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  • As our population grows,

  • we're going to need a lot more farms

  • to feed the planet.

  • Yet, in a lot of places,

  • farming is almost impossible.

  • And much of the land

  • we can use for farming is disappearing.

  • With so many farms on land,

  • could we build farms vertically to save space?

  • Maybe it's time to grow ... up?

  • The United States has 10 percent

  • of the world's farmland.

  • But between the years 1992 and 2012,

  • over 12 million hectares (31 million acres)

  • of it was gobbled up due to development.

  • That's 70 hectares (175 acres) per hour.

  • As populations grow,

  • this is happening in other countries

  • around the world too.

  • So where can we grow food?

  • People have built farms all over our planet,

  • in the most unlikely places.

  • We've grown food in arid deserts

  • and on the sides of mountains,

  • and used greenhouses

  • to extend growing seasons.

  • But what about in a plantscraper?

  • A Swedish company called Plantagon

  • is working on one right now.

  • The $40 million World Food Building,

  • in Sweden, is set to open in 2020.

  • The company calls this process

  • So why should we farm vertically?

  • Well, we'd save a lot of space

  • and water.

  • In fact, vertical farming

  • saves 80-95% of the water

  • used in traditional outdoor farming,

  • by using computer controlled

  • mist and slow drip systems.

  • Vertical farming also means

  • we wouldn't need

  • expensive combines and tractors.

  • Cities would have fresher veggies,

  • and we wouldn't need to send trucks

  • great distances to transport food.

  • This would cut pollution too.

  • So how, exactly,

  • could we build a vertical farm?

  • Using the power of AI,

  • companies such as Belgium's

  • Urban Crop Solutions

  • are creating climate-controlled

  • vertical farms up to 24 levels high.

  • Farmers can grow anywhere

  • from 75,000 to 91.5 million crops

  • per year indoors.

  • The company also sells

  • indoor vertical farming kits

  • for 12 m (40 ft) shipping containers.

  • These kits offer four to six levels,

  • which can grow up to 54,000 crops per year.

  • With the ability to control the lighting,

  • moisture levels and nutrients

  • for each type of crop by using computers,

  • plants grow much faster in a vertical farm.

  • Plus, vertical farms don't require pesticides,

  • since they are contained indoors

  • and are high up off the ground

  • where many insects thrive

  • The majority of the crops grown

  • in vertical farms include

  • leafy green vegetables like

  • kale,

  • bok choi,

  • watercress,

  • arugula,

  • lettuce,

  • mizuna,

  • mustard greens,

  • collard greens,

  • basil,

  • mint,

  • chard

  • and chives.

  • That's almost everything you'd need

  • for a power smoothie.

  • Companies have started building vertical farms

  • in existing urban spaces,

  • such as abandoned warehouses and factories.

  • The vertical farms can turn cities'

  • excess heat and waste

  • into vital assets for local food production.

  • In China, entire districts are devoted

  • to agriculture and vertical farming.

  • With a rapidly growing population,

  • less and less land has become available,

  • and pollution is a big problem

  • for traditional farms.

  • In this case, growing vertically

  • has become a necessity.

  • Vertical farms have proven to be invaluable

  • after natural disasters,

  • such as the destruction

  • of the nuclear power plant

  • at Fukushima in Japan in 2011.

  • Since land near the reactor

  • was not safe for growing crops,

  • consumers were happy

  • to have their lettuce grown indoors.

  • Five years later,

  • there were more than

  • 190 vertical farms in Japan.

  • One company says it grows

  • 21,000 heads of lettuce per day.

  • That's a lot of salad!

  • Many countries in the Middle East

  • import almost 80% of their food

  • due to their arid climate and landscape.

  • Vertical farms could drastically

  • improve this situation,

  • and would also create more jobs in the area.

  • Tech companies like Google,

  • Amazon and Asia-Pacific

  • are already investing in vertical farming

  • and automated agriculture.

  • Soon we'll start seeing vertical farms

  • in many more urban areas.

  • These will help to bring communities together

  • and provide safe access to nutritious food.

  • But in order for vertical farms to succeed,

  • they will need the backing of consumers.

  • Some people argue that this kind of farm

  • is too unnatural or expensive.

  • While others like the idea

  • of fresh food produced closer to home.

  • What do you think?

  • Let us know in the comments below.

  • In the near future,

  • we may need to make vertical farming

  • an even bigger priority,

  • especially if we run out of oil.

As our population grows,

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B1 中級

如果我們建立垂直農場呢? (What If We Built Vertical Farms?)

  • 6 1
    林宜悉 發佈於 2021 年 01 月 14 日
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