The sustainability of food has been on the attention of scientists in recent years and for good reason. Soil depletion is a problem in many industrial farming regions. To make matters worse, climate change is having an effect. Areas with drought deplete the soil further.
Climate change, deforestation, and other environmental challenges are putting the future of our food supply at risk. In response to these concerns, a new technology has emerged that promises to produce food from air, water, and minerals.
This new technology is called vertical farming, and it aims to create food in a controlled environment, such as a greenhouse or an indoor facility. Vertical farms are typically located in urban areas and rely on hydroponics, aeroponics, or aquaponics systems to grow crops. These systems use a nutrient-rich solution to feed the plants, and the plants are grown using LED lights to provide the energy they need to grow.
One of the main benefits of vertical farming is that it can produce food year-round, regardless of the weather conditions. This makes it possible to grow crops in areas where traditional farming methods are not possible, such as in cities or in regions that are experiencing drought or extreme weather conditions. Additionally, vertical farming systems can be designed to use less water and fertilizer, which makes them more environmentally sustainable than traditional farming methods.
Despite the potential benefits of vertical farming, there are still many challenges that must be overcome before this technology can be widely adopted. For example, the cost of setting up a vertical farm can be high, and the energy needed to run these systems can also be significant. Additionally, there is a lack of infrastructure in place to support this type of farming, which means that it can be difficult to transport crops from the farm to the consumer.
In a TV documentary called Apocalypse Cow, and a Guardian column, environmentalist and journalist George Monbiot says food grown in vats using renewable energy could transform food production.
He highlights a Finnish company called Solar Foods that makes food from air. The process starts by splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen then provides energy for bacteria to use to turn carbon dioxide and nitrogen in air into protein-rich organic matter, more efficiently than plants grow using photosynthesis.
“The land efficiency, the company estimates, is roughly 20,000 times greater,” Monbiot writes. “Everyone on Earth could be handsomely fed, and using a tiny fraction of its surface.”
Overall, while the idea of making food from air, water, and minerals is an exciting one, there are still many challenges that must be addressed before this technology can be adopted on a large scale. However, as the world continues to grapple with the impacts of climate change and other environmental challenges, it is likely that vertical farming will play an increasingly important role in the future of our food supply.
