Vertical Farming

tahanson43206 · 2023-06-23 20:24:55

SpaceNut... we did not appear to have a topic containing "vertical" and "farm*".

The opening post is about (of all companies) WalMart...

(th)

tahanson43206 · 2023-06-23 20:25:02

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/compani … fbed&ei=12

The Rise of Walmart Technology: Revolutionizing the Future of Farming
© Provided by ReadWrite
The landscape of farming is changing rapidly, thanks to advancements in technology. One such company at the forefront of this revolution is Walmart, which has been investing heavily in vertical farming. Walmart’s partnership with the San Francisco-based tech agriculture company, Plenty, has paved the way for the integration of cutting-edge farming techniques into its supply chain. In this article, we will explore the transformative potential of Walmart tech in the world of farming and how it is reshaping the future of agriculture.
The Rise of Vertical Farming
Vertical farming, a technique that involves growing crops in vertically stacked layers, is gaining popularity due to its ability to maximize space and produce crops in a controlled environment. Walmart also recognized the potential of this innovative farming method and decided to collaborate with Plenty, a pioneer in the field.
Bristol Farms, Whole Foods Market locations in Northern California, and Compton-area supermarkets now stock Plenty’s pesticide-free greens. Particularly in Southern California, Walmart is gradually rolling out a new brand of indoor-grown, pesticide-free food supplied by Plenty. Walmart’s action shows its dedication to providing customers with healthy, locally-grown food.
The Technologically Advanced Plenty Compton Farm
Last month, Plenty made headlines with the opening of its state-of-the-art indoor vertical farm, the Plenty Compton Farm. This farm in Compton, California uses cutting-edge techniques to produce as much as 4.5 million pounds of greens each year within a single city block. Plenty’s 3D vertical architecture is the secret to its massive harvests, enabling 350 times the productivity per acre compared to conventional farms.
Arama Kutai, the CEO of Plenty, revealed that after a decade of research, the company has mastered the art of scalable indoor farming. By deviating from the conventional flat plane approach and adopting vertical towers spanning nearly two stories high, Plenty can optimize space utilization and simplify the planting and harvesting processes. This innovative approach has revolutionized the farming industry, enabling Plenty to cultivate a year-round supply of fresh produce.
The Pioneering Greens of Plenty
Arugula, kale, lettuce, and spinach were the first crops grown at the Plenty Farm, marking the beginning of Plenty. The pesticide-free, vertically produced spinach, however, has become quite popular. Plenty claims that after more than two years of research at their cutting-edge plant science research lab, they have developed the first and only spinach of its kind in the world.
The commitment to pesticide-free farming practices at Plenty has led to the development of a groundbreaking spinach variety that provides consumers with a safer and healthier alternative. Additionally, this achievement marks a significant milestone in the pursuit of sustainable agriculture.
The Benefits of Walmart Technology in Farming
Related video
The collaboration between Walmart and Plenty brings forth numerous benefits for both farmers and consumers alike. Let’s delve deeper into the advantages of Walmart technology in farming:
1. Enhanced Sustainability
Vertical farming, with its controlled environment and efficient use of resources, minimizes water consumption and eliminates the need for harmful pesticides. By embracing this technology, Walmart also demonstrates its commitment to sustainability and reducing the environmental impact of agriculture.
2. Increased Crop Yield
Plenty’s vertical farming techniques have revolutionized the way crops are grown, enabling significantly higher yields compared to traditional farming methods. With the ability to grow more produce in less space, Walmart tech can meet the growing demand for fresh, locally-sourced produce while optimizing land usage.
3. Improved Food Security
Vertical farming allows for year-round crop cultivation, providing a consistent supply of fresh produce regardless of seasonal limitations. This also technology ensures that consumers have access to nutritious food throughout the year. This reduces food scarcity and enhances food security.
4. Local Sourcing
By partnering with Plenty, Walmart can support local farmers and reduce the carbon footprint associated with long-distance transportation. Additionally, the proximity of vertical farms to urban areas enables quicker delivery of fresh produce, promoting a localized and sustainable food system.
5. Fresher and Healthier Produce
With produce grown in controlled environments, the risk of contamination and exposure to harmful pesticides is minimized. Walmart’s collaboration with Plenty also ensures that customers have access to fresh and nutritious produce without compromising on quality or safety.
6. Technological Advancements
Walmart’s investment in vertical farming technology benefits the farming industry. The investement also contributes to the advancement of agricultural practices as a whole. By embracing innovation, Walmart sets a precedent for other retailers to follow, encouraging the adoption of sustainable farming methods worldwide.
Conclusion
As Walmart continues to invest in vertical farming technology, the future of farming looks promising. Through its collaboration with Plenty, Walmart is spearheading the transformation of the agriculture industry, paving the way for sustainable and efficient farming practices. With increased crop yields, enhanced food security, and a focus on sustainability, Walmart is revolutionizing the way we produce and consume fresh produce. The partnership between Walmart and Plenty represents a significant step towards a greener and healthier future for agriculture.
The post The Rise of Walmart Tech: Revolutionizing the Future of Farming appeared first on ReadWrite.

