the glasshouse. There might be loss of heat due to conduction but as a whole there
is increase in energy and hence temperature inside the greenhouse. Many vegetables and flowers are
grown in commercial glass greenhouses which act as high tech production facilities.
Greenhouses help to protect crops from too much heat or cold, dust storm and keeps out pests.
Greenhouses turn inarable land into arable land with the use of light and temperature in a controlled
manner and, thereby improving food production in marginal environments.

For proper plant growth and increased production greenhouse needs to be effectively monitored.
Irrigation is necessary to provide water whereas pests and diseases, and extremes of heat and
humidity, have to be controlled. If one produces warm-weather vegetables in the winter season then
heat and light needs to be provided artificially. Greenhouses are monitored by wireless sensor
network which transmits the data of temperature and humidity to a control location which monitors
these and takes appropriate action on it.
Compost 
It is composed of organic
materials derived from plant and animal
matter that has been decomposed
largely through aerobic decomposition.
The process of composting is simple
and practiced by individuals in their
homes, farmers on their land, and by
industries and factories.
Composts have high nutrient content
and are used extensively in gardens,
horticulture, landscaping and agriculture.
The compost itself is beneficial for the
land in many ways, including as a soil
conditioner, addition of
vital humus or humic acids, a fertilizer,
and as a natural pesticide for soil. In
ecosystems, compost is useful for
multiple purposes such as erosion
control, land and stream reclamation, wetland construction, and as landfill cover.

Grow light 
It is an electric lamp which is designed to emit an electromagnetic spectrum needed
for photosynthesis. The emitted light spectrum is similar to that from the sun, which allows growth of
plant in indoor condition without the use of sunlight.
At different stages of plant growth different light spectra are used. Blue spectrum of light is used in the
initial vegetative stage, whereas the later "flowering" stage is usually done with red–orange spectra.
To provide this spectrum specific lights one can purchase bulbs which emit light in one particular
spectrum. There is one company called Sylvania GRO-LUX which manufactures’ full spectrum bulbs.
So this can be used for all the stages of vegetative growth of a plant.
As the artificial light is used as a replacement for sunlight hence reflectors are used to intensify the
light emission and electrical ballast is used to control the current to the light.

Economic potential

According to Professor Despommier the economics of VF would work when he says “I estimate that
constructing a five-story farm, taking up one-eighth of a square city block, would cost $20 million to $30 million,”
For the return on investment, he cites this: “An actual indoor farm developed at Cornell University growing
hydroponic lettuce was able to produce as many as 68 heads per square foot per year. At a retail price in New
York of up to $2.50 a head for hydroponic lettuce, you can easily do the math and project profitability for other
similar crops.”
People who believe that vertical farming is not a profitable option interpret the above data as follows.
$2.50 per head multiplied with 68 heads of lettuce is $170 per square foot at the retail level.  In the
current scenario the farmer typically gets less than a third of the retail price.  As the vertical farm will
be located in close proximity to the retail outlet compared to traditional farm it saves on transportation
costs so we use one third as the ratio. Accordingly $170/3 = $56 per square foot per year of revenue
will be generated to the vertical farm. In the current market situation if one goes to find a space in NY
City he needs to shell out at least $56 per square foot. But after rent expense, there is nothing left for
any other costs associated with growing the lettuce.

To some extent the above analysis is correct. Vertical farming may not economically viable at this
point of time as the cost to set up and run the farm outweigh the benefits provided by it. But there will
be many tangible and intangible benefits which will prompt the government to plunge in. With the
passage of time new sources of revenue can be generated and the cost can be brought down. Few
positives which will help to make VF profitable are

As the farms will be in the cities itself multiple intermediaries can be removed which are present now
and hence increase the revenue for the farm owner. Moreover the farm itself can have its own retail
outlets as it can be assured of the constant fresh supply from its own farm and thereby increase its
revenue.
Vegetables and crops grown here can be sold at premium as it will be organically produced and will
not contain harmful effects of insecticide, pesticide and fertilizers prevailing in the current crops.
Energy generation via methane generation using inedible parts of crop plants will also bring in
revenue.
Crops which can be fetches higher price in the market and whose productivity increases many fold in
VF can be grown to generate maximum revenue.
Vertical farming needs to be implemented not only to earn profit but also out of compulsion as the
amount of arable land is on constant decline with ever increasing population and there are many more
benefits as stated earlier.

