Analyzing Vertical Farming

Becoming A Worldwide
Producer of Food

Brooke Williams

California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo

English 148

Walters

December 2 , 2018
 ​Introduction
​In the year ​2050​ it is estimated that there will be 9 billion people on earth. The question that
generations of humans have been asking themselves for centuries is only getting more difficult,
How do we feed the world?
Many people do not know what goes behind the food ​on​ the dinner plate​. Practically some of
the population is ​unaware of the seriousness behind having a sustainable food supply for the
billions of ​other​ people in the world. Agriculture is in our daily lives whether we notice it or not​,
and it is important for the general population ​to acknowledge it​. Common knowledge of how our
food is grown is vital and the education of this to the
general public is too. With finite agricultural land on earth,
people might say that the only way to look is up. Vertical
farming is the process of producing food in vertically
stacked sheets of sprouting plants; in warehouses, under UV
and LED​ light. This advanced practice of farming is the
solution to the exponential growth of the human population
and the future of the agricultural industry.
With our growing population, vertical farming is an asset
for the human species’ survival on earth. ​According to
Banerjee’s Vertical Farming Module,​ a vertical farm yields
from 4 to 30 times the harvest of an average aggregately
grown crop per acre. This is a significant breakthrough for
humans because the more food able to be produced in a smaller amount of space, the better. With
most of the world converted to living in large cities, there are no farms as far as the naked eye
can see. “With urban sprawls getting bigger and bigger, the farms are getting pushed further and
further from their destination. If you want fruit when it is not in season, it’s probably coming
from a different country.” (Get Real). This problem of distantly separated farms and cities leads
to major costs for fuel in transportation. Vertical farming is the solution to all of those problems
because it significantly closes the gap between field and dinner plate. Since this practice of
farming requires a minimal amount of space, “farmscrapers” can sprout up all over cities and
urban areas,​ in turn vertical farming diminishes fuel waste and creates localization.​ This practice
will allow people to get a greater understanding that food comes from a farm and not a grocery
store. With vertical farming actively used across the world there will be no more questioning
where your food is coming from or how it was grown.
 It is common household knowledge that when you buy produce from a grocery store, before
you eat, you must wash the food very thoroughly. This step is necessary to avoid consumption of
the ​potentially harmful​ pesticides and herbicides that are sprayed over the fields from which our
produce commutes from. With widespread practice of vertical farming you can eliminate
washing your food all together. Crops that are grown in vertical farms are entirely contained,
meaning that it is easier to control and monitor how the entire crop is growing because of the
attainable space. “The controlled growing conditions will allow a total abandonment of the use
of chemical pesticides.” (Bareja). Due to this sterile environment vertical farms are not exposed
to the outdoor world, therefore all of the chemicals to keep plant eating pests away are
completely unnecessary, creating a truly organic crop.
Vertical farming is ​not as complex as it may seem, and with an open mind comparable to
aggregate farming the idea does not seem as far-fetched​. As a self-sustainable process, vertical
farming provides localization of food to people who do not have access to fresh produce. These
“farmscrapers” give rise to agricultural advancements; with this new technology, farmers are
able to grow any crop year-round due to the perfect environment created. Inside the farming
warehouse, every day is a clear skied - sunny day. If we want the world ​to continue to have an
abundant food supply ​and allow the human population to avoid extinction, vertical farming is the
solution ​and​ the agricultural future.

Methodology
Materials

​To gather the information about the opinions on vertical farming becoming a worldwide
primary food producer, a survey will be conducted to gather thoughts on this proposal. The
hypothesis is that the general public’s view on vertical farming will be against it, due to the fact
that it is not conducted in a “natural” outdoor environment.

Subjects

The survey link will be posted online to the Gamma Phi Beta Social Facebook group, social
media, GroupMe, and emailed to fellow students enrolled in English 148. The anticipation is
expected to be small considering the sample size of survey results.
Procedure

The survey posed six questions to be analyzed:

● The person’s age

● If the person has an agricultural background, or exposed to agriculture in school
● If the person buys produce locally or whatever is the grocery store
● If the person this that the amount of agricultural land on earth is a problem
● If the person would feel comfortable eating produce grown in a vertical farm
● An open section asking for feedback for why the person chose their answers

To obtain information about the general public’s common knowledge about how our food is
grown. Understand the problems the agriculture industry faces, and to analyze opinions on
vertical farming becoming a worldwide food producer.