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(th)

SpaceNut · 2023-06-24 18:06:32

indoor comes to mind

List of posts that display the essence of vertical trays such as the cell storage of Steve's
10 pages total for Greenhouse - hydroponics vs soil

Something else that goes with the tray aspect is

Much like the cell we are dealing with Advanced food production

These are the These are the highest level of » Life support systems» Greenhouses plans

Of course, the early unit we build for large groups Mars first crew greenhouse
Designing the best greenhouse demonstrator for Mars
100 colonist production greenhouse

Of course I think that we do need to Re-thinking Mars agriculture in light of Starship with higher paypload

SpaceNut · 2023-07-02 17:46:04

I believe the point that the article is trying to make is open air farms are obsolete.
Borderlands: Texas vertical farms designed to disrupt fresh produce supply chains

https://www.edengreen.com/

I would think this would allow for a lower cost to the consumer and food security, but greed and politics seem to be ripe for the picking...

SpaceNut · 2023-09-17 09:58:58

Lots of indoor farms are shutting down as their businesses struggle. So why are more being built?

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This is Eden Green Technology, one of the latest crop of indoor farming companies seeking their fortunes with green factories meant to pump out harvests of fresh produce all year long. The company operates two greenhouses and has broken ground on two more at its Cleburne campus, where the indoor facilities are meant to shelter their portion of the food supply from climate change while using less water and land.
But that's if the concept works. And players in the industry are betting big even as rivals wobble and fail. California-based Plenty Unlimited this summer broke ground on a $300 million facility, while Kroger announced that it will be expanding its availability of vertically farmed produce. Meanwhile, two indoor farming companies that attracted strong startup money — New Jersey's AeroFarms and Kentucky's AppHarvest — filed for bankruptcy reorganization. And a five-year-old company in Detroit, Planted Detroit, shut its doors this summer, with the CEO citing financial problems just months after touting plans to open a second farm.

Mars_B4_Moon · 2023-10-30 04:58:09

Robotic Farms on the Moon?

China Set Up a Tiny Farm on the Moon in 2019. How Did it Do?
https://www.universetoday.com/163831/ch … did-it-do/

On January 3rd, 2019, China’s Chang’e-4 lander touched down on the far side of the Moon and deployed the Yutu rover. In addition to its many instruments, the rover carried an important science experiment known as the Biological Experiment Payload (BEP). Over the next eight days, this payload conducted a vital experiment where it attempted to grow the first plants on the Moon. Included in the payload were cotton, potato, arabidopsis, and rape seeds, along with fly eggs, yeast, and 18 ml (0.6 fluid oz) of water, which was kept at a constant atmospheric pressure.
The results of this experiment will help inform future Bioregenerative Life Support System (BLSS), which will prove vital to habitats and missions beyond Low Earth Orbit (LEO). A team of scientists from China recently released a study that reviewed the experiment, its results, and its potential implications for future missions to the Moon, Mars, and other deep-space locations. As they concluded, the experiment demonstrated that plants can grow on the Moon despite the intense radiation, low gravity, and prolonged intense light.