Current players

There are very few players in this area as VF is not proved economically. But still there are few
players who are directly or indirectly involved in VF. Interest to set up VF is shown by many
governments and the required planning is on as mentioned here.

TerraSphere Systems (www.terraspheresystems.com) is “dedicated to building highly efficient

systems for growing organic fruits and vegetables in a controlled indoor environment”. 
Converted Organics (www.convertedorganics.com) is “dedicated to producing high-quality, all-
natural, organic soil amendment and fertilizer products through food waste recycling”.
Converted Organics Inc. announced on Jul 7, 2010 that it has entered into an agreement to acquire
TerraSphere Systems, a Massachusetts LLC and a rapidly growing pioneer in the vertical farming
market.

VALCENT PRODUCTS INC. (VERTICROPTM) is a “leader in the development and manufacturing of

commercial vertical crop technology for global markets. Valcent is a pioneer and leader in eco-
technology with its core research and development in sustainable, renewable, and intensive
agricultural products.”
“Valcent's VertiCrop offers a cost effective solution for crop production with significant operating and
capital cost savings over field agriculture. It also increases returns by using only a fraction of the
resources required for traditional agriculture. In trials the unit increased some crop yields by up to 20
times the normal production volume and only required 5% of the average water used in conventional
growing conditions.”

We have the technology — what we need for this concept to work is money, political will and of
course, proof that this concept can work. That’s why a prototype would be a good place to start with. It
is estimated that constructing a five-story farm, taking up one-eighth of a square city block, would cost
$20 million to $30 million. In the initial stages the financing should come from the city government.
Once it is established that the concept will work private players including groups controlling venture-
capital funds will join. The real money would flow once entrepreneurs and clean-tech investors realize
how much profit there is to be made in urban farming. 

Initial prototypes for vertical farms would be good enough if it is of two or three stories at most, but the
real vertical farm which will work as an industry needs to be transparent and square buildings rising
up to 30 stories within urban settings. The same is proposed by Columbia University researcher and
vertical farm champion Dickson Despommier. A number of international designers and architects have
gone even further with their concepts, taking the basic idea of a vertical farm in a range of imaginative
new directions. Here are few design concepts proposed by the leading architects around the world.

Vertical 'commune'

This vertical farm of the future is Designed by

Waimond Ip, it would include a "commune" of
buildings housing a school and prefabricated
accommodations as well as growing areas and
energy-producing wind turbines arranged along
a tower.
Cylindrical tower
This Vertical farm is Designed by Chris Jacobs,
cylindrical towers are fitted with rooftop solar
panels. It could be built as one unit or grouped
in clusters to maximize food output.

Living Tower

This vertical farm called The Living Tower, is

designed by Paris-based architect Pierre
Sartoux. It features ramped floors and
electricity-producing wind turbines on the roof.

Agro-Wanus

This VF is designed by Andrew

Kranis of Columbia University's
Graduate School of
Architecture, Planning and
Preservation. This futuristic
helical Agro-Wanus vertical
farm would be located within a
reclaimed salt marsh in
Brooklyn's Gowanus Canal
area.
Italian architects Studiomobile has developed a Seawater vertical farm which is to be built in
Dubai.
"The seawater vertical farm uses seawater to
cool and humidify greenhouses and to
convert sufficient humidity back in to fresh
water to irrigate the crops."

Gordon Graff's Sky Farm proposed for

downtown Toronto's theatre district

It has got 58 floors,

2.7 million square
feet of floor area
and 8 million square
feet of growing area.
It can produce what
a thousand acre
outdoor farm can
produce. It can feed
35 thousand people
per year and
produce ample
tomatoes.

