INTRODUCTION

TO
VERTICAL FARMING
Rhea Nair

11-I
 Index
 Introduction
 History
 Vertical Farming: an urban farming technology
 Advantages
 Limitations
 Aim
 Scope
 Challenges faced by vertical farming
 Goal
 Techniques
 Types
 Problems of traditional agriculture and how vertical
farming solves them
 Conclusion
INTRODUCTION
Vertical farming is the practice of growing crops in vertically stacked layers. It often
incorporates controlled-environment agriculture, which aims to optimize plant growth,
and soilless farming techniques such as hydroponics, aquaponics, and aeroponics. Some
common choices of structures to house vertical farming systems include buildings,
shipping containers, tunnels, and abandoned mine shafts. As of 2020, there is the
equivalent of about 30 ha (74 acres) of operational vertical farmland in the world. The
modern concept of vertical farming was proposed in 1999 by Dickson Despommier,
professor of Public and Environmental Health at Columbia University. Despommier and
his students came up with a design of a skyscraper farm that could feed 50,000 people.
Although the design has not yet been built, it successfully popularized the idea of
vertical farming. Current applications of vertical farmings coupled with other state-of-
the-art technologies, such as specialized LED lights, have resulted in over 10 times the
crop yield than would receive through traditional farming methods.

The main advantage of utilizing vertical farming technologies is the increased crop yield
that comes with a smaller unit area of land requirement. The increased ability to
cultivate a larger variety of crops at once because crops do not share the same plots of
land while growing is another sought-after advantage. Additionally, crops are resistant
to weather disruptions because of their placement indoors, meaning fewer crops lost to
extreme or unexpected weather occurrences. Because of its limited land usage, vertical
farming is less disruptive to the native plants and animals, leading to further
conservation of the local flora and fauna.

Vertical farming technologies face economic challenges with large start-up costs
compared to traditional farms. In Victoria, Australia, a “hypothetical 10 level vertical
farm” would cost over 850 times more per square meter of arable land than a
traditional farm in rural Victoria. Vertical farms also face large energy demands due to
the use of supplementary light like LEDs. Moreover, if non-renewable energy is used to
meet these energy demands, vertical farms could produce more pollution than
traditional farms or greenhouses.

Objective
Objectives:
1. To study about the purpose of vertical farming in India.

2. To study about the growth and development of vertical Farming in India.

3. To learn the advantages and dis-advantages of vertical Farming.

THE HISTORY OF VERTICAL FARMING

Pre-20th Century

600 BC — Perhaps the earliest example of a “vertical farm” is the legendary Hanging
Gardens of Babylon, built by King Nebuchadnezzar II more than 2,500 years ago.
According to some scholars, the gardens consisted of a series of vaulted terraces,
stacked one on top of the other, and planted with many different types of trees and
flowers. Reaching a height of 20 meters, the gardens were likely irrigated by an early
engineering innovation known as a chain pump, which would have used a system of
buckets and pulleys to bring water from the Euphrates River at the foot of the gardens
to a pool at the top.

1150 AD — Nearly a thousand years ago, Aztec people used a form of hydroponic
farming known as “chinampas” to grow crops in marshy areas near lakes. Since the
swampy soil in these areas was not suitable for agriculture, the Aztecs instead
constructed rafts out of reeds, stalks, and roots; covered the rafts with mud and soil
from the lake bottom; and then drifted them out into the lake. Due to the structural
support provided by the rafts, crops could grow upwards while their roots grew
downwards through the rafts and into the water. Often, many of these individual rafts
were attached together to form expansive floating “fields.”

1627 — The first published theory of hydroponic gardening and farming methods
appears in the book Sylva Sylvarum, by the English scientist and statesman Sir Francis
Bacon. In this book, Bacon establishes and explores the possibility of growing terrestrial
plants without soil.
1699 — English scientist John Woodward refines the idea of hydroponic gardening with
a series of water culture experiments conducted with spearmint. Woodward finds that
the plants grow better in water with impurities than they do in distilled water, leading
him to conclude that the plants derive important nutrients from soil and other additives
mixed into water solutions.

20th Century and Beyond

1909 — Life Magazine publishes the earliest drawing of a “modern” vertical farm. The
sketch shows open-air layers of vertically stacked homes set in a farming landscape, all
cultivating food for consumption.