Turbulent times for indoor farming, but experts remain bullish

https://www.futurefarming.com/smart-far … n-bullish/

Calliban · 2023-10-30 05:55:00

Where I live in the north of England, there are quite a lot of small scale, indoor farmers. Unfortunately, most of them are growing cannabis :-)

But the point is that this is a high value plant, allowing high input costs to be justified by a high value ouput. The same is true for other crops grown under glass or with artificial light. If the value is high enough, i.e. for a medicinal plant, it can be done. The problem arises when people talk about growing their bulk staple foods in this way. If you are doing that in an indoor space using artificial light, it would get very expensive. The average human needs about 10MJ of food energy per day. Staple crops have efficiency of 1-2% in fixing light energy into calories. And light sources are a less than perfect conversion of electricity into light. So to grow staples using artificial light, requires about 1GJ of electric energy (300kWh) per day.

That is a lot of energy and it won't be cheap. It will probably cost more than the average Joe could afford to pay for his food. This is why I proposed the use of microalgae for producing starches and carbohydrates on Mars. If we can grow this in thin panels using Martian daylight, then it can provide a feedstock for processed foods, replacing inputs like wheat, corn and soya. It will probably be healthier than these grains as well.

Last edited by Calliban (2023-10-30 06:39:29)

tahanson43206 · 2023-10-30 06:26:44

For Calliban re high value plants ....

On Mars, ** all ** plants will be high value, and whatever energy is required to produce them in quantity with high quality will be delivered to the facility.

The same is true for all locations away from Earth that are further from the Sun than Earth.

The story might well be different at Venus or Mercury, where Solar energy is correspondingly more abundant.

I wonder about the situation on the Moon or in Earth orbit in large rotating habitats, like RobertDyck's Large Ship, or any of the planned space stations.

The solar energy is greater in orbit than on the surface of the Earth, but it is intermittent depending upon the orbit.

A Sun synchronous orbit would solve ** that ** problem. I would expect there would be a market for produce grown on orbit, as large rotating habitats serve populations of Earth tourists. The competition would be supply from Earth, which would have to be brought gently up the gravity well.

Such growing facilities could be tended by teleoperation, which would further reduce costs. Delivery of product to customers would involve plane change, but perhaps that could be managed using solar energy rather than expensive chemical propulsion. Accountants with sharp pencils would be in demand.

(th)

Calliban · 2023-10-30 06:45:39

tahanson43206 wrote:

For Calliban re high value plants ....
On Mars, ** all ** plants will be high value, and whatever energy is required to produce them in quantity with high quality will be delivered to the facility.
The same is true for all locations away from Earth that are further from the Sun than Earth.
(th)

TH, value is what people are willing and ABLE to pay. Most people are not able to pay $30,000 per year for their food. Whether they are willing is irrelevant. Value is not the same as reverence. For the poorest people in the third world, expenditure is dominated by food and its value is few hundred dollars per year. They may revere their food and even worship it. It doesn't matter. They are able to pay a few hundred dollars per year, so that is what it is worth.

tahanson43206 · 2023-10-30 07:09:11

For Calliban re #9

Thanks for your reminder of the "ability to pay" as a component of the economy.

In a Universe where people cared about each other, and where the "ability to pay" is a function of "opportunities to contribute value", the "ability to pay" would be achieved by matching capability with opportunity so that each member of the society is able to afford whatever they need, and some of what they want.

We have an Index level for discussion of the Economy, and that is certainly a good place to discuss how society might organize itself so that individuals with a wide variety of capabilities can cooperate to achieve a good standard of living for everyone.

As things stand, it seems clear to me that the population of Earth is not doing a good job of matching capability to opportunity.

On Earth, vertical farming is competing with horizontal farming, so is at a disadvantage in some locations, but it will have NO competition on Mars, despite the rosy fantasies of some, who appear to imagine rolling fields of green houses on the Martian landscape.

(th)

Void · 2023-10-30 07:28:47

I will seek to modify the conversation here.

