DeustoTech Research Center - Vertical farming: how could we take advantage of our vertical and dense growth in Spain?

International week 2011: Sustainable engineering

Vertical farming: how could we take advantage of our vertical and dense growth in Spain?

Alex Rayón Jerez (alex.rayon@deusto.es)

April 6th 2011, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark

DeustoTech Research Center - Vertical farming: how could we take advantage of our vertical and dense growth in Spain?

Table of Contents

Introduction

The problems: not everything is about demographics

Time for solutions: within urban farming, the vertical approach

What about using vertical farming in Spain?

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IntroductionWe will soon be 7.000 million, and in 2050?

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IntroductionClimate change is a crude reality

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IntroductionTrend towards urbanization

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IntroductionTrend towards urbanization (II)

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IntroductionFacing the need for sustainability

Demographical changes

From 2007, there are more people living in cities than in countryside, although cities only take world's 3% surface

Climate change

The effects of higher seas can range from erosion to permanent inundation

The severity of the damage depends in great measure on where you are → climate change affects the poor via the agriculture sector

European Commission: Working Plan for 2050

“The cheapest energy is the one that is not consumed”

Urbanization trends

It’s not possible to compare city growth by poverty migration (a lot of examples in Africa and South America) with Barcelona or San Francisco

We need to reinvent cities to reduce soil, energy and water consumption, promote quality of live, knowledge and biodiversity

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IntroductionLiving a food crisis

History and the human race has been shaped by many forces

It has been a natural selection process, why not this time again?

Trying to face structural problems

Lack of investment on agriculture

Is it fair current WTO's free trade of food?

What about speculative food trade in forward contracts?

“Sarkozy wants transparency to tame food prices”

What about climate crisis? (droughts, floods, etc.)

What about food sovereignty? (revolts in North Africa)

International planning committee for food sovereignty

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IntroductionLiving a food crisis (II)

Some important aspects to consider prior to start

Productivity of urban living has been shown to be higher than that of suburban life

Urban living has a reduced environmental impact due to lower transportation and distribution costs per person

Undeveloped land is critical to food production, biodiversity, protecting clean water, carbon sequestering, and much more.

Population growth seems to be unstoppable → we need to focus on using the earth's limited resources responsibly:

cities for people to gain higher productivity and real neighborhoods

not sacrificing land best used for farms, forests, and wildlife

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IntroductionUrban Technology

Urban technology isn't just fun, games, surveillance and mapping

But mostly, when we talk about urban technology, we tend to focus on its optimistic and entertaining uses

So many technological innovation have come up from gaming or military

This presentation presents a new kind of relationship between cities and technology

And, we are not talking about robots

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Time for solutionsWe have some problems, and we need solutions

The problems: demographics, climate change and urbanization trend

More of a liability than an asset

Time for solutions: vertical farming asa partial solution (not full yet)

Using our buildings to grow our food

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The problemsSome demographical data

Global population has grown quite fast during most of our lifetimes

It took all of human history to around 1800 for the global population to reach 1 billion

It will take a little more than 50 years for the world's numbers to grow from 3.000 to 7.000

The population is expected to top 9.000 by mid-century (or even more)

Demographic transition

Lower fertility rates

Lower child mortality

Longer life expectancy

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The problemsSome demographical data (II)

Most of them will be born in poor developing nations, to parents already struggling to support themselves

i.e. India only had 500 million people in 1966, today it has 1.2 billion, and it is projected to have over 1.7 billion by mid-century (surpassing even China)

If 9.000 million people were spread out around the habitable parts of the planet, the entire Earth would still have only 50% the population density of France

The fear (from Malthus to Ehrlich) is that we won't be able to support ourselves, that there won't be enough food, water or energy to go around

i.e. China feeds its 1.300 million habitants with less than 10% of its land being arable

It's possible to produce even more food as population growths → Cornupocian view

But, it will be hard to achieve without exhausting some finite resources, such as water

The key is to face poverty not superpopulation

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The problemsSome demographical data (III)

Demographical boom is there... but, what about technology to improve intensive resource consumption?

