In Brisbane, this has taken the form of indoor vertical farms.
Salvatore Bonanno, a young Sicilian agronomist employed by Modular Farms Australia, grows vegetables in the city centre.
“In 2050, there will be more than 9 billion mouths to feed,” he explained.
“Traditional methods of producing food aren’t sustainable.
“Currently, with a global population of 7.7 billion people, the space required for sufficient plant production is an area equivalent to the size of South America.
“Seventy per cent of water on the planet is destined for agriculture.
“Climate change and other anthropogenic factors are drastically reducing the land available for agricultural activity.
“Switching to vertical and urban farms is a more eco-friendly and sustainable option for us all.”
Bonanno is advocating for the use of more vertical farms as he believes they are more efficient than traditional methods.
“Modular Farms Australia has created an indoor vertical farming system that’s capable of producing vegetables in a controlled environment,” he said.
“They use modular containers measuring 12 x 3 x 3 metres, in which they employ cultivation techniques such as hydroponics in a vertical fashion.
“This type of farm is able to optimise space, as well as time between crops, ultimately producing more food and using less water than traditional farms.
“Vertical farms can capture and use water that is present in the atmosphere or in the production environment, in the form of humidity.
“Vertical farms actually use 98 per cent less water than standard agricultural farms.
“Each modular container is capable of producing as much as two acres of land would.
“The hydroponic cultivation system, comprising vertical production towers, houses plants such as kale, basil, lettuce, rocket and others.”
Bonanno added that advanced technology allows the farmers to monitor every aspect of their crops.
“The internal environment is controlled and modified through sensors that detect temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide and light,” he said.
“All data is constantly transferred through a Wi-Fi network to software that manages the monitoring and processing.
“The system can be controlled a smartphone app or from my laptop, so wherever I am, I know what’s happening in the farm 24/7.
“The environmental control system gives the plants the most favourable conditions for growth.”
With an inbuilt indoor lighting system, success is almost guaranteed.
“An LED lighting system gives the plants the exact light spectrum and duration to optimise photosynthesis and increase plant growth,
Bonanno explained.
“This method reduces plant germination and growth times.
“I can harvest lettuce or basil within four to five weeks from sowing the seeds.”
This increasingly popular method of food production is the new frontier of sustainability, allowing individuals to save resources and space, eliminate the need for pesticides and cut carbon emissions from transporting fresh produce.
