Vertical Farm

Towers, high buildings, or shipping containers are used as urban gardens or greenhouses for in-city or near-city farming. The facility is mostly automated, and the vertically stacked movable trays of produce are nurtured with the right amount of light, water, and nutrients at the optimal temperature and humidity. A specific software makes these measurements based on relevant data acquired by sensors. This high level of precision allows for increased crop yields while using no pesticides and less water, as vertical farms can recapture and recycle water. Vertical farms also aim to reduce the distance crops have to travel compared to remote farming. However, due to the substantial energy costs involved, vertical farms need to be powered by renewable energy sources to ensure they are a more sustainable option than crop-in-field farming.

Gender Equality

Challenges

• Could maintain or worsen the status quo at the bottom of the agriculture value chain, which impairs the salary and rights of women.

• Land tenure may be in the hands of wealthy developers instead of agricultural communities, and the needs of the marginalized may not be taken into account for urban sustainability.

Opportunities

• Encourages rural-urban female migrants, allowing their agricultural knowledge to blossom within the city limits.

• Reduces physical hardships when transporting goods over long distances.