Browse Definitions :
Definition

vertical farming

Vertical farming is the practice of growing produce in vertically stacked layers. The practice can use soil, hydroponic or aeroponic growing methods. Vertical farms attempt to produce food in challenging environments, like where arable land is rare or unavailable. The method helps mountainside towns, deserts and cities grow different types of fruits and vegetables by using skyscraper-like designs and precision agriculture methods.

Most vertical farms use enclosed structures similar to greenhouses that stack vertically, either directly above each other or staggered for better natural light exposure. If saving space is of utmost importance, hydroponic methods as a growing medium instead of soil allow for reduced weight and lower water requirements by up to 70%.  The use of aeroponics further reduces weight and water requirements. Most vertical farms are either hydroponic or aeroponic and do not have run off, which would make the potted plants heavier.

Vertical farming typically uses a mix of natural light and artificial light. Artificial lighting is often LED-based and may be driven by a renewable power source such as solar power or wind turbines.

Supporters of vertical farming praise the impact it can have now and in the future to increase food security and have a positive impact on human health. It would reduce the amount of farmland needed, which could decrease deforestation and pollution, and help urban areas be self-sufficient.

Critics of vertical farming claim that most designs don’t efficiently deliver the necessary artificial light to keep the design green. Many vertical farms have hefty electric bills to produce good yields. Furthermore, the necessity for vertical farming is disputed as critics argue that the problem is not a lack of farmable land but inefficient usage.

This was last updated in May 2017

Continue Reading About vertical farming

Networking
  • User Datagram Protocol (UDP)

    User Datagram Protocol (UDP) is a communications protocol primarily used to establish low-latency and loss-tolerating connections...

  • Telnet

    Telnet is a network protocol used to virtually access a computer and provide a two-way, collaborative and text-based ...

  • big-endian and little-endian

    The term endianness describes the order in which computer memory stores a sequence of bytes.

Security
  • advanced persistent threat (APT)

    An advanced persistent threat (APT) is a prolonged and targeted cyber attack in which an intruder gains access to a network and ...

  • Mitre ATT&CK framework

    The Mitre ATT&CK (pronounced miter attack) framework is a free, globally accessible knowledge base that describes the latest ...

  • timing attack

    A timing attack is a type of side-channel attack that exploits the amount of time a computer process runs to gain knowledge about...

CIO
HRSoftware
  • employee resource group (ERG)

    An employee resource group is a workplace club or more formally realized affinity group organized around a shared interest or ...

  • employee training and development

    Employee training and development is a set of activities and programs designed to enhance the knowledge, skills and abilities of ...

  • employee sentiment analysis

    Employee sentiment analysis is the use of natural language processing and other AI techniques to automatically analyze employee ...

Customer Experience
  • customer profiling

    Customer profiling is the detailed and systematic process of constructing a clear portrait of a company's ideal customer by ...

  • customer insight (consumer insight)

    Customer insight, also known as consumer insight, is the understanding and interpretation of customer data, behaviors and ...

  • buyer persona

    A buyer persona is a composite representation of a specific type of customer in a market segment.

Close