Vertical Farming: Potatoes? They're on the Fifth Floor(2/2)

But inside the vertical farm, crops could grow all year. And there would be no wind to blow away soil. Farmers would not have to worry about too much or too little rain, or about hot summers, freezing winters or insects. And without insects there would be no need for chemicals to kill them.

Farm machines that use fossil fuels, like plows and tractors, would not be needed either. And water could be recycled for drinking. "The vertical farm reuses everything, so there is no waste," says Professor Despommier. Even buildings could be saved. Old buildings could become new farms and provide jobs.

The professor has been actively proposing the idea to cities as far away as Dubai and Canada. But so far it exists only in plans and drawings, and a model at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago.

Critics say building a farmscraper would cost too much, especially considering the price of land in many cities. Dickson Despommier estimates the cost at about 20 to 30 million dollars. But he adds the building would not have to be very tall. And his graduate students have found many empty lots and unused buildings in New York City that could provide space.

也不再需要像犁和拖拉机那样使用化石燃料的农场机器。并且水可以再循环来饮用。“每种资源在立体农场中都得到了重复使用，所以没有浪费。”Despommier教授说。即使是建筑物也可以被保存下来。旧的建筑物可以变为新的农场并提供就业岗位。

这位教授一直在积极地把这个想法传到一些远至迪拜的城市以及加拿大。但到目前为止，它只存在于一些计划、图纸和芝加哥科学与工业博物馆的一个模型中。

批评家们说建一座大楼农场造价太高，尤其是考虑到很多城市的土地价格。Dickson Despommier估计其成本约在两千到三千万美圆之间。但是他补充说，大楼并不一定要建得很高。并且他的研究生们已经在纽约市找到了很多可以提供此类空间的空地和未使用的建筑物。