Limitations

The object of the survey is to gather a variety of viewpoints to get a better understanding of
the general populations thoughts on vertical farming becoming a worldwide producer of food.
Due to the smaller sample size of 50 each individual piece of data will weigh heavily, so the data
may be skewed based on a few answers. Also, a bias may be taken from word choice used in the
questions regarding the survey; words that are triggering to people include the use of the word
“artificial” or “unnatural” which some of the time have a negative connotation, ​but those
descriptive words are best in explaining within the context of the survey question. ​It is also
expected that not everyone taking the survey will have had an agricultural background or
knowledge of agriculture and what it means to grow crops in a vertical fashion.
Another potential risk is that a bias can be taken from the groups that the link was sent to. For
example, the Gamma Phi Beta Social facebook group, social media, GroupMe, and English 148
students are all mostly college students ages ranging from 18-21 years old. Instead of having a
broad sample size it is likely that this age range may have common ideals​ and a more open mind
to ​the idea of vertical farming becoming a heavily used practice with forward thinking.
 Results
​ he results found from the survey were very clear, meaning that it was easy to see the
T
difference in answers without questions displaying an unclear consensus. The secondary research
from the survey showed from an outsider’s perspective that the general public is in fact
uneducated about agriculture and unaware of what it truly means to have crops grown in a
vertical farm. Out of the 49 responses for the question, “Would you feel comfortable eating
produce grown in a vertical farm?” the responses wavered and had similar yes (29) and no (20)
answers. Out of the same pool of
surveyees only 13 out of the 49 had
an agricultural background. It is
believed that some of the answers
were based off of common
knowledge of agriculture,
genetically modified foods, and
pesticides and the bad connotation
that goes around those descriptions;
but really vertical farms are far from “unnatural”. Knowing exactly where your food came from
is very important and will put your mind at ease. ​This point can be observed from the free
response sections of the survey. When surveyees were asked why they chose their answer to the
question most of the answers seemed to have a concrete side chosen, either pro or anti-vertical
farming. Answers along the lines of, “Natural is best!” and “I think the way we are producing
things is an issue that no one pays attention to.” are valid opinions but with some research and
further self-education it is explicit that a vertical farm does not anatomically or physiologically
alter the crop in any way. After analyzing individuals answers there seems to be a correlation
between not receiving any agricultural education in school and being against the practice of
vertical farming. This leads to the conclusion that education affects the open-mindedness of
consumers.
Further discussing the topic of this practice with an aggregate farmer Robert Tutunjian
explains an opinion of a person in the agricultural field. Being a farmer in the Central Valley the
reasoning he has shown to be against vertical farming is based off of personal threat to his
business as an aggregate farmer. That being said it is acknowledged that the worldwide use of
vertical farming would affect many people’s lives economically with that outlook in mind.
However, as a person who understands the ins and outs of the agricultural industry he describes
the process of vertical farming as scientifically sound. Due to Mr. Tutunjian’s past and
educational background the functionality of the vertical farming is not a problem ethically
speaking.
Literature Review

