Vertical Farming is our future. As people are becoming more animal conscious, and the population increases, plants are becoming used more and more. Farming vertically does not have the issues that traditional farming has. It does not use normal soil to prevent soil degradation. It saves space by building up not across like traditional farms, and they use solar energy where possible to save energy and money.

Half of all soil will be unusable in

By this time (2030) 50% of all soil will be rendered unusable.

It uses hydroponics, aquaponics and artificial growing methods to speed up farming and make it more renewable. It stacks layers upon layers of plants and then uses as much natural energy as possible to grow them, making it super sustainable and super forest friendly.

The biodiversity of the natural world is being ruined and causing more and more species to go extinct due to habitat loss. If we lose biodiversity, food will be more scarce as pests and diseases infect food supplies. Fresh water will also become a rare commodity.

As more and more farms are being needed, more land is having to be deforested and removed of all life so that farms can be built. Farms already take up approximately 38% of all land, which heavily impacts a wide range of natural life.

Build upwards not outwards, using vertical farming, space can be re-forested, allowing natural animals and plants as well as biodiversity to return, if powered by renewable energy it will help slow down climate change.

WHERE IT HAS BEEN USED

Vertical farming has been used across the globe, in places like Japan, China, South Korea, Thailand, Germany, France, and the UK. Japanese city Kyoto has employed vertical farming since 2006.

ALTERNATIVES

Alternatives to vertical farming for a small farm could be farming on the roof of a building, as it doesn’t take up any extra land space, or repurposing places that were farms but are no longer being used as they are already deforested. 

HOW IT CAN BE ACHIEVED AND THE BARRIERS TO IT

Vertical farming can be done anywhere, in shipping containers or shipwrecked boats, making it cheaper to get the land to set it up, but regular farmland works just as well, if not better. Indoor spaces require lighting to help the plants grow, but outdoor or greenhouse spaces require less because of the natural light. Solar panels are also needed to power the farm sustainably. It can cost as little as $1000 per square meter to set up, with additional costs of land, power, and water, meaning a space that is 1000 square meters (500 square meters flat and 4.5 meters high) would cost about $1 million to set up, but would be worth it in the long run.

EXTERNAL LINKS

- Mug
- Poster
- Petition Form
- Instagram Post
- Billboard
- Vertical Farming Game
- Sticker and catchphrase
- Video

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