In cities across the globe, up to a fourth of office buildings are vacant, along with other urban properties, from warehouses to abandoned skyscrapers.

Some estimates suggest that more than 300 million square feet of U.S. office space could end up disused by 2030.

To put this space to use, many city officials are transforming empty buildings for other uses. One of the most innovative solutions emerging has been indoor vertical farming.

What is Vertical Farming?

Vertical farming is just as the name suggests: it’s the practice of growing crops in stacked layers as opposed to traditional horizontal rows.

These layers are often placed in spaces that would otherwise be unfit for farming, but now can grow crops due to advanced agricultural methods. The practice isn’t as simple as it sounds, but thanks to technology, artificial light, and controlled temperatures and humidity, office spaces have proved to be great environments for farming.

Though vertical farming has gained popularity in recent years, it has a rich history that dates back to over 2,000 years ago with the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Modern vertical farming simply began as an experiment in 1999, focused on growing food on the rooftops of Manhattan. Their work eventually transformed into using high-rise buildings as vertical farms, as opposed to the limited space of a rooftop, to feed thousands of people in a sustainable manner. Vertical farming is now a $6 billion industry.

How Do Vertical Farms Work?

The main benefit of vertical farming is that it maximizes the yield of crops by efficiently using space.

Most vertical farms can grow year-round due to their controlled environments and soilless agriculture methods like hydroponics. Hydroponics allows plants to grow in a water-based solution rather than soil, saving water. In fact, hydroponic systems only require 10% of the water of a traditional field.

Despite being untraditional, vertical farms produce more than 50 types of plants, ranging from leafy greens and herbs to experimental fruits and more! Because of their ability to grow a variety of produce at all times, they help to eliminate food deserts in urban areas by providing people with local fresh foods at affordable prices. 

Despite the benefits, the method also comes with considerable downsides. Vertical farming uses tons of energy for artificial lighting, increasing carbon emissions since its electricity is from fossil fuels. In addition, there are limits to what can grow in these indoor farms, and the operating costs of these farms are also increasingly expensive.

After taking all of this into consideration, what is the future of vertical farming? Vertical farming has the potential to revolutionize agriculture by utilizing urban spaces, conserving water and land, and increasing crop yield. As technology advances, it’s safe to say that vertical farms could become a solution to the challenges we currently face in food production and agriculture as a planet, showing promise of sustainable, efficient food production for all to benefit from.

Sources: BBC, Smithsonian, edengreen.com, USDA.gov, verticalfarmingplanet.com, wisc.edu