There’s a revolution happening in the way that food is grown around the world. Vertical farming piles crops on top of one another in a climate controlled, indoor facility, and uses advanced technology to produce food in the most environmentally friendly way the world has ever seen.
At AeroFarms in Newark, New Jersey, crops are piled more than 30 feet high in a 30,000 square foot space. They use aeroponic(气雾栽培) technology, involving misting the roots of the plants, using an astonishing 95% less water than conventional farming methods. David Rosenberg, CEO of AeroFarms told Seeker, “Typically, in indoor growing, the roots sit in water. If we mist nutrition to the root structure, the roots have a better oxygenation(氧合作用).”
AeroFarms uses no pesticides. The plants are grown in a reusable cloth made from recycled plastic, so no soil is needed to grow them. They also use a system of specialized LED lighting instead of natural sunlight, reducing their energy footprint even further. “Many people say ‘Sunless? Wait. Plants need sun.’ Actually the plants don’t need yellow spectrum(光谱). So we reduce our energy footprint by doing things like reducing certain types of spectrum to make it function as sunlight,” Rosenberg said.
Dickson Despommier, an ecologist from Columbia University, was one of the first advocates of vertical farming. In 1999, he proposed that vertical farming could help feed our ever-growing, overpopulated cities, while using less water than current farming methods and reducing the need to transport food long-distances. Despommier likely imagined his idea would be taking shape on a global level, just 18 years later.
There are now vertical farms in Canada, Panama, Britain, and throughout America. AeroFarms is currently building another vertical farm facility in an old steel factory that’s larger than a football field. They expect it will grow up to 2 million pounds of greens every year.
Rosenberg believes that vertical farming is truly the way of the future. “It’s a tough business, but it’s one that’ll stay with a bigger and bigger impact.”
12. What is the first paragraph mainly about?
A.The development of farming. |
B.A great agricultural principle. |
C.The imagination of future agriculture. |
D.A brief introduction of vertical farming. |
13. What is special about AeroFarms according to Rosenberg?
A.It produces safe crops. |
B.It plants more crops without water. |
C.It saves more energy and labor. |
D.It uses misted nutrition for a better oxygenation. |
14. What is the AeroFarm’s specialized LED lighting like?
A.It is almost dark. |
B.It is similar to sunlight. |
C.It is actually natural light. |
D.It adds some yellow spectrum. |
15. What attitude does Rosenberg have to vertical farming’s future?
A.Skeptical. | B.Positive. |
C.Critical. | D.Indifferent. |