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| The greatest salad bar of all time, or the start of a new farming paradigm? (Image courtesy weburbanist.com.) |
According to weburbanist.com, the AeroFarms installation in Newark, New Jersey is set to produce an amazing 2 million pounds of food from its 70,0000-square foot facility. Since the farm is based in a city environment, the traditional means of irrigating vast fields of crops has changed, and the new design they utilize is capable of reducing water use by a stunning 95%, all while escalating the growth output by 75% per square foot.
Specialized LED lights and climate controls eliminate the need for sunlight or soil, and the crops are grown “aeroponically” – using nutrient-filled water vs. dirt to nurture the crops. The plant beds are stacked atop each other to save space, and some 22 crops are rotated through the system during the year for maximum efficacy.
Specialized LED lights and climate controls eliminate the need for sunlight or soil, and the crops are grown “aeroponically” – using nutrient-filled water vs. dirt to nurture the crops. The plant beds are stacked atop each other to save space, and some 22 crops are rotated through the system during the year for maximum efficacy.
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| Pesticides not included. (Image courtesy aerofarms.com.) |
“We use aeroponics to mist the roots of our greens with nutrients, water, and oxygen.,” explains AeroFarms. “Our aeroponic system is a closed loop system, using 95% less water than field farming, 40% less than hydroponics, and zero pesticides.”
The facility, which is nearing completion, has been operating in stages during its construction. It is three times the size of the world’s currently-largest indoor farm in Japan, but both reach similar efficiency – paving the way for similar styles of farms in arable land-scant areas around the world. The vast amount of produce will be easily commuted to NYC and the surrounding areas to meet the demands for fresh local food.
So next time you order an organic kale salad in Brooklyn, or have some fresh spinach in your brunch omelet in Soho, know that your greens may have been grown by futuristic means!
The facility, which is nearing completion, has been operating in stages during its construction. It is three times the size of the world’s currently-largest indoor farm in Japan, but both reach similar efficiency – paving the way for similar styles of farms in arable land-scant areas around the world. The vast amount of produce will be easily commuted to NYC and the surrounding areas to meet the demands for fresh local food.
So next time you order an organic kale salad in Brooklyn, or have some fresh spinach in your brunch omelet in Soho, know that your greens may have been grown by futuristic means!
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| And thanks to the specialized growth-stimulating LEDS, they've been attending a plant rave all of their lives. They have lots of energy to offer you. (Image courtesy aerofarms.com.) |
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