Vertical farming
Topic: Land Reforms, the Green Revolution and Farm Subsidies · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Vertical farming means growing crops in layers stacked one above another, usually indoors in a building or shipping container. Everything is controlled: artificial (often LED) lighting, temperature, humidity and nutrients. Plants usually grow without soil, using methods like hydroponics, where the roots sit in nutrient-rich water. A lot of food can be grown on a very small piece of land, with little water and year-round harvests close to cities. Its main limits are high setup costs and electricity costs, so it suits leafy greens and herbs more than staple grains.
Example
An indoor farm in a Mumbai warehouse grows microgreens and lettuce on racks eight layers high under LED lights. It supplies restaurants in the city every day, whatever the season or weather outside.
Don't confuse with
- Hydroponics: this is a way of growing without soil. Vertical farming is a way of arranging crops in stacked layers, and it often uses hydroponics.
- Multiple cropping: this stacks crops in time, with several harvests from the same field in a year. Vertical farming stacks crops in space, in layers on the same floor area.