Energy, farming and many other sectors have a huge technology inertia

This is, is a huge challenge to deal with → demographical boom will be here sooner than technological evolution

Due to great investment capital needed (both in production and distribution of resources)

New scientific knowledge expected? Not at all!

Not mayor changes expected, as in Industrial Revolution

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The problemsIt's time for another Green Revolution?

Green Revolution: “research, development and technology transfer initiatives between 1940s and 1970s, that increased agriculture production around the world”

Some social movements ahead: Via Campesina's seven principles of food sovereignty

1) Food: A Basic Human Right

2) Agrarian reform

3) Protecting natural resources

4) Reorganizing food trade

5) Ending the globalization of hunger

6) Social peace

7) Democratic control

To summarize, if food is wasted in rich countries then the poor countries will produce more to meet the demand of these countries, and this will cause the lack of land used to feed the population of the poor countries

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The problemsHorizontal vs. vertical growth

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The problemsHorizontal vs. vertical growth (II)

The key word is density

The more dense is a city, the less environment it takes

Easier to build water and electric supply

Less use of private car and more use of public transport

The model: European compact city (10 or 12-storey buildings)

They are slightly more efficient (in energy consumption terms) than tower cities

The most sustainable city

Skyscrappers + European urban expansion areas

Rehabilitate + rebuild + reuse

“Cities are the abyss of our age” (Jean-Jacques Rousseau)

Sustainable architecture is not more expensive than traditional architecture

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The problemsHorizontal vs. vertical growth (III)

The intelligent network

Disturbances created by urban sprawl are due to the fact that we tend to create continuous urban fabrics by radial expansion

Why not structure their growth in the form of a discontinuous urban fabric?

A web of atoms (each being a 1 million people city or so) held together by covalent links (a 20km high speed train connection) forming a larger molecule (a 20 million people urban network)

Keep fertile land and forests between those cities

Mass public transport would make them work as one big pool of people and resources

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The problemsGrowing but not investing

What about agricultural investment?

In 1980, 19% of the official aid for development was directed for agricultural purposes → In 2011, it's just 5%

Trying to get back yo 1980's levels would mean to reach $44.000 millions/year → these levels allowed to skip famine in Asia and Latin America during 1970's

Public expenditure over GDP should, at least, be around 10% (far from what is nowadays)

Private expenditure should, at least, be around $200.000 millions/year (just to compare, military expenditure is over $1.500.000 millions per year)

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The problemsCornucopian vs. Malthusian view

For centuries, pessimists have hurled apocalyptic warnings at the congenital optimists

These latter ones, believe humanity will find ways to cope and even improve its lot

History, on the whole, has so far favored the optimists

But, unfortunately, history is no certain guide to the future

Even science cannot predict the outcome of People v. Planet

All the facts depend on choices we have yet to make and ideas we have yet to have

Population biologist Joel Cohen: “see to it that all children are nourished well enough to learn in school and are educated well enough to solve the problems they will face as adults.”

That would change the future significantly

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The problemsUneven growth

We are growing globally but unevenly

Developing nations: a country like India will likely need to cope with 500 million new people between now and mid-century

Developed nations: fertility rate is below replacement level and people live longer and longer → need to cope with extreme aging

Just compare dependency ratio:

Japan, Italy, Germany, etc.: 3 to 1

Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East: 25 to 1

Inequality could even be larger than it is today

The developed world will lack young workers, and the developing world will have an excess of that resource

Immigration could be a way to balance demographics and economics

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The problemsUneven growth (II)

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The problemsSome green myths debunked

Going local for fruits and veggies

Myth: Buying local food is better for the environment

Reality: It depends on how your food was produced and delivered

“According to a recent Oxfam International report, a tomato trucked from Spain to Britain may be more environmentally friendly than a tomato grown in a greenhouse in Britain because that process needs energy-intense farming techniques and more fertilizer and could degrade the soil.”

