The Edge - Volume One

Because these are controlled environments, indoor cropping operations don’t need to use pesticides or herbicides, solving for another ecological challenge. Instead of soil, plants are grown in re-usable cloth made from recycled plastic, and instead of sunlight, operations rely on specialized LED lighting systems. This also helps to reduce energy footprints. Perhaps their greatest ecological benefit is in the reduction of food miles. On average, in the U.S., produce travels 1,500 miles from farm to plate. This, of course, impacts freshness as many foods lose nutrients and taste along the way, but it also has profoundly negative impacts in terms of greenhouse gas emissions. Urban farming operations eliminate the need for extensive distribution chains with the ability to grow crops close to the end consumer.

In dense urban markets, the rise of indoor cropping creates an opportunity for urban planners to reuse obsolete industrial buildings while reaping the benefits of reduced local reliance on traditional distribution chain and the need to import goods from far away. This means less strain on infrastructure, with fewer big rigs clogging local highways. The indoor cropping movement is hardly monolithic. A range of technologies already exist and others are being created. Some operations see an opportunity in rooftop farms. Though this concept is in its infancy, the rise of rooftop farming capabilities could potentially create new revenue streams for the owners of urban properties.

In the U.S., produce travels on average 1,500 miles from farm to plate.

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