We may soon be planting marigolds on the moon, but right now we need to be sure we are using our existing technologies well on Earth to feed billions of people. Treehugger is bringing attention to vertical farming that could be used to make urban environments more self-sufficient. “Vertical (Diagonal?) Farm from Work AC in NYC” first takes a look at a proposal for transforming a lot in New York City into a farm that stretches up to match the vertical reach of some skyscrapers. The site also comments on a proposal for Toronto and some ideas for more mature versions of the concept. It has been widely proposed that vertical farming is the future of agriculture.
Most of the world’s population will be living in cities in the coming decades and meeting the basic needs of everyone on the planet will be unavoidable if we wish to flourish. It is therefore important that we recognize the possibilities for efficient, safe and elegant ways to produce food we have available to us. There’s no compelling excuse for not building a future where everyone is fed with the best foods we can grow and I imagine vertical farming has a place in any well-rounded vision for feeding the future.
