With 80% of the global population expected to live in urban areas by 2050, is vertical farming a viable way to increase sustainable food production?

The agriculture industry is facing a wide range of challenges, trying to keep up with ever-changing markets and, of course, climate change. To make things even more challenging, it is estimated that nearly 80% of the world population will be living in urban areas by 2050. Due to this urbanisation as well as industrial development, the number of arable lands — land used for the cultivation of crops — is decreasing day by day.

With its primary goal to produce more food per square metre, vertical farming cultivates crops in stacked layers in a tall, tower-like structure. According to Pr. Dickson Despommier, the mastermind behind the vertical farm, one acre of indoor farm is equivalent to 10 acres of outdoor farming.

Despommier explains that by growing things in closed spaces within these tall structures, we compress and maximise efficiency. 

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Using only about 10% of the water that traditional agriculture uses, hydroponics allows vertical farmers to conserve a huge amount of water. This is especially beneficial considering the fact that water is set to become one of the most sought-after resources of the next century. 

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