Impact Of Traditional and Vertical Farming on The Environment

A few times, these are simple facilities with grow lights substituting the sun's rays and pots or trays filled with soil to grow in, but that type imparts to the problem as much as it purports to figure it out.

FREMONT, CA: Our environment has sustained long-lasting damage after centuries of mismanagement and misuse. Now more than ever, it's major that we reevaluate our practices and choose greener food production methods.

What is Vertical Farming?

Amidst the noise and chaos surrounding traditional food production methods and their impact on our world, the vertical farm sits in stark contrast.

Vertical farming is growing crops indoors, stacked vertically in towers or trays. A few times, these are simple facilities with grow lights substituting the sun's rays and pots or trays filled with soil to grow in, but that type imparts to the problem as much as it purports to solve it.

Better options entail hydroponics or other advanced farming techniques, with controlled environments and cautiously crafted systems that recycle precious resources rather than letting them go to waste.

Questions of Traditional Agriculture & How Vertical Farms Solve Them

This article will examine the hydroponic vertical farming method designed by Eden Green Technology, as this is one of the more sustainable options accessible. Eden Green's vertical farming greenhouses solve the abovementioned problems with minimal waste and maximum production efficiency. Here's how:

1. Greenhouse Gas Emissions

One of the main supporters of greenhouse gas emissions in crop production involves using nitrogen fertilizers. These fertilizers produce nitrous oxide, or N2O, 300 times worse than simple carbon dioxide (CO2). This amounts to about the same global environmental impact as 41 million passenger vehicles in the US. It would not be overestimated that nitrogen fertilizers are one of the main environmental effects of traditional farming methods in crop production.

In a hydroponic greenhouse, plants are cultivated in water with no soil and do not require these chemical fertilizers to treat said soil. Rather, nutrients like nitrogen are added directly to the water, allowing for more efficient absorption by plants and decreasing nitrous oxide emissions to almost nothing. This alone is a great argument for vertical farming and its ability to solve complex environmental issues.

2. Water Consumption

In conventional farming, much of the water meant for crops gets wasted. It leeches away into the ground or disappears before plants can absorb it. It might appear that a farm that runs on water alone would have huge water intake problems, but it is not the case in a correctly managed hydroponic system.

In a vertical hydroponic farm, water is recycled through the system over and over, meaning minimal freshwater is needed once the system is running. As a result, these greenhouses use about 98% less water than traditional farms on average. That's a huge difference and could free up many of our freshwater resources for other uses!

3. Soil Degradation

Soil degradation is turning into a huge problem worldwide. In the past century & a half, it's approximated that we've lost roughly half of our planet's topsoil. Problems such as erosion, compaction, loss of soil structure, salinity from overuse of freshwater in irrigation, and nutrient degradation play a role in this crisis. But, unfortunately, if we don't do something about this soon, it may be too late.

As mentioned above, vertical hydroponic farms use no soil at all. This implies they don't contribute to these factors that are destroying our precious topsoil. Also, the more healthy veggies and other crops are grown inside a hydroponic system, the less burden the planet has to bear for other crops, for example, carrots & potatoes.

4. Transportation of Food

We fly, ship, and truck food around the country and worldwide to ensure we often have access to our favorite foods, irrespective of season or local viability. Unfortunately, this wastes a huge amount of fossil fuels and leads to nutrient loss since the food is not as fresh as crops up locally.

One of the main benefits of vertical farming is that it takes up much less space than traditional farming methods. For example, a hydroponic greenhouse that uses only half an acre can produce about 2.7 million servings of leafy greens annually. Also, because these are grown indoors, it doesn't matter what the climate or weather conditions may be outside.

The result is a farm with a tiny footprint that can fit into even densely packed urban settings and grow food year-round, irrespective of the season. In addition, this causes most crops to make it from the greenhouse to the store shelf in less than 48 hours. Such a short trip means negligible loss of freshness and, perhaps, far less fuel waste in transit.

5. Pollution from Fertilizers and Pesticides

Another major issue for traditional farms is that they must find ways to fertilize crops and dispel small and large pests and weeds. But much of the chemicals utilized in these pursuits leech into the ground or run off into our water supply. But, again, this is not a problem in a vertical farm's controlled environment.

Without soil, nutrient solutions are utilized instead of fertilizers. These are added straight into the water, immediately bioavailable to the plants they're meant to feed. Because everything is closely controlled indoors, no toxic herbicides are needed and very minimal use of pesticides, if any. In addition, water used in crop production is recycled back into the system, leading to no runoff.

6. Efficiency and Yield

Can a vertical hydroponic farm feed the world the way a traditional farm can? Not 100%, but it's a far more effective system than conventional farming could ever hope to be.

Some plants just don't lend themselves to hydroponic growth. We're still not sure if we'll ever be able to create a way to grow every root vegetable, for instance, in a hydroponic system. Other crops are likely possible. We just haven't mastered them in such a system yet. So the truth is, if we want to maintain the same vegetable diversity as we have now, we may always need some traditional farms.

But hydroponics does provide a wide range of nutrient-dense leafy greens and important micro herbs. And more significantly, we can grow these in vast quantities, with far fewer resources expended. Within the controlled environment of a vertical hydroponic farm, it's likely to produce harvests 11-13 times per year. This amounts to a near-continuous supply of healthy, fresh food in communities where farming has always been a struggle, if not entirely impossible.