EUKN - European Urban Knowledge Network - “First urban vertical farms realised within ten years”

“First urban vertical farms realised within ten years”

17-04-2007

According to Mr Despommier, who leads the Vertical Farm project at the Columbia University in New York City, vertical farming “holds the promise of urban sustainability”. But what exactly is it? Vertical farming moves food production to urban areas. A vertical farm is a multi-storey building in which a wide variety of crops is grown, enough to feed up to 50,000 people. Moreover, the farm is operated in an environmentally-friendly fashion: it is powered by sustainable energy sources and recycles both solid and liquid waste. Mr Despommier comments: “The concept of vertical farming is now firmly established. The next five to ten years should be devoted to research into how to create a safe, economically viable approach to multi-story farming.” He is confident that vertical farming will become a reality: “As soon as ten years from now, I fully expect the first vertical farms to be built.”

What exactly is vertical farming?

Vertical farming is a term I coined some time ago for any agricultural venture that might take place in a tall building (i.e. three or more storeys high). In vertical farms (VFs) a wide variety of produce is harvested, in quantity enough to sustain even the largest of cities. This will significantly lower cities’ reliance on resources from rural areas.

Is the concept transferable to European countries/cities?

I can’t see why not. It would be especially applicable in Europe, since land for farming is no longer available, and what is now in use is becoming eroded and degraded by over-use.

Who initiated the vertical farming project at Columbia University and why?

I guess I did. It grew out of a course I teach, Medical Ecology. My class addressed a local problem, namely, trying to grow food on the roof-tops of Manhattan. They quickly found out that of the 13 acres or so of available space, not too much could be grown. In a moment of frustration, I suggested that we abandon the outdoor strategy move the enterprise inside and farm within abandoned apartment houses etc. They seemed to like that idea and we have been working out the details ever since. That was some eight years ago.

Why should cities invest in vertical farming?

For many reasons. First, it offers the possibility of fresh produce every day. Second, all the crops will be produced organically using chemically defined diets. Third, it holds the promise of urban sustainability, in that it processes black water (untreated municipal liquid waste) and produces food and clean drinking water at the same time.

What are its benefits in comparison with ‘normal’ or ‘horizontal’ farms?

From an urban perspective, vertical farming has the following potential benefits:

highly efficient year-round crop production: one indoor acre is equivalent to four to six outdoor acres or more, depending upon the crop
no weather-related crop failures due to droughts, floods, pests
all food is grown organically: no herbicides, pesticides, or fertilisers
it returns farmland to nature, restoring ecosystem functions and services
it converts black and gray water into potable water by collecting the water of evapotranspiration
it adds energy back to the grid via methane generation from composting non-edible parts of plants and animals
it dramatically reduces fossil fuel use (no tractors, plows, shipping)
it converts abandoned urban properties into food production centres
it creates sustainable environments for urban centres
it creates new employment opportunities

Often city councils’ budgets are limited. According to your estimates, how much does it cost to build a vertical farm?

I wish I knew. However, I really think it’s a little early in the game to speculate on costs of producing one. While the concept of vertical farming is now firmly established, the next few steps should be devoted to research into how to create a safe, economically viable approach to multi-story farming. All this will take time (maybe five to ten years) and lots of financing, perhaps hundreds of millions of dollars.

How can these costs be earned back?

The cost of research and development of the first vertical farms should be underwritten by governments and private foundations. Once we know how to proceed, then commercialisation would vary greatly, depending upon what socio-political system is in place. For example, in Iceland, Norway, Sweden, or the United Arab Emirates, the government would most likely manage them, whereas in the United States or the United Kingdom, a combination of private and public ownership would probably be the model. In Europe, it may be that the European Union would initially sanction the construction of VFs, then private capital could also be invested to yield a hybrid profit centre shared between shareholders and countries, alike.

The concept of vertical farming seems very futuristic. Are there any plans to realise the vertical farm designs in the near future?

It would all depend upon how much financing for the necessary research is made available, coupled with the social and political will to bring them into reality. As soon as ten years from now, I fully expect the first vertical farms to be built. But just where they will go up first is anyone’s guess at this moment.

What barriers to building these farming skyscrapers do you envisage?

None. The human species has proven time and again that there are no barriers. The rate of growth of technology of all kinds is now exponential. If we can imagine it, it can certainly be done. Of this I have no doubt whatsoever.

Do you think there any viable alternatives to vertical farming? If so, which are these?

Unless we somehow discover how to grow ten times the amount of crops on one-tenth of the farmland now in use over the next twenty years, then I cannot see any choice in the matter. Our food has to come from somewhere. The Food and Agriculture Organisation repeatedly tells us in their annual reports on food insecurity that the world’s farms are failing. My long-term goal is for my students and I to work on this strategy until the concept becomes a reality somewhere.

Links
Visit the Vertical Farm project website Read the description of the Vertical Farm project in the EUKN e-library

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