Nature has created vertical as well as horizontal layers of farming.

In a complex forest Leaf Area Index (LAI) is about 12-14. This means that in one meter square land area you have 14 meter square leaf area. In this forest you have halophytes and sciophytes along with facultative halophytes and facultative sciophytes. These plants have favourable on unfavourable associations. This canopy makes use of solar radiation which has 680 nm wave length and 700 nm wave length.

The multi tiered canopy has capacity to produce biomass 2.5 times more than the mono cultured crop. If the biomass is to be used as raw material for fulfilling human requirements in that case plant species useful to human beings should be selected.

We have got wonderful results on this experiments. If the demand is of food we have hundreds of forest trees having capacity to feed human race. Examples are Madhuka longifolis (Mahua) it gives carbohydrates, Fatty acids and protein to lesser extent; Phoenix sylvestris (Wild date palm) can be perennial source of sucrose fibres and fruits. There are hundreds of tuberous crops (as and under story of forest canopy) which can feed millions of people. It includes different kinds of yams and kudzu. The list is endless and every ecosystem will have its own flora and fauna.

An Urban Vertical Farm

• Global change with increased population, decreasing natural resources and climate change creates a challenge to grow 50% more food by 2050 from less land in order to feed a population that will grow to over 9 billion.

• Populations will become more urbanised (75% from the current 48%)

http://www.solutions4schools.org.uk/site/FASTFood/5_6_14_Wigan_UTC_Vertical_Garden.pdf

Dear All,

it is generally known that "one of the most important features of a vertical farm is that it would contain some form of renewable energy technology, be it solar panels, wind turbines, or a water capture system, and could contain all three. The vertical farm is designed to be sustainable, and to enable nearby inhabitants to work at the farm".

Forests should therefore be dealt with completely differently from the urban environment with sky scrapers that offer obvious potential for vertical farming because of the accessibility of each floor! Accessibility of forest trees at different heights should be constructed if vertical farming would have to be made viable.

Of course there are crops such as cardamom, vanilla and pepper that grow vertically (climbing) in forests but the question was more generally brought before us and I feel that the vertical accessibility of the forest environment would be the limiting factor.

Best wishes, Kees

 Hi Claudiu! The problem of deforestation x food production is very important and complex. There are many points to be considered. Are the farms really for food or for energy suply? Many farms are beeing used to produce energy or food for cattle. Great part of that production is for exportation. Other point: what kind of production? Monoculture x biodiverse one? Industrial x agroecological? Large farms x small and family farms?

I think that vertical agriculture is excelent on the urban perspective, and in part of the rural constructions too. Permaculture will bring you some answers. 

In Brazil there are good experiences in Agroforestry. Some of them with the Ernest Gotsch methods: http://agendagotsch.com/

Do you read in portuguese? There are many other links, and experiences to share.

I think that Agroforestry is a great strategy to environmental conservation and restoration. It is a kind of vertical strategy, and is much more efective with the environmental services perspective. You have biodiversity, sucessional process, nutrients cyclyng and production, better space organization, more biomasa...

See also the Altieri´s work: http://ourenvironment.berkeley.edu/people_profiles/miguel-altieri/

Have you already come to Brazil?

Ecological wishes, Paulo Marco

Dear all,

Technically, growing some of the horticultural crops (e.g. vegetables and fruits) in vertical farms [VF] can be envisaged. However, the concept is irrelevant for major field crops (cereal and other grain crops for human food and animal feed), for fruit orchard plantation and for biofuel crops. In other words, VF will not substitute the vast land areas required for growing most of our food in horizontal farming. It sounds to me inconceivable to believe VF will reduce deforestation pressure.    

The concept of VF is generally considered in context of urban or peri-urban agriculture. There is a lot of talk about VF and V-farming, but there is as yet no research-based evidence that the concept is technically workable on commercial large scale farms and that it indeed is economically viable. There is, to my knowledge, no scientific information on VF in any type of forests.

VF as a form of urban agriculture is anticipated to solve at least two problems: 1. Lack of farming land in cities. 2. Reduction of distances between farms and markets, thus saving long distance shipping of fresh produce to urban areas and reducing thereby the negative ecological mileage impact. I question whether pushing VF into tropical forests remote from major urban markets will reduce mileage footprint.      

Many new problems will arise with VF. Let me mention here just two problems: 1. VF should be run in multi-story buildings/structures/greenhouses; will farmers have the financial means for the investment? 2. For centuries, varieties of crop plants have been developed with adaptation to farming in open field conditions, which are entirely distinct from conditions in closed environments. Varieties used today in open fields do not suit VF. Farmers will have to wait until seed companies will develop varieties adapted to conditions prevailing in VF structures.       

