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According to a new study, the cultivation of food crops in successive layers in a high-rise building is not a solution.
Example of vertical agriculture in China.
Photo: rnz / aerofarms.com
So-called vertical agriculture is practiced abroad in places like China.
In this system, layer-by-layer cultures are grown on trays in multi-storey buildings.
The goal is to preserve the land and control climatic conditions inside a building, making farmers less vulnerable to bad weather or even damage.
But Horticulture New Zealand has just released a report saying that this system would not work here.
Rachel McClung, her environmental policy advisor, wrote her report against alarming numbers.
She said the amount of land available for fruits and vegetables in New Zealand had decreased by 30% between 2002 and 2016.
But demand for products is expected to increase by 33% by 2043.
This had prompted suggestions that vertical farming could be a solution. But Ms. McClung's new research was found against the case.
She found that the obligation to replace solar energy for photosynthesis with electricity for artificial lighting and temperature control would be too expensive.
This was especially true in New Zealand, which enjoyed high sunshine and enviable growth conditions.
High investments and operational costs were another problem.
In addition, there were limits to the type of crops that could be grown on a vertical farm, mainly leafy vegetables or herbs.
Ms. McClung said that three producers in New Zealand had investigated the establishment of a vertical farm in New Zealand.
They did not proceed because of the economic impossibility, but did not rule out that the method becomes economically viable.
Even then, it would be more suitable for local markets than for exporters.
Meanwhile, government policy should carefully address the issue of declining productive land and food security in New Zealand, McClung said.
She suggested two solutions to the problem, one of which was to prevent urban development from spreading over farmland by making cities grow larger and no longer out there.
Another solution was to convert land use into fruits and vegetables from other less productive forms of agriculture.
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