There is a lot of research done on the concerns of that many people discussed in the open
forum of the survey, and that is the sustainability of the vertical farm. In order to test out the
sustainability of this practice, a group of research students in Columbia University’s Master of
Science and Sustainability Management program explored what qualities make vertical farming
a sustainable process or not. “The students settled on 9 key principles by which to assess the
sustainability of vertical farms.” (Renee Cho). A few of the qualities that the vertical farming
process passed with flying colors were: Pest management and pesticide use, water conservation
management, nutrient and fertilizer use, and waste management.
In a further discussion of the functionality of a vertical farm a project model proposal, Market
Analysis for Terrestrial Application of Advanced Bio-Regenerative Modules: Prospects for
Vertical Farming, was written by Chirantan Banerjee. In the proposal he further discussed the
functioning properties within the module. For example, the amount of resources able to be saved
and reused with the premise of the vertical farm of water, soil, and time were astounding.
Banerjee explains that almost all of the water put into the production of the crop is used and
recycled back into the system due to only applying the amount of water the roots are able to take
up at that given time. Soil is not used within this system and the plant roots are held and
suspended in nutrient rich water and reusable medium to hold up the plant structurally. Lastly,
and what seems to show up throughout the document as most important is the amount of time
that is saved in comparison to aggregate farming outdoors. With LED or UV light directly over
the plants at a longer photoperiod that the sun would typically be shining expands the growing
time of the crop, and in turn the crop is ready for harvest in approximately half of the time it
would take to normally grow outdoors.
In the article ​Advantages of Vertical Farms, ​Bareja goes in depth about the almost completely
sterile environments that the crops in a vertical farm are grown in meaning that farmers can
entirely get rid of the application of chemically made pesticides and herbicides. Since the vertical
practice is operated indoors the crop faces a very minimal chance of infestation or failure due to
any outside organisms. This idea gives the vertical farming process a positive outlook because a
majority of the population does not want to ingest any unnatural manmade pesticide sprayed onto
the produce sold to eat.
The educational paper ​The Vertical Farm: A Review of Developments and Implications for the
Vertical City​ written by Al-Kodmany talks about a different perspective pertaining to the outlook
that commonly goes with the context of the vertical farming industry. The outlook explains that
the process of vertical farming is actually not new, “Examples of it can be found dating back to
the ancient era in the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, one of Philon’s Seven Wonders of the
Ancient World, built around 600 BC. In 1915, Gilbert Ellis Bailey coined the term “vertical
farming” and wrote a book titled “Vertical Farming”. (Al-Kodmany). This knowledge can help
to put people’s minds at ease, although the vertical farming of the past may not be as
technologically advanced as it is today the same topic has been exercised throughout history.

Discussion
​ any skeptics of vertical farms believe that since the farm requires energy in an electrical
M
form and not in sunlight, that the practice is not sustainable and is harmful to the environment;
but after doing some research, those statements seem to be wrong. Many “farmscrapers” are run
completely on solar power, which is a cost efficient alternative to electrical energy. With the
minimal amount of water that vertical farms use they are undoubtedly sustainable energy wise.
Vertical farms also require water to cultivate crops, but the quantity of water required to run a
vertical farm barely makes a dent in the abscess amount of water that field planted crops use.
“The vertical farming technology includes hydroponics which consumes 70 percent less water
than normal agriculture. Urban wastes like black water will be composted and used for farming
inside the building.” (Bareja). This statistic proves that vertical farms have much greater water
efficiency compared to field grown crops. Without the needs of irrigation, vertical farmers do not
endure water loss due to evaporation, run-off, and soil seepage that only occurs to crops grown in
soil substrates. A vertical farm’s water conservation levels are astonishing because every drop of
water has a use in this internally run practice.
​Through this conducted research it is evident that there is a correlation of agricultural
education and background to the acceptance of of ideals of a vertical farm. Implementation of
some agricultural education worldwide would expand many people’s understandings of the
industry and help them to become mindful consumers for the future. With the knowledge that
vertical farming not altering the genetic makeup of the crop in any way can change perceptions
when debating your viewpoint. ​Some people have a hard time wrapping their heads around
vertical farming being a worldwide practice. Questioners that are uncertain about the practice
may say that “vertical farming is unnatural”, if the definition of natural is fertilizer
sprayed-pesticide coated-genetically modified crops, then that statement would be correct.
However, when ​describing in reality how our​ agricultural system is, many of​ those people’s
thoughts would change​. When in fact the practice of vertical farming is a very natural process,
the setback associated with the public eye’s disapproval on the subject goes to show that the real
problem is the population’s acceptance of change. Humans are true followers of tradition, and if
the people of earth have been growing their food in fields of soil for over 10,000 years, it is
understandable that it is ​hard to make a change in something that we have always done, and done
so well. Nevertheless, transformation has to happen sometime and the main issue causing this is
the giant mass that is the human population.
 Recommendation
I​ t is my recommendation to try and open up your mind to other practices than what is the
social norm. Keeping the same agricultural aggregate farming methods will not not be able to
sustain our population in the future.
​Vertical farming is an asset for the human species’ survival on earth. With background
education comes an understanding and open mindedness to the practically harmless process that
is simply different from the norm. For this background to be enacted I recommend that a similar
agricultural education is implemented worldwide ensuring that the next generations of people are
educated, and can form opinions on vertical farming with a knowledgeable background. ​Self
education and the implementation of similar schooling Further educating yourself is the best way
to gain knowledge and understanding of other people’s thoughts and opinions on incoming
change worldwide.

