Technological progress is something interesting to follow. Seeing growth of different technologies is truly amazing.
Where things really get exciting is when we see the combination of different technologies. This convergence is what really can lead to massive explosiveness for society. Probably the best example of this is the smartphone which saw the convergence of mobile, computing, and the Internet.
When it comes to food production, many think we are still in the Stone Age. It is true that aspects of this have not changed in thousands of years. While there was some progress made, which produced great results, revolutionary changes have yet to be realized.
After all, farming is still farming even if it is now on a massive scale. Automation and industrialization of the process netted up huge increases in production.
However, this is just the tip of the iceberg.
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A facility in Denmark is going to let us know how far we can push things. Vertical farming has garnered a lot of attention the past few years. Small projects had a degree of success. The idea is to grow fruits and vegetables in climate controlled environments using LED lights. This reduced the need for farmland while cutting down on water usage.
At the same time, we also see the need for transportation reduced as food can be locally produced.
What separates the project is Denmark is the sheer size of it.
The new facility is in Denmark, in an area called Taastrup outside of Copenhagen. At 7,000 square meters (just over 73,000 square feet), it will be the biggest vertical farm in Europe. Crops will grow in stacks 14 layers high and will use more than 20,000 LED lights.
In terms of resources, this process will use 250 times less water than traditional agriculture. The LED lights will all be powered by wind turbines. Denmark is one of the leading countries for wind power, generating about half of its electricity in that manner.
From an economic standpoint, this could be huge. The benefits keep mounting as time passes.
To start, since food is grown locally, the need for transportation is reduced. This saves a great deal on cost since not only are fuel costs lowered, but the need to make sure the food lasts is negated. Instead of being shipped around the world, it can be within a half a day's drive.
Secondly, automation and renewable energy will reduce the costs. By growing inside, there is no need for pesticides which are often used when food is grown outside. Not only is this healthier, it is far cheaper since those products are eliminated.
Agriculture requires a lot of land. Vertical farming frees up this land, enabling it to be repurposed for other uses.
Finally, the production of food is decentralized. Presently, a few areas of the world dominate most of the crop production. This technology allows it to be grown anywhere, on a smaller scale.
It is impossible to predict where technology goes. However, the track record is that it keeps advancing. This means what we are seeing now is just the beginning of the technological evolution. Another way to phrase this is that we are implementing V.1.0.
What will happen going forward? It is common sense to believe that we will see advancements generating larger crops for less money. What if the production started to net outputs that were 50% larger than what we are accustomed to now? Or how things change if we saw the time sped up to the point where larger plants are grown in half the time?
None of this is clear at this point. Nevertheless, these are possibilities that many researchers believe to be realistic. They certainly are within the overall trends of technology.
Ultimately, we could see more people fed for much less money. This also could impact some of the major agriculture companies that enjoy near monopolistic conditions due to buying up smaller farms over the years.
It is one of the technological trends that could end up changing how society operates over the next decade.
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