Computational analysis of the environment in an indoor vertical farming system

A plant factory has been developed at Horticultural Research Centre, MARDI Serdang. The cultivation approach under the plant factory consists of nine units planting racks with each rack having seven tiers or levels that can cultivate up to 900 crops per rack. Each unit of planting racks has been installed with electrical conductivity (EC) and pH monitoring system. EC is a meaningful indicator of water quality, soil salinity and fertilizer concentration. In this study, the data for EC and temperature were taken for each level different locations (three points along the rack) to evaluate the fertilizer quality distribution. The objective of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of EC and temperature distribution on the planting rack of vertical farming system under the plant factory. From the study, it was found that EC and temperature parameters were not significantly different at each level and the point location of the vertical farming system. EC and temperature parameters were significantly different with the time (week) and point location from week to week. The effect of the interaction between time (week) and level on EC and temperature parameters were not statistically different. Therefore, it can be concluded that the effect of EC and temperature distribution at different levels of the vertical farming system did not depend on the time.

Download Full-text

Environmental Assessment of an Urban Vertical Hydroponic Farming System in Sweden

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su11154124 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (15) ◽

pp. 4124 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Michael Martin ◽

Elvira Molin

Keyword(s):

Environmental Impacts ◽

Raw Materials ◽

Ghg Emissions ◽

Farming Systems ◽

Resource Depletion ◽

Farming System ◽

Electricity Demand ◽

Urban Environments ◽

Vertical Farming ◽

Growing Medium

With an expanding population and changing dynamics in global food markets, it is important to find solutions for more resilient food production methods closer to urban environments. Recently, vertical farming systems have emerged as a potential solution for urban farming. However, although there is an increasing body of literature reviewing the potential of urban and vertical farming systems, only a limited number of studies have reviewed the sustainability of these systems. The aim of this article was to understand the environmental impacts of vertical hydroponic farming in urban environments applied to a case study vertical hydroponic farm in Stockholm, Sweden. This was carried out by evaluating environmental performance using a life cycle perspective to assess the environmental impacts and comparing to potential scenarios for improvement options. The results suggest that important aspects for the vertical hydroponic system include the growing medium, pots, electricity demand, the transportation of raw materials and product deliveries. By replacing plastic pots with paper pots, large reductions in GHG emissions, acidification impacts, and abiotic resource depletion are possible. Replacing conventional gardening soil as the growing medium with coir also leads to large environmental impact reductions. However, in order to further reduce the impacts from the system, more resource-efficient steps will be needed to improve impacts from electricity demand, and there is potential to develop more symbiotic exchanges to employ urban wastes and by-products.

Download Full-text

CPS/IoT Ecosystem: Indoor Vertical Farming System

2019 IEEE 23rd International Symposium on Consumer Technologies (ISCT) ◽

10.1109/isce.2019.8900974 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Isakovic Haris ◽

Alexander Fasching ◽

Lukas Punzenberger ◽

Radu Grosu

Keyword(s):

Farming System ◽

Vertical Farming

Download Full-text

THE DESIGN APPLICATION OF ECOLOGICAL ARCHITECTURE ON INTEGRATED KAMPONG VERTICAL LIVING & URBAN VERTICAL FARMING IN YOGYAKARTA

Arsitektura ◽

10.20961/arst.v17i1.24480 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 17 (1) ◽

pp. 67

Author(s):

Ageng Wiranti ◽

Agus Heru Purnomo ◽

Ana Hardiana

Keyword(s):

Integrated Design ◽

Farming System ◽

Vertical Farming ◽

The Social ◽

Ecological Architecture ◽

Architecture Theory ◽

Productive Land ◽

Food Needs ◽

Social Side ◽

Living Theory

According to the Indonesian Central Bureau of Statistics, population growth in Yogyakarta has increased massively every year. The increased number of residents that occur, resulted in the need of house, and also the green fields will used as a residential land. Increased population definitely increase the level of food needs, but in contrast to productive land that should become a food barn of the population. Increased population will begin to shift the social side in humans because the places of interaction between individuals that should be the main forum of society to interact and socialize will be loss. Responding to this, the design application of Ecological Architecture needed, which raises a harmony between the building, human and natural environment. The research method is descriptive qualitative which begins by collecting data related to the integration of vertical living and vertical farming, literature review related to kampong vertical living theory, vertical farming system: hydroponic, and Ecological Architecture theory, then processed and concluded to be a guidance in analysis designing. From the analysis that has been done then generated an integrated design of kampong vertical living & urban vertical farming that can support sustainability design based on the application of Ecological Architecture theory.

Download Full-text

Techno-economic-environmental analysis of solar/hybrid/storage for vertical farming system: A case study, Malaysia

Renewable Energy Focus ◽

10.1016/j.ref.2021.02.005 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 37 ◽

pp. 50-67

Author(s):

Yi Lin Teo ◽

Yun Ii Go

Keyword(s):

Environmental Analysis ◽

Farming System ◽

Hybrid Storage ◽

System A ◽

Vertical Farming

Download Full-text

Sustainability Matters: Consumer Acceptance of Different Vertical Farming Systems

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su11154052 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (15) ◽

pp. 4052 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Kristin Jürkenbeck ◽

Andreas Heumann ◽

Achim Spiller

Keyword(s):

Structural Equation ◽

Online Survey ◽

Farming Systems ◽

Farming System ◽

Growth Conditions ◽

Consumer Acceptance ◽

Conventional Farming ◽

Vertical Farming ◽

The One ◽

Global Population

Fresh produce within vertical farming systems grows vertically in different layers stacked atop each other, thus allowing for the efficient use of space. As the environment in vertical farming systems is completely controlled, neither sunlight nor soil is necessary. On the one hand, vertical farming may help to provide a healthy diet for the growing global population because it has a greater crop yield per square meter used than conventional farming; moreover, it can offer the opportunity to grow food in climatically disadvantaged areas. On the other hand, growth conditions may be perceived as unnatural and the entire vertical farming system as unsustainable. Therefore, understanding the consumers’ acceptance of vertical farming systems is important. This study is the first work to provide insights into consumers’ acceptance of three different vertical farming systems. Data are collected through an online survey of 482 consumers in Germany in February 2018. Drivers of consumer acceptance of vertical farming systems are identified through structural equation modelling. The results indicate that perceived sustainability is the major driver of consumer acceptance of vertical farming systems. The larger the system, the higher the likelihood that it will be considered as sustainable. Obviously, consumers perceive something like ecologies of scale.

Download Full-text

Determination of the effective operating hours of the intermittent lighting system for growing vegetables

IOP Conference Series Earth and Environmental Science ◽

10.1088/1755-1315/935/1/012004 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 935 (1) ◽

pp. 012004

Author(s):

N Kondrateva ◽

D Filatov ◽

R Bolshin ◽

M Krasnolutskaya ◽

A Shishov ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Operating Time ◽

Electricity Consumption ◽

Operating Mode ◽

Farming System ◽

Controlled Environment ◽

Light Sources ◽

Lighting System ◽

Light Emitting ◽

Vertical Farming ◽

The Cost

Abstract Around the world, one of the key challenges is the provision of food for a growing urbanized population. A vertical farming system will help solve this problem. Vertical farming in a controlled environment provides 4-6 times higher yields per unit area, but requires more electricity. The most economical light sources are light-emitting diodes but it is important to determine the rational operating mode of the lighting system. The aim of the study was to determine the specific operating hours of the intermittent lighting system to reduce the cost of electricity consumption when growing vegetables in vertical farming in a controlled environment. Continuous and periodic modes of operation of the lighting system with a total operating time of 16 hours per day were considered. In Russia, there are six price categories for consumed electricity. Research has shown that price level II is economically viable. and a rational operating mode: 8 hours of light/4 hours of darkness, etc. Thus, the intervals of operation of the lighting system are 11.00-19.00 and 23.00-7.00. The study of this regime for microgreening of Mitsun head cabbage showed that the productivity of the plants was preserved, since the length of the leaves did not change.

Download Full-text

A recommendation for suitable technologies for an indoor farming framework

e & i Elektrotechnik und Informationstechnik ◽

10.1007/s00502-020-00824-7 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 137 (7) ◽

pp. 370-374

Author(s):

Clemens Gnauer ◽

Harald Pichler ◽

Christoph Schmittner ◽

Markus Tauber ◽

Korbinian Christl ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Information And Communication Technology ◽

Communication Technology ◽

Food Production ◽

Farming System ◽

Heterogeneous Devices ◽

Vertical Arrays ◽

Vertical Farming ◽

Information And Communication ◽

Secure Monitoring ◽

Growing Conditions

Abstract Facing food insecurity and overuse of resources due to effects of climate change, humanity needs to find new ways to secure food production and produce close to consumers. Vertical farming, where plants are grown in vertical arrays inside buildings with help of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) components, could contribute to solving this issue. Such systems integrate heterogeneous devices on different computing layers and acquire a lot of data to monitor and optimize the production process. We created an indoor testing unit in which growing conditions can be monitored and controlled to optimize growth of microgreens. This setup includes an Indoor Farming Support as a Service (IFSaaS) prototype that provides safe and secure monitoring and controlling, as well as self-adaption of an indoor farming system. In this article we provide information about the combination of most suitable technologies.

Download Full-text

PENINGKATAN AKSES PANGAN BAGI MASYARAKAT PERKOTAAN MELALUI PELATIHAN VERTICAL FARMING DAN PERTANIAN ORGANIK [IMPROVING FOOD ACCESS FOR A MARGINAL URBAN COMMUNITY THROUGH VERTICAL AND ORGANIC FARMING TRAINING]

Jurnal Sinergitas PKM & CSR ◽

10.19166/jspc.v4i2.1811 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (2) ◽

pp. 115

Author(s):

Firman Zulpikar ◽

Abel Gandhy ◽

Warsono El Kiyat

Keyword(s):

Organic Farming ◽

Community Service ◽

Food Access ◽

Agricultural Land ◽

Farming Systems ◽

Farming System ◽

Land Conversion ◽

Research Technology ◽

Community Awareness ◽

Vertical Farming

Housing and business centers are growing rapidly in the urban area. This causes agricultural land and other green lands increasingly narrow due to land conversion. One area affected by land conversion is Lengkong Kulon Village, Tangerang Regency, where most of the agricultural land has been turned into a residential area and business center. This condition has an impact on food availability which is getting lower and environmental quality is declining. To overcome these problems, Surya University, supported by the Ministry of Research, Technology, and Higher Education (Kemenristekdikti), organized community service activities by pioneering sustainable green villages and adequate nutrition through vertical farming. This program was implemented by the workshop and participatory community. The number of participants involved in this activity was more than 25 people from youth groups concerned about the environment, PKK members, and university students. This activity consisted of three stages: Community awareness building, Vertical and organic farming training, and Providing vertical farming equipment assistance packages. The result of this community service showed that participants knowledge about organic farming and vertical farming increased from 26% to 86% and from 11% to 72%, respectively. In addition, the level of community skills to apply organic farming systems also increased from 15% to 80%, and for vertical farming increased from 7% to 60%. This activity is expected to improve environmental conditions as well as food access for target communities through consumption of sufficients vegetables and fruits grown using the vertical farming system. Bahasa Indonesia Abstrak: Abstrak Pesatnya pembangunan komplek perumahan dan pusat bisnis di perkotaan telah menyebabkan semakin sempitnya lahan pertanian dan lahan hijau lainnya akibat alih fungsi lahan. Salah satu wilayah yang terkena dampak alih fungsi lahan adalah Kampung Lengkong Kulon, Desa Lengkong Kulon, Kabupaten Tangerang di mana sebagian besar lahan pertaniannya telah berubah menjadi kawasan perumahan dan pusat bisnis. Kondisi ini telah berimplikasi pada ketersediaan pangan yang semakin rendah serta kualitas lingkungan yang menurun. Untuk mengatasi permasalahan tersebut, Universitas Surya yang didukung oleh Kementristekdikti menyelenggarakan kegiatan pengabdian masyarakat dengan tema rintisan kampung hijau lestari dan cukup gizi melalui vertical farming. Program ini dilaksanakan menggunakan model workshop dan participatory community. Jumlah peserta yang terlibat dalam kegiatan ini yaitu lebih dari 25 orang, yang berasal dari kelompok pemuda peduli lingkungan, ibu-ibu PKK, anggota posyandu, serta kelompok mahasiswa. Tahapan kegiatan ini meliputi pembangunan kesadaran masyarakat (community awareness), pelatihan vertical farming dan pertanian organik, serta pemberian paket bantuan peralatan vertical farming. Hasil evaluasi pelatihan menunjukkan bahwa terjadi peningkatan pengetahuan masyarakat tentang pertanian organik dari semula hanya 26% menjadi 86%, sedangkan untuk vertical farming dari semula 11% meningkat menjadi 72%. Tingkat keterampilan masyarakat untuk menerapkan sistem pertanian organik juga meningkat dari semula hanya 15% menjadi 80%, sementara untuk untuk vertical farming dari semula 7% meningkat menjadi 60%. Kegiatan ini diharapkan dapat memperbaiki kondisi lingkungan serta adanya peningkatan akses pangan bagi masyarakat sasaran melalui konsumsi sayuran dan buahbuahan yang cukup, yang ditanam menggunakan sistem vertical farming.

Download Full-text