this post was submitted on 13 Jul 2023
71 points (98.6% liked)
Solarpunk
5393 readers
84 users here now
The space to discuss Solarpunk itself and Solarpunk related stuff that doesn't fit elsewhere.
Join our chat: Movim or XMPP client.
founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
no, no it's not, it's historically a signifier of an economic downturn. I have no idea where your mind is here.
I think you might not get what is happening and what Im talking about. They're not growing fruit, and they're only growing one kind of vegetable: leaves. Im not exaggerating when I say they're growing things with single digit calories. Im all for them growing fruit, and substantial vegetables, all full of micronutrients but also healthy calories and proteins and complex carbs. They dont grow these things because these vertical farms are always just a tech fad, not actually good at growing anything but the least demanding of plants, the stuff that basically grows from nothing but the nutrients inherent to the seeds themselves, microgreens and young lettuces. I say fad but it keeps popping up and failing as tech startups pitch it to new investors, for short lived projects that dont make it to market.
Fast growing leaves probably have the best economic case going for them; relatively high value and with a high travel cost.
I didn't say that vertical farms are a great idea, just that they shouldn't be used to grow carbs. Carbs are a low cost to grow and a low cost to ship. You wouldn't use vertical farms for general food security because there are far better options.