For example, can the agricultural production stop depend on the sky? Can the whole building be turned into a farm? How are wind towers integrated into vertical agriculture? What value can modularization and customization play in the field of agricultural production? What new technologies and models will emerge in vertical agriculture? In short, explorers are boldly accelerating the transformation of vertical agriculture, and new ways of growing vegetables are constantly being formed. Here are 13 innovative technologies and their applications that represent the latest advances in vertical agriculture: 13 cutting-edge gardening models, which are you picking?
1.Hydroponics-a method of growing plants without soil
Hydroponics, a new method of plant cultivation, is widely used in vertical agriculture. This method replaces the soil with nutrient solution, thus eliminating the bacteria and harmful substances in the soil, thus realizing the real green food production.
As the roots of plants are immersed in the nutrient solution, the monitoring of plant growth and nutrients in the nutrient solution can be easily realized through the sensor, so as to improve the optimal environment for plant growth.
2.Aerosol Growing - growing plants without soil and with little water
Aeroponics is a new type of Aeroponics that was invented by NASA in the 1990s in the United States to find effective space plant planting techniques. The technology later became known as Aeroponics, which means "plants growing in an air/fog environment with no soil and little water."
Aerosol culture is used to atomize nutrient solution into small droplets by spray device and spray directly on the root of plants to provide water and nutrients needed for plant growth.
Among the vertical agriculture technologies, aerosol cultivation is the most water-saving technology, which can reduce water consumption by 90% compared with hydroponics. At the same time, aerosol cultivation can make plants absorb nutrients more efficiently and grow healthier and more nutritious.
3.Fish and Vegetable Symbiosis - an ecosystem that integrates plant and fish farming
The fish and vegetable symbiosis system are much like the hydroponics system, but it is more optimized. The method aims to integrate fish and plants in the same ecosystem, with fish growing in indoor ponds and producing nutrient-rich waste that can serve as a nutrient source for plants on vertical farms.
On the other hand, these plants can purify and filter wastewater for use in fish ponds. The fish and vegetable symbiosis system simplifies production and economic problems and maximizes production efficiency.
Compared with most innovative vertical agriculture technologies, the application scale of fish and vegetable symbiosis system is relatively small at present.
4.Lokal - a small, self-contained household vegetable system
In September 2017, IKEA innovation lab Space10 came up with the idea of Lokal using hydroponic agricultural systems. By replacing the soil with nutrient solutions and replacing sunlight with LED grow lights, people can grow and harvest crops in indoor areas without sunlight or soil. This innovation could really help people grow fresh food in their homes.
According to SPACE 10, the system can make plants grow three times faster than traditional planting methods and reduce water consumption by 90 percent. With sensors, users can keep track of the growing status of crops on their phones. In the long run, IKEA wants to use machine learning to collect and analyze people's use of Lokal's data.
5.AeroFarms - intelligent vertical agriculture innovation
Established in 2004, AeroFarms, an American vertical farm, is a leader in indoor farming by using state-of-the-art technologies such as LED lighting, aerosol cultivation and climate control to grow vegetables without sunlight, soil and pesticides. Now the company has been able to grow more than 250 vegetable varieties.
Through sensors, the company can realize intelligent digital management of the whole process of crop growth, shorten crop harvest time, improve food quality and reduce the impact on the environment, making crop growth and harvest more controllable and efficient.
The company has built several farms around the world, including the world's largest vertical farm, which was established in Newark, the United States, in 2016. With an area of 69,000 square feet, the farm can produce 2 million pounds of vegetables and spices a year and save 95 percent of its water compared to crops grown in ordinary fields.
6. Plantscapers - buildings providing food for the tenants
Plantagon, a Swedish food technology company, has come up with an innovative solution that will allow office Spaces and buildings to feed people directly. To that end, Plantagon bought a patent for a vertical greenhouse invented by a farmer named Ke Olsson, which USES a sort of overhead transport system that gradually moves the growing box from the floor of the vertical greenhouse to the ceiling without the need for artificial lighting.
Plantagon incorporated the patent into the Office Building, which will be named the World Food Building, with the goal of producing at least 550 tons of vegetables a year, which is expected to provide daily necessities for nearly 5,000 people. To keep costs low, the building will be maintained and harvested using highly automated technology.
In addition, sunlight, temperature, nutrition and air quality will be monitored through autonomous systems.
