Common Sense Water-Conservation (CSWC)
Our Solution
Vertical Hydroponic Farming
The future of cultivation is here with indoor vertical hydroponic farming. Imagine a world where everyone has access to fresh and healthy fruits/vegetables/grains for a low cost with minimal environmental degradation and resource consumption.
Vertical hydroponic gardening centers are leading the way into an agricultural revolution that could well allow for such a world to come to fruition. Through the use of systems that run on closed loops - meaning no fertilizer runoff escapes the facility and literal fractions of the resources (water, fertilizers, electricity, etc.) are used- experts estimate we could "save an enormous amount of water and (insofar as it is electrified and powered by renewable solar energy) radically reduce the carbon emissions of the agricultural sector" (Roberts, 2018, para. 32).
Sound too good to be true? Buckle up, because it's not only feasible, it's already happening as you read this.
In 2018, Silicon Valley startup "Plenty" received a $200 million investment to achieve their end goal of building "massive indoor farms on the outskirts of every major city on Earth" (Wang, 2017, para. 5). In a 50,000 square foot warehouse (a little more than an acre) the company boasts yields of some 2 million pounds of greens annually (Wang, 2017, para. 3). Using just 1% of the water needed by conventional farming, Plenty's vertical farms produce as much as "350 times more produce in a given area" (para. 15).
To date the recirculating hydroponic systems of the like struggle to cultivate plants with complex root systems (i.e., commodity crops), but advancements are being made every year. What was once just a cultivation process for leafy greens has come to include cucumbers, strawberries, peppers and more and with enough capital/outside investment it is just a matter of time until the limits of this technology will be mitigated completely and the route for its rapid expansion smoothly paved.
Despite having yet to be achieved at scale, evidence supporting the possibility for such systems to one day include complex root systems are widespread. For example, in experiments dating back as far as 1989, researchers at John F. Kennedy Space Center were able to grow 16 trays of wheat to maturity and eventual harvest using a hydroponic recirculation system much like the system being used by startups like Plenty (Mackowiak, Owens, Hinkle & Prince, 1989).
Below you will find a virtual tour of one of Plenty's latest cultivation centers as an in-depth fact-sheet.
FAQ
Get Informed
What makes Plenty different from previous hydroponic startups?
Most vertical farms grow plants on horizontal shelves stacked like a tall dresser.
Plenty uses tall poles from which the plants jut out horizontally.
The poles are lined up about 4 inches from one another, allowing crops to grow so densely they look like a solid wall. Nutrients and water are fed into the top of the poles, and gravity (as opposed to pumps) does much of the rest of the work. As noted by a Plenty executive, “[b]ecause we work with physics, not against it, we save a lot of money,”
Additionally, without horizontal shelves, excess heat from the grow lights rises naturally to vents in the ceiling, reducing the costs of temperature regulation within the building.
If its such a great idea why hasn't someone done it at scale?
The primary challenge as it stands for indoor hydroponic farms is the initial investment as well as further research. Operations of the like are extremely expensive and as a result private companies have struggled to sustain themselves in this highly exclusive market.
Or to put it plainly: Given that the proposed solutions would significantly alter the Industrial-Agri-Complex's extremely lucrative business model, the task is simply too big for the free market to conquer without comparable financial incentives/subsidies.
What's the timeline / ROI for a Plenty-style hydroponic farm?
Plenty assures it can "build a [100,000 square foot] vertical farm in 30 days and pay back investors in 3-5 years (versus 20 to 40 for traditional farms)" (Roberts, 2017, para. 20).
How much water could this save if implemented solely for fruits/veggies?
While its hard to give an exact estimate, taking a few factors into account you can easily see the potential for resource savings:
As of 2013, California produces vast majorities of the nation's fresh fruits and vegetables; more than half by some estimates, producing "99% of artichokes, 95% of celery, 95% garlic, 71% spinach and 69% of the carrots" (Palmer, 2013, para. 2) just to name a few.
It is estimated that the state uses more than 80% of its annual water on agricultural irrigation (PPIC, 2020).
As such, the widespread construction and use of Plenty-style hydroponic cultivation centers would reduce the water needed to grow these vegetables by up to 99%.
Additionally, it's interesting to note that most vegetables produced within California are then shipped an average of 2000 miles to their end destination somewhere within the nation (Wang, 2017, para. 7) before being consumed; meaning the presence of a local Plenty cultivation center would also largely minimize the environmental and fiscal costs of transportation in the agricultural industry.
Where can Plenty-style cultivation centers be built?
As the systems require basic necessities like water and electricity, like any home, they are dependent on being located relatively close to nearby major city centers.
With that said, Plenty style cultivation centers are scalable, and could easily be adapted to fit within given parameters a city/municipality could permit.
In short, as long as there is a stable foundation for construction and access to electricity and water the setups can be built virtually anywhere.
What's even more exciting is that with advancements in solar technology Plenty-style cultivation centers will one day be completely free of the burden of needing to use fossil fuels.
Is hydroponic farming a tangible alternative to meet existing production quotas?
Absolutely.
Many people don't know it, but the Netherlands relies almost entirely on hydroponic farming to satiate the nation's need to eat, and it's done so spectacularly. In fact, the small European nation - that is just roughly twice the size of New Jersey - is the world's second largest exporter of fresh fruits and vegetables (Treat, 2018, para. 2).
An astonishing feat for a nation with extremely limited amount of land and a sizeable population. A feat that has only been possible as a result of sustainable, hydroponic farming.