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Maybe if some real numbers (watts/gallons/person/year) could be produced. I know that's asking a lot and I'm not trying to shoot down the concept but that's just the way I tend to look at things.
In a world where we are confronted with documentaries like Food Inc., which expose the intense corporatization of the food industry without a glimmer of optimism, this little parkade greenhouse shines like a beacon of hope.
Phage
reply to post by pianopraze
40 tons on 3 acres
Ok.
40 tons = 0.00004 megatons
So to produce 1 megaton with that system you would need 75,000 acres. Right? Want to check my math for me?edit on 2/1/2014 by Phage because: (no reason given)
Even if total demand for food and feed may indeed grow more slowly, just satisfying the expected food and feed demand will require a substantial increase of global food production of 70 percent by 2050, involving an additional quantity of nearly 1 billion tonnes of cereals and 200 million tons of meat. The background to this outlook will be discussed in the following section.
Phage
reply to post by tothetenthpower
It's a great concept. If all you need to survive is lettuce.
But seriously, on an individual basis, can everyone provide all of their nutritional needs by this method? The image you posted shows a greenhouse, not a "green tower" that you can set up on the balcony of your apartment. (No, I don't live in an apartment but a lot of people do).
Can a system like this provide the megatons of food required to feed millions?
edit on 2/1/2014 by Phage because: (no reason given)
At the Farmery, shipping, packing, and handling are eliminated in favor of right here, right now, IRL cultivation. In a series of stacked shipping containers, vertical growing panels and hydroponic tech and come together to form a fully immersive shopping experience. The various climate-controlled areas are equipped to support baby greens — a “high value crop,” Greene says — as well as lettuces, strawberries, dwarf chili peppers, and herbs, which customers can select themselves, along with custom shiitake, oyster, and seasonal mushroom containers. Fostering this intimate relationship with edibles will only serve to enhance the experience, while increasing understanding of how things grow. He anticipates half of the sales will come from this “u-pick” set-up, with the rest from local, artisanal goods stocked on-site — a nice way to craft a sense of community in the middle of a bustling metropolis.
Phage
reply to post by tothetenthpower
It's a great concept. If all you need to survive is lettuce.
But seriously, on an individual basis, can everyone provide all of their nutritional needs by this method? The image you posted shows a greenhouse, not a "green tower" that you can set up on the balcony of your apartment. (No, I don't live in an apartment but a lot of people do).
Can a system like this provide the megatons of food required to feed millions?
edit on 2/1/2014 by Phage because: (no reason given)
Phage
reply to post by tothetenthpower
So in my community of just under 300K, one facility would be enough, because the city is generally small and travel isn't any kind of problem for most people.
That's a relatively small community (city). Who feeds New York? Los Angeles? Tokyo? All the developing regions of the world? Or don't they figure into it?
Honest questions here, really. I would like for it to work, I'm not convinced it can.edit on 2/1/2014 by Phage because: (no reason given)
Realtruth
This is by far one of the best threads on ATS ever, well at least IMO.
I am fascinated by this and similar approaches.
Currently their are commercial aquaponics farms popping up in the Detroit area.
www.greatlakesaquaponics.com...
I can't find it right now, but a man, in Detroit, retro-fitted an old warehouse with LED technology and has bumper crops he is selling all year long to restaurants.
Solar and wind are becoming cheaper to use so LED technology is the wave of the future.
tothetenthpower
reply to post by Phage
...But yeah, as a means to feed millions of people? It would have to be done locally and on a huge scale, as in every second person grows their own produce.
~tenthedit on 2/1/2014 by tothetenthpower because: (no reason given)
tothetenthpower
reply to post by FyreByrd
Yeah I know some people who do them outside, but only seasonal of course. I find tomatoes usually get the best results. Potatoes too for some weird reason.
~Tenth