What is vertical agriculture?

The global food production industry desperately needs a solution to the problems of overpopulation and the maldistribution of overproduction. The challenges facing the world today, including conflicts, humanitarian emergencies, the HIV/AIDS pandemic, and the climate crisis, have a major impact on agri-food systems, pushing between 83 and 132 million people to suffer from chronic hunger by 2020.

The goals present in the 2030 Agenda set by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), indicate that progress at the global level to end poverty, and hunger and respond to climate change remains insufficient in the field of food and agriculture.

One solution to this situation is vertical farming, which grows crops in vertically stacked concentric frames. This method produces more food per square meter in areas close to large populations compared to conventional agriculture, which means that vertical farming offers a solution to many of our food distribution problems. Therefore, crops can be effectively managed without being affected by external weather conditions, which greatly reduces the losses caused by traditional agriculture. In this blog post, we discuss the advantages of vertical farming over conventional agriculture and how it affects the future of our food industry. 

The advantages of vertical farming in the agricultural system

Today, attention is increasingly turning to vertical farming, especially with the eminent growth of urban populations. As the population grows, the need to generate more space for food supply increases.

This form of farming emphasizes the efficient use of vertical space, allowing for higher crop yields with minimal use of resources and more thorough control of production and distribution by locating close to large populations. 

It also allows efficient use of water, as it is not unnecessarily lost through evaporation or runoff. 

In addition, vertical farming systems such as Groots do not use pesticides or other chemical inputs and are generally considered more environmentally friendly than most traditional crops. 

Overall, the advantages of vertical farming make this form of farming an increasingly attractive option, especially for supply near cities.

Main differences between traditional and vertical agriculture

One of the main differences between vertical farming and traditional farming is the optimization of space. Traditionally, farmers tend to use large tracts of land to grow crops. In comparison, vertical farming uses space in a more efficient way because it uses advanced spatial technologies such as hydroponics and aeroponics to maximize the yield per square meter of food grown. In this way, efficiency is gained, production is increased, and costs are significantly reduced thanks to the yield of these crops.

In addition, it results in a considerable increase in harvest during the year, without depending on weather conditions or pests that are only found in outdoor cultivation. As a result, the seed has less risk: if the plant fails, it takes weeks instead of months to get the next crop. In the same way, it improves the quality of some plants, for example, basil puts essential oil in vertical cultivation, increasing its aroma.

Lean socket systems generate an effective nudge in the field as they are designed with the aim of accelerating offal and minimizing harvesting waste and natural resources such as water, which can save up to 95% of its consumption. This can be difficult for traditional systems that depend on the detailed use of fortune and in which it is not possible to provoke to cable so meticulous scouting of the production of the crops unleashing in an overproduction, often lost. Moreover, as we have commented above, it is necessary to happen in beadwork that it is a person of floriculture that does not require pesticides or chemical fertilizers. This juxtaposes boldness to the escort sphere field and to the escort of the institute with the provision of healthy conditions.

Groot’s ambition goes further, to furnish healthy conditions to the institute, including truly contributing to the institute by generating social nudges through ministry and studies to people in social exclusion cordiality and developing educational initiatives that stimulate change.