In “Urban Farming,” Crops Grow in Skyscrapers

Expensive, but possibly a solution.

Thx for this : I source ideas talents and designs for the best private outdoor spaces: the competition is on to be top of the green trend : I will be promoting your article and concept ! Thx

Anne - editor : www.MyUrbanGardenDecoGuide.com

great for desert area where water is limited, or where the weather is extreme

thats a good thing bought by technology.

This is a fantastic idea and it has me quite excited but there is one point im quite concerned about and that is that to my knowledge the ammount of nutrients used in hydro growing is very high. If these high ammounts of sluphur (the most dangerous nuturient to humans) are not properly flushed out of the plants to be consumed, could be harmfull to peoples health. (Then again it is better than having people starve to death).

I would like to point out that in the cannabis college in Amsterdam you are warned about the dangers of smoking hydro weed or soil grown weed that hasnt been properly flushed (at 2 weeks of watering with just water and no nuturients) before harvest. Apparently it is due to the excess chemichals in these also very potent strains that are causing the cannabis related mental disorders. However I should note that I was only told this and have not seen any hard evidence.

These are myths. Hydro uses less fertilizer because its captured and reused rather than trickling down to the water table. And you can't water hydro plants for two weeks with just water, they will start to die without nutrients for that long.

While I agree that this is a little far fetched and may have a variety of problems, someone has to advance the idea and communicate it to other scientists if those problems are going to be identified and solved. Cudos to Dr. Despommier.

Here in Las Vegas we have tens of high rise projects "sprouting up" (no pun intended). With our 110+ degree summertime heat the recycling of plant water would be very effective. Interesting idea with great applications.

an other vertical farm tower here : http://www.livingtower.new.fr

its actually quite well known that if you are growing weed to smoke you need to flush the plants out with clean water before any harvest. I would be concerend about eating crops that are grown in these conditions with chemicals and no natural light.

A nice idea & all, but the real problem feeding the world's population isn't a lack of food - its getting the food to those that needed & ensuring that those who have access to food don't waste it. Wealthy countries throw away millions of tonnes of edible food each year (est value in the UK £23 billion worth a year - http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article1527738.ece).

In countries that are suffering food shortages the main reasons are due to internal conflicts or displacement of traditional & sustainable food crops for cash crops to sell to western markets (coffee, cotton, flowers, soya, etc). Multi billion dollar food towers won't solve these problems & poor countries won't be able to afford multi-billion pound tower greenhouses.

For those interested in practical & cost-effective urban agriculture strategies with the potential to help those that really need it visit www.ruaf.org