Works Cited
Al-Kodmany, Kheir. “​The Vertical Farm: A Review of Developments and Implications for the
Vertical City​”​ F
​ ebruary 2018, ​https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/8/2/24/pdf .

Banerjee, Chirantan. “Market Analysis for Terrestrial Application of Advanced

Bio-Regenerative Modules: Prospects for Vertical Farming.” ​Https://Ageconsearch.umn.edu,​
July 2012, ageconsearch.umn.edu/record/229563/files/vertical_farming_final%202.pdf.

Baranuik, Chris
www.bbc.com/future/story/20170405-how-vertical-farming-reinvents-agriculture.

Bareja, Ben. ​Advantages of Vertical Farms.​ www.cropsreview.com/vertical-farms.html.

Barkham, Patrick- Newell, Chris. ​The Guardian.

www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/oct/13/agriculture-farming-food-addiction-meat-harve
st-hungry-world.

Cho, Renee. ​How Sustainable is Vertical Farming?

blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2015/12/10/how-sustainable-is-vertical-farming-students-try-
to-answer-the-question/.

Genzoli, Nick. ​Vertical Farming, Why it’s A Good Idea.

Appendix
Secondary Research

Subject: Robert Tutunjian - Central Valley Farmer

Q​​: Ok, tell me about how long your career as a farmer was and where did you farm?

A​​: I farmed in the Central Valley specifically in the Caruthers area for about 47 years.

Q​​: What did you farm throughout your career?

A​​: Kind of all over the board for what can be grown in the Central Valley; table grapes, almonds,
tomatoes, plums, peaches, and nectarines.

Q​​: Since you were a traditional farmer, how do you feel about farmers who are trying
technologically advanced methods to grow crops like vertical farms?

A​​: Well, personally my view on it is that I am not fond of the practice for obvious reasons, you
know. It’s those kinds of farmers who would put me out of business. I can’t produce the amount
of harvest year-round like a vertical farm because many things change in the outdoors, drought,
flooding, and limited hours of sunlight.

Q​​: What about your view as a farmer whose business is not threatened by this practice, or even
as consumer?

A​​: If I were to not be affected by this at all I think that what they are doing is smart and it makes
sense. People who grow in an indoor setting do not need to spray any pesticides or herbicides,
and they dont lose water to the atmosphere by evaporation. And as a consumer I personally try to
buy the produce at the grocery store that is organic and fresh, and since all of this can be grow
the same way in an indoor farm I would not have a problem with it.

Q​​: You were saying about how water is lost to the atmosphere, about how much water do you
think you lose out of how much you apply?

A​​: I would say that a good majority of water is lost, maybe 80%. It leaves through run-off,
evaporation, and transpiration and leaves the surface of the fields quickly.

Q​​: I have noticed that the majority of the subjects that I have received answers from have a
different viewpoint to yours. Why do you think that is?
A​​: I think that my viewpoint is simply from the years of hands-on experience in the fields, the
good and bad harvesting seasons, and the knowledge that I have gained from it. If everyone had
the same experiences as I have had in the agricultural industry I believe that they would have a
similar view as mine.

Q​​: How do you think that others could gain a portion of the experience you have had?

A: I think that it should be taught to younger generations of people, if their parents aren’t
knowledgeable or have a background in agriculture then it should be taught in school. I know
many schools have an FFA program (​Future Farmers of America Organization) which provides
an opportunity for kids in school to get involved and educated.