Future of Factory Farming?

AP/Peter Dejong

 

I found an article describing indoor ‘farms’ providing meticulously controlled light, temperature, humidity, air quality and nutrition. The ideal would go a long way towards providing food for all those millions of people who simply don’t have access to healthy land that can be used for growing crops. The image of barren Africa comes immediately to mind.

Growing the ‘perfect crop field’ in an urban high-rise, an underground bunker, or a sprawling complex in the desert is not a new idea. Architectural designs for high-rise buildings that incorporate greenhouses have been around for years.

The argument in favor of such a major shift in traditional farming practices - besides the obvious one of feeding more people – would be to control food prices, weather fluctuations and energy costs.

Another very favorable result from this scheme could eliminate the destruction of forests and wilderness typically cleared to make room for expanding farmland.

Advocates say a building of 100 sq meters (1,075 sq. feet) and 14 layers of plants could provide a daily diet of 200 grams (7 ounces) of fresh fruit and vegetables to about 140,000 people. Their idea is not to grow foods that require much space, like corn or potatoes.

There’s an aspect of nature that is taken out of the equation that I find disturbing. Insects. Birds. Reptiles. Microbial activity. I can’t help think that mankind’s zeal in creating such a controlled system will likely be fraught with unforeseeable problems. I truly hope it works but excluding this major part of nature cannot be good.

This is a manmade utopia that every farmer wishes our natural planet could one day provide again. Since we humans have fouled our air and water so badly, this is probably an inevitable next step. Hopefully we have learned enough to not spoil this utopia too.

Go to the article for more info.