Dickson Despommier Vertical Farms Initiative
the development of agriculture in cities is always a bit quixotic. But Dr. Dixon Debohemia (Dickson Despommier), 67, has been working on building farms in cities. He believes that in the future, people can set up "high-rise urban farms" in cities to grow fresh and healthy food and raise all kinds of fish and poultry to meet people's needs.
Improving the environment and providing food
these "vertical farms" are a controlled environment free of pollution, parasites and dangerous bacteria, and can produce crops, poultry and all kinds of fish all year round. Dr. Debomia estimates that only 150 "vertical farms" could supply the entire year's vegetable and grain needs of New York. He also claimed that a 58-story "farm" covers an area of only 13000 square meters, but it can provide 743200 square meters of crop growth area. Its output is equivalent to a 4.144 million square meter traditional farm, which is enough to feed 35000 people.
Experts believe that in order to maximize the improvement of the environment and save energy, vertical farms should be built in cities or on the outskirts of cities. In this way, crops can directly use organic garbage from the city and domestic wastewater without chemicals. At the same time, the storage and transportation process of crops is omitted, and urban residents can directly eat fresh crops.
Imagine 30-story buildings erected in the downtown area of New York. They are not only production bases for fruits, vegetables and grains, but also clean energy and purify wastewater. In vertical farms, ponds can be set up to raise various fish and poultry in small environs. Using soilless methods to grow various plants, suspending the plants in water or other solutions; Using sunlight to produce heat and generate electricity, so as to optimize the growth conditions of plants day and night. "In terms of heat and water, we will no longer be troubled by the vagaries of nature's climate," said de Bohemia. "
these skyscrapers, plantations similar to the hanging gardens of Babylon, can be planted and harvested continuously 365 days a year, and their output is more than 300 times that of ordinary farms, which can not only solve the problem of people's food, but also provide a steady stream of oxygen and clean water for the city. It is the most beautiful myth of the 21st century to ask for arable land from the sky, return the land to nature, and carefully repair the earth's home ecosystem.
The self-circulating system does not produce any garbage.
But why should "vertical farms" be built in cities? That is because there is no untreated waste, animals do not infect and spread diseases, weather disasters are far less than in the suburbs, and crops are less damaged. In addition, by 2050, 80% of the world's population will live in cities, which already have the population density and infrastructure to develop "vertical farms"; besides, who doesn't want to eat fresh fruits and vegetables as soon as possible? Moreover, these skyscrapers not only provide food, but also supply energy, creating a self-sustainable environment.
Dr. De Bohemia began the study six years ago by designing this vertical farm based on existing greenhouse farming techniques. The main energy of the vertical farm comes from the solar energy absorbed by the solar panels. In addition, the roof is also installed with wind spiral blades, like windmills, to provide wind energy for the building. The glass panels of the entire building are made of titanium oxide, which can collect pollutants. Rain is its best cleaning agent. The sink below collects rainwater and filters it.
The building has a control room to control the operation of the entire building. The ceiling of each floor is equipped with a soil moisture evaporation recovery system, and the frozen flowing liquid can absorb the steam evaporated by the plants. It is estimated that a "vertical farm" can collect about 23 tons of water. The vertical farm must be a self-circulating system. The whole is like a huge plant, which performs photosynthesis, absorbs greenhouse gases, emits oxygen, purifies sewage, produces grains and vegetables, and organic waste materials for biogas power generation. In short, vertical farms not only provide fresh food for urban residents, but also purify the urban environment without producing any waste.
It is expected to be achieved within 10 years.
It is estimated that the cost of a "vertical farm" is not cheap, and it will cost about $0.2 billion to build a simple and small "vertical farm. But with less and less farmland, "vertical farms" will be favored by Japan, Iceland and Dubai. At present, several companies in New York, including IBM, have expressed great interest in the concept of "high-rise urban farms. Debomia is even more optimistic that the first such farm will appear within 10 years.
However, building a vertical farm is not easy. In the technology must be achieved: 1, the cost can not be too high; 2, durable and safe operation. This requires that vertical farms must be in line with natural ecology at the same time, and can achieve harmonious coexistence with nature and cities.
Vertical Farm Night View
can reverse global warming
but what does this research have to do with global warming? The professor of environmental science and microbiology at Columbia University is convinced that his study of "vertical farm" skyscrapers can help curb global warming. Debomia believes that only when a considerable part of the arable land becomes woods again will mankind have the opportunity to maintain climate stability. If vertical farms can completely replace traditional farms, ecosystems in many parts of the world that have been destroyed by human farming or grazing will slowly recover. In temperate and tropical regions, the restoration of perennial forests will consume excess carbon dioxide and reverse the current global climate change.
In addition, population expansion is another reason for the development of "vertical farms. By 2050, the global population will increase to 0.92 billion, and if we continue to use the existing farming methods, we will have to turn the whole of Brazil into arable land to meet human food needs. Moreover, the arable land suitable for farming is now almost developed.
Dickson Despommier's Vertical Farming video: http://v.ku6.com/show/yYQZMr2UfDEUbk5JmAln6Q...html?loc=youce_tuijian
(Responsible editor: Shixin)