The Ups and Downs of Vertical Farming

This is a report I wrote for my speech communications class in my first year at the University of Waterloo back in November 2019. It was meant to be a persuasive paper on why Ontario should invest in vertical farming, however in the end I believe it is more of a research paper. This was one of the longest and most detailed reports I have written, it required a lot of specific research as I needed the facts to be valid for Ontario. Since writing this paper, I have seen vertical farming being used in several countries, I do hope that it becomes more prominent in the future, as it has several benefits which you will read in this report.

The Issues Caused by Agriculture in Ontario

The current agricultural practices have a major negative impact on the environment as they involve harmful chemicals and cause soil degradation. (Wanza, 2018) Firstly, fertilizers and pesticides are widely used in the farming industry to increase the quality of the cultivation and its growth rate. The most common pesticides used in Ontario are herbicides, insecticides and fungicides, the use of all three has been increasing since 1981. Specifically, in the Toronto region, the use of these chemicals has increased the risk of water contamination. (refer to figure 1) (Agriculture and Agri-food Canada, n.d.).

Figure 1: This image shows the relative risk of pesticide contaminator of water in Ontario due to management practices in 2011. Taken from: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, http://www.agr.gc.ca/eng/science-and-innovation/agricultural-practices/water/pesticides-indicator/?id=1462401144426

These pesticides are sprayed directly onto the crops which then allows them to travel into the environment through air and water-soil mixtures. Once in the environment, they cause a change in nutrient concentration in the soil. This results in ecosystems dying due to their habitat conditions being modified and the organisms not being able to adapt. For example, atrazine is a common herbicide used to control weeds in agriculture, it is often used in corn production within Ontario. When drained into the bodies of water, atrazine can cause reproductive problems in fish, amphibians and mammals. (Ward, 2007) Another major concern of Atrazine is the contamination of drinking water due to its runoff as it contains cancerogenic properties. (MacDonald, 2017) Additionally, the pesticides which travel through the air contribute to the abundance of greenhouse gases, which are a major cause of the global warming as well as poor air quality. Currently, agricultural activities create 30% of the greenhouse gases, due to the chemicals used and the waste produced. (International Atomic Energy Agency, n.d.)

To continue, soil degradation is a significant problem caused by agriculture as it is the wearing of a field’s topsoil through physical forces. (Ritter, 2018) As the environment’s soils become weaker, less vegetation can grow, and the ecosystem can no longer survive. As soil continues to erode, the amount of fertile lands for ecosystems significantly decline and natural resources become scarce. (WWF, n.d.) Presently, Canada spends about $3.18 billion on soil erosion every year, the majority comes from Ontario and Quebec. Most of the damage is caused by tillage through agriculture and is significantly harming the soil health of Ontario’s lands. David Lobb a professor at the University of Manitoba, requests Ontario to take more action in decreasing the soil erosion damage their agriculture causes. (Morrison, 2018) The two factors discussed all contribute to climate change and are decreasing the amount of natural resources left in Ontario. It is an indisputable indication for the need of an advanced and improved method of farming. 

 

Features of a Vertical Farm

The beginning of cultivation goes back 23,000 years ago, it has since greatly evolved with mass production, greenhouses and now vertical farming. (Colstee, 2018) In large cities vertical farming is installed in tall buildings not being used anymore such as car parks or past company buildings. In these buildings, crops are stacked in layers to maximize the space, allowing for the food produced per area to increase. (Desjardins, 2016) (Refer to figure 2)

 

 

Figure 2: A common layout for a vertical farm in dense city. Taken from: GEnergy, http://www.genergyllc.com/vertical-indoor-farming-vif-an-economic-engine. Copyright 2013 by GEnergy.

