The vertical farm. Feeding the world in the 21st century

The vertical farm represents a transformative innovation for securing the global food supply while addressing critical environmental issues. Imagine a world where every community has a local food source, grown efficiently, with minimal waste of water and light, accessible via a simple elevator ride. Columbia professor Dickson Despommier envisioned this solution to America's food, water, and energy crises, leading to the concept of the vertical farm, which has garnered attention from scientists, architects, and policymakers worldwide. In this pioneering work, Despommier illustrates how vertical farms can revolutionize food production for future generations. These structures, filled with fruits and vegetables, can supply entire cities with fresh produce. Vertical farms offer numerous benefits: year-round food production, protection from adverse weather, recycling of water, job creation, elimination of harmful chemicals, reduced fossil fuel reliance, prevention of crop loss during transport, and mitigation of agricultural runoff. They can be established in abandoned buildings or vacant lots, transforming urban areas into lush landscapes that provide locally grown food. Notably, vertical farms can empower nations with limited arable land to become significant food producers. This groundbreaking concept is poised to change the agricultural landscape and is destined to become a classic in sustainable development literature.