The World now has a population of 7.9 billion individuals. If you feel that’s a bit, you could be surprised that it’s anticipated to grow to 9.7 billion by 2050. To sustain the World’s rising population, worldwide food production and usage of New Holland Excel 4710 must increase by approximately 60% within 30 years. As if that weren’t sufficient, global warming jeopardises our food production, with temperature swings and rainfall hampering agricultural productivity.
How can the agricultural business handle rising food requirements while addressing environmental concerns? Indoor farming, for example, can safeguard otherwise fragile crops while delivering higher and more consistent agricultural output. But what exactly is indoor farming, and is it the solution?
Understanding the Concept of Indoor Farming
Vertical farming produces crops in vertical stacks rather than on a particular surface, such as a greenhouse or field. Agriculturists usually involve these in standing buildings like shipping barrels, skyscrapers, old warehouses, and abandoned shafts.
Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) technologies can track moisture, temperature, gases, and light under indoor circumstances. Farmers, for example, utilise artificial lights and metal reflectors to simulate natural sunlight.
Vertical farms are distinct because particular configurations do not need soil for plant growth. Most of those are hydroponic, in which vegetables need to cultivate in a nutrient-dense water container, or aeroponic, in which plant roots are regularly sprinkled with nourishment and water. One can use Artificial growing lights in place of natural sunshine.
How Vertical Farming is Transforming the Agriculture Sector?
Instead of growing fruits and vegetables on farmlands using massey 9500 and transferring them over vast distances in trucks and aeroplanes, vertical farming can serve local products from neighbourhood buildings. This results in less fuel consumption and fresh food.
Vertical farms also yield more than traditional farms. According to Northern Harvest, plants can be reaped 15 times each year. Harvesting occurs throughout the year on a standard farm.
According to Farmers Choice, by properly managing the growing conditions, goods may remain fresh for 13 to 14 days, compared to three to four days for identical items from traditional agriculture.
Kinds of Food One Can Grow Through Indoor Farming
While cereals such as barley and wheat are still cultivated in vast fields, numerous fruit and vegetable crops be remarkably simple to farm indoors. The following fresh food is commonly grown “under protection,” incorporating farming indoors.
- cucumbers,
- herbs,
- lettuce,
- peppers,
- strawberries,
- Tomatoes
A Monark Group-commissioned research of the North American vertical farming sector in September 2016 discovered that (in addition to the above-specified foods) indoor farming frequently includes:
- summer squash,
- eggplant,
- cantaloupe,
- microgreens & sprouts,
- spinach, and
- Mushrooms.
According to the research, cultivating several therapeutic crops indoors is also possible.
Is Vertical Farming the Bright Future for Agriculture Industry?
Vertical farming’s major goal is to increase productivity while using as few natural resources as possible. It encourages precision agriculture and sustainable agriculture far more than conventional agricultural practices.
In this case, vertical farming tries to address the challenges provided by traditional farming practices. These are as follows:
More Efficient
One cannot limit Indoor farms by geography, weather, or the accessibility of agricultural land. We could supply fresh vegetables to nearby customers if we repurposed old buildings near cities. We might cut transportation costs and the possibility of food spoilage by decreasing the time between harvest and market. Indoor farming has the potential to eradicate “food deserts” by increasing community availability of inexpensive and healthy food.
Productive in Nature
Indoor growing may also be profitable and effective if one can use space and infrastructure well. For example, a vertical farm of 36 square feet may yield nearly the same amount of herbs, fruit, and vegetables as a regular acre of the farm (43,560 square feet). Furthermore, growing indoors makes pest population control easier, lowering pesticide dependency.
High Electricity Cost Might Be Triggering
Despite this, the biggest barrier to indoor farming is the high electricity prices. Vertical farms have high power bills due to light installations operating 12-18 hours daily. When contrasting greenhouses and vertical farms, an essential issue is an environmental impact – the total number of greenhouse gases emitted.
Amalgamation Can Sort Out Many Issues
We must cut our worldwide carbon emissions to avert the rising global climate. When one combines vertical farms with nonrenewable energy, their environmental impact is substantially larger than that of greenhouses, yet the opposite is also true when renewable energy is readily accessible.
Growing them regionally in vertical farms might significantly minimise the carbon footprint of foods that needs to be transported over vast distances. Technology in this field is constantly improving. Certain crops, however, are presently more cost-effective than others. Leafy greens, tomatoes, and potatoes are excellent possibilities since they grow quickly and provide a brilliant start.
Final Thoughts
To nourish over ten billion individuals annually by 2050, we must modernize our farming processes to cultivate more nutritional and affordable food. Indoor farming has enormous potential to change how we grow food, providing unprecedented control over food production and its environments.
Utilizing indoor farms allows us to gather more crops more frequently while minimizing our reliance on certain places and weather patterns. However, to fully reap the benefits of indoor farming, we must combine renewable energy and boost profitability.
