Revisiting "The Vertical Farm" - A Look Back at Dickson Despommier’s Book
In 2010, author and emeritus professor of microbiology and public health, Dickson Despommier released his book, “The Vertical Farm: Feeding the World in the 21st Century.” The concept he discusses is fairly simple. If we used hydroponic and aeroponic systems to grow fresh produce, indoors, in large cities, we could curb our environmental impact by letting our current farms return to their natural state. Being its 10th anniversary, I wanted to revisit the book and look at it in a new context.
The Problem
By 2050, it’s estimated that there will be two billion more human beings than there are today. To feed that many people, we’ll need a landmass the size of South America to account for the food production. Unfortunately for everyone, they don’t make new continents anymore, and if the lack of land isn’t enough to worry about, year by year, the planet is losing arable land due to the changing climate, intensifying weather conditions, air quality, and more.
Modern farming is also not without its issues. A large percentage of fresh produce never reaches your plate, whether that be due to harsh weather, unforeseen pests, or other factors. In some cases, transportation can be the problem, as most fresh options travel 1200 to 1500 miles to reach their final destination.
Insecticides, fungicides, and pesticides are commonly used to kill off threats to growing produce, but water runoff with these chemicals often end up contaminating rivers, ponds, lakes, and streams. This damages natural wildlife habitats and has adverse effects on human beings.
Despommier’s Solution?
Farm upwards in buildings and skyscrapers. Avoid the use of pesticides and other chemical agents that damage the environment. Without the potential of chemicals and weather effects, you can grow produce in a controlled, ideal environment--year-round--at a rate that today’s farms simply can’t match.
When you’re producing food at this accelerated rate, there is no need to transport it 1200 to 1500 miles, which means fresher, tastier options arrive at the customers’ homes. You can also cut out the CO2 that would get pumped into the atmosphere if the food were to be transported long distances.
Because hydroponics and aeroponics are closed-loop systems, we could conceivably use 70-95% less water to produce the same amount of food as is currently produced. Despommier also talks about using vertical farms to eliminate food waste that attracts vermin and millions of gallons of contaminated water that pollutes large cities every day.
An interesting omission from Despommier’s vision is the use of aquaponics. While it’s a closed-loop system like the aforementioned, aquaponic farmers cultivate fresh-water fish to provide nutrients to their plants. In a matter of months, a farmer who has produced tons of fresh, leafy greens, could also provide local restaurants or residents with high-quality fish.
What happens to old farms and farmers?
If we were able to successfully transition to growing products from vertical or urban farms, there would be little need for farms as we know them. We would have the opportunity to reforest hundreds of thousands of acres and combat a large percentage of harmful CO2 and chemical agents. That said, I’m not keen on essentially firing two million Americans whose main source of income is farming, but neither is Despommier. The author suggests a government-provided financial incentive for farmers who actively work to curb CO2 by reforesting their land. That this might cause frustrations for some, but that’s a discussion for another day.
Vertical farms could also give rise to hundreds of thousands of new jobs--many for those displaced farmers--from the managers who will keep the facilities running to the techs who will make sure no pest or pathogen breaches a micrometer of produce. You could also bet that the vertical farming industry would give rise to job opportunities in related industries and fields.
Why this is important.
It’s not lost on me that in the coming decades, as I reach my parents’ age, the quality of my life might be severely different from theirs. My children and their children will inherit a world with rising temperatures, intensifying weather patterns (like 2020’s hurricane season), environmental refugees, and--oh yes--the two billion more people that I mentioned above. The opportunity to innovate in the farming industry is, well, 10 years ago when this book came out. We’re making strides, but mainstreaming vertical farming would require a tectonic-like shift in our mindsets and priorities or at least a billionaire champion (looking at you, Bezos, Musk, Gates) to kick things off.
Not to alarm, but with every passing day, the climate crisis becomes direr, and while it’s easy to let your mind drift to the negative, I believe Despommier’s vision is that of hope and innovation. We have all the tools we need to make the shift. We just have to do it.
But there’s one more reason I think that this book is more important now than it was at the time of its release. The passage in the book that stuck out to me most is this:
“All life on the Earth is linked either directly or indirectly to each other in mutually dependent life-renewing cycles. It is the foundation upon which that science is built. Without our interference, life would go on in an equitable manner, with all forms living within a given eco-zone sharing their part of the energy budget provided to them each day by the sun.”
This quote needs to be seen with 2020 vision. At the time I’m writing this, there are more than 242,000 Covid deaths in the United States and 1.28 million worldwide. Some scientists suggest that Climate Change has played a role in the spread of Covid-19. Others suggest that the agony and anguish of Covid-19 pale in comparison to the devastation the Climate Change will inflict on us in the future.
As the quote suggests, everything is connected. When you've tampered with one thing (like the environment), you've tampered with everything. We are the planet’s stewards. I don’t blame anyone specifically for Covid-19, but perhaps if we take larger steps to tackle the climate crisis, it will help us prepare for the next pandemic, either directly or indirectly.
The Greater Impact
Despommier leaves no stone unturned. He discusses vertical farming's local, national, and global impacts on our health, habits, and societies. He explains that, with trial and error, vertical farming can produce any crop you can imagine, and he provides technological and architectural blueprints necessary for success. He provides a broad overview of the benefits, many of which I've mentioned, but in much greater detail. Honestly, if someone has the money and ambition to start a vertical farm, conceptually, he's done most of the heavy lifting for them.
He also gives you the sense that with vertical farming, the quality of life could improve for everyone, and makes a case for allowing financially or food-insecure countries to rely on foreign providers. Naturally, there would be major pushback from those opposed to globalization, but Despommier's position is to advocate for environmental equity and sharing resources. In some cases, vertical farming could become a significant tool in avoiding major world conflicts.
Final Thoughts
I’m no farmer. I'm certainly not a scientist. I’m just a guy concerned about the days ahead. Ten years ago I heard about an exciting, inspiring concept and wanted to revisit it. That said, I won't presume that a hypothetical shift toward vertical farming wouldn't be met with significant challenges and resistance--many for legitimate reasons.
Finally, I don’t know if New York City, Hong Kong, Dubai, Mexico City, or Shanghai will ever have sprawling districts with skyscrapers that produce millions of pounds of fresh, healthy food each day. It’s simply a hopeful future and in terms of solving tomorrow’s problems, I think vertical farms are an excellent place to start.
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When it comes to vertical farming, urban farming, and modern farming techniques, here are just a few companies that are ahead of the game:
