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The concept of indoor farming is not new, since hothouse production of tomatoes and other produce has been in vogue for some time. What is new is the urgent need to scale up this technology to accommodate another three billion people. Many believe an entirely new approach to indoor farming is required, employing cutting-edge technologies. One such proposal is for the ‘Vertical Farm’. The concept is of multi-storey buildings in which food crops are grown in environmentally controlled conditions. Situated in the heart of urban centres, they would drastically reduce the amount of transportation required to bring food to consumers. Vertical farms would need to be efficient, cheap to construct and safe to operate. If successfully implemented, proponents claim, vertical farms offer the promise of urban renewal, sustainable production of a safe and varied food supply (through year-round production of all crops), and the eventual repair of ecosystems that have been sacrificed for horizontal farming.

室内农业的概念并不新鲜，因为温室种植番茄和其他农产品已经流行了一段时间。新鲜的是迫切需要扩大这项技术以适应另外30亿人口的需求。许多人认为需要全新的室内农业方法，采用尖端技术。其中之一是“垂直农场”的提议。这个概念是在多层建筑中以环境控制条件种植农作物。位于城市中心，它们将大大减少运输食物给消费者所需的数量。垂直农场需要高效、便宜的建设和安全的运营。支持者声称，如果成功实施，垂直农场将带来城市更新、可持续生产安全和多样化的食物供应（通过全年生产所有作物）以及最终修复因水平农业而牺牲的生态系统。