Executive Summary

According to Population Action International, the earth is rapidly running out of farm land and the use of additional fertilizers and pesticides offer, at best, but a small extension of time. A truly sustainable solution has yet to be found and none of prospective solutions proposed to date offer much hope for an economically viable and scientifically achievable answer. A viable solution must be found very soon in order to stave off future starvation, localized civil conflicts, and ever increasing world turmoil (see www.populationaction.org/).

Vertical farming consisting of massive greenhouses represents the only sustainable solution to continuously decreasing farm land availability. Every crop that is now grown outdoors may be grown indoors as each of the growth variables of photosynthesis, humidity, temperature, macronutrients, micronutrients, soil pH, plant diseases, pests, and weeds may be precisely controlled. The same is likewise true for all fruits, vegetables, flowers, herbs, and seasonings.

Food processing at each and every greenhouse achieves added value to each food product. All of the wastes associated with harvesting and food processing are then anaerobically digested producing methane gas, carbon dioxide gas, organic fertilizer, liquid fertilizer concentrate, and reverse osmosis permeate water. Fortunately, all macro and micro nutrients fully survive anaerobic digestion and therefore are never lost with the value added food products. The organic fertilizer, liquid fertilizer concentrate, and reverse osmosis permeate water are then 100% recycled back to the greenhouse on a forever sustainable basis.

Some of the methane gas produced is converted into electricity to power the fluorescent lights and HVAC system. Excess methane can be converted into power and sold to the grid or converted into urea fertilizer and sold to the marketplace, or both such activities.

Fresh fish farming is another food production activity that addresses the continuing decrease in ocean fish inventory. The finished fish would, of course, be fully processed with all associated wastes managed by anaerobic digestion.

The carbon dioxide gas generated during the anaerobic digestion of wastes can be utilized within the greenhouse as a refrigerant, for processed food packaging, and for dry ice production thus enabling necessary preservation during transportation to the marketplace.

Intercropping, the agricultural practice of growing two or more different crops within the same soil matrix side by side, can easily be achieved because of the total control of all growth variables. Each square meter of soil matrix in the proposed greenhouse becomes about 10 times as productive when compared against outdoor single crop farming.

To avoid ever present agricultural tariffs, greenhouses can be built in each of the agricultural product use countries rather than pursuing a policy of product export. This practice also lowers the cost of product transportation to the marketplace, particularly if they are located on a distributed basis.

Greenhouse construction labor and subsequent permanent farm employees provided by the use country ought to make these massive greenhouses most welcome, everywhere.  Sharing some of the operational profits with the greenhouse employees and the nearby municipality should remove any remaining barriers that otherwise might exist against the rapid adoption of this technology throughout the world. Providing necessary food while sharing the operational profits creates a quite sustainable economic development activity from a political purview.

In countries too poor to pay for the finished food product, it may be wise to provide the technology on a build-own-operate-transfer basis. In some few selected instances the technology may be simply donated.

The dedicated scientists and engineers at WaterSmart Environmental welcome your inquiries with enthusiasm.