Several features are used in vertical farming, a significant feature is controlled environment agriculture technology (CEA) which maintains all aspects of its growing such as temperature, nutrients and more. Additionally, another component is the use of growing mediums such as aeroponics, hydroponics and aquaculture instead of soil. (LeBlanc, 2019)

To begin with, the growing mediums used in vertical farm is one of the newest agricultural technologies which is making a major difference. A growing medium is a substance where a plant’s roots can grow and retrieve nutrients and water. Soil is the most common medium, however if not properly maintained the plant will suffocate. Therefore, hydroponics is used in vertical farms. Hydroponics is the science of growing plants without soil, and often in water instead. When a plant is grown in water it is much easier to control as the roots of the plant can be seen. Through the water, the plant’s roots can access nutrients, oxygen, water and minerals. Hydroponics is also used along aquaponics which is the combination of raising small aquatic animals in tanks and growing plants in water. These work together as the animals create lots of nutrients and minerals in their tank, then the water from the tank is used for hydroponics. The plants then break down the by-products in the water and recirculate it back to the aquaculture tank. (BK 101, n.d.) Hydroponics solves many issues found in today’s agriculture as it is less likely to have soil educed problems which are usually the cause for why so many harmful pesticides are used. Moreover, as soil isn’t being used, erosion is not a concern therefore keeping the lands healthy. (Al-Kodmany, 2018)

Secondly, controlled Environment Agriculture technology (CEA) is the driving force for vertical farming as it allows for high quality crops to be produced quickly. The main aspect of CEA is the 24-hour LED lights installed on the roofs of each floor with growing crops. These lights are controlled depending on the stage of growth for the plant and it has been proven to be the optimal light for photosynthesis. The next aspect of CEA is the air conditioning which provides a constant air flow and can be enriched with controlled amounts of CO2 for the crops. Next, automized nutrient spays are used to feed the plants their nutrients and minerals. This results in a much lower need for fertilizers and pesticides as it is in an enclosed area and very few gets lost. The nutrients which are not absorbed by the plants cycle back through the system and are reused, therefore very limited waste is created. This process makes vertical farming a lot more sustainable than the common agricultural practices as the quality of the food is controlled through its environment instead of the use of chemicals. (Benke, 2017)

Why Vertical Farms are the Solution

Ontario is in desperate need for a modern agricultural method, and something needs to be done about it. As mentioned before, our supplies are running low, our soil is being damaged, and crops are being sprayed with hazardous chemicals. According to my research, vertical farming is the solution to this as its features make it the most sustainable option there is. If the City of Toronto started installing vertical farms, the use of the harmful agricultural practices would decrease. Due to the ability to control the crops environment a lot less chemicals need to be used. This results in greenhouse gas emissions being reduced significantly, and the water contamination risk decreasing. I believe that Toronto should consider this new modern agriculture as it is not only the best agriculture option for the environment but will also benefit the social and economic aspect of the industry. (Naus, 2018)

Modernizing our city through sustainability is important, yet we also must ensure that it benefits the society and economy. To begin with, having vertical farms in Toronto will allow citizens to have access to locally grown food, resulting in fresher and healthier food for the consumers. Currently in Toronto, about 375,000 people live in poverty, vertical farming would help decrease this number with cheaper and easier access to food and more job opportunities. (LanchTo, n.d.) In fact, it is estimated that if a 30-storey building in New York City was used for vertical farming it could supply food for 50,000 citizens, therefore access to food would not be an issue anymore. (Kalantri, Tahir, Joni & Fatemi, 2018) Toronto has several tall buildings like New York City which would result in the same positive effect. Finally, almost 60% of the costs for common agriculture today is due to transportation, with vertical farms these costs would be cut. (Al-Kohmody, 2018) This is especially useful for Toronto which often must import food due to having no space for agriculture and not having the correct climate for growing many foods. Despite the high initial costs, vertical farming will benefit the long-term economy growth which is what I believe matters.

There are several agricultural practices used, the two most common right now are open field production and greenhouse production. As it can be seen by table 1, vertical farming uses the least amount of water, produces the most crop yield per and has the lowest food miles. (Naus, 2018) Ontario’s goal should be to reduce its greenhouse gases emissions through choosing sustainable agricultural methods. Using vertical farming will aid Ontario to achieve this goal as it preserves several factors of the environment.

