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With nearly eight billion people to feed, traditional agriculture weighs heavily on the planet. Fortunately, new technologies in urban agriculture are changing the game. Now, food can be grown locally in places where it was previously impossible without soil or light.
It's no secret that some farming practices have a negative impact on the Earth. From the colossal amount of water needed, the pollution caused, the consumption of energy and the destruction of natural habitats, it is clear that we need new solutions
from here 2050, the world population is expected to increase until 10 billion of the current 7.6 billion . In addition to this, it is estimated that two-thirds of the world's population will be urban dwellers. Cities attract humans as magnets, and humans need to eat.
With so many other mouths to feed, agricultural yields will have to catch up. This combined with problems like water shortages and dwindling fossil fuels is a recipe for global famine.
When we think of cities, we imagine that every centimeter is dense and dense – skyscrapers blocking light, smoky air and exhaust gases. Compared to rural farm life, cities seem to be environmentally irresponsible, unhealthy and polluted. However, these ideas have been shaken by avant-garde concepts like urban agriculture.
The urban agriculture movement continues to grow and evolve as social entrepreneurs develop new technologies to grow food in the most unlikely places. Vertical farms sprout up everywhere, from roofs to offices to the anti-aircraft shelters of the Second World War .
Here we examine why and how local agriculture becomes an integral part of urban life.
What are the advantages of urban agriculture?
Urban agriculture and vertical agriculture are innovative solutions that are starting to gain ground all over the world.
Urban agriculture allows more people to eat as "local" as possible. By growing the food closer to those who eat it, the "food miles", or the necessary long distance transport, are drastically reduced. When food does not need to be transported, many plastic packages can also be excluded from the equation.
Urban agriculture also allows urban populations to get the freshest food possible and encourages us to eat in season. An apple that is seasonal and locally grown offers the healthiest version with the most nutrients. Urban agriculture also feeds local economies rather than multinationals and corporate giants.
An added benefit is that in cities where you are unlikely to know your neighbors, urban agriculture exploits community interactions and connections. 
Urban farms add greenery to our concrete jungles. Plants act as natural air filters in our cities filled with smoke. More plants mean better air quality and decreased levels of ozone
Read more: Unexpected side effects of cleaning up urban air pollution
Interacting with nature also helps people reconnect with the Earth. Many studies have shown that exposure to plants can have a positive effect on our mental health. As hippy-dippy as it may seem, when people have a greater appreciation of nature and understand where their food comes from, they are more likely to want to protect the environment. Urban agriculture helps eliminate the disconnect that comes with access to a supermarket where you can get everything from dragon fruit quinoa at any given time of the year.
Urban Farm Technology Overcomes Problems
Before declaring urban agriculture as a food revolution, let's take a look at the countless problems that are probably turning in the back of your mind.
Land in cities is generally expensive and limited. How could there be space for a ten-acre cabbage farm in Manhattan when most people can hardly find a square meter of living space?
Then there is the fact that with skyscrapers, there is some shadow. How can plants be photosynthesized without sunlight?
With the right technology in place, these key concerns for urban agriculture can be overcome.
How Urban Farms and Vertical Farms Work
Urban farms can be as simple as a small community garden or rooftop garden or as complex as a vertical upright farm.
Vertical farms were developed specifically for urban areas. They are planned to maximize space in three dimensions to grow as many crops as possible.
These futuristic farms usually contain rows of rooted plants, nutrient enriched water or even air. These rows are stacked and each tier is equipped with UV illumination simulating sunlight. These innovations enable farmers to bypass any unpredictable weather problems and tailor-made conditions to maximize crop yield.
Here are some examples of the most impressive urban farms:
1. Sky Greens, Lim Chu Kang Area, Singapore
Sky Greens is an urban farmhouse in Singapore, one of the most densely populated nations in the world.