Problem is that our current food chains (industrial, organic or alternative food) impacts not only in our own and our children’s health, but the health of the environment that sustains life on earth

The Omnivore’s Dilemma (Michael Pollan)

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The problemsSome green myths debunked (II)

Organic food

Myth: Organic foods are produced without pesticides

Reality: Organic guidelines need to be tightened up

The truth is, a great many pesticides are permitted in organic farming, and some of them are considered lethal to humans in very small quantities

Nicotine sulfate and lime sulfur, both of which carry a "danger" warning from the FDA but are permissible under organic-farming guidelines

A stealthy greenhouse-gas culprit

Myth: Cars are one of the biggest emitters of greenhouse gas

Reality: Yes, but hamburgers are actually much worse

A report by the UN's FAO cited livestock, and especially beef, as a major source of greenhouse gas, generating more than transportation

Meat accounts for 18% of the GHE the world produces every year, compared with 13% for vehicles (other studies put that percentage even higher)

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Time for solutions: vertical farmingUrbanization

Edward Glaeser, in his book: “The Triumph of the City, making the case that cities are humanity’s greatest invention”

Countries that become more urban tend to become far more productive

The effect is even bigger for poor countries than rich ones

Those cities become giant incubators for economic growth → people learn to collaborate and to compete, where they can take advantage of the skills they already have and learn a

Few possible strategies:

Be a consumer city → bread-and-butter urban issues (safe streets and short commutes) and eliminating barriers to innovation in the entertainment sector

Make entrepreneurship easy

Get physical

Fiscal policy

Schools

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Time for solutions: vertical farmingWhat are we talking about?

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Time for solutions: vertical farmingWhat are we talking about? (II)

We are talking about another element of any smart city to kill three main challenges of our era (population growth, climate change and urbanization) with one stone

Solar panels

Eolic generators

Smart gadgets and remote controllers

Plug-in for hybrid and electric cars

Local electric energy generators

Wireless communication systems

Energy storage systems

Recyclable building materials

Urban farming

etc.

Positive policies (rewards)

vs.

Negative policies (punishment)

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Time for solutions: vertical farmingWhat are we talking about? (III)

Three main contexts consume energy with voracity → and those contexts converge in the cities (specially in bigger ones), where the policies must address

Some other birds that could be killed within the urban equation

Air pollution: sprawl growth needs private transport

Water pollution: poor supply infrastructure due to its vastness

Poverty-stricken slums: sprawl growth vs. vertical growth

Epidemic of violence: suburban cities due to horizontal growth

Epidemic of illness: poor sanitation systems due to its vastness

In 2006, 50% of the world's population was urban, but: they consumed 66% of the total energy and they generated 70% of the energy-related CO2 emissions

Edward Glaeser: “Vertical cities are the engines of innovation and prosperity”

Residential homes Transport networks Commercial homes

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Time for solutions: vertical farmingSo, what are we proposing?

We are proposing making possible the ancient way of farming: urban farming

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Time for solutions: vertical farmingUrban farming

Growing crops in vertical farms in the heart of the cities

No need for green labels: “France to label up to 1000 products” (GHE, water, biodiversity impact)

Let's take an example: a salmon salad (tasty, right?) eaten in Barcelona

Salmon: Norway,Canada or Chile

Lettuce: GreenhouseIn the South of Spain

Tomato: Almeria (south of Spain)

Peppers: La Rioja

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Time for solutions: vertical farmingUrban farming (II)

What is more:

Feeding 9.000 people in 2050 needs an increase in food production by 70% (FAO)

It can be achieved by higher crop yields and an expansion of the area under cultivation.

Easy right? Well, not really

Land available for cultivation is unevenly distributed (South Corea and Madagascar deal)

Much of it is not suitable for long crops

So, why not create more agricultural land by building upwards?

