Vertical farming: the technology simply explained

Vertical farming makes it possible to successfully farm in a limited space. You can find out exactly how the technology works and the advantages it offers in this article.

How Vertical Farming Works

With the help of the latest technology, optimal environments can be mimicked for a wide variety of plants.

• "Vertical farming" means that food is grown over several floors in high-rise buildings.
• The technology is particularly promising for large cities, as there is hardly any free floor space left there.
• In contrast to our conventional agriculture, the acreage is expanded upwards. So far, in order to be able to grow more, you just had to cultivate more land.
• Technologies such as "Controlled Environment Agriculture" (CEA) can completely control the living conditions of plants.
• This means that temperature, humidity, light supply and nutrient concentration can be individually adjusted, among other things. This gives all plants the optimal habitat for them.

Benefits of vertical agriculture

Rising population numbers and the consequences of climate change require a rethink in agriculture.

• The cultivation takes place in closed systems regardless of the weather. As a result, harvests are no longer at risk from natural disasters such as floods or droughts.
• Fruits and vegetables are grown close to the population. This shortens delivery routes and reduces CO2 emissions.
• No more pesticides are needed. Pests have little chance of reaching the plants in the closed systems. By avoiding pesticides, soil, food and our groundwater are protected.

With our article, we may have inspired you to start growing plants yourself. To make it easier for you to start gardening, on the next page we will show you how to grow herbs on the windowsill.