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Vertical Farming: A great option for future agriculture

Vertical agriculture: A great option for future agriculture. The technology-based agriculture model can offer a means to address agricultural production and food security in the coming years.
The rate of inflation in food worldwide has increased by 2.6 percent per year for decades. This trend not only threatens the quality of life since most of the disposable income goes to food but also threatens our overall food security. Food shortage problems have also been linked to political unrest and violence. According to the United Nations World Food Program, record food prices in 2008 caused disturbances in 48 countries.
Image result for vertical farming
The increase in food costs makes us see the trends that have led to failures in traditional agriculture. Vertical agriculture, a technology-based agriculture model, can offer a means for agricultural production and food security in the coming years.

Why is conventional agriculture no longer viable?

Field agriculture requires labor, favorable weather conditions, adequate sun for photosynthesis, irrigation and, often, pesticides to protect crops. That has not changed, but we can detect the reasons why conventional agriculture no longer works as well as it used to do in new global circumstances.
  • Demographic and social changes. The world food supply cannot keep up with the growing world population. Urbanization is taking over arable land while driving people away from agriculture as a profession.
  • Lack of sources. Agriculture absorbs 70 percent of our global water consumption, which adds to its total cost.
  • In addition to the problems of malnutrition and widespread poverty in developing countries, inequalities related to food prices have also arisen in industrialized countries.
  • Agriculture remains one of the most vulnerable industries when it comes to natural disasters. Climate change is causing more frequent extreme weather events that can damage the harvest of an entire season.

Vertical agriculture

Image result for vertical farming
Response to food supply problems is emerging from high tech structures. Vertical farming is the practice of producing food in vertically stacked layers. These “farms” maximize the space used greenhouses or closed structures and under a controlled environment. Electronic sensors ensure that crops receive the correct amount of light (LED light in completely enclosed structures), nutrients and heat. The benefits include the independence of arable land, growth capacities throughout the year, lower water consumption and greater predictability of crops.
There are 4 aspects that we must consider to understand the viability and objectives of vertical agriculture - produce more food per square meter.
  • Physical design
  • illumination
  • Growth medium
  • Sustainability Features
The crops are produced in layers stacked in a tower-shaped structure, and the necessary combination of natural and artificial lights is used to create the ideal natural environment in the crop. Mixtures of natural substrates such as peat and coconut fiber and aeroponic, aquaponic or hydroponic systems are used. Finally, this cultivation method offers several sustainability benefits to offset the energy cost of the crop, such as water savings of up to 90%.

It is not yet for everything or for everyone

The social, ecological and economic promise of vertical agriculture has been accepted, but it still lacks much to be adopted on a large scale. There are many variables related to geographical location, political support, investor dynamics, and local agricultural market conditions, which make vertical agriculture a form of production that could work for some and not for others who try this form of production. In addition, not all plant species can be cultivated profitably in a vertical structure. The most important species would require additional technologies for their cultivation.

There are factors that experienced producers and entrepreneurs who want to adopt vertical farming technologies should consider:

1- AGRICULTURE MEANS TECHNOLOGY
Traditional agriculture since its origins has been related to intensive work, low economic income and perceived as isolated from modern life and citiesVertical agriculture requires professionals capable of analyzing data, systems supervisors, bioscientists and other specialized professionals working with crops. As urban farms continue to be adopted and the technology used continues to advance, it is very likely to result in the displacement of existing low-skilled labor. These changes will not be exclusive of the technological transformation in agriculture, it is something that happens in the process of transformation of all industries, known as the "Jevons paradox or rebound effect". Understanding this transformation in agriculture, provides the necessary tools to professionals interested in this form of production, to communicate the need to adopt vertical agriculture and influence all parties involved.
2- CONSUMER ADOPTION, GOVERNMENTS, AND INDUSTRIAL GROUPS
The products of vertical agriculture can be as much or healthier than traditional agriculture and channels must be found to educate the consumer about the nutritional and environmental benefits of vertical agriculture.
Governments and industrial groups must be valuable allies who view local food production as economic development, and investors are essential to enhance the adoption of these technologies.
lettuce
Vertical agriculture is economically sound, environmentally friendly, the channel of technological advances, and most importantly, healthy. However, vertical farms cannot be expected to replace traditional forms of agricultural production. It is likely that new technologies and traditional agriculture will have to complement each other if we want to meet the food demands of tomorrow. The objective is to continue innovating to define the future of agricultural production.
If you are willing to invest in Vertical farming or else if you want to know the benefits of investing in Vertical Farming in India. Visit AS Agri and Aqua for more information on Vertical Farming.

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