Singapore Opens Worlds First Commercial Vertical Farm
Finding a place for local produce in urban areas has been a struggle in many places throughout the world, despite the fact that the capabilities to fill this demand have been around for a long time.
One way to fill this demand is through vertical urban farms, a step that has recently been taken by entrepreneurs in Singapore, making that the first place in the world to have access to this kind of establishment.
Currently, about 7% of Singapore’s vegetables are grown locally, a figure that is expected to rise past 10% once the farm is fully constructed.
As of right now the farm has 120 vertical towers, but Sky Greens farm, the group working on the project, hopes to increase the number to 300 by next year.
Currently the farm is producing 0.5 tons of produce per day and by completion it is said that it will be producing up to two tons of produce per day.
The farms are constructed with aluminum towers that are as tall as nine meters in length, and vegetables are grown in compartments at multiple levels.
It looks kind of like a giant greenhouse/warehouse with a bunch of shelves.
‘The farm itself is made up of 120 aluminum towers that stretch thirty feet tall. Looking like giant greenhouses the rows of plants produce about a half ton of veggies per day.Only three kinds of vegetables are grown there, but locals hope to expand the farm to include other varieties.The farm is currently seeking investors to help build 300 additional towers, which would produce two tons of vegetables per day.Although the $21 million dollar price tag is hefty, it could mean agricultural independence for the area.”
This project may be expensive, but it shows a lot of promise and it has already become very popular locally.
The food is sold locally through a market called FairPrice and a representative of that market named Mr Tng Ah Yiam recently told a reporter that this farm has been great for the community.
He said that, “The response has been very good. Even before the official launch, the vegetables were sold out in the last few days.
Actually, the store manager called me and said we need more vegetables. So I think it’s a good sign that the consumer supports local vegetables.”
Hopefully this long overdue progress in the realm of agriculture spreads to other cities throughout the world.
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J.G. Vibes is the author of an 87 chapter counter culture textbook called Alchemy of the Modern Renaissance, a staff writer and reporter for The Intel Hub and host of a show called Voluntary Hippie Radio.
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