It is not nothing new: Hanging Gardens of Babylon and Chinampa

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Time for solutions: vertical farmingUrban farming (III)

Just organic products smell bad when become waste

Just 30 or 40 years ago, we used to eat local food → we use cities just for industrial, residential and commercial purposes, but never for agricultural ones

Spanish Slow Food movement: KM0 distinctive

Local organic produced food + threatened of disappearance

We are talking about environmental issues, not only agronomic

Agroecology → imitate nature, not the industry

Industrial agriculture → full chain, between 40-50% of GHE emissions

Not everything are fertilizers → knowledge of nice farming techniques, combining plants, trees and animals can power productivity

Stopping deforestation → needed to augment agricultural surfaces + processing food + transportation → so helpful!

i.e. 44 projects in 20 countries of sub-Saharan Africa using ecological agriculture techniques → 214% better performance

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Time for solutions: vertical farmingVertical farming

Main idea: vertical growth in urban cities (not only skyscrappers, but also European medium-tall buildings) filled with floor upon floor of orchards and fields

Producing crops all year round

Slashing transport costs

Slashing CO2 emissions

Spoilage along the transport

Summarizing: moving farms closer to where everyone will be living

Going backwards to the original civilization: building around food and not reversely

An alternative within urban (vertical) farming: hydroponic agriculture

Hydro (water) + ponos (work) → Crops do not need soil as itself, but its nutrients (minerals, etc.)

Other alternatives (still not so proven): aeroponics or aquaponics

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Time for solutions: vertical farmingVertical farming (II)

How does it work?

Food will be grown hydroponically → “solution of minerals dissolved in water”

The use of pesticides, herbicides and fungicides reduced to minimum

Soil erosion will not be a problem

Clever recycling techniques

Only a fraction (10-25%) of the amount of water and nutrients will be needed

No problem with the agricultural run-off

Something similar toArchimedes screw

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Time for solutions: vertical farmingVertical farming (III)

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Time for solutions: vertical farmingVertical farming (IV)

Did you know that we are quickly approaching to phosphorus peak?

From 2007 to 2008, phosphate rock (the raw material) prices went up 700% (concentrated supply), and the demand might continue to rise 2,3% per year

It is quite hard to recycle → it ends up in the oceans

Phosphate rock is becoming a strategic material for many countries

Worldwide focus on production of biofuels is not helping either

No single international organization responsible for phosphate resources

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Time for solutions: vertical farmingVertical farming (IV)

Can I build one at home? All you need already exists, is not a new technology

Glasshouse industry: more than 100 years growing crops indoor extensively

Indoor conditions: it is possible (even remotely) to tailor the temperature, humidity, lighting, airflow and nutrient conditions to get best productivity

Anywhere in the world

Anytime around the year

The medium (sustrates): rock wool, polyurethane foam, clay spots, pumice, pearlite, Irish peat, sand, etc.

Nutrient-rich water: roots are immersed not in soil, but in water → no need to any medium where the plan grows, because its roots are directly linked to nutrients

Recycling is possible (rather than being lost into the soil)

Besides, some environmental aspects

Passive form of climate control

Makes a nice view

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Time for solutions: vertical farmingVertical farming (V)

Some problems: artificial lighting

Without artificial lighting the crops will grow unevenly → plants closest to the windows are exposed to more sunlight and grow more quickly

Artificial light for fresh and sustainable food? It depends on geography

Ideal for near Equator latitudes

Cheap and renewable energy in latitudes otherwise not viable. i.e. Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station or Thanet Earth in the UK (it has its own power generator)

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Time for solutions: vertical farmingVertical farming (VI)

Some problems: renewable energy in urban cities

Generating enough electricity using solar panels requires an area about 20 times larger than the area being illuminated

This is, vertical farming will only work if it makes use of natural light

Solution: vertically stacked hydroponic trays that move on rails to ensure that all plants get an even amount of sunlight and air flow → Verticrop

Natural light from sides and above

PC energy consumption

Just for a single-storey greenhouse

What about multi-storey vertical farms?

