Vertical farming, the most effective and advanced farming system that has ever been invented farming method by mankind, the economic importance of vertical farming can’t be described in few words as well as the advantages. Over time mankind has overcome many natural and manmade disasters, famine, and many devastating situations. But, we are going to face a big problem, and the problem to feed the huge population.
As we expect that by 2050 the world population will grow by another 2 billion people. Due to continuous industrial development and urbanization, we are losing our cultivable land every day. So, the increasing demand for food due to a growing world population and continuously decreasing cultivable land will lead us to one of the greatest challenges. Now let’s find out how vertical farming can challenge these obstacles.
Vertical farming is the practice of producing agro-food (vegetables, fruits). This farming is generally operated on vertically inclined surfaces or big horizontal land. Here, we enlisted are some major economic importance of vertical farming. By the dint of modern agro-technology now we are in the era of vertical farming. The good news is that it’s now possible to produce a large and consistent amount and quality of food for the increased population by using modern vertical farming methods. But, question is, are there sufficient indoor farming advantages to make it the future of modern agriculture?
In this article, we will disclose and examine why vertical farming could have a big role to play in the future of global food production.
Economic Importance of Vertical Farming
1. Stable Crop Production
Vertical farming assures a quite stable crop production throughout the year. If other remains constant the crop production will never be hampered. It is very easy to estimate the total output from the farm in a particular time period if everything is set up perfectly. As vertical farming is managed by modern farming tools and scientific instruments, there are very few possibilities of hazard in production flows. It is also possible to make long-term contracts with suppliers, or grocery stores as there will be a stable supply of crop production.
2. Protective Area
The plants are also fully protected from all sorts of adverse outside conditions in the vertical farming method. For example, through outdoor farming, many crops are lost every year due to natural disasters like droughts, floods, or storms. By the use of vertical farming methods, none of those extreme climatic weather conditions will harm. Artificial crop-producing weather is created by using modern farming technology and farming equipment.
3. Continuous Production
Another economic importance of vertical farming is that crops can be harvested continuously all year long if you want. In the case of outdoor farming where farming time is only a few weeks or months, depending on natural climate, crop production from vertical gardening is much more reliable. Therefore, these stable crop productions throughout the year are quite convenient, as it ensures farmers the assurance that they will earn a constant and continuous income.
4. Protective From Pests
There are fewer chances for the contamination of plants with several sorts of pests since vertical farming is usually operated in an artificial and controlled indoor farming field. If the workers working inside the farm take great care not to bring any harmful pests inside the farm, possibilities are almost zero that pests have a chance to get inside the vertical farming system. But the thing is that the presence of pests will lead to an increase in crop yields, by making pollination in the vertical garden.
5. Less Losses & Good Profit
Modern vertical farming is totally protected from any type of harmful insects and animals, so it is considered you can get a bigger amount of production as you estimate. Totally covered this farming method is also protected from most of the adverse circumstances compared to conventional outdoor farming, so you can expect fewer losses of production. And you also desire a good profit from your farming.
6. Protection From Animals & Harmful Plant Species
Through the use of vertical farming is operated in an enclosed area, the farming plants are not only protected from any kinds of outer pests, but they are also well-protected from animals or from harmful plant species. For example, a big portion of the product from traditional outdoor farming is lost every year because animals and other harmful insects eat plants or crops.
Moreover, harmful plant species try to contend with the outdoor farmed plants and may therefore lower their nutrient supply, which may lead to less crop production. But, through vertical indoor or protective farming, all those consequences could be precluded and crop yields are likely to increase.
7. A Perfect Farming Method
As the environment inside vertical farming systems regarding humidity, lighting and other environmental factors can be controlled as we desired according to the crop production, there is also the possibility to grow quite exotic plant varieties or crops that are difficult to grow in conventional outdoor farming. So vertical farming gives farmers greater opportunity to grow the desired crops and to meet the demand of people regarding certain time and may also be making a good profit due to this high level of market demand both local and international market.
8. Saving Water & Land
Another great economic importance of vertical farming is that it is quite water and land-efficient. It is a closed and controlled farming system, so you can save over 93% of water compared to conventional outdoor farming practices. Even vertical farming with commercial fish farming is also popular. This mixed farming system can help to reutilize the water and no need for water treatment. Thus, vertical farming is a great tool to save and efficient use of water. This will be especially important in future farming where water will become a great scarce resource because of gradual global contamination.
Vertical gardening also allows the farmers to use their land inefficient manner. As in the vertical gardening method, the plants are grown in multiple layers and the layers go up vertically, so it requires less land. So, it is another economic importance of vertical farming where we are continuously losing our cultivable land due to the rapid growth of the world population. Pabda fish farming in India and Tilapia fish farming in Egypt along with vertical farming are operated successfully. Finally, it is said that vertical gardening will be a unique farming system in the future to use our land efficiently and to ensure our global food supply.
9. Fully Organic & Less Habitat Destruction
Crops from vertical gardening are fully organic and healthy. As the economic importance of vertical farming, this feature is well accepted by all. Since the environment of vertical farming totally controlled and closed, so there is no option of outer harmful insects entering the farm and damaging the crops. This is why you don’t need to fight pests in vertical farming and you will get fully organic crops, which is high demand in the market and high prices also.
Through efficient land use and the closed area, we can preserve more habitats of animals and plants. This opportunity will give many rare animals and species to recover their population and making ecological balance. Thus, the use of vertical farming may also indirectly extenuate the threatened animal, insects, and many others species problems.
10. Energy Generation
Energy generation through composting from the remaining portion of plants is another economic importance of vertical farming at present. The day will come very soon when vertical farming will lead the whole farming system in the world. Through developing modern technology we will be able to produce energy by composting plants. When plant remains are composted, a significant amount of methane gas is produced, which may be used for energy production commercially. And by this way, we may go ahead to the green world.
