Imagine a farm housed in a skyscraper

My friend Greg Gross recently turned me onto a futuristic concept known as vertical farming.

Just imagine a greenhouse that goes up many stories, with each floor devoted to growing a different type of food. You can have one floor of vegetables. Another of herbs, and yet another of grains.

Vertical farms make sense for many reasons. Right off, they save space. Horizontal farming is increasingly losing out to development.

More important, vertical farms offer something that tradtional farms don't, which is a controlled environment. Indoors, the temperature and other conditions can be adjusted to the perfect level to maximize crop yield.
Infestations and bad weather are kept out. That means herbicides aren't necessary.

Vertical farms can be located in major population centers. That means food is harvested where they are grown, eliminating the transportation costs and pollution that results from having to haul food from farms to cities. Urban residents are sure to feel more food-secure with farms in their midst.

In cities throughout America, there is currently a vibrant urban farming movement going on that encourages people to create edible gardens. Maybe this movement will someday mature to include vertical farming.

Here are some interesting links on vertical farming: http://www.verticalfarm.com/
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21154137/