Vertical Farming - useful or not?

[toby1]

http://www.verticalfarm.com/designs.php

Above is a link for Vertical Farming ideas - although here in Lucky Adelaide we don't have the same space constraints as other urban centres, could one or two of these type of buildings be beneficial for our state and country? It could be said that we have the expertise and skills to make this kind of idea work, and that could be a great business prospect for export to other cities and countries, yet we have plenty of space for traditional farming (market gardens, etc). However we have some resource issues in SA (h2o is one that springs to mind!) so perhaps this kind of intensive, self-contained agricultural environment could be part of a wider water-solution.

With good design and modern practices I could forsee this Vertical Farm idea being able to supply fruit and veg through wider seasons and with more predictable quality - as long there is sunlight and the building can recycle water (and perhaps atmosphere?) then the effect of climatic factors like droughts and floods could be absolutely minimised.

Pie in the sky? whaddayareckon?

[stelaras]

The images are something similar to the Sim City arcologies that one would attain once their population reached a certain limit..

Don't know if anyone remembers that.. But i guess that unlike the game, these ones don't blast off into space.. lol


Seriously though...I don't think we have any space issues in Australia as yet to warrant these. However, setting up gian greenhouses might be the way to go, if we screw this planet up enough!

[urban]

Personally I would love to see a high rise building in Adelaide with vegetated walls and roof. They achieve many environmental benefits including:
- reducing the heat island effect that occurs in CBD's thus reducing A/C loads etc.
- converting CO2 to O2
- reducing wind tunnel effect
- provide habitat to flora and fauna

Fifth Creek Studios are currently researching the possibilities for Adelaide.

[jimmy_2486]

Wow well, they could be useful for places such as China or India.

[AtD]

Or they could change the WTO charter to include Agriculture and let the free market do what it does best, rather than the insane system of import protection the majority of the developed world adopts. In my own personal opinion, the two organisations that cause the most sustained poverty in the world are the US and EU farm lobbies, which lobby tooth and nail for protectionism. This causes the rest of the world to apply its own protectionist agriculture policies, and developing world farmers are left out of the market. It costs far, far more to grow food in the US or EU, yet they refuse to import and continue to pay both high prices and high subsidies, when the benefits of agricultural jobs simply doesn't measure up to the cost.

Sorry, I just had my Trade exam.

[stumpjumper]

Not.