Science & Technology Vertical Farming - Removing Slack From Urban Sprawl Introduction Agriculture has formed the foundation of human civilization though a lot has changed over the years. Many believe that vertical farming can be the answer to challenges of increasing food demand due to growing population along with decreasing arable lands. Instead of farming vegetables and other foods on a single level, such as in a field or a greenhouse, this method produces foods in vertically stacked layers commonly integrated into other structures like a skyscraper, shipping container or repurposed warehouse. Aeroponic, aquaponic or hydroponic growing mediums are used instead of soil. In the following article, we intend to explore the following– • • •
Key trends to driving agriculture Shifts in Agricultural practices to adapt to aforesaid changes Benefits, limitations, potential in India for vertical farming
As per numerous domain experts, vertical farming shows a large promise of the changing landscape in agriculture in India.
Key Drivers of change in Indian Agricultural landscape Urbanization Since the dawn of mankind, cities have attracted more and more people. The rate of urbanization has varied with civilization but the trend is unmistakable. The number of megacities (> 5 million inhabitants), estimated to grow by about 37% to 104 by 2030, have moved into the cities with more expected to do so in the following decade leading to what is called the urban sprawl. There is also an increase in urban population world over as cities provide more opportunities for people. This has led to increase in population due to 2 primary reasons: • •
More number of people are moving into cities More settlements are graduating into cities (primarily in Developing Nations)
The crux of the situation is different as the more a city expands the more dependent it becomes for its food supplies to sustain itself. Gentrification Increase in urban development in a city leads to areas with less green spaces while land in city centers becomes more expensive. Addition of green spaces
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