Vertical/urban Farming

[petergittins]

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/jun/10/ocado-invests-in-vertical-farms

Seems to be a rise in the number of start ups engaging in vertical/urban farming practices for sustainability reasons. With Ocado investing in this, and the government announcing their 2050 climate change targets i'm sure there will be more to come.

Obviously Vertical Farming is not the be all and end all of agricultural issues like the guardian makes out (It has many, many problems). But do you think we will see a big increase in the number of this type of farming in the future?

 

[teslacoils]

Yup. It will be aeroponics, nutrient slime in big cats, scp and soylent green in the future.

 

[Bill the Bass]

I don’t know much about vertical farming but it always strikes me as rather strange that we are led to believe that public sentiment is moving away from factory farming yet these seem to be gaining momentum. What is vertical farming if not a factory?

 

[teslacoils]

No rain, no sun, no drought, no flood, no weeds, no pests, recycle nutrients etc. What's not to like?

I remember seeing something about growing mats of fresh green barley as forage in a shipping container style and it was supposed to be viable at land prices similar to today's.

It's brilliant. And there's one just up the road from me. Perhaps my new career has just made itself apparent!

 

[Exfarmer]

It really is the ultimate hypocrisy by journalists to be promoting these schemes when last week and probably next they will be promoting organic carbon friendly lifestyles.
I have no issues per se, with such farms and wish them luck in selling their produce, only how it ties in with a public perception that healthy produce comes from crops grown in fresh air and sunshine on well tilled soils, is beyond me

 

[teslacoils]

I may be wrong, but I don't think aeroponic or hydroponic can be certified as organic.

 

[Still Farming]

In other papers weeks ago.
Land at a premium then urge to Skyscraper farming of the future.

 

[Exfarmer]

I may be wrong, but I don't think aeroponic or hydroponic can be certified as organic.

you can be sure some countries will not suggesting the soil association would though

 

[Agrivator]

No rain, no sun, no drought, no flood, no weeds, no pests, recycle nutrients etc. What's not to like?

I remember seeing something about growing mats of fresh green barley as forage in a shipping container style and it was supposed to be viable at land prices similar to today's.

It's brilliant. And there's one just up the road from me. Perhaps my new career has just made itself apparent!

I also remember doing an economic appraisal of a system for growing mats of fresh green barley as forage, and the conclusion was that it was completely and utterly unviable, regardless of land prices.

A company still invested in the concept, a number of journalists enthused over it, and a number of farmers were daft enough to fall for it. But it was still a stupid and ridiculous idea.

Residents in flat in a city centre might successfully grow lettuce and radishes in a window box without any artificial light or heat - but the cost of driving to the garden centre for the seeds, fertiliser and mildew spray makes it completely uneconomic - especially if the neighbours nick them while they're out.

 

[teslacoils]

Sad then. I'd have liked to have seen little sheds of wagyu and little forage factories next to each other. Weekly delivery of beer and barley seed and I could spend the day sharing a pint and a massage with them.

 

[Agrivator]

Sad then. I'd have liked to have seen little sheds of wagyu and little forage factories next to each other. Weekly delivery of beer and barley seed and I could spend the day sharing a pint and a massage with them.

Sorry to disappoint. You would have spent most of the time loading trays with barley seeds, pulling out trays of sprouted barley, all the while avoiding walking behind a Wagyu bullock shitting through the eye of a needle - you, not the bullock.

 

[Grass And Grain]

Using artificial light doesn't seem all so environmentally friendly compared to using sunlight.

 

[petergittins]

Using artificial light doesn't seem all so environmentally friendly compared to using sunlight.

I agree! Think the inputs required and to make it scalable is too big of a challenge. It’s always a bit of an oxymoron where the media portrays the countryside as the big pollutant, not the overcrowded cities and industrial parks.

VF may well have a place in the city centres where retail shops lay empty due internet competition and rental prices. Might be beneficial to use that space to grow non-native crops to supply to local shops and cafes.

 

[Suffolk Serf]

Using artificial light doesn't seem all so environmentally friendly compared to using sunlight.

Apparently it’s okay because they use “renewable” energy.
I smell bullshite.

 

[curlietailz]

Think this will work for the “sprouts” and “leaves” type salady stuff
Not so for the mainstream stuff

 

[Oscar]

It was on a radio yesterday that by 2040 more meat will be produced artificially than come from animals themselves ? Not sure how the product can be called meat ??

 

[Dalos]

It was on a radio yesterday that by 2040 more meat will be produced artificially than come from animals themselves ? Not sure how the product can be called meat ??

I dont think i would trust big business not to eventually cut corners and cause massive problems to the food supply chain in the future