 

Conclusion

In summary, vertical farming is the future of agriculture as its modern features allow for an effective and controlled growth of crops. It is also able to reuse natural sources, requires less area and doesn’t create an abundance of greenhouse gas emissions, therefore solving the pollution problem caused by today’s agricultural practices. The city of Toronto would highly benefit from vertical farming as it well help decrease poverty, the contamination of water and take a step towards becoming a modern city.

References

Alegria, R. (n.d.). Poverty and Unemployment in Toronto. Retrieved October 9, 2019, from http://www.launchto.org/index.php/news/18-poverty-and-unemployment-in-toronto.

Al-Kodmany, K. (2018, January 10). The Vertical Farm: A Review of Developments and Implications for the Vertical City. Retrieved October 7, 2019, from file:///C:/Users/Savi/AppData/Local/Temp/buildings-08-00024-v2.pdf.

Benke, K., & Tomkins, B. (2017, November 20). Future food-production systems: vertical farming and controlled-environment agriculture. Retrieved October 7, 2019, from https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15487733.2017.1394054.

Colstee, V. (2018, August 23). The history of indoor vertical farming. Retrieved October 7, 2019, from https://www.eitfood.eu/blog/post/the-origins-of-indoor-vertical-farming.

Desjardins, J. (2019, March 11). How Vertical Farming Works. Retrieved October 7, 2019, from https://www.visualcapitalist.com/how-vertical-farming-works/.

Despommier, D. (2010, September 10). The vertical farm: controlled environment agriculture carried out in tall buildings would create a greater food safety and security for large urban populations. Retrieved October 7, 2019, from file:///C:/Users/Savi/AppData/Local/Temp/The_vertical_farm_Controlled_environment_agricultu.pdf.

Greenhouse gas reduction. (2016, April 13). Retrieved October 7, 2019, from https://www.iaea.org/topics/greenhouse-gas-reduction.

Kalantari, F., Tahir, O. M., Joni, R. A., & Fatemi, E. (2018, June 21). Opportunities and Challenges in Sustainability of Vertical Farming: A Review . Retrieved October 7, 2019, from https://content.sciendo.com/configurable/contentpage/journals$002fjlecol$002f11$002f1$002farticle-p35.xml?tab_body=pdf.

MacDonald, E. (2017, March 29). Overwhelming evidence supports need for Canadian atrazine ban. Retrieved October 9, 2019, from https://www.ecojustice.ca/overwhelming-evidence-supports-need-canadian-atrazine-ban/.

MalekAl-Chalabi. (2015, June 12). Vertical farming: Skyscraper sustainability? Retrieved October 7, 2019, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2210670715000700.

Morrison, T. (2018, February 20). Cost of soil erosion' $3 billion annually in Canada. Retrieved October 9, 2019, from https://www.chathamthisweek.com/2018/02/20/cost-of-soil-erosion-3-billion-annually-in-canada/wcm/31191f3b-8f4c-4dd9-991d-c80674335cd5.

Pesticides Indicator. (2016, July 11). Retrieved October 9, 2019, from http://www.agr.gc.ca/eng/science-and-innovation/agricultural-practices/water/pesticides-indicator/?id=1462401144426.

Ritter, J. (2018, December). Soil Erosion-Causes and Effects. Retrieved October 7, 2019, from http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/engineer/facts/12-053.htm.

Soil Erosion and Degradation. (n.d.). Retrieved October 7, 2019, from https://www.worldwildlife.org/threats/soil-erosion-and-degradation.

Vertical Farming Indoor Agriculture. (n.d.). Retrieved October 7, 2019, from https://www.basicknowledge101.com/subjects/verticalfarming.html#mediums.

Wanza, S. N. (2018, May 11). What is the Environmental Impact of Agriculture? Retrieved from https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-is-the-environmental-impact-of-agriculture.html.

Ward, J. R. (2007, January). Investigating the Environmental Effects of Agriculture Practices on Natural Resources. Retrieved October 7, 2019, from https://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2007/3001/pdf/508FS2007_3001.pdf.