1915 — The term “vertical farming” is coined by American geologist Gilbert Ellis Bailey
in his book of the same name. Interestingly, Bailey focuses primarily on farming “down”
rather than “up.” That is, he explores a type of underground farming in which farmers
use explosives to be able to farm deeper, thus increasing their total available area and
allowing for larger crops to be grown.

1929 — William F. Gericke, an agronomist at the University of California, Berkeley, is

credited with developing modern hydroponics. In his article “Aquaculture: A means of
Crop-production,” published in December 1929, Gericke outlines the process of growing
plants in sand, gravel, or liquid, using added nutrients but no soil.

1937 — The term “hydroponics” is coined in an article published in Science magazine.

Derived from the Greek words “hydro,” or water, and “ponos,” or labor, the term was
suggested to Gericke as an alternative to “aquaculture” (which was already in use to
describe fish-breeding techniques) by his University of California associate, botanist
William Albert Setchell.

1940 — World War II sees hydroponic growing systems used on a large scale for the first
time in modern history. More than 8,000 tons of fresh vegetables are produced
hydroponically on South Pacific Islands to feed the Allied forces stationed there.

1964 — At the Vienna International Horticulture Exhibition, a vertical farm in the form
of a tall glass tower is displayed.
1989 — Architect and ecologist Kenneth Yeang created a vision of mixed-use buildings
that are seamlessly integrated with green spaces, allowing plant life to be cultivated in
buildings in the open air. Yeang described this as “vegetated architecture.” Unlike many
other approaches to vertical farming, this vision is based on personal and community
use rather than large-scale production and distribution.

1999 — The concept of the modern vertical farm is developed in a class led by Columbia
University environmental health sciences professor Dr. Dickson Despommier. In an
effort to figure out an effective way to feed the population of New York using only urban
rooftop agriculture, Despommier and his students developed the idea of a multi-story
building in which layers of crops could be grown on each floor: in other words, a
contemporary vertical farming tower. (Despommier has since gone on to become the
world’s foremost expert on and proponent of vertical farms.)

2006 — The Japanese company Nuvege develops one of the essential ingredients for
indoor vertical farms: a proprietary light network that balances light emissions in order
to increase the return rate of vegetables.

2009 — The first modern vertical farm is built. Sky Green Farms’ Singapore facility
consists of more than 100 towers, each of which is 9 meters tall that grow green
vegetables using sunlight and captured rainwater.

VERTICAL FARMING: AN URBAN FARMING TECHNOLOGY

With rapid worldwide population growth, there is scarcity of agricultural lands. It
increases the demand for both more food and more land to grow food. But some
entrepreneurs and farmers are beginning to find a solution to this problem, one of
which can be found in the abandoned warehouses in our cities, in new buildings built on
environmentally damaged lands, and even in used shipping containers from ocean
transports. This solution is called vertical farming, which is an UA technology involving
growing crops in controlled indoor environments, with precise light, nutrients, and
temperatures.

In vertical farming, growing plants are arranged in layers that may reach several stories
high. Although small-scale, residential vertical gardening (including window farms) is
under practice for several years, commercial-scale vertical farms have become an
important topic of discussion for the past few years in the United States. This new
farming technology is growing rapidly, and entrepreneurs in many cities are taking an
interest in this innovative farming system.

Vertical farming is gaining its importance throughout several urban cities around the
world due to the beneficial role it plays in the field of agriculture. Vertical farming can
reduce the transportation costs due to its adjacency to the buyer; planned production of
herbs and their growing conditions can be enhanced by adjusting the temperature,
humidity, lighting conditions, etc. Indoor farming in a controlled environment needs
much less amount of water than outdoor farming because it involves recycling of waste
water. Because of these features, vertical farming is widely implemented initially in
desert and drought-stricken regions, such as some Middle Eastern countries, Africa,
Israel, Japan, and the Netherlands.

ADVANTAGES OF VERTICAL FARMING

 Vertical farming ensures production of greens all year round in nontropical
countries and is better than normal farming. Despommier stated that 1 acre of
vertical farm can produce products almost equal to the amount of products
produced by 30 acres of normal farmland on considering the number of crops
produced each season.
 Vertical farming involves reduction or abandonment of the use of herbicides and
pesticides. In some cases, vertical farming uses ladybugs and other biological
controls when required.
 As the crops in a vertical farm are grown under a controlled environment, they
are safe from extreme weather conditions such as droughts, hail, and floods.
 Hydroponic growing techniques help in water conservation by using about 70%
less water than normal agriculture.
 Indoor farming reduces or eliminates the use of tractors and other large farm
equipment that are commonly used on outdoor farms, thus reducing the burning
 of fossil fuel. According to Despommier, large-scale vertical farming could result in
a significant reduction in air pollution and in CO2 emissions.
 Vertical farming is people friendly. Some hazards that can be avoided in vertical
farming are accidents while operating heavy farming equipment and exposure to
harmful chemicals.

