The bill, HB 1848, would create the Urban Farming Task Force. The goal of the task force would be to study and make recommendations regarding the impact of urban farm cooperatives, vertical farming and sustainable living communities in Missouri."Ideas like vertical sky farming and sustainable living communities just make sense for places like Kansas City and Saint Louis," said Holsman "We can convert vacant buildings into large, sustainable hydroponic produce centers. The urban farms would create much needed jobs in the inner city and generate revenue in unused buildings."
The concept of indoor farming has evolved along with the technology that makes it possible. Growing food indoors in nutrient rich waters requires little pesticides and provides a potential solution to storm water run-off management.
Holsman noted that foods grown on the East and West Coasts must travel over 1,400 miles to reach Kansas City leaving a substantial carbon footprint."Rather than eating food shipped halfway across the nation filled with preservatives and pesticides, we could have a year-round supply fresh produce while creating jobs for the urban core." said Holsman.
The image below is a representation of a vertical farm in action. Vertical farms, sometimes called Skyfarms, utilitze advanced technologies including robotics, solar power, and hydroponic farming to produce crops in an energy efficient manner in urban and suburban settings. Vertical farms create jobs within metropolitan areas, reduce transportation costs for food, and help renew declining and blighted real estate in urban settings. Agriculture within inner cities can provide residents with cheaper and fresher food than was previously possible.
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Great article.
ReplyDeleteI really believe vertical agriculture will come into its own in towns and cities. Schools, hospitals and housing estates could have their own vertifarms, tended by a new generation of vertical farmers. No pesticides or pollution, no weather worries.
In less than 20 years, sustainable urban vertical farms will be commonplace