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Emirates is building a giant vertical farm to feed airline passengers
Eyewitness News ^ | August 16, 2018 | Alex Gray, World Economic Forum

Posted on 08/20/2018 5:54:51 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet

The world’s largest vertical farm is coming to Dubai.

The indoor farm is a $40 million joint venture between Crop One Holdings and Emirates Flight Catering, who say it’s a way of producing pesticide-free crops while using a fraction of the water that traditional farming does.

The produce will feed passengers of Emirates and other airlines at Dubai’s Al Maktoum International Airport. The farm will be built near the airport, eliminating trucking costs and emissions.

But is vertical farming really as green as it seems?

HOW DOES IT WORK?

To feed a growing global population, which could reach 9.1 billion by 2050, world food production will need to rise by 70%.

In addition, most of us will be living in cities, and will likely want to source our food locally.

Many think that vertical farms offer a viable solution.

For one thing, this type of farming doesn’t need soil. The plants are stacked on top of each other in rows, their roots immersed in nutrient-rich water. This system, called hydroponics, uses 99% less water than field farming. The plants sit under LED lights which drive their photosynthesis.

The growing conditions are controlled digitally. The temperature, humidity, light, water and plant nutrients are all monitored by a computer, which constantly adjusts the levels according to what the plants need.

This also means that the farms can be set up anywhere, as long as there’s a source of electricity and access to distilled water. In the future we may see these farms on offshore oil and gas exploration facilities and in extreme climates.

In the new Dubai facility, the plants are stacked together four or five storeys high over 12,077 square metres. That’s enough space to grow greens for the 225,000 meals that Emirates Flight Catering produce daily.

THE BENEFITS

Proponents of vertical farming argue that the benefits are many. There’s no need for great swathes of land to grow food. Crop One says that the facility will produce the same amount on a single acre indoors that would normally require 400 acres of land. In addition, the food can be grown in cities, leaving redundant agricultural land to be taken back by nature.

No fertilizers or pesticides are used, so there is no agricultural runoff, one of the main sources of pollutants in our waterways. However, critics argue that the energy costs can be high.

Bruce Bugbee, a professor of crop physiology at Utah State University, says that even the best LED lights only have a 50% efficiency rate. “Transportation costs account for about 4% of the energy in the food system. The energy for electric lights is much greater than that,” he told The New York Times.

In addition, so far only a few types of crops are suitable for indoor farming, such as lettuces and tomatoes.

IT'S CATCHING ON

But it’s enough of an idea to interest investors, who are pouring millions into the start-ups revolutionizing the way we grow food.

The global vertical farming market was valued at $1.5 billion in 2016, and the hydroponics segment contributed nearly 42%.

According to research firm Allied Market Research, the global vertical farming market is expected to reach $6.4 billion by 2023.


TOPICS: Agriculture; Business/Economy; Food; Travel
KEYWORDS: agriculture; emirates; farming; food; foodsupply; hydroponics; travel; use; verticalfarming
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1 posted on 08/20/2018 5:54:51 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

A gimmick. The yups will eat it up.


2 posted on 08/20/2018 5:57:17 PM PDT by Jeff Chandler (President Trump divides Americans . . . from anti-Americans.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
To feed a growing global population, which could reach 9.1 billion by 2050, world food production will need to rise by 70%.

That isn't a 70% increase in population, so why is it a 70% increase in food needs?

Stop growing crops for fuel and you'll have some food back in supply for dining.

3 posted on 08/20/2018 5:58:07 PM PDT by a fool in paradise
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

“no agricultural runoff,” Really? So what exactly is in the water that is fed to them? It’s liquid fertilizer, and it is not all absorbed, so there is “run-off.”


4 posted on 08/20/2018 6:02:09 PM PDT by Fungi
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To: Jeff Chandler
A gimmick.

Not really. Vertical farming has been going on since the Middle Ages.

This is perfect for cities. There's no need to bring in produce from Central and South America anymore. Fruit and vegetables can be grown in Northern Wisconsin!

My only question is the energy. I would say small-scale nuclear power plants are an option.

5 posted on 08/20/2018 6:02:13 PM PDT by Extremely Extreme Extremist (GOAT POTUS TRUMP)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Not a single Arab will design it.


6 posted on 08/20/2018 6:03:18 PM PDT by DariusBane (Liberty and Risk. Flip sides of the same coin. So how much risk will YOU accept? Vive Deo et Vives)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

No mention of the method to harvest 5 stories high...


7 posted on 08/20/2018 6:05:42 PM PDT by MichiganCheese (The darker the culture, the brighter your light can shine.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
"will feed passengers of Emirates..."

Can they grow a steer in this vertical farm?

"Where's the beef?"

8 posted on 08/20/2018 6:06:45 PM PDT by Deaf Smith (When a Texan takes his chances, chances will be taken that's fore sure)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

For a part- time experiment a home gardener could setup a wintertime greenhouse with a vertical hydroponic system. Got to have a heater though and some runoff rain water could be recycled. Wouldn’t need artificial light with the greenhouse.


9 posted on 08/20/2018 6:07:59 PM PDT by tflabo (Varmints)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Just how high up are these farms gonna go?


10 posted on 08/20/2018 6:09:12 PM PDT by lastchance (Credo.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Oh wow, they invented hydroponics....


11 posted on 08/20/2018 6:13:51 PM PDT by caver
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To: MichiganCheese

Jet packs.


12 posted on 08/20/2018 6:14:13 PM PDT by Army Air Corps (Four Fried Chickens and a Coke)
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To: a fool in paradise

“That isn’t a 70% increase in population, so why is it a 70% increase in food needs?”

Agree, given the obesity epidemic, I don’t think there’s a one-for-one correlation. Also, to break bad news to the doomsayers, I doubt world population continues to increase that fast, as it’s slowing down everywhere, particularly in the Third World.


13 posted on 08/20/2018 6:17:20 PM PDT by BobL (I drive a pick up truck because it makes me feel like a man)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
Bottom line = Calories per unit of energy to produce? All the lettuce and kale in the world is useless from a needed calories basis.

Now accomplish the same with carbohydrate rich, protein rich, and needed fats adequate, foods and you've got something. We all starve on lettuce and good intentions.

14 posted on 08/20/2018 6:17:38 PM PDT by blackdog
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
Not exactly an original concept:


15 posted on 08/20/2018 6:17:58 PM PDT by Michael.SF. (California: knowingly give someone aids: misdemeanor. Give them a straw, go to jail.)
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To: lastchance

High enough so planes flying by can restock in-fight.


16 posted on 08/20/2018 6:21:30 PM PDT by yesthatjallen
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

“Soylent Green is people”


17 posted on 08/20/2018 6:21:58 PM PDT by rockrr ( Everything is different now...)
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To: Jeff Chandler

“A gimmick. The yups will eat it up.”

Why is it a gimmick?


18 posted on 08/20/2018 6:22:47 PM PDT by TexasGator (Z1)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

“Transportation costs account for about 4% of the energy in the food system. The energy for electric lights is much greater than that,” he told The New York Times.

...

That’s not the impression the corrupt media has been giving for many years.


19 posted on 08/20/2018 6:23:44 PM PDT by Moonman62 (Give a man a fish and he'll be a Democrat. Teach a man to fish and he'll be a responsible citizen.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

If the veggies are anything like hydroponic tomatoes, they are for looks only.

Pretty and consistent, but absolutely flavorless.


20 posted on 08/20/2018 6:24:52 PM PDT by digger48
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