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Time for solutions: vertical farmingVertical farming (VII)

Chicago’s Willis Tower to Become a Vertical Solar Farm

“Chicago’s iconic Willis Tower (formally the Sears Tower) is set to become a massive solar electric plant with the installation of a pilot solar electric glass project. The high-profile project on the south side of the 56th floor will replace the windows with a new type of photovoltaic glass developed by Pythagoras Solar which preserves daylighting and views while reducing heat gain and producing the same energy as a conventional solar panel. The project could grow to 2 MW in size — which is comparable to a 10 acre field of solar panels — turning North America’s tallest building into a huge urban vertical solar farm.”

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Time for solutions: vertical farmingVertical farming (VIII)

Some problems: multi-storey vertical farms

Solution: vertically integrated greenhouse

Plants growing around the edges of the building

Sandwiched between two glass layers

Rotating on a conveyor

New problems: area available is much smaller

Less biomass in spite of having more productivity?

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Time for solutions: vertical farmingVertical farming (IX)

So, we must still have to invest more on R&D in order to improve it

The immediate opportunity is to take advantage of the space (spare or not) available on urban rooftops → that is urban farming, but not vertical farming

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Time for solutions: vertical farmingVertical farming (X)

And what about Aquaponics = agriculture + hydroponics?

Grow fish and plants together in one integrated soil-less system

Fish waste provides a food source for the plants

The plants provide a natural filter for the water the fish live in

In natural habitat, fish is an important dispersion vector for fertile seeds

Projects: NYC's Public School's roof (by BRIGHTFARM Systems)

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Time for solutions: vertical farmingVertical farming (X)

Conclusions

Vertical farming still is not so productive

Rooftop farming (a kind of urban farming) is not either competitive with other suppliers in a global market

People is not willing to pay an extra cost for fresh and local food

It is true that it is a down-to-earth approach and it could some day be achieved

Urban farming is not the final solution, is part of the solution

A 30-storey-building could feed 10.000 people (University of Columbia, NYC)

It could sum up to 20% gains in productivity using less water, reducing transportation distances and energy costs

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Time for solutions: vertical farmingVertical farming (XI)

Caltech

Ohio hospitals

Eurofresh, Inc. (Arizona)

Cornell University

Columbia University (Vertical Farm Project)

Manchester InternationalFestival Vertical Farm

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What about vertical farming in Spain?Introduction

A sustainable city model (such as Masdar City) is not always applicable → what could we do in a country full of buildings?

Building customs in Spain: After the Civil War (1939) it became the popular alternative to save + Pelotazo inmobiliario during the 60s

22 million of buildings → National Plan to rehabilitate up to 12 million of them

Nonetheless, sustainable building in Spain is a kind of joke

Between the elections for sustainable cities: rebuild, reuse or rehabilitate

“The most sustainable building is the one that already exists” (vs. China or Dubai)

From Chicago in the 18th and 19th century to Spain in 21th → from mechanical cities to thermodynamic cities

Almost 33% of GHE in Spain are due to real state

Raw material transport by train in Spain it's only 4% (UE 15% or Germany 22%)

Railway transport investments have mainly been oriented to people transport

Environmental and economical costs

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What about vertical farming in Spain?Hydrological problems in Spain

Spain lacks hydrological resources → water is scarce in some regions

Besides, those regions (basically Mediterranean arch) with fewer water resources are the ones with the greatest water consumption

Agricultural and touristic activities are always debate topics

Droughts are at their top level in the last 60 years → biological experts have started talking about environmental real warnings → Spain is drying

National laws are not as much strict as they should be

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What about vertical farming in Spain?Lighting problems in Spain

Spain generates a lighting pollution above any reasonable level

It generates even more lighting than its power states

Public lighting spending growth from 1985 to 2007: 4,7% (2x 1990's levels)

However, population has just grown 0,7%

Spain, last in the queue of efficiency in Europe: 116 KW per year and citizen

France 91 KW/year and citizen and Germany 43 KW/year and citizen

None of the 52 Spanish provinces fits the goal of 75 KW/year and citizen

It was established in the Energetic Efficiency Plan from 2004 to 2012

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What about vertical farming in Spain?Real-state problems

From almost 3 million real-state workers to about 2 million (almost 40% of job losses)

Spain is currently the European Union's country with more buildings per citizen → 538 per 1000 citizens vs 432 as average in the UE (2005 data)

Financial entities and real-state agents do not have the know how to manage housing stock → almost 1,4 million houses without any buyer

During real-state bubble there was an oversupply of buildings in the main cities

Problem is even worse for second residence → Mediterranean arch

What about rehabilitation to solve those problems at once?

