•AKSHAY MODI (SURAT)•DEVICA BISHT (TAPI)•PURVARAJ SINH ZALA (SURENDRANAGAR)•RAHI PATEL (MEHESANA)•VIDHI MONANI (PORBANDAR)

• Vertical farming is cultivating plant or animal life within a “skyscraper”, “greenhouse” or on vertically inclined surfaces.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THE TERM VERTICAL FARMING???...

• This word “vertical farming” was coined by “Gilbert Ellis Bailey” in 1915 in his book “vertical farming”.

• What he meant was not the current meaning as “He wrote about farming underground with the use of explosives”.

• Mixed use skyscrapers were proposed and built by Architect “Ken Yeang”.

• Ecologist “Dickson Despommier” also told about vertical farming, he argues that it is legitimate for environmental reasons.

• Vertical farming promotes the mass cultivation of plant and animal life for commercial purposes in skyscrapers.

• The skyscraper as “Utopian device” for the production of unlimited numbers of virgin sites on a metropolitan location.

• Despommier’s concept of “The Vertical Farm” emerged in 1999 at Columbia university.

• The purposes of consumption was published as early as “Life Magazine” in 1909.

•A commercial high-rise farm such as 'The Vertical Farm' has never been built, yet extensive photographic documentation and several historical books on the subject suggest that research on the subject was not diligently pursued. New sources indicate that a tower hydroponicum existed in Armenia prior to 1951.

•Ken Yeang is perhaps the most widely known architects that has promoted the idea of the 'mixed-use' Bioclimatic Skyscraper which combines living units and opportunities for food production.

•Dickson Despommier, a professor of environmental health sciences and microbiology at Columbia University in New York City, modernized the idea of vertical farming in 1999 with graduate students in a medical ecology class.

• Although much of Despommier's suggestions have been challenged and strongly criticized from an environmental science and engineering point of view, the idea's popularization in recent years has been largely the result of Despommier's assertion that food production can be transformed.

•Each floor will have its own watering and nutrient monitoring systems. There will be sensors for every single plant that tracks how much and what kinds of nutrients the plant has absorbed. You'll even have systems to monitor plant diseases by employing DNA chip technologies that detect the presence of plant pathogens by simply sampling the air and using snippets from various viral and bacterial infections. It's very easy to do.

•As of 2012, Vertical Harvest is working on raising funds for an urban, small-scale vertical farm in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

•Despommier argues that the technology to construct vertical farms currently exists. He also states that the system can be profitable and effective, a claim evidenced by some preliminary research posted on the project's website.

•It is suggested that prototype versions of vertical farms should be created first, possibly at large universities interested in the research of vertical farms, in order to prevent failures such as the Biosphere 2 project in Oracle, Arizona.

•The produce is used to feed the zoos animals while the project enables evaluation of the systems and provides an educational resource to advocate for change in unsustainable land use practices that impact upon global biodiversity and ecosystem services.

•In 2012, the world's first commercial vertical farm was opened in Singapore, developed by Sky Greens Farms, and is three stories high. They currently have over 100 towers that stand at nine meters tall.

•A grow light or plant light is an artificial light source, generally an electric light, designed to stimulate plant growth by emitting an electromagnetic spectrum appropriate for photosynthesis. Grow lights are used in applications where there is either no naturally occurring light, or where supplemental light is required. For example, in the winter months when the available hours of daylight may be insufficient for the desired plant growth, lights are used to extend the time the plants receive light.

•Compost is organic matter that has been decomposed and recycled as a fertilizer and soil amendment. Compost is a key ingredient in organic farming. At the simplest level, the process of composting simply requires making a heap of wetted organic matter known as green waste (leaves, food waste) and waiting for the materials to break down into humus after a period of weeks or months.

1. The initial phase will be cost intensive, and certain flaws integrated in the system that may appear during its initial run can still dampen efforts for its full maximization.2. There will be fewer variety of foods to choose from because not all plants and vegetables are suitable in a controlled and limited environment.3. The public will find it hard to reconcile with the idea of using black water for food production.

DISADVANTAGES AND ADVANTAGES

• Grow what you want: In demand fruits and veggies can be grown all year round despite changes in weather

• Know your food is pesticide free: Instead of worrying about whether or not your food will make you sick, this all organic approach promises fresh and toxin-free produce

• Reconnect with nature: If you’ve ever had the desire to work the land, you’re in luck. The title of “urban farmer” might be a �legitimate occupation in the near future.

• Preserve the environment: Rather than having to venture into the rainforest and harm the last few remaining untouched parts of the earth, we can help preserve the environment and grow our food in cities.

• More Affordable Produce: Although start up costs are high, it is a cost effective model that will save money down the line.