Environmental Outlook: The Vertical Farm
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2010-10-05/environmental-outlook-vertical-farm
By 2050 an additional three billion people are projected to living on earth - most of them in urban areas: The case for sustainable cities, urban agriculture, and vertical farms.
Guests
Dickson Despommier
professor of microbiology and public health, environmental health sciences, Columbia University
and author of "The Vertical Farm: Feeding Ourselves and The World in the 21st Century"
Bob Young
chief economist at the American Farm Bureau Federation
Comments
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It is better to discuss proposed solutions to unavoidable problems than to dwell on the problems and distribute blame.
Books are a convenient initiator of productive discussion.
No person or book can correctly predict the future, but can educate us directly and reactively, so that we are not complacent and in denial. Read the book, promote books, but get beyond the text. Move toward tangible solutions under actual conditions. We doom lives when we sit on our hands and assets.
See how Diane handles this subject matter. I'll bet she's read most of the book and other material. She and her staff work hard!
Remember that individual pledges counterbalance business underwriting and large gifts that may carry vested interest. The people could speak through public radio were they of a mind to.
This is in response to the show on October 5, 2010, re. China's trade policy:
1. Individual consumers can take action by:
a) not supporting overseas slave-labor contracts,
b) sending catalog order sheets back to the sender with
the following comment, "Then, and only then, will I purchase from you -- when the product is MADE IN THE USA."
c) Complimenting local stores when they display "Made in the USA" signs on their merchandise.
d) I'm very troubled by the lack of ethics on the part of the Chinese with regard to the quality of the products, especially food products, i.e., baby food, pet food, etc.
Let's regenerate our southeastern US manufacturing base, i.e. the Burlington Industries, et.al.
Thanks,
Elaine Rowan
Eureka, CA
My husband and I have noticed that a lot of the farm land in Indiana is being sold for either new housing or commercial businesses. If the people don't start taking care of the farm land we're not going to be able to feed the people of the US.
The University Church here in Toledo, OH has the calling to work on hunger issues in our city. We are working on converting our land to a community garden. We have received a grant to begin a vertical garden project and have a Vista volunteer working with us to make this project work. Our church is excited about the possibilities for making a difference in our neighborhood. We pray for the hungry by devoting our resources to actually growing food. We hope that our demonstration garden will spark more interest in our city to help more people to grow their own food.
Linda Carter
I live in Columbia IL, rural farm community of Greater St Louis. My neighbor is one of many that plants corn/soybeans. The vast amount of land available in the bottomlands of the river is being wasted on products that do not FEED us. But as I understand, the farmers are stuck, regulated and fined if they do not grow these products. One hand feeds the other, Monsantos of the world develop new strains, develop new pesticides/herbicides and profit from that. Yet, the amount of real food that could be grown on this land could feed the state of IL and MO!
The local supermarkets purchase as far away as Chile and S. Africa for produce. Can't the farmers be supported to urge them to grow fruits, vegetables, etc instead of corn and soybeans??
While I applaud the concept, and fully support aany ways or means of cutting down on agricultural waste, I have to say that in my opinion hydroponic vegetables, particularly tomatoes are virtually tasteless.
Is there any way of improving this without involving more damaging chemicals?
Thank you,.
in the 60s my brother-in-law farmed in St. Joseph County, IN and built a hydroponics in order to grow fresh food for his cows. He also planted a few vegetables for his family. He built a particular building and I recall he had to maintain certain atmospheric controls as well as a purchase a particular mixture we called fertilizer for the product growth and health. It was wonderful for his milk cows and for the family.
Would this type situation not be costly for the farmer in a large scale situation?
in the 60s my brother-in-law farmed in St. Joseph County, IN and built a hydroponics in order to grow fresh food for his cows. He also planted a few vegetables for his family. He built a particular building and I recall he had to maintain certain atmospheric controls as well as a purchase a particular mixture we called fertilizer for the product growth and health. It was wonderful for his milk cows and for the family.
Would this type situation not be costly for the farmer in a large scale situation?
This is a brilliant idea, especially if it can be executed organically. The more we can produce food with minimal environmental impact, the better.
Thanks so much for the program, Diane. I have been an organic gardener/farmer for over thirty years. So happy to hear comments from others. I came away with some new ideas; recently, I visited an urban greenhouse in a very poor city-Camden, NJ. As part of a Catholic school organization, Sacred Heart School, Ferry Avenue, Camden, NJ has a greenhouse. The school children have growing projects and the products grown are distributed to the community. The last time I visited I commended their efforts. Hopefully, now I will have something concrete to offer in terms of advice and improvements. Maybe I can make a difference in a small way. Your show and your guests' discussions gave me the insights I needed to think their problems through.
I have been involved in aeroponic (an advanced form of hydroponics) agriculture and the method we grow (without soil or a growing medium) magnifies the taste and aroma of the produce.
When the University of Arizona needed to produce very high quality plants, they used an aeroponic system. It's cleaner, less labor intensive, is 99% water/plant nutrient efficient . It grows food up to 45% faster than in dirt. In some cases, the system is fully closed-loop, so there is zero agricultural/fertilizer run-off. If the system is vertical, there is up 4-5X higher yield per square foot.
As far as hydroponics being tasteless, it has to do more with that particular grower than the method. One can produce a lettuce that has very little taste if the plant nutrients are not there. If the grower chooses to include all the nutrients that the plant really requires, that produce will taste better than anything you can get on the shelf. It will be fulll of aroma.
At the end of the day, it makes sense to re-evaluate the way we grow food. If there is a better way to do it, why not do it? Aeroponic agriculture is commercially viable on a large scale. Furthermore, the produce can be grown USDA "Certified Organic" by ensuring the plant nutrients and the seeds are organic.