With little space for agriculture, Sky Greens is a vertical farm intended to produce more food in less space. This skyscraper uses equipment that can hold up to 32 trays on a tall, narrow, A-shaped structure. Plants spin slowly, as if they were standing on a Ferris wheel, in order to prevent them from falling. ensure sufficient exposure to each tray. Since 2012, Sky Greens has delivered lettuce, spinach and a variety of Asian vegetables daily to Singapore markets.
2. The Urban Farm at Pasona Headquarters in Tokyo
Another innovative urban farm at Pasona headquarters in Tokyo is integrated into a nine-story office space. The office has a total area of 43,000 square feet of green space and is home to 200 species of fruits and vegetables. Here you will find tomato vines hanging above the conference tables in meeting rooms separated by passion fruit trees. The main lobby even includes a rice field and a broccoli field.
The crops are equipped with HEFL, fluorescent and LED lamps and an automated irrigation system. Intelligent temperature control monitors humidity, temperature and breeze to perfectly match human comfort and optimal growth conditions.
All plants are maintained and harvested by Pasona employees during their lunch breaks and served in the company cafeteria
These are just two examples on hundreds of urban farms operating all over the world.You can find urban farms in Brooklyn, London, Sao Paolo, Berlin, Montreal, Seattle and countless other cities.
Technology that makes urban farms a reality
Hydroponics
As mentioned earlier, the innovation of agriculture allows plants to grow without soil or natural light e) The underlying technology is called hydroponics .
Hydroponics uses nutrients dissolved in water and blocks of sponge-like materials where roots can grow. This is combined with l low energy artificial LED lights. Studies have shown that plants grown in hydroponics use less water and provide significantly higher yields.
Although it sounds complicated, hydroponic units are programmed to enter current use. You can even buy your own portable hydroponic system in IKEA
Aquaponics
Aquaponics is an urban agriculture technology that combines the cultivation of soilless (hydroponic) crops with aquaculture in an integrated system.
For example, Urban Organics, an urban farm in St. Paul, grows kale, Swiss chard, coriander and parsley, then recycles the water used to raise the char and Atlantic salmon. Aquaponics is a closed-loop system. The system allows fish waste to organically fertilize plants, and plants to clean and filter water for fish. Microbeads (nitrifying bacteria) also play a role in aquaponics. They convert ammonia from fish waste into nitrates. Nitrates are a form of nitrogen that promotes plant growth.
The waste of water is even more limited because any excess water that flows from planters is captured in aquariums.
Read more: Why marine algae could be a common food for the future
Internet-of-Things and Urban Agriculture
Internet-of-Things tech provides real-time monitoring of urban farming systems. This will allow farmers to reduce waste and improve productivity because they will be able to monitor their urban farms more accurately.
The IoT-based smart agriculture uses systems that monitor light, moisture, temperature and soil using sensors. These systems alert automated irrigation or fertilizer systems to apply the necessary amounts.
IoT-based systems are also used in smart greenhouses to regulate the climate according to the needs of the factory. This avoids waste of resources and allows for more efficient use of water on urban farms.
The IoT system can be connected to a cloud server so that all information is accessible remotely. The cloud server also allows data processing and allows farmers to control actions. This eliminates the need for constant manual monitoring and limits the need for manual intervention
IoT agriculture will help urban farms to produce more nutrients sustainable and offers a cost-effective solution for: urban agriculture.
Read more: Robot project picking peppers to revolutionize the agriculture of the EU
Urban farms have the potential to change our agricultural landscape. Cities need to be smarter if we want to tackle the environmental and social problems we are currently facing.
Urban farming methods such as vertical farming have the potential to improve the way we produce and consume food. Urban agriculture makes the consumption of local, nutritious and sustainable food a reality for those who live in cities.
It must be said that urban agriculture is not a magic solution for sustainability. Continuing to develop and develop these innovative agricultural technologies will play a vital role in feeding the ever-growing population of our planet
Read More: What will the cities of the future look like
Do you think urban farms are a solution for sustainability?
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