IMADE: legal reform to allow rehabilitation and energetic improvement of full neighborhoods → refocus home residential real-state sector towards a more sustainable economic model

Rehabilitate between 250.000 and 350.000 buildings per year + save 13.000.000 GHE Tonnes within 3 years + 200.000 to 300.000 new jobs + 9.000 to 14.000 million € per years

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What about vertical farming in Spain?Real-state problems (II)

Spanish economic model has been burst after real-state bubble

Economic consequences → total debt and budget deficit

Ecologic consequences → 5th largest cement consumer (quite above France and Germany)

Social consequences → unemployment

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What about vertical farming in Spain?Real-state problems (III)

Only buildings after 2007 (5%) fit Código Técnico de Edificación

Climate change will even become worse for the rest 95%

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What about vertical farming in Spain?Farming problems in Spain

Spanish agriculture in danger of depopulation due to aging

Less than 20% of the population lives in 90% of the land

Rural population is marked by aging problems: more than 30% is older than 65

Problems: agriculture, environment and social structure

Some helps to fix agricultural problems in Spain

European Union funds: €630 million to incorporate young people to agriculture

10 years ago, it was possible to live with 40 hectares → now are needed over 300

€12.000 annual salary → 66% of what can be made, average, in urban cities

Gender problems (no women)

Digital breach → over 5.700 municipalities and 8.000.000 Spanish without broad band Internet

Besides demographics, farming problems in Spain are also affected by the lack of infrastructure (communications) and intermediaries

Cooperatives, wholesalers and retailers add even over 600-700% to final prices

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What about vertical farming in Spain?Urbanization

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What about vertical farming in Spain?Urbanization (II)

Spain’s physical footprints (its buildings and roads) were designed for a different age

Plenty of inexpensive real estate, much of it is poorly structured for the 21st century

Declining cities shouldn’t be building new structures with public funds, but they should make sure that private developers who want to remake urban spaces

They should also work to ensure that unoccupied structures are turned into more attractive and usable urban space

Youngstown was an early mover in the shrink-to-greatness trend

There are three big anti-urban policy biases:

Pro-homeownership policies that push people from urban apartments into suburban homes

The subsidization of transportation infrastructure in low-density areas

System of local schooling that pushes so many parents away from big-city school districts → the great challenge of our era

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What about vertical farming in Spain?Overweight problems

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What about vertical farming in Spain?Let's do it!

Why not introduce vertical farming in Spain?

Emulating Detroit reconvertion

Emptied industrial facilities for green technology mainly focused to encourage urban farming in abandoned spaces

Local projects: The Greening of Detroit, Detroit Eastern Market, Earthworks Urban Farm, Urban Farming

Urban and community projects: seed, harvest and develop projects for education and social purposes

Financed by Local Development Plans (in Spain we have analogous Plan-E) an Obama's Recovery Act Funds

Interests: local communities, foundations, public sector and private sector

“Detroit could be the nation´s leading example of urban-faming and become a destination for fresh, local and natural foods and become a major part of the green

movement”

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What about vertical farming in Spain?Let's do it! (II)

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What about vertical farming in Spain?Let's do it!

Some trends starting to appear in Spain

Slow food

Healthy food

Biologic diet

Downshifting

Sustainable supply chain

How could we mix all these trends? Is it easy to make a mixture of technology and farmers? Is it easy to mix sustainable logistics with the final consumer?

