Vertical farming

[suz1002]

The food crisis is probably more related to the distribution of food rather than food supply. Sort that out and we'd be on the right track.

[screener]

there probably is enough food to go around, and with the system set up the way it is some of us have access to way too much and as many haven't... but distribution isn't going to get easier with transportation costs going sky high. It would be interesting to see some projected bottom lines for this kind of endeavour.

They really seem to think it's a panacea.

[forfismum]

Anyone remember the project which sprout grains in 40' long trays on a carousel inside a trucking container? It had a glass roof and gro-lux tubes to keep the thing 24/7 and if I remember correctly the yield was about 10 times higher than that grown on the same footprint. Perfect cattle feed.I wondeer what the economics look like now with solar coming down in price?Any onee seen this idea in practice?

[hoon]

What if “eating local” in Shanghai or New York meant getting your fresh produce from five blocks away? And what if skyscrapers grew off the grid, as verdant, self-sustaining towers where city slickers cultivated their own food?

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/15/sc...&hp&oref=login

[screener]

I think it would cause a revolution in the way urbanites look at food and it's delivery. As a farmer in the back of beyond I might look on it as an infringement on my business. But like the report mentions, it would probably not be grain that would be grown in skyscrapers.

I would like to see the budget for one of these proposals, energy, financial, water, and labour. I'll try and look around and find something. If veggies, fruit, fish, fowl, and flowers can be grown with a positive cost/benefit ratio it would take the strain off the really good farmland that is usually within site of large urban centres.

[UrbanFarmboy]

Originally Posted by screener

I think it would cause a revolution in the way urbanites look at food and it's delivery. As a farmer in the back of beyond I might look on it as an infringement on my business. But like the report mentions, it would probably not be grain that would be grown in skyscrapers.

I would like to see the budget for one of these proposals, energy, financial, water, and labour. I'll try and look around and find something. If veggies, fruit, fish, fowl, and flowers can be grown with a positive cost/benefit ratio it would take the strain off the really good farmland that is usually within site of large urban centres.

They are saying it will take $250 million dollars to build one that will feed 50k people. So for new york that would cost around 40 billion dollars. And they will still need to source grain and meat from outside the city.