As farm land has covered more and more of the Earth's surface, some innovators have started looking skyward. It is known as vertical farming and it is a potential method for supplying food for the world's growing population, which is increasingly concentrated in urban areas.

A recent Spiegel article looked at the viability of urban agriculture in vertical structures and some examples of vertical farming in practice. One is an three-story vertical farm in Suwon, South Korea that is experimenting with cultivation methods to make it marketable. Another is the 10-year-old PlantLab in Den Bosch in the Netherlands whose produce, which includes strawberries, beans, cucumbers, and corn, is sold to supermarkets there. These are small-scale vertical farms but they are steps toward bringing Despommier's fantastic designs to life.
The main downside to the practice is the energy required to provide light to the plants because the growing surface is stacked rather than spread out. Vertical farms that make use of reflected light and draw from renewable sources of energy can overcome this obstacle. The future of agriculture is looking up. BP
The main downside to the practice is the energy required to provide light to the plants because the growing surface is stacked rather than spread out. Vertical farms that make use of reflected light and draw from renewable sources of energy can overcome this obstacle. The future of agriculture is looking up. BP