DISVANTAGES OF VERTICAL FARMING

 Start-up costs are high in order to purchase land in central business districts.
 The number of crops grown is sometimes less than rural farming.
 Production volumes are also not as large as conventional farming and scaling-up
may add cost and complexity.
 Raising investment capitals and training a skilled workforce are also challenges in
vertical farming.

AIM
Vertical farming is the practice of growing crops in vertically stacked layers. It often
incorporates controlled-environment agriculture, which aims to optimize plant growth,
and soilless farming techniques such as hydroponics, aquaponics, and aeroponics.

SCOPE
Vertical farming provides opportunities to sustainably grow crops by minimizing use of
water through water recycling, increasing productivity per unit of area, reducing use of
fertilizer/ pesticide to maintain ecosystem health, and protecting.

CHALLENGES FACED BY VERTICAL FARMING

Temperature and humidity: The first climate management challenge that vertical
farmers must overcome is figuring out how much cooling, dehumidification and heating
is required to manage the temperature and humidity of the grow space. In a VF, lighting
contributes the greatest source of heat, followed by motors used to operate fans,
pumps and automation. Because VFs are often well-insulated and designed to operate
day and night throughout the year, cooling is usually required 24/7 and year-round to
remove the heat generated inside the space.

Dehumidification is also constantly required to remove the moisture added to the air via
evapotranspiration (ET) from the plants and irrigation system. The rate and quantity of
ET depends on several variables, including light intensity, air temperature and humidity
(or vapor pressure deficit), air movement and the irrigation method. Although ET is
greatest when plants are mature and the lights are on, ET does not stop when the lights
go out. Plants continue to respire and give off moisture when the lights are off, and for
continuously recirculating irrigation systems (e.g. NFT and aquaponics), evaporation
from these systems can remain constant all day. Therefore, the size and operation of
the dehumidification system should take into consideration both the maximum and
minimum Et rates expected inside a VF.

Heating systems in the VF are rarely required, due to all the heat generated inside the
space by lights. However, if the air conditioning (AC) system is used to both cool and
dehumidify the space, then the AC system will create very cold air to remove (or
condense) water out of the air. Typically, we don’t want to deliver that cold air (eg. 45°
F) back to the plants, so we reheat it before sending it to the room. This is the most
common use of heating in a VF.

Air circulation: The second biggest challenge is figuring out how to deliver the
conditioned air everywhere within the vertical farm to create a (hopefully) uniform
growing environment. When racks are spaced tightly together — both vertically and
horizontally — it is difficult to create uniform conditions everywhere. In the horizontal
direction, the plants and lights obstruct the flow of air from Point A to Point B, often
resulting in temperature, humidity and air speed differences from one end of the rack to
the other. When the vertical height is very short (say 4 inches or less), this obstruction of
air movement is magnified. On top of that, the air moving across the shelf is picking up
heat (from lights) and moisture (from plants), causing it to become hotter and more
humid along its path. Shorter vertical heights exacerbate this trend, as they limit the
volume of air that can be squeezed between the rack levels, thereby restricting the
amount of heat and moisture that can be absorbed and causing the air to heat up and
humidify even more quickly as it travels from end to end. The result: large differences in
temperature and humidity levels from Point A to Point B. And the longer the shelf, the
longer the path of air and the greater the difference.

Several strategies can be applied to facilitate air movement in the VF. Many farmers
employ the use of small circulating fans, installing them at incremental positions within
the racking system and above the plants to help boost airflow from one end to the
other. Air movement can also be enhanced by considering where conditioned air is
introduced into the space and where it is then removed after loading up with heat and
moisture. The type of air diffusers can also help distribute and push air into desired
locations, as well as help mix cold air near the floor with warmer air near the ceiling to
prevent the stack effect.

