We asked David Sadoway, PhD Candidate, HKU, to comment on this article, http://bit.ly/bR81er, which sings the praises of vertical farming. Here is his response:

“Vertical farming concepts are very interesting and a great way to
devise strategies for urban greening; in situ restoration ecology and reducing urban heat island and local air pollutants (granite garden as Anne Whitson Spirn called it a while back). Urban design with nature is so much better than design for short term profit maximization only.

I, however, also think for food production it remains crucial to ALSO have a conservation and planning strategy that seriously protects green belts (green lungs), threatened farmland and wetlands.

Because traditional farmlands are far more productive and nutrient rich (from abiotic and biotic soil nutrients) than apartment/rooftop or vertical gardens will likely ever be, and because of complex ecosystem functions which simply cannot be replicated in buildings with a great deal of expense, conservation strategies should not be ignored, otherwise people will argue they can pave over farmlands and build green buildings.

In Hong Kong the incremental loss of the green belt/agriculture
lands/wetlands to highways, roads and ill-conceived developments and speculative land accumulation, not to mention fill and garbage
dumping, etc. is a serious problem, especially in the NT including the
outlying islands.”

So, although vertical urban farming can have many desirable salutary effects on our environment and food chain, it is no substitute for retaining green lungs and can only supplement a complete eco-system.

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