The Briefing
- Land degradation is a long-term sustainability risk
- Vertical farms can grow food indoors with less land and water than traditional methods
Is Vertical Farming the Future?
According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), half of the Earth’s topsoil has been lost over the past 150 years. This issue is known as land degradation, and it’s caused by natural and human forces such as droughts, overfarming, and pollution.
In this graphic sponsored by Global X ETFs, we’ve illustrated an innovative solution to land degradation known as vertical farming.
Advantages of Vertical Farming
Vertical farming is best defined as growing food indoors and on vertically stacked layers. It utilizes technologies known as controlled environment agriculture (CEA):
- Aeroponics: Plants are suspended in the air and sprayed with nutrient-rich solvents
- Hydroponics: Plants are cultivated in a nutrient-rich water-based solution
- Aquaponics: Plants are cultivated in an ecosystem which also houses fish
Vertical farms can grow 1 ton of lettuce with just 17% of the space needed for a traditional farm, meaning they are much more space efficient. This is a direct solution for land degradation, but the benefits don’t end there.
Farming in a controlled environment cuts down on chemical usage because there is no longer a need for pesticides. A recent U.S. study found that in 71% of usage cases, pesticides have contaminated soil and reduced biodiversity.
Furthermore, vertical farms can reduce water use by up to 90% (Read more...)