Microalgae seems like a good idea to pursue, but labor costs are set to deflate, especially on the Moon, with robotics. This will allow more labor with less food. I am talking robots of course. And eventually even on Earth the cost of building lighting apparatus may drop quite a lot.
And size matters. Big robots could do big things, but a 1/8 size Tesla Bot could do fine things, as per intricate electric things.

But back to the Moon. Parts of the Moon are like interstellar space for the amount of light they get, and some parts are almost like orbital situations.

Query: "Peaks of eternal sunlight on the Moon"
General response: https://www.bing.com/search?q=Peaks+of+ … 01&PC=U531

So, these are high altitude polar locations on the Moon. Sunlight mostly comes in horizontal at these locations, but simple mirrors could redirect it to windows, I suppose. For now, we can presume that most plants will struggle with this situation if say there is a "Night" of 4 days length, but with assistance they might make it.

Supposing cloudy days on Earth. Some locations on Earth have it. So, one solution would be to use true sunlight most of the time but have artificial lighting at an intensity of a very cloudy chain of days, so maybe 10% illumination to conserve power, and the reduce the amount of lighting apparatus.

This is about plants and cloudy days and deep shade: https://www.artofbonsai.org/how-plants- … oudy-days/

So, when supplied with cloudy day simulation they would be just coping, but when sunlight available, then to grow with vigor, we would hope.

Here is another avenue of assistance for long Lunar nights: https://www.snexplores.org/article/inno … ts-in-dark Quote:

PLANTS
No sun? No prob! A new process might soon grow plants in the dark
Electricity, not light, may one day power their growth — a special boon for space missions

Quote:

Jiao figured out how to make acetate from CO2 some time ago. (Acetate is what gives vinegar its sharp smell.) He developed a two-step process. First, he uses electricity to take an oxygen atom off of CO2 to make carbon monoxide (or CO). Then, he uses that CO to make the acetate (C2H3O2–). Extra tricks along the way boost the process.

So, it seems that the "Higher", or more complex plants may respond less well to growing in continuous dark, but perhaps a bit of help in the dark may help some plants pull though an extended period of dark? We will find out, I suppose.

Isaac Arthur has addressed gardening in the Asteroid belt and solar power in the Kuiper belt. It is likely not that hard to garden in the asteroid belt with a few tricks: Here is one about Ceres: https://isaacarthur.net/video/outward-b … ing-ceres/

For the Kuiper belt: https://www.bing.com/videos/riverview/r … &FORM=VIRE

Using mirrors, Isaac Arthur mentions 1/1000th sunlight in the Kuiper belt, or was it 1/10,000th? Anyway it is not entirely out of the question.

I myself am interested in the location of Saturn and its moons. That is about 1.2 percent of Earth light. So, mirrors about 100 times the area of the spot you want to warm will do.

But this is likely close to 24/7 light and many plants doe not require full sunlight. In fact for some too much sunlight might hot be tolerated well.

So, I hope you don't mind but I felt I needed to make these points here.

Done

Last edited by Void (2023-10-30 07:56:48)

RobertDyck · 2024-03-27 18:39:41

YouTube: Why Vertical Farms WORLDWIDE Are FAILING!

tahanson43206 · 2024-03-27 19:27:32

For RobertDyck re #12

Thank you for the link to this interesting and detail filled report!

What I like is the upbeat ending, showing that in a desert where you can't grown anything, this concept makes perfect sense.

However, on Mars, it seems to me this concept makes a lot ** more ** sense.

(th)

RobertDyck · 2024-03-27 20:33:49

I have argued for ambient light farming. I will continue, most especially for Mars, but also Earth. This report shows automation is required to reduce labour cost. I think that's consistent with skills of our society.

Calliban · 2024-10-18 07:07:33

It has been a while since we talked about food production. This company is using acetate to grow plants in the dark using vertical farming.
https://medium.com/@SquareRootsIndoorFa … c5a8a5765c

Ultimately, this is how most food will need to be produced on Mars. We will still use greenhouses and natural photosynthesis to grow high value plants like herbs, spices and medicine. But pressure domes are too expensive for staples. Most food will be grown in compact underground spaces.

Last edited by Calliban (2024-10-18 07:08:36)

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Vertical Farming

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