Back in the day, in order to get someone to eat, people must plant fruits and vegetables and then wait for them to grow and be harvested. Usually, it takes weeks and months for them to get harvested, it even gets ruined by storms and other catastrophic events that are just impossible to stop.
Which is why as time passes by, people are trying to develop ways to make it easier to plant, in fact, they even managed to figure out how to farm indoors.
Vertical farming is the innovative way to farm thanks to the advanced technology techniques today
What is Vertical Farming
Who would’ve thought that with the help of the most advanced technology, it would be possible to farm indoors? This proposal is basically focused on advanced techniques involving indoor farming, to be able to produce crops such as fruits and vegetables. Eventually, adding livestock will also be on the works.
Large farmlands today are looking into being bought and transformed into a facility that would be able to have an integrated farming system. This wouldn’t exactly need manual farming techniques but an advanced and mechanized farming instead, with the help of irrigation water.
With vertical farming, crops getting ruined by too much rain will no longer have to be a worry, it is also said to be faster and more convenient for everyone. Some people think that the natural nutrients that each fruit and vegetable has would not be present if they were grown indoors, but what they don’t know is that despite the fact that they aren’t grown in soil, it is still getting all that it needs to be able to have all of its nutrients intact.
Largest Vertical Farm
More and more companies are looking into having their own vertical farms since it would be more convenient for them. Especially when you are in a country wherein it such a difficulty to farm since water is basically nonexistent sometimes.
This is one of the main reasons why Dubai is now looking into having the biggest vertical farm in the entire world. Starting this November, the building of the 130,000 square foot vertical farming facility will begin, that’s all thanks to the deal between Emirates Flight Catering together with Crop One Holdings.
They are the leading suppliers of meals at the Dubai International Airport. It is said that they actually supply 225,000 meals every single day, which is why it is ideal to have their own vertical farm to support it.
Crops can be harvested in vertical farms every day
Since unlimited water supply is very difficult to get access to in the Middle East, the Emirates Flight Catering and Crop One Holdings say that with the use of vertical farming, they would need less water compared to the traditional farming. Vertical farming would also help them produce more fruits and vegetables way faster.
For instance, they would be able to harvest 6,000 pounds of leafy greens every single day starting December next year. It is obviously considered as season-less because they wouldn’t need to wait for the season to change.
Each product will be able to grow within a day with the help of the nutrient solution in the replacement of soil, as for the sun, LED grow lights will be used. Before the thought of indoor farming came to their minds, they actually import almost 85 percent of their produce.
According to a statement that was released by the CEO of Emirates Flight Catering, this move is considered to be a smart one since it would then secure their own supply chain and will remain to use the highest quality of crops since they will be able to make sure of it as they are locally produced instead of having it imported.
There are some groups that have been criticizing vertical farms since they are said to consume too much energy. Then again, it turns out that the carbon footprint of these vertical farms may actually be reduced. This would all be possible with the help do all the sources of renewable energy, and also the lights that will all be used are in LED anyways.
Crop One actually confirmed that the electricity that will be used for this upcoming vertical farm will be a mix of renewable as well as a utility source. For now, this vertical farm will be the biggest, but then again, experts say that it wouldn’t matter who is the biggest, what would matter is whoever it is that will be more efficient.