HVAC equipment location: Space considerations aren’t limited to moving conditioned

air through the racking system; they also include where to put HVAC equipment.
Depending on the design, HVAC equipment can include air conditioners, dehumidifiers,
circulation fans, ductwork, chillers, boilers, pumps and pipes. Cooling and
dehumidification equipment are best located outside the building, where heat and
moisture can be rejected to the outdoor air. Some equipment (air conditioners,
dehumidifiers, etc.) are ideally located on the roof of the building or on the ground
outside and next to the room it is serving, helping to limit ductwork. Other equipment,
such as chillers, need a designated area away from the building to accommodate the
larger equipment. Inside the building and the VF itself, better air movement can be
realized if adequate space is provided for ductwork, fans, and air delivery and mixing in
general.

GOAL
In many ways, vertical farming is similar to greenhouses where metal reflectors and
artificial lighting augment natural sunlight. The primary goal of vertical farming is
maximizing crops output in a limited space.

TECHNIQUES OF VERTICAL FARMING

Hydroponics: Hydroponics refers to the technique of growing plants without soil.[8] In
hydroponic systems, the roots of plants are submerged in liquid solutions containing
macronutrients, such as nitrogen, phosphorus, sulphur, potassium, calcium, and
magnesium, as well as trace elements, including iron, chlorine, manganese, boron, zinc,
copper, and molybdenum. Additionally, inert (chemically inactive) mediums such as
gravel, sand, and sawdust are used as soil substitutes to provide support for the roots.

The advantages of hydroponics include the ability to increase yield per area and reduce
water usage. A study has shown that, compared to conventional farming, hydroponic
farming could increase the yield per area of lettuce by around 11 times while requiring
13 times less water. Due to these advantages, hydroponics is the predominant growing
system used in vertical farming.

Aquaponics: The term aquaponics is coined by combining two words: aquaculture,

which refers to fish farming, and hydroponics—the technique of growing plants without
soil. Aquaponics takes hydroponics one step further by integrating the production of
terrestrial plants with the production of aquatic organisms in a closed-loop system that
mimics nature itself. Nutrient-rich wastewater from the fish tanks is filtered by a solid
removal unit and then led to a bio-filter, where toxic ammonia is converted to nutritious
nitrate. While absorbing nutrients, the plants then purify the wastewater, which is
recycled back to the fish tanks. Moreover, the plants consume carbon dioxide produced
by the fish, and water in the fish tanks obtains heat and helps the greenhouse maintain
temperature at night to save energy. As most commercial vertical farming systems focus
on producing a few fast-growing vegetable crops, aquaponics, which also includes an
aqua cultural component, is currently not as widely used as conventional hydroponics.

Aeroponics: The invention of aeroponics was motivated by the initiative of NASA (the
National Aeronautical and Space Administration) to find an efficient way to grow plants
in space in the 1990s. Unlike conventional hydroponics and aquaponics, aeroponics
does not require any liquid or solid medium to grow plants in. Instead, a liquid solution
with nutrients is misted in air chambers where the plants are suspended. By far,
aeroponics is the most sustainable soil-less growing technique, as it uses up to 90% less
water than the most efficient conventional hydroponic systems and requires no
replacement of growing medium. Moreover, the absence of growing medium allows
aeroponic systems to adopt a vertical design, which further saves energy as gravity
automatically drains away excess liquid, whereas conventional horizontal hydroponic
systems often require water pumps for controlling excess solution. Currently, aeroponic
systems have not been widely applied to vertical farming, but are starting to attract
significant attention.

TYPES OF VERTICAL FARMING

Building-based farms: Abandoned buildings are often reused for vertical farming, such
as a farm at Chicago called “The Plant,” which was transformed from an old
meatpacking plant. However, new builds are sometimes also constructed to house
vertical farming systems.

Shipping-container vertical farms: Recycled shipping containers are an increasingly

popular option for housing vertical farming systems. The shipping containers serve as
standardized, modular chambers for growing a variety of plants, and are often equipped
with LED lighting, vertically stacked hydroponics, smart climate controls, and monitoring
sensors. Moreover, by stacking the shipping containers, farms can save space even
further and achieve higher yield per square foot.

Deep farms: A “deep farm” is a vertical farm built from refurbished underground
tunnels or abandoned mine shafts. As temperature and humidity underground are
generally temperate and constant, deep farms require less energy for heating. Deep
farms can also use nearby groundwater to reduce the cost of water supply. Despite low
costs, a deep farm can produce 7 to 9 times more food than a conventional farm above
ground on the same area of land, according to Saffa Riffat, chair in Sustainable Energy at
the University of Nottingham. Coupled with automated harvesting systems, these
underground farms can be fully self-sufficient.

