These vertical farms take advantage of land that traditional farming could never use, such as old buildings, shipping crates, and rooftops right in urban settings. In addition to growing more food, this type of farming has the advantage of delivering fresher produce to closer destinations, addressing the needs of consumers who are increasingly interested in having relationships with local growers.
Water and Nutrition
For example, the amount of water required phone number list to produce a pound of lettuce in a vertical farm may be less than 1% of the amount required to produce a pound of lettuce on a conventional farm. The growing trays include room for root systems to extend. Another growth method is aeroponic, which involves misting plant roots, rather than immersing them in water.
Lighting
Indoor vertical farms use specialized what is a sitemap and why does your website need one? lighting to replace the sun as an energy source. But, unlike the sun, growers have complete control over the lighting, meaning they can make adjustments to optimize their crop yield. They can create “day” and “night” conditions whenever they like and experiment with different “recipes” of light spectra that provide the best quality produce.
Sensors and Robotics
IoT technology is just the latest in technological innovations in farming, starting with handheld tools, followed by the cotton gin, grain elevators, chemical fertilizers, and satellites.
According to Business Insider, “Sensors spam data placed in fields allow farmers to obtain detailed maps of both the topography and resources in the area, as well as variables such as acidity and temperature of the soil.” This technology can also bring in weather forecasting data to compute what kinds of changes farmers should be making to water, nutrition, and light levels. Growers can even run programs to predict what conditions might be like days or even weeks in advance.