Yes, it is. Two ideas:

1) Tech-retailers

2) Vertical farming

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“I don't know what I may seem to the world, but, as to myself, I seem to have been as a boy playing on the seashore, and

diverting myself in now and then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay

all undiscovered before me”

Isaac Newton (1642 - 1727)

DeustoTech Research Center - Vertical farming: how could we take advantage of our vertical and dense growth in Spain?

References

BooksTriumph of the City

Web sitesGapMinder http://www.gapminder.org/Population: Is the World Ready for 7 Billion People? http://ecocentric.blogs.time.com/2010/12/30/population-is-the-world-ready-for-7-billion/#ixzz1E9AlsRe4For Egypt, a Fresh Start, With Cities http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/16/business/economy/16leonhardt.html?_r=1&smid=tw-nytimes&seid=autoRising seas threaten 180 U.S. cities by 2100: study http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=rising-seas-threatenGreen myths debunked http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2010/technology/1003/gallery.green_myths.fortune/4.htmlEn España hay cerca de 1,4 millones de pisos invendibles http://www.finanzas.com/noticias/vivienda/2011-02-26/436572_espana-cerca-millones-pisos-invendibles.htmlRuina energética en edificaciones http://www.ecointeligencia.com/2011/01/ruina-energetica-en-edificaciones/Cities & Buildings in Spain http://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?countryID=13The World Is Fat http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/23/the-world-is-fat/Farmers markets up 16 percent http://voices.washingtonpost.com/all-we-can-eat/sustainable-food/farmers-markets-up-16-percent.htmlEl urbanismo español y sus raíces franquistas http://www.rebelion.org/noticias/espana/2011/3/el-urbanismo-espanol-y-sus-raices-franquistas-123862La rehabilitación energética de viviendas como prioridad http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=iInZ9s7gyUQEl derroche energético en el alumbrado público de España ya es oficial http://astroseti.org/noticia/3672/el-derroche-energetico-en-el-alumbrado-publico-de-espana-ya-es-oficialDoes it really stack up? http://www.economist.com/node/17647627On a School Rooftop, Hydroponic Greens for Little Gardeners http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/22/on-a-school-rooftop-hydroponic-greens-for-little-gardeners/Producción Vegetal. Agricultura – Recursos http://www.educateca.com/manuales_cursos/vegetal_agricultura.aspScientists warn of lack of vital phosphorus as biofuels raise demand http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/natural_resources/article4193017.eceEcoagricultura para comer más y contaminar menos http://periodismohumano.com/sociedad/medio-ambiente/ecoagricultura-para-comer-mas-y-contaminar-menos.htmlThe Omnivore’s Dilemma http://michaelpollan.com/books/the-omnivores-dilemma/Sobre el sentido de erigir huertos verticales en ciudades http://faircompanies.com/news/view/sobre-el-sentido-erigir-huertos-verticales-en-ciudades/Chicago’s Willis Tower to Become a Vertical Solar Farm http://inhabitat.com/chicagos-willis-tower-to-become-a-vertical-solar-farm/Fruit-feasting fish fertilize faraway forests http://www.nature.com/news/2011/110323/full/news.2011.177.htmlCan farming save Detroit? http://money.cnn.com/2009/12/29/news/economy/farming_detroit.fortune/index.htmEnvironment: The disappearing nutrient http://www.nature.com/news/2009/091007/full/461716a.html

DeustoTech Research Center - Vertical farming: how could we take advantage of our vertical and dense growth in Spain?

Copyright (c) 2011 Alex Rayón Jerez

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DeustoTech Research Center - Vertical farming: how could we take advantage of our vertical and dense growth in Spain?

Alex Rayón Jerez © 2011

Lecturer at Industrial Technologies Department in the Engineering Faculty at Universidad de DeustoResearcher at Deustotech at University of Deusto

University of DeustoBilbao 48012, Spain

University of Southern Denmark, Odense, April 2011

Contact Alex Rayón Jerez

alex.rayon@deusto.esTo contact me, so many ways :-)

http://alexrayon.es/alex-rayon-20/