This is Dickson Dispommier, a 67 year old microbiologist at Columbia University. In the September issue of Popular Science he argues that agriculture as we now practice it, is broken. Using 40+% of the available land it is the biggest polluter on the planet and consumes vast amounts of energy and resources.
He proposes instead vertical farms that would solve many existing issues because to start with, they would be located in the centers of our largest cities, thereby removing the huge energy issue of not only harvesting each crop but also transporting it to market.
His 30 story city-block tower would generate enough food and water to feed 50,000people and use the city's sewer supply for not only the water for the plants but fuel to heat them (it is essentially a greenhouse after all). A process has already been invented and tested for separating sewage sludge from effluent and drying it for fuel while purifying the water by using zebra mussels and non-edible plants.
A core concept in this self-sufficient farm is "aquaponics", a combinating of fish farming and hydroponics whereby dirty fish water is used to feed the plants and the plants return clean water for the talapia fish which live in the water beneath them.
Gone would be pesticide runoff and the need for massive doses of fertilizers and pesticides. The building would be self-sufficient and even have a market on the ground floor level where the goods would be sold, including "meat" grown from stem cells from sheep, chicken, and beef. No more slaughter houses and inhumane chicken farms.
Enough of these structures in large cities would support the entire city population and eliminate the mega-corporate farms now occupying so much of our landscape. Dispommier claims one 30 story prototype could easily be erected and tested for the price of one year's farm subsidies now being paid out.
Editor's note: I apologize that I have not provided more detail, I did this piece from memory so to get more, just get a copy of the September issue of Popular Science (as I plan to).
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