Vertical Farming by Dickson Despommier

Ever heard of it? I haven't, but this guy has been on the Colbert Report talking about his ideas of Vertical Farming. I'm all about new and innovative ways to grow and provide food to the population. With the rising cost of oil also comes the rising cost of food prices and that's because our food is trucked in each and every day to a local store near you. Not only that, but there is also the concerns of GMO foods, which most of us try our best to stay away from. Some of us are lucky enough to have local farms that we can support, but not everyone is so lucky, especially those in 3rd world countries or countries where the land will not produce food using traditional farming methods. But new ideas and technologies are being thought up and produced everyday making the impossible now possible, and Dickson (some name huh) Despommier has a great idea, Vertical Farming.

But who is this guy?

Wikipedia says...

Dickson D. Despommier is a microbiologist, ecologist and Professor of Public Health in Environmental Health Sciences at Columbia University. He conducts research on intracellular parasitism and teaches courses on Parasitic Diseases, Medical Ecology and Ecology. In recent years, Despommier has received considerable media coverage for his ideas on vertical farming.[1][2] He developed his concept of vertical farming with graduate students in a medical ecology class in 1999.

What are the benefits of Vertical Farming?

Year-round crop production; 1 indoor acre is equivalent to 4-6 outdoor acres or more, depending upon the crop (e.g., strawberries: 1 indoor acre = 30 outdoor acres)

No weather-related crop failures due to droughts, floods, pests

All VF food is grown organically: no herbicides, pesticides, or fertilizers

VF virtually eliminates agricultural runoff by recycling black water

VF returns farmland to nature, restoring ecosystem functions and services

VF greatly reduces the incidence of many infectious diseases that are acquired at the agricultural interface

VF converts black and gray water into potable water by collecting the water of
evapotranspiration

VF adds energy back to the grid via methane generation from composting non-edible
parts of plants and animals

VF dramatically reduces fossil fuel use (no tractors, plows, shipping.)

VF converts abandoned urban properties into food production centers

VF creates sustainable environments for urban centers

VF creates new employment opportunities

We cannot go to the moon, Mars, or beyond without first learning to farm indoors on
earth

VF may prove to be useful for integrating into refugee camps

VF offers the promise of measurable economic improvement for tropical and subtropical
LDCs. If this should prove to be the case, then VF may be a catalyst in helping to reduce or even reverse the population growth of LDCs as they adopt urban agriculture as a strategy for sustainable food production.

VF could reduce the incidence of armed conflict over natural resources, such as water
and land for agriculture

So lets hear from Dickson ( ) himself about this new idea of his...





The 2008 Colbert Report Interview

I'd like to see a Vertical Farm in NYC powered by underwater turbines because indoor plant lighting can be expensive, especially multiple floors of lighting

reply to post by Swills


Thank you. Great post.

Some good pics here.

reply to post by soficrow


Thank you, and those are some sweet pictures. I'm thinking vertical farming is the future, especially if the population continues to increase.