The answer is up - way up... and certainly not "out".
Vertical farming is the idea -- and it can change the landscape of how we produce and consume food.
Regarding the photos, below... both depict Akron, Ohio. Urban is rural. Rural is urban. We can feed those in our respective communities, and we can do so across the world.
There's lots to think about. It takes 2500 gallons of water to produce one pound of beef and it takes 120 gallons of water to produce a single egg. Imagine.
There are all kinds of inefficiencies associated with what we do and how we do it, with respect to food.
But it doesn't have to be that way. There are better ways. The ideal idea is to grow food where people live (versus shipping it to them) and do so without wasting other precious resources. We can seed and feed to the sky - and grow plants without soil or water.
We can do these things. If we decide to do them - together.
image complements of ralph solonitz
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Pre-show post:
NEOtropolis returns from its Spring Break and kicks-off its season "back nine" on March 27th. The show, titled "Taste and Place", explores the forces of technology affecting our production and consumption of food.
The "What's the Big Idea?" segment smacks you with some sobering facts: A billion people are still hungry... 40,000 kids die of starvation each and every day... and 50% of the food we produce is thrown out.
But once again... there is good news if we leverage technology, apply a collective will, and implement visionary ideas. Join NEOtropolis and "What's the Big Idea?" on Tuesday for one of those technology solutions.
Quiz: Which photo depicts Akron, Ohio?
Craig Arthur James 2012
The above are not necessarily the views of NEOtropolis Western Reserve PBS. Rather, the above article is the view of this author related to topics he may discuss as a contributor on NEOtropolis.
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