DniMam t1_jab1vkp wrote on February 28, 2023 at 3:24 AM

I lack knowledge on this topic. My source is from Lydia and Claude Bourguignon, french "expert" on soil. They did an interview on it, however i just checked and stubled on articles critizing part of their unscientific method, so what i wrote may be wrong.

I may go outside their analysis.

I would be worried about food quality and its nutriments. Bourguignon's couple explained that vertical farming use a standardised soil for economical reason. So there won't be any terroir : soil's unique attribute that give a certain taste, nutriment to the vegetable. They can't put every soil components (too expensive) hence the lack of personality (taste) and nutriments.

So whatever is its location, it will have the same taste. A vegetable depend of the soil and climate to nuture its taste and nutriments.

As for animal, dunno but i think the lack of activities will hinder their health like us (=medications that will end up in your meal or soil). And their muscle fiber will be weak. They need exercises, sun and a healthy diet.

Futhermore, i wonder how much energy you will need for the soil, the light...we walk on it, the sun is warm, it is free, it's a lively gut that feed generations of various animals and plants. The apex of life.

So, let's imagine what could happen with a standardised meal...That's not a great futur.

We really need to stop industrial food, reduce our population and improve soil's quality by removing bad agricultural practice that spell doom to humanity survival and life.

FX2032-2 t1_jabxi9b wrote on February 28, 2023 at 9:16 AM

Fantastic answer! I whole heatedly agree! It's so frustrating seeing the media making people scramble for every new high tech solution, when we simply need to do what we are doing now, but better and with more care! Current agricultural practices are destroying top soil at a staggering rate, and should be sorted out first before we change tactics!

As to the role of such vertical farms, business will surely go in that direction, as it could potentially produce "food" cheaper, and the PR agencies are doing a great job of making it seem healthy. In reality though it will be the new junk food: the cheapest option for some consumers, but lacking in balanced nutrition and producing a whole new set of associated illnesses.

Plants grown in such sterile conditions will be totally devoid of any natural biological ecosystem, so consumers will lack the naturally ingested bacteria and microbes that we are beginning to realise are so important to us (for our gut biome and immune system). Similarly the plants themselves have no need to produce their own protective chemicals to prevent disease and fend off predators, so they will lack these greatly beneficial antioxidants and chemicals that we know can help prevent disease and cancer in us.

(It's a very small step away from just taking a food pill really as you may as well just consume the nutrient solutions that are used with such farms.)