VF should be realized in multi-story buildings/structures/greenhouses. It is hard to believe farming technologies adapted to multi-story buildings and the services associated with them will be of low-tech character.

I endorse the views of Dr Kees Stigter. We are already following vertical farming in spice crops. For, those crops which need shade for their growth and productivity, essentially, we follow vertical farming. In India, we refer it as multi tier cropping and is very popular in Kerala and north eastern states of India. This  would minimize the removal of tree crops. 

I would like to raise two points in response to this interesting question and already a very exciting discussion thread.

Forest itself is a multi-tier system with different storeys, under cover and ground growth. Apart from performing complex ecological functions, they are also providing ecosystem services and diverse economic biomass for local and global consumption. Considering these, forests are already very highly productive biomass production systems or vertical farms as  a farm, technically, is not only food or only grain/field crop production system per se.

Coming back to food debate, there is already a growing recognition and research evidence around ills and risks of the modern food production practice with a narrowing food-diversity, and attempts towards expanding food basket with inclusion of wild and uncultivated foods. Many of the indigenous communities have demonstrated and now researchers (incl FAO/ICRAF etc.)have acknowledged the value of wild forest food as important sources for food and nutritional security. Consumption of these local food is underlined as a responsible practice in the context of climate change, food-miles and sustainability. Therefore, even from 'food production' point of view, forest is already a vertical farm. May be we need to wear a different lens and adapt our food habits, by widening the basket and consuming more locally produced biomass, from forests. 

Nature has created vertical as well as horizontal layers of farming.

In a complex forest Leaf Area Index (LAI) is about 12-14. This means that in one meter square land area you have 14 meter square leaf area. In this forest you have halophytes and sciophytes along with facultative halophytes and facultative sciophytes. These plants have favourable on unfavourable associations. This canopy makes use of solar radiation which has 680 nm wave length and 700 nm wave length.

The multi tiered canopy has capacity to produce biomass 2.5 times more than the mono cultured crop. If the biomass is to be used as raw material for fulfilling human requirements in that case plant species useful to human beings should be selected.

We have got wonderful results on this experiments. If the demand is of food we have hundreds of forest trees having capacity to feed human race. Examples are Madhuka longifolis (Mahua) it gives carbohydrates, Fatty acids and protein to lesser extent; Phoenix sylvestris (Wild date palm) can be perennial source of sucrose fibres and fruits. There are hundreds of tuberous crops (as and under story of forest canopy) which can feed millions of people. It includes different kinds of yams and kudzu. The list is endless and every ecosystem will have its own flora and fauna.

Vertical farming  to avoid deforestation and promoting farming in urban area is requirement of  the future generation

These orientations from my side:

1. Question has to be answered simply by "No", but VF can be --- in probably all agro-eco-systems --- a fantastic and trial-worthy supplement to conv. farming, also in view of the future high needs of food, industrial raw-materials, crops of biogas-units, etc..

2. I have tested this year how much I can produce in a vertical-setting on 1 square-meter; it is breath-taking, but not easily possible on large land-areas.

3. I suggest to focus on a few very practical and pragmatic part-options and test further (the 3,000 or so potential crops offer a wide spectrum of options):

-----a. Growing crops like zucchini or eggplant in mixture with maize-like plants. These offer an enormous yield-intensity.

-----b. Searching / checking / using the benefits of allelopathy-effects of plants in perma-culture-settings for VF.

-----c. Applying drip-irrigation-systems for easy irrigation and little water-consumption.

-----d. Priorizing climbing / creaping plants and letting them go-up on trees, stakes, palls, etc.

-----e. Checking the option of a potatoe-box principle: start growing on ground, then filling gradually continuously in the 1 or 2 or 3 or10 cubic-meter-box; after end of growth (period) just tearing the soil apart and picking the potaties. Many tuber-crops might offer this option for VF. The famous potatoe-box is usually 1 cub.m.

4. The systems and chances for VF depend largely on the a) technical material for erecting / constructing durable vertical levels. Best is looking for some sec.hand-material from construction-sites or factories, etc. b) irrigation demands the cheap systems of drip / trickle irrigation in case the tropical forest is not rainy enough. c) Mulching, mixed crop-stands, perma-culture or systems like that need to ensure highest yields per squaremeter.

5. With adequate agronomical creativity and good www-search you could even find solutions for a "Yes" to the question.