We are happy to announce an NSF funded workshop on the Challenges in Vertical Farming,<\/p>\n
Sep 26, 2012 at the \u00a0University of Maryland Conference Center. \u00a0 \u00a0Here is some\u00a0motivation:<\/p>\n
——-<\/p>\n
By the year 2050, we expect human population to increase to 9 billion and to be<\/p>\n
further concentrated in urban centers. An estimated billion hectares of new land<\/p>\n
will be needed to grow enough food to feed the earth. At present, however, over<\/p>\n
80% of the land suitable for raising crops is already in use. Further, if trends in<\/p>\n
climate change persist, the amount of land available for farming will decrease.<\/p>\n
Since crops consume 87% of all water used globally, an increase in water usage<\/p>\n
is not possible. Finally, while the need is for 50% higher yield by the year 2050<\/p>\n
to maintain the status quo, we expect agricultural productivity to decline significantly<\/p>\n
across the world, especially in densely populated areas. There is an urgent need for<\/p>\n
high-yield agriculture that decreases the use of water and carbon based inputs per<\/p>\n
unit of product, while simultaneously reducing vulnerability of crops to natural<\/p>\n
environmental conditions. Vertical Farming (using controlled environments for<\/p>\n
urban agriculture) will reduce transportation energy required from the distant<\/p>\n
outdoor farms. Recent implementations have shown high yields in the production<\/p>\n
of vegetables in controlled environments. Water usage has been significantly<\/p>\n
reduced compared to traditional outdoor farming, and crops are shielded from<\/p>\n
adverse climate, and, from pests and diseases. In addition, Vertical Farming has<\/p>\n
the potential to provide fresher and healthier produce to the local consumer.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Since no one community or technology holds the magic key, the opportunity for<\/p>\n
is to collectively enumerate and prioritize the challenges that must be addressed to<\/p>\n
bring high yield, resource efficient agriculture to fruition.\u00a0 The greatest contribution<\/p>\n
from this workshop could be a roadmap for governmental agencies and researchers<\/p>\n
to follow as they weigh their priorities in the coming years.\u00a0 Obviously the needs will<\/p>\n
vary depending on the locale addressed– we expect that the needs for developing<\/p>\n
countries will be different than those that are less resource constrained.<\/p>\n
The goal of our workshop is to capture the state of the art in agriculture in controlled<\/p>\n
environments, to define a research agenda for the future and to establish a working<\/p>\n
group at the nexus of Agriculture, Engineering, Economics and Architecture. The<\/p>\n
output of the workshop will be a report that could serve as the basis of research agenda<\/p>\n
by agencies such as the NSF, USDA and USAID.<\/p>\n
——<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
We have assembled a group of experts from around the world to address various aspects — horticulture,<\/p>\n
lighting, irrigation, automation, architecture, economics and outreach– \u00a0of vertical\u00a0farming. \u00a0More<\/p>\n
information including the list of speakers, registration for attendance (in person or via live webcast) is<\/p>\n
available \u00a0at:<\/p>\n
http:\/\/challengesinverticalfarming.org<\/a><\/p>\n Please feel free to forward this notice to those interested in participating in the workshop.<\/p>\n Organizers:<\/p>\n 1.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 SANJIV SINGH (CARNEGIE MELLON)<\/p>\n 2.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 DICKSON DESPOMMIER (COLUMBIA)<\/p>\n 3.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 GENE GIACOMELLI (UNIV OF ARIZONA)<\/p>\n 4.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 MARC VAN IERSEL (UNIV OF GEORGIA)<\/p>\n 5.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 JOEY NORIKANE (FRAUNHOFER)<\/p>\n 6.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 GEORGE KANTOR (CARNEGIE MELLON)<\/p>\n 7.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 NIKOLAUS CORRELL (UNIV OF COLORADO)<\/p>\n 8.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 MICHAEL HOADLEY<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" We are happy to announce an NSF funded workshop on the Challenges in Vertical Farming, Sep 26, 2012 at the \u00a0University of Maryland Conference Center. \u00a0 \u00a0Here is some\u00a0motivation: ——- By the year 2050, we expect human population to increase to 9 billion and to be further concentrated in urban centers. An estimated billion hectares… Continue reading