1.

Traditional Agriculture and the Associated Problems

The Earths population is increasing, at the start of 2012 there were over 7 billion people living on
this planet. Not only is the number of people increasing, but where people are living has also
changed. In 2012, 53% of the global population lived in urbanised areas, by 2050 it is estimated that
69% of people will be. (Hui, S. C. M. (2011); World Bank) We are currently using an area the
equivalent of South America to feed the global population. (Despommier, D.) If current estimates
are correct, the global population in 2050 will be 9.5 billion; a 2.5 billion increase, which will require
an additional area the size of Brazil to meet its food requirements if food production methods do not
change. (Tilman, D. Fargione, J. et al. 2001.) It is unlikely that the planet will be able to
accommodate an urbanised humanity that continues to draw upon resources from more distant
hinterlands( Deelstra, T. And Girardet, H.)
1. 1 Alternatives to traditional Agriculture
Despite 3.5 billion people living in urban environments, and an estimated 6.6 billion people by 2050
(Hui, S. C. M. 2011 ; Despommier, D.), a shockingly small amount of food is produced in urban
environments, where the vast majority of it is consumed. This alone causes an immediate issue as
food has to be transported many miles to get from where it is produced to where it is consumed.
This increases the cost for the consumer and creates environmental pollution and as fossil fuels are
currently running out; the situation is only likely to worsen. In the UK a shocking 25% of all journeys
are related to the transportation of food, which represents 12% of the United Kingdoms fuel
consumption. (Barrs, R.). As well as this, traditional agriculture methods combined use an estimated
70% of the worlds available fresh water for irrigation, which, once used, generally makes it unusable
for drinking water. (Despommier, D) A combination of these factors will contribute to making food
scarcity and fresh drinking water serious issues for far more of the global population if the way we
produce food does not change. Urban agriculture can be a viable solution to these issues, Despite
their inherent density, cities do have enormous potential for food growing.( Smit et al. (1995)
Deelstra, T. and Girardet, H) . What is needed is commercial food production on a large scale, food
produced in glass high-rises in major cities and urban areas, the Vertical Farm.
2. Indoor farming
All crops can be grown indoors, however some are far better suited to it, giving much better yields
for a smaller amount of inputs. Many common fruits and vegetables are easily perishable and as
much as 30% of a crop can be lost through the storage or transportation stages (Despommier, D).
Crops such as this are ideally suited for indoor urban farming as theyre located near to the
consumer, reducing and often removing the need to store crops once theyve been harvested.
(Deelstra, T. and Girardet, H.) Small fruit bearing crops are ideally suited for indoor hydroponic
growing as they grow quickly and many plants can fit into a small area.

Figure 1 - Indoor Hydroponic Farm, Oman.

2. 1 The Benefits of Urban Farming
The benefits of urban agriculture and vertical farming are numerous when compared with traditional
farming methods. The first being that climate can be controlled. Not only does indoor urban farming
remove the impact of environmental extremes such as droughts, floods and extreme temperature
fluctuations, it also allows the growing environment to be tailored to the plants needs (Barrs, R.).
This allows crops that may only be harvested once a year through traditional farming, to be
harvested three to four times a year. Fast growing crops such as lettuce may be harvest up to 8
times in a single year given the correct growing conditions. (Despommier,D). Moreover, feeding and
watering of the plans can be made far more precise, reducing wastes and saving on production
costs, as well as reducing the ecological footprint of the food(Lufa Farms).
2. 2 Methods of Indoor Agriculture
There are many different methods of indoor farming that can be incorporated into a vertical urban
farm.(Aquaponics) These include; hydroponics, where the plant is held in a growing medium with
the roots submerged in a nutrient rich solution. Aeroponics, where plants are held in a growing
medium in an area filled with a nutrient rich mist or vapour. Drip Irrigation, where a concentrated
solution of water and nutrients is dripped directly onto the stem or root ball of each individual plant.
Deelstra, T. and Girardet, H The most efficient of these is aquaponics; plants are grown in a very
similar way to hydroponics, however the water also contains fish which live in a symbiotic
relationship with the plants, providing conditions that the other needs to survive. (Aquaponics)
These methods all have individual advantages and disadvantages however one advantage they all
share is that they are highly controlled allowing for water recirculation and nutrient retention.
Conventional agriculture creates a large amount of runoff which causes various environmental issues
including the inefficient use of water; controlled indoor farming has the potential to change this.
(Deelstra, T. and Girardet, H.)

