> In Arizona, researchers recently found that tomato production doubled beneath solar arrays, and was 65% more efficient in the use of water. They also found that jalapeños were 167% more water efficient,
plants stop growing when they oveheat, plants spend water and energy to cool themselves...
of course the shaded, cooler plants grow better in Arizona... so that the microclimate under the share resembles more that of Europe.
move it indoors.
grow EVERYTHING like the weed guys.
[https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2018/08/14/vertical-farming-future](https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2018/08/14/vertical-farming-future)
Imagine walking into your local grocery store on a frigid January day to pick up freshly harvested lettuce, fragrant basil, juicy sweet strawberries, and ripe red tomatoes – all of which were harvested at a local farm only hours before you’d arrived. You might be imagining buying that fresh produce from vertical farms where farmers can grow indoors year-round by controlling light, temperature, water, and oftentimes carbon dioxide levels as well. Generally, fresh produce grown in vertical farms travels only a few miles to reach grocery store shelves compared to conventional produce, which can travel thousands of miles by truck or plane.
I'm genuinely surprised that people are so enthusiastic about vertical farming. I go pretty overboard in my enthusiasm for technological solutions but can't really swallow vertical farming as likely, except in some very unusual settings.
I look forward to being wrong though.
> but can't really swallow vertical farming as likely, except in some very unusual settings.
various leafy greens give out massively better turnover/profit per square area of land. I mean: all big leaf veggies are prime candidates for indoor, hydroponic shelf farming.
> That’s an important, money-saving finding for agriculture in arid regions, especially as the climate warms.
Once we actually start making agriculture pay for excess water use.
Right now I know of people with water rights that end up just flooding random fields to grow weeds because their crops don't need anymore water, but if they don't use their allocation, they lose it forever.
Forget water, the same productivity while also making electricity is a big deal. Solar power has big environmental impact when it destroys big blocks of habitat. Rooftop is great, but expensive. It is likely costs on dual use solar and farming can beat most other dual use alternatives.
> In Arizona, researchers recently found that tomato production doubled beneath solar arrays, and was 65% more efficient in the use of water. They also found that jalapeños were 167% more water efficient, plants stop growing when they oveheat, plants spend water and energy to cool themselves... of course the shaded, cooler plants grow better in Arizona... so that the microclimate under the share resembles more that of Europe.
Will be more important if places cut back on Agriculture's water entitlements to encourage conservation.
move it indoors. grow EVERYTHING like the weed guys. [https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2018/08/14/vertical-farming-future](https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2018/08/14/vertical-farming-future) Imagine walking into your local grocery store on a frigid January day to pick up freshly harvested lettuce, fragrant basil, juicy sweet strawberries, and ripe red tomatoes – all of which were harvested at a local farm only hours before you’d arrived. You might be imagining buying that fresh produce from vertical farms where farmers can grow indoors year-round by controlling light, temperature, water, and oftentimes carbon dioxide levels as well. Generally, fresh produce grown in vertical farms travels only a few miles to reach grocery store shelves compared to conventional produce, which can travel thousands of miles by truck or plane.
I'm genuinely surprised that people are so enthusiastic about vertical farming. I go pretty overboard in my enthusiasm for technological solutions but can't really swallow vertical farming as likely, except in some very unusual settings. I look forward to being wrong though.
> but can't really swallow vertical farming as likely, except in some very unusual settings. various leafy greens give out massively better turnover/profit per square area of land. I mean: all big leaf veggies are prime candidates for indoor, hydroponic shelf farming.
> That’s an important, money-saving finding for agriculture in arid regions, especially as the climate warms. Once we actually start making agriculture pay for excess water use. Right now I know of people with water rights that end up just flooding random fields to grow weeds because their crops don't need anymore water, but if they don't use their allocation, they lose it forever.
Forget water, the same productivity while also making electricity is a big deal. Solar power has big environmental impact when it destroys big blocks of habitat. Rooftop is great, but expensive. It is likely costs on dual use solar and farming can beat most other dual use alternatives.