Vertical Farming: Agriculture of the Future in the Cities of the Present
Imagine walking through a city where buildings not only house offices or homes, but also gardens brimming with fresh vegetables. Instead of vast, distant fields, agriculture rises, integrates into our urban environment, and grows toward the sky. This is not a distant vision or a futuristic fantasy: it is a reality already taking shape thanks to vertical farming.
Faced with population growth, a shortage of fertile soil, and climate change, we need new ways of producing food that are more efficient, sustainable, and local. Vertical farming offers a concrete answer: clean, local, and consistent crops year-round, regardless of the season or weather.
What are vertical farming?
Vertical farming is a form of agriculture in which food is grown in vertically stacked layers, rather than horizontally on open fields. This type of agriculture is typically carried out indoors—in specifically designed buildings, containers, warehouses, or greenhouses—and relies on technologies such as hydroponics, aeroponics, LED lighting, and automated control systems.
The goal is to produce food more efficiently, saving space, water, and resources, and reducing the environmental footprint associated with growing and transporting fresh produce.
How do they work?
Vertical farming is based on three fundamental principles:
Vertical use of space.
Plants are grown on shelves, towers, or walls, one above the other. This allows for a multiplication of production per square meter compared to conventional agriculture.
Controlled environment.
Temperature, humidity, light, nutrients, and CO₂ are artificially adjusted to maximize plant growth. Thanks to this control, vertical farming is independent of the outside climate and can produce year-round.
Soilless growing systems
Technologies used include:
- Hydroponics: roots grow in aqueous solutions containing nutrients.
- Aeroponics: roots are suspended in the air and receive sprays of water and nutrients.
- Aquaponics: combines hydroponics with fish farming, creating a closed symbiotic system.
Advantages of vertical crops
Higher yield in less space
One of the main advantages is their ability to produce more in less space. Therefore, vertical crops are ideal for urban environments, where available land is scarce and expensive.
Efficient water use
Vertical farming can reduce water consumption by up to 95% compared to traditional agriculture, thanks to closed recirculating systems. In addition, it avoids contamination of aquifers by fertilizers or pesticides.
Less pesticide use
By growing in controlled environments, plants are less exposed to pests and diseases, reducing or eliminating the need for chemical pesticides.
Local production, smaller carbon footprint
Vertical farming can be installed near consumption centers (even within cities), reducing transportation and associated emissions. This also allows for fresher, better-tasting products.
Adaptation to climate change
Because they are not dependent on the outside climate, vertical farming is resilient to droughts, heat waves, or extreme weather events, which are becoming more frequent due to climate change.
Challenges and limitations
Although the potential is enormous, vertical farming still faces some significant challenges:
- High energy consumption: The use of LED lighting, HVAC systems, and automation requires high energy consumption, especially if it does not come from renewable sources.
- High initial costs: Designing, building, and maintaining a vertical farming facility can be expensive. Even so, technology is advancing rapidly, and costs tend to decrease over time.
- Restricted crop types: Currently, this system is most efficient for short-cycle, low-growing plants, such as lettuce, spinach, strawberries, herbs, and microgreens. Crops such as cereals, legumes, and fruit trees continue to pose a challenge due to their size and requirements.
Urban agriculture and food security
Vertical farming is part of a broader urban agriculture movement, which seeks to bring food production closer to cities and increase food resilience. In a global context where 70% of the population will live in cities by 2050, finding sustainable ways to feed millions of people without relying on traditional agricultural land will be increasingly important.
Furthermore, it allows local communities to reduce their dependence on imports, promote green jobs, and reconnect people with the origins of the food they consume.
Growing upwards means growing towards the future
Vertical farming is not a magic solution to all of agriculture's problems, but it does represent a promising path toward more sustainable, safe, and efficient food production. They leverage technology to respond to the challenges of the present and the future, and offer new opportunities to produce fresh food anywhere in the world, even in the heart of cities.
In a world that needs to reinvent its relationship with the land, growing upwards can be one of the first steps toward conscious growth.
Written by Sara Montaner. We rely on AI technology.