We have a strange relationship with food. On one hand, 63 million tons of food is wasted annually, yet millions go hungry every year.
Limited access to affordable, nutritious, and culturally-desirable food has disproportionate negative effects on minority communities. There are around 39.4 million, or 12.8% of the US population, who live in low access, low-income food deserts. Food insecurity and obesity are major burdens on the quality of life for many BIPOC individuals, their communities, their employers, and the healthcare system at large.
Innovation in urban farming could shorten the supply chain between producers and consumers, reducing produce cost and reaching those living in urban food deserts. Urban farming is being pioneered by companies like Plenty, Smallhold, IronOx, Babylon, AeroFarms, BrightFarms, and Bowery Farming.
Indoor farming methods are still costly due to electricity, HVAC, and water irrigation systems. These economics make it difficult for vertically-farmed produce to be affordable for lower-income individuals.
Source: https://mk0boweryfarminf5myq.kinstacdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/[email protected]
After overcoming the upfront costs of vertical farming, it has become an efficient and inexpensive way to feed a community along with traditional agriculture.
The benefits of vertical farming include that it requires far less land, does not disturb its neighbouring nature, and is resistant to mass disease due to its modular design. Through the transition to clean fuels, powering vertical farms is net neutral as well.
Hydroponics (water + fertilizer)
Source: https://www.rimolgreenhouses.com/sites/default/files/images/blog/D13_1.JPG
Aquaponics (water + fish as fertilizer)
Source: https://thumbor.forbes.com/thumbor/fit-in/1200x0/filters%3Aformat(jpg)/https%3A%2F%2Fspecials-images.forbesimg.com%2Fimageserve%2F142873284%2F0x0.jpg
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