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LED lighting and vertical farming
Bright Lights
Big City
LED LIGHTING AND VERTICAL FARMING
Vertical farming is all about efficiency, so it’s not a big surprise that LEDs
are leading the horticultural lighting pack in this new ag industry.
Kent Gruetzmacher takes a closer look at the technology and why
urban indoor farmers are shelling out the big bucks for it.
by Kent Gruetzmacher
U
rban agriculture is gaining acceptance as a viable
source for fresh produce in the city. A primary
cause for this has to do with the spatial constraints
of agriculture. Traditional American agriculture
utilizes vast amounts of farmland that is generally
only usable for part of the year. Conversely, urban
farmers utilize areas previously deemed unusable
for food production. Vertical farming, one of the most
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promising sectors of urban agriculture, is perhaps the
most efficient form of crop production in history when it
comes to the efficient use of space. Unlike other forms of
urban agriculture, such as community and greenhouse
gardens, vertical farming utilizes indoor gardening
equipment to produce crops without the use of sunlight.
As such, vertical farmers can grow crops year-round
inside abandoned buildings and shipping containers.