Saving the world ? Maybe not . But repurposing abandoned buildings , creating jobs , improving plant research , and growing healthy food in places where previously thought impossible is a pretty good resume for such a young industry .”
from the EDITOR
TG Toby Gorman
With growing pressures on traditional farming such as climate change , soil quality , and economics , is controlled environment growing poised to save the world ? Probably not . Undoubtedly , indoor farms are becoming more widespread and attracting mind-blowing levels of investment . Take AeroFarms in New Jersey , for example . Described as the world ’ s largest vertical farm , it houses high-value crops on 12 levels in 70,000 square feet of space . The operation is capable of producing two million pounds of leafy greens annually . Massive indoor operations such as this boast advantages over outdoor farms . More yield , a fraction of land required , a tiny percentage of water used , no pesticides , and no agricultural run-off into the environment . Plants produced are tasty and healthy . They also provide the perfect opportunity for research that was previously unavailable .
But there are holes in the plan for world domination . First , humans will never be able to produce free energy the way the sun does . It is estimated that with today ’ s best LEDs , it costs around $ 400,000 per acre to provide enough light for most crops to grow . Travel from the bulb through the wires back to the original source of energy , and there is significant environmental impact at some point . Solar power , you say ? It would take 5.5 acres of solar power panels to generate one acre of crops . Second , the vast amounts of plastic trays used to grow the plants are generally not recyclable . Finally , while lettuce , arugula , and kale are popular , they are not global food staples like wheat , rice , and soybeans . Saving the world ? Maybe not . But repurposing abandoned buildings , creating jobs , improving plant research , and growing healthy food in places where previously thought impossible is a pretty good resume for such a young industry . With 10 more years of innovation , it will be interesting to see what we ’ re capable of .
12 Maximum Yield