7. VertiCrop -- urban sustainable agricultural technology
Vancouver-based VertiCrop, which launched a patent for farming techniques used in cities, was named one of the world's greatest inventions by time magazine in 2009.
Based on hydroponics technology, the technology moves specially designed floating trays through the transport system to provide the best artificial light and natural light for plants.
The design allows crops to grow healthily in controlled and enclosed environments, requiring no herbicides or pesticides at all, and yields 20 times as much as conventional farmland crops, with just 8 percent of the water needed for soil tillage.
8. Modular Farms -- produce fresh plants anywhere in the world
The modular farm system is a major innovation of the Canadian company ModularFarms. It is a completely indoor vertical farming system capable of producing healthy and fresh plants in any climate and anywhere.
The modular farm is a customized design based on the concept of the urban farm, providing modules that can be used for various purposes, and users can customize the system and expand its functions according to the needs of agriculture.
The modular farm system, which focuses on farmers' return on investment and plant health, is a perfect match for container farms and an experimental technology for vertical farming.
9.Cubic Agricultural System -- the next generation sustainable agricultural system
Dave Dinesen, CEO of Cubic Farms, a Canadian company, has pointed out in a TED talk that the company is the next generation of consistent, predictable and profitable farm product developers.
The cubic agricultural system developed by the company works through conveyor rotation, automatic nutrition conveying system and LED lighting to create the best growing environment for green plants. The water consumption is only 1/26 of that of traditional agriculture.
The company's technology completely eliminates the risk of ordinary agriculture and achieves standardized output by controlling input. The products produced by the farm are very consistent in size, taste, and color, and can also offer longer shelf lives and higher nutritional content. It also means a stable and more predictable income.
10.ZipGrow -vertical farming for modern farmers
ZipGrow, an American company, combines vertical farming with soilless farming. The working principle of its vertical planting tower is to use traditional hydroponic techniques combined with vertical gravity supply system to maximize the use of limited space and increase the benefit per unit area.
ZipGrow has essentially revolutionized vertical agriculture, including systems control, vertical planar growth techniques, and high-tech workflow design.
11.Bowery - the world's most technologically advanced commercial indoor farm
BoweryOS, a technologically advanced agricultural system developed by us indoor farming company Bowery, controls the whole indoor growing process of crops without pesticides, producing more than 30 times the yield of traditional planting methods, and can grow more than 100 kinds of herbs and green leafy vegetables.
The technology will automatically generate ideal conditions for plants while collecting growth data and providing plants with accurate light intensity and time, nutrition and purified water. Automatic irrigation systems can measure and maintain optimal levels of water needed to grow vegetables, saving 95 percent more water than traditional agriculture.
12. Skyfarm - wind vertical farm tower
British construction firm Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners proposed a concept called Skyfarm during the 2014 world building festival. The intention was to create a hyperboloid tower, using different farming techniques, including fish and vegetable symbiosis and traditional soil farming methods, suitable for producing crops in high-density urban areas or where land supplies are low.
The multi-story building USES bamboo to make a sturdy circular frame while maximizing the sunlight reaching the farm. The circulatory system supports the growth of crops and fish, in which nutrients from the fish are transported to the crops, which provide the fish with filtered water.
A large transparent water tank is designed at the bottom of the tower to house fish such as bass, tilapia, and barramundi. In the middle of the tower, plants are grown by hydroponics. Further up, plants grow through air mist and soil free, and the tower top is made up of water tanks and turbines.
The tower, which aims to provide urban residents with crop products that last for a short period of time throughout the year, is a typical example of a sustainable agricultural solution.
13.Sky Greens - the world's first hydraulic vertical farm
Singapore firm Sky Greens has developed the revolutionary vertical farming system, which is also the world's first low-carbon, hydroelectric farm. Vegetables are grown on the shelves and can rotate around the clock.
On the farm, the plants at the bottom absorb water, while the plants at the top get sunlight, and the whole process repeats. This method minimizes water, land and energy consumption compared to traditional farming techniques.
In addition, the system can yield 10 times more than conventional farms. Although the system is currently used to grow Asian vegetables, it can also be used to grow various fruits and other vegetables.
In general, vertical farming is becoming an attractive option, as more and more consumers have begun to accept it. And these innovative technologies will become increasingly popular and revolutionize vertical agriculture in the future!
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