In the world to come I shall not be asked, ‘Why were you not Moses?’ I shall be asked, ‘Why were you not Zusya?’Rabbi Zusya

The Hope of Vertical Farming

Being able to feed a growing world population in the years to come is not yet a sure thing. Beside population growth, there are issues like climate change, upheavals, higher prices and scarcities as even as Somalia is reminding us droughts that can end in famines. Anything that can therefore provide an answer to feeding present and future generation is welcome news. Hope is coming from indoor farming, farms in the middle of cities. Also called vertical farming because those farms are located in sky scrapers, agricultural researchers believe it is a way to feed up to the 10 billion people the earth will soon have without being dependent on weather or even more difficult an increased need for land. Growing fruits and vegetables has thus been done and South Korea is seriously working on developing vertical farming. The problem that has to be solved is the large use of energy. To make up for sunlight, LEDs are used and consume much energy. The Netherlands which has had many problems with climate and land shortages has found a way to make their vertical farming practical and is relying on them for their produce—leaving one to believe that if the Netherlands can figure out how to make vertical farming work, then so will South Korean and other researchers.