Figure 2 (Left) Drip Irrigation System
Figure 3 (Right) - Aeroponics System

Figure 4 (Left) - Water Culture Hydroponic System
Figure 5 (Right) - Aquaponics Combined System

2. 3 Issues relating to Vertical farms
Vertical farms are still a relatively new concept. Due to the infrastructure required, they require a
large upfront cost when compared with traditional farming. There must be strong government
supported economic incentives to the private sector, as well as universities and local government to
develop the concept (Despommier, D.) Vertical farms may well be the future for mass food
production, but as there are currently none in existence many people believe that they are just a
nice idea, rather than a feasible solution (Cox, S. And Van Tassel, D. 2010). There are numerous
examples of urban agriculture that are successfully producing food in an urban environment at a
competitive price. Lufa farms, Omega garden and Sky Greens are just a few examples of this.
However, what is still lacking for urban agriculture is a larger scale of production. Can the technology
and methods being utilised by the companies mentioned be scaled up and applied to multiple
growing floors? In order to find out the answer to this question, a multiple level urban farm needs to
be built and studied.

Figure 6 (Left) - Sky Greens Rotational Hydroponics
Figure 7 (Right) - Sky Greens Rotational Hydroponics

3. Why Newcastle
Newcastle was names the UKs most sustainable city in 2011 and is currently undergoing a large
regeneration project, science central, which is located just outside the central business district.
(Newcastle Science City). The aim of the project is to ensure Newcastle remains an exemplar in
sustainability and research. Newcastle already hosts; the centre for life and the campus for aging
and vitality, as well as the investment being made in science central. (Newcastle Science City.)
Urban food production is rarely considered in conventional city planning, an approach that needs to
change in order to feed the increasing urban populations. Deelstra, T. and Girardet, H. Why not
further Newcastles sustainability research and expand into urban agriculture, a small scale vertical
farm which can be used by the University for research and education purposes. This would provide
vital information into the feasibility of Vertical farming in urban environments and highlight some of
the issues that may still need to be tackled. In most existing cities there is often not enough space to
create an entirely new structure solely for the production of food. However, as Science Central is the
redevelopment of an entire area, the space required is available and needs to be utilised.

Figure 8 - Science Central site

3. 1 The Ecological Footprint of Indoor Agriculture
Indoor farming has the potential to be up to nine times more productive than traditional field
farming. (Wada, Y. (1993)). However, this is largely due to the low financial cost of electrical energy,
this can result in the ecological footprint of indoor farms being as much as 21 times that of
traditional field farming, despite the vast amount of space saved (Wada, Y. (1993)). Therefore, the
success of an indoor farm relies on the idea of using a closed loop system. In nature nothing is
wasted, the waste of one organism becomes the food for another (Aquaponics). Conventional farms
however are not closed loop; they are linear. There are many inputs and for the vast majority of
farms, only one output, the food produced. Urban farming has the capability to change this as it is a
controlled environment, waste products can be collected and recycled, reducing the amount of
inputs required and therefore reducing the ecological cost of the food produced.
3. 1 Concepts for Improving Sustainability
Wastewater contains the vast majority of nutrients and minerals that plants need to grow. Deelstra,
T. and Girardet, H. Once treated to remove harmful pathogens it can be re-used for irrigation,
reducing both water demand and nutritional input (Barrs, R.). There is the potential for science
central to have an integrated wastewater network so that instead of increasing demand on the
existing systems in Newcastle, the wastewater produced on site can be treated and re-used. Waste
water industry. Eco-Tek have developed a natural system for treating household wastewater, using
a mixture of plants and micro-organisms. Using just a 100m2 greenhouse, 7000 litres of wastewater
a day could be treated to usable standards in a sustainable manner. (Hartil, L. (2000); Affinity
Water;Eco-tek) As well as remediating water, this process provides inedible plant material which can
be composted to produce methane (Salvato J, A. et al.). Methane can be used for electricity
production which would reduce the electrical demand of farm. A by-product of methane electricity
generation is carbon dioxide which can be used to aid the growth of edible plants. (Combustion of
Fossil Fuels) Science central has the potential to be in integrated food production system, collecting
and using the wastes produce on site to produce the food that feeds its population.

Figure 9 (left) - Solar Aquatic Wastewater Treatment
Figure 10 (right) Compost Cycle


4. Conclusion
It is clear that the ways we produce our food has to change. Science central has the potential to be
to lead the way in urban food production both nationally and globally, supplying vital information
into the feasibility, operational costs and potential outputs of vertical farming. Without research
institutes providing actual evidence on the potentials of multi-level urban farming, it is very unlikely
that companies will make the huge financial commitment required to construct a full scale vertical
farm. Urban farming is becoming more common, but with an ever increasing urbanised population, a
larger scale of production is needed in order to meet the growing demand without causing further
damage to the environment.