Vertical farm: prospects for achieving sustainable development goals

Abstract

The objective of this study was to demonstrate the importance of the vertical farm as an alternative for the supply of food to the world population, mainly, in the countries where the scarcity of land is evident. We linked the use of the vertical farm with the objectives of sustainable developments developed by United Nations (UN) in the fight against hunger and social inequalities in the world. A search was carried out in the databases Pubmed, Web of Science and specialized sites, using the words, vertical farm, fight against hunger and food production. According to the articles found, we could conclude that the use of the vertical farm can bring great advances in improving the supply of food to the low-income population; however, there is a need for budgetary adequacy for the implementation and operation of the entire system, being that in in some cases the costs are very high. This causes a certain skepticism in its viability. The collaboration of government agencies, non-governmental organizations and private initiative with financial support for the creation of vertical farms is essential

Vertical farming: A sustainable agriculture format of the future

“…Automation technologies are employed in the execution of operations like maintenance, harvesting, and planting. This reduces the need for manual labor, lowers production costs, and enhances overall efficiency (Passador & Lombardi, 2022) [28] . Internet of Things (IoT) sensors are employed for real-time monitoring of environmental conditions, allowing growers to make data-driven decisions.…”

“…One of the most promising alternatives to soil-based farming is vertical farming techniques, which could potentially complement existing systems and mitigate the scarcity of fertile arable lands and water resources. Vertical farming represents a paradigm shift in how we cultivate crops, departing from conventional methods often constrained by limited arable land, seasonal changes, and reliance on external factors such as climate conditions (Passador & Lombardi Jr, 2022) [28] . The core principle of vertical farming revolves around maximizing the use of vertical space, typically through multi-storeyed structures or inclined surfaces, to accommodate multiple layers of crops.…”