PROMBLEMS OF TRADITIONAL AGRICULTURE AND HOW VERTICAL FARMS

SOLVES THEM
Greenhouse Gas Emissions: One of the main contributors to greenhouse gas emissions
in crop production involves the use of nitrogen fertilizers. These fertilizers produce
nitrous oxide, or N2O, which is 300 times worse than simple carbon dioxide (CO2). In the
US alone, this amounts to about the same amount of environmental impact as 41
million passenger vehicles. It would not be exaggerating to say that nitrogen fertilizers
are one of the primary environmental impacts of traditional farming methods in crop
production.

In a hydroponic greenhouse, plants are grown in water with no soil present and no need
for these chemical fertilizers to treat said soil. Instead, nutrients like nitrogen are added
directly to the water, allowing for more efficient absorption by plants and reducing
nitrous oxide emissions to almost nothing. This alone is a huge argument for vertical
farming and its ability to solve complex environmental problems.

Water Consumption: In traditional farming, a great deal of the water meant for crops
ends up wasted. It leeches away into the ground or evaporates before plants can
actually absorb it. It might seem that a farm that runs on water alone would have huge
consumption problems, but that isn’t the case in a properly managed hydroponic
system.

In a hydroponic vertical farm, water is recycled through the system over and over,
meaning that there is a minimal amount of freshwater needed once the system is
running. In fact, these greenhouses use about 98% less water than traditional farms on
average. That’s a huge difference and could certainly free up a great deal of our
freshwater resources for other uses!

Soil Degradation: Soil degradation is becoming an enormous problem globally. In the

past century and a half, it’s estimated that we’ve lost roughly half of our planet’s topsoil.
Problems like erosion, compaction, loss of soil structure, salinity from overuse of
freshwater in irrigation, and nutrient degradation all play a role in this crisis. If we don’t
do something about this soon, it may be too late.

As mentioned above, hydroponic vertical farms use no soil at all. This means they don’t
contribute to these factors that are destroying our precious topsoil. Additionally, the
more healthy veggies and other crops that is grown inside a hydroponic system, the
lighter the load on the planet for other crops that can’t be grown hydroponically, such
as carrots and potatoes.

Transportation of Food: We fly, ship, and truck food across the country and around the
world in order to ensure we always have access to our favorite foods regardless of
season or local viability. This wastes a huge amount of fossil fuels and also leads to
nutrient loss because the food is not as fresh as it could be if grown locally.

One of the primary benefits of vertical farming is that it takes up a great deal less space
than traditional farming methods. In fact, a hydroponic greenhouse that uses only an
acre and a half can produce about 2.7 million servings of leafy greens every year. Not
only that, because these are grown indoors, it doesn’t matter what the climate or
weather conditions may be outside. The end result is a farm with a tiny footprint that
can fit into even densely packed urban settings and grow food year-round, regardless of
the season. This leads to most crops making it from the greenhouse to the store shelf in
less than 48 hours. Such a short trip means minimal loss of freshness, and perhaps more
importantly, far less fuel waste in transit.

CONCLUSION
Urban farming, both vertical farming or farming on vacant open spaces, can be a
favorable way for ensuring food security in India and around the world in the future.
Although countries like Europe, the USA, and Singapore have already implemented
vertical farming and are dealing with big projects for future concerns, India still has a
long way to go as it is restricted to only few self-interest-driven projects. Institutional
support, awareness of the benefits associated with urban agriculture, and financial and
technological support from the government can only attract the city dwellers and help
them to move forward with the concept of urban agriculture in India. Progressive
growth of urban agriculture can act as an urban regeneration tool for the cities by
providing social interaction and increasing job opportunities and environmental benefits
to the urban areas across the globe. Thus, to combat the challenges associated with
rapid increase in population, the topic of “urban agriculture” is being closely monitored
by scientists, city planners, and the sustainable agricultural community for a better
future.
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communication.pdf

https://www.producegrower.com/article/3-challenges-of-growing-in-a-vertical-farm/

https://www.thebalancesmb.com/what-you-should-know-about-vertical-farming

https://www.edengreen.com/blog-collection/environmental-impact-of-traditional-and-vertical-farming-2021-
report

https://www.intechopen.com/chapters/71024