Vertical Farms Reimagine Sustainable Food Systems | Luxiders Magazine

While this sounds radical but fairly a good solution to climate change and shortage in food supply, vertical farms are still at early stage and their offer is limited to greens: lettuce, micro-greens and herbs. Tech and food experts are working to make root vegetables and fruits such as berries a staple in their supply. Figuring out the right recipe to grow different kinds of vegetables—a combination between temperature, lighting, seeds and amount of water, to mention just the basics—will take some trial and error experiments. Until then, we cannot rely our food supply on these agricultural systems.

And here is where the real anti-thesis to land-less agriculture comes. Can we really mimic ecosystems capable to replace processes that belong in nature at all? While we certainly have sophisticated technologies and advanced centres of artificial intelligence, assuming that crops that organically sprout over soil can be equally harvested in artificial environments, controlled through robotic operation, is a complex task that the human mind may be underestimating amidst fantasies fuelled by technological supremacy.

Not only nature enthusiasts find this form of crop cultivation disturbing, but also research suggests that natural cycles, such as the passing of seasons, are important for the growth and health of crops. According to a research published in the journal Science, “plants grow much better when their internal clock is matched to the environment they grow in,” and that allow them to develop resilience to withstand pests and thrive healthily. Cultivations growing in artificial environments would be generally cut away from regular climate factors such as rain, wind, and sunlight variations that help crops sync to their own rhythms. 

So far, eco-friendly solutions that help us alleviate space-pressed cities and over-farmed lands, and reinvent new production models are either inefficient or radical. But with growing populations, technological developments, and modern cities building layers on top of each other, shouldn’t we just take all our chances and continue moving upwards? After all, sci-arc films like Young’s are assertive in illustrating how technology can shape spaces, and how they could help us cope with much needed production and consumption paradigm shifts—no matter how radical they seem.

*All media courtesy of Nordic Harvest