The Only Way is Up: An Analysis on the Future of Vertical Farming
Since the beginning of American civilization, agriculture practices have been a cornerstone for progress. However, as concerns about climate change, resource management, and food insecurity increase, so does society’s responsibility to innovate the agricultural industry to address these concerns. As cities develop and as the United States’ population increases, the land for agriculture becomes increasingly more scarce. There have been many attempts to resolve this problem—the most notable being vertical farming. The concept of vertical farming, dates back to the early 20th century but gained significant traction in the late 1990s with the work of Dr. Dickson Despommier, a professor at Columbia University. Despommier popularized the idea of growing food in vertically stacked layers within controlled indoor environments. Early iterations of vertical farming were driven by the increasing urbanization of the global population and the limitations of traditional agriculture in urban centers. As the world faces growing challenges related to food security, climate change, and environmental sustainability, vertical farming has emerged as a viable solution to these challenges.
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