Ministry to expand vertical farming
Meltem Özgenç - ISTANBUL
Vertical farming, a type of agriculture practice that has the ability to produce up to 40 times more produce than conventional farming techniques, is currently seeing a rapid expansion under the leadership of the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry.
Following the decreasing availability of agricultural lands all over the world and the climate crisis, the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry aims to accelerate the vertical farming practice which will change the view of agriculture.
With the vertical farming application only using LED lights, tomatoes, cucumbers, watermelons, watermelons, peppers, eggplants, zucchini, melons and strawberries can be easily grown underground (in the basements of apartment buildings or ship hangars) without the need for daylight. With this system, water savings of up to 95 percent can be achieved and up to 40 times more crops can be obtained anywhere compared to traditional farming methods.
The Ministry stated that the Istanbul Indoor Vertical Agriculture Center, where vertical agriculture is currently carried out at a depth of 30 meters on the eighth floor under the ground and in an area of 700 square meters, is the second largest vertical agricultural production unit in the world, and that this technology will also provide the opportunity to grow produce under the sea or in space.
The ministry noted that vertical agriculture can also be carried out in city centers with this technology. Thus, the supply in the market will be balanced, and access to healthy food at a more affordable price will be ensured.
