Assignment
There are four critical areas in understanding how vertical farming works:
• Physical layout
• Lighting
• Growing medium
• Sustainability features.
For this lab, do some research into vertical farming. Act as though you are a community business person looking to get into the business of vertical farming as a community service. You can choose to start this business anywhere in the world, but you must make sure the answers to the questions reflect the area of your choosing. (For example real estate prices are much different in downtown Adrian than they are in Time Square New York).
1) Describe how you will lay out your farm, will you build new buildings or reuse old infrastructure?
a) How much would it cost to build a new building suitable for your vertical farm?
b) How much would it cost to rent or purchase a previously built building?
c) What are the advantages/disadvantages to building/buying?
d) What kind of building would be suitable? What material would the building be made out of? What sort of amenities would the building need to have?
2) What kinds of tools and materials will you need (potting material, water pumps, grow beds, etc.)?
a) What are the costs of these materials?
b) How many replicates would you need, including backups?
c) Where would you buy the materials?
3) What kind of lighting will you use?
a) How much does this lighting cost to buy?
b) How much does this lighting cost to run? (Energy bill)
c) Why did you choose this type of lighting?
4) What kind of growing model will you use (aquaponics, aeroponics, hydroponics)?
a) Define each, and list advantages and disadvantages
b) Which would you use? Why?
c) Try to walk through how the system will run in as much detail as possible.
5) How will you ensure the sustainability of the farm and this business?
a) Normal farming in soil is extremely costly and unsustainable when done at large scales
b) What will you do with the products you create, who will the products benefit?
6) What plants will you grow?
a) Why did you choose these plants?
b) What benefits do these plants offer?
7) Will you farm other organisms?
a) Do vertical farmers incorporate any other organisms besides plants into their farms?
b) What benefits do farmers see from incorporating other organisms into their farms?
8) Will you do community outreach?
a) Work with a foodbank?
b) Work with a university?
c) Work with a farmer's market?
d) What advantages could you find from working with the community?
For each decision you make, back up your decisions with the facts that you researched that led you to the decision.