Mithun Architects’ Vertical Farm for Seattle

It is a "Center for Urban Agriculture," a building, located on a .72-acre site, that includes fields for
growing vegetables and grains, greenhouses, rooftop gardens and even a chicken farm." According to
CEO Washington, The building also would run completely independent of city water, providing its own
drinking water partly by collecting rain via the structure's 31,000-square-foot rooftop rainwater
 collection area. The
water would be treated
and recycled on site
and photovoltaic cells
would produce nearly
100% of the building's
electricity.

Challenges

Though there are many merits to VF concept there are few challenges too, which needs to be
overcome to make VF realty, in the immediate future.

Economics
Profitability of running the vertical farms is a question. The detail study about the cost involved in
running the VF is not yet done. Can the cost benefits obtained from saving the transportation cost and
increase in production be more than the expenses incurred in lighting, heating and powering the VF.
Other than this the initial cost in setting up the VF is too huge. The initial building costs will be easily
over $100 million, for a 60 hectare vertical farm. How long will it take for a company which sets up the
farm to break even is a question? Getting a land for VF in the midst of the city where the real estate
prices are too steep is in itself a great challenge.

Energy Use

The energy levels required for vertical farming will be very high. Bruce Bugbee, a crop physiologist at
Utah State University in Logan, is critical of high-rise farming. He says the concept is too expensive to
implement and would be a colossal waste of electricity. "We're talking giga watts of power, just huge
amounts of power [to grow crops indoors], compared to free sunlight outside," he said. So the design
of the building should be such that maximum harvesting of natural light can be done for the crops.

Decrease in land usage

It is suggested VF will replace the agricultural land used currently for growing crops. Thereby freeing
the agricultural land which can be converted back to forest. But it does not seem possible. VF will only
supplement the existing farmland to meet the burgeoning food requirements.

Variety of crops
It is said that 80% of the crops grown on land can be grown in VF but will it be feasible to grow all the
crops in VF. Higher the yield of a crop in VF compared to natural farm more feasible it would be to
grow in VF. High yielding and costly crops would generate better revenue for the VF to be profitable.
So, the no of crops which can be grown in VF, which would make it profitable needs to be more and
varied.

Light pollution
VF will definitely install artificial lights for the plants to grow in the controlled manner. Greenhouse
growers commonly exploit photoperiodism in plants and as part of this lights are used even during
night. Single storey greenhouse is already causing the problem of light pollution in the neighbourhood.
So VF with floor as high as 30 will place bigger challenge.

CO2 usage

In greenhouse CO2 levels are 3 to 4 times more than the atmospheric level for increased
photosynthesis rate which increases by 50%. Fossil fuel is used to generate this CO2. Similar would
be the requirement of VF which would contradict the fossil fuel saving which it claims.

Way forward
To address these difficulties and to see if the VF can be a profitable business venture one solution is
to start small. A step in this regard is taken by developing Eco-Laboratory, created by Seattle,
Washington-based architectural firm Weber Thompson. Eco-Lab complex would be just 12 stories tall
and would mix residences with gardens that produce food for the local neighbourhood. Residents
might tend the crops and own equity in their production, or they might assign the work to outside
agricultural firms and later purchase the crops at a local market.

"This was [an] attempt at something that seemed viable to a developer," said project designer Myer
Harrell. Selling the housing at market rate and proceeds from the farmers' market could generate
significant funds. For example, Harrell said, sales of tomatoes and lettuces grown in the high-rise's
hydroponic gardens could total about a million U.S. dollars a year, based on revenue minus the base
production costs.

Success of few similar small projects will give sufficient learning to make the VF big very soon. The
need for vertical farm is more in countries where there is increasing crop failure due to extreme
weather conditions and surging food demand because of rampant population growth. Vertical farm
can be the permanent solution for both these problems.

References

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/91790/pakistan-flood-causes-crop-loss.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/24/opinion/24Despommier.html
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/05/romses-architects-vertical-farm.php
http://www.verticalfarm.com/
http://www.eoearth.org/article/Vertical_farming
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21154137/
http://www.terraspheresystems.com/
http://convertedorganics.com/
http://www.valcent.net/s/Home.asp
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/06/090630-farm-towers-locally-grown_2.html