Food Assignment

Vertical Farming

A sustainable farming alternative is vertical farming which is the method of growing food on vertically inclined surfaces. Instead of growing vegetables and other crops on a single floor, like in a field or a greenhouse, this approach grows them in vertically stacked layers (Leblanc, 2020). Vertical farming's main goal is to produce more food per square metre so crops are grown in stacked layers in a tower life system (Leblanc, 2020). Then, to ensure the ideal light level in the room, a perfect mixture of natural and artificial lights is used (Leblanc, 2020). Lighting quality is improved using technologies such as revolving beds (Leblanc, 2020). Growing methods such as aeroponic, aquaponic, and hydroponic are also used instead of soil (Leblanc, 2020). Peat moss, coconut husks, and other non-soil materials are widely used (Leblanc, 2020). 

Japan has the largest vertical farm in the world with 25,000 square feet of garden beds and it can produce 10,000 heads of lettuce each day (Gramon, 2020). The main factor to the farm’s success is how it has over 18 agricultural racks and 15 layers so it produces so much lettuce in such a short time(Gramon, 2020). Vertical farming has started becoming more common in Japan due to the ageing population (Nishimura, 2019). The average farmer age in Japan is 67 and there are few who can replace them so the country has been trying vertical farming technology (Nishimura, 2019). 

Vertical farming has many advantages but there are also some disadvantages to it. The building and layers would be very expensive to build as well as the prices for all the technologies involved are also quite high so it wouldn’t be accessible for all countries as of now (Leblanc, 2020). In addition, the amount of electricity used is a problem as all the lightning and technology involved uses large amounts of electricity which would be costly too (Andreas, 2020). It is also too heavily dependent on technology so in the case of a power outage or the system breaking down it would completely stop the production of plants (Andreas, 2020). Pollination would be difficult as normally outside it is done by bees but there are not any inside the vertical farm so it would have to be done manually which would also be costly (Andreas, 2020). 

However, there are also many advantages to vertical farming like how the weather pattern does not affect the crops’ growth and it lets crops grow all year round (Leblanc, 2020). It uses significantly less water compared to normal farming as it is a closed system as it uses 70%-95% less water (Leblanc, 2020). Another advantage to vertical farming is that there is protection from animals and pests since it is indoors which would also increase the crop yield (Andreas, 2020). The increase of crop yield would be great for the future as the human population continues to increase and the demand for food grows too. The savings in water would also be beneficial for the future as water becomes more scarce. Vertical farming uses land more efficiently too as it is stacked in layers so the crop yield per square metre in a vertical farm would be significantly higher than in normal farming (Andreas, 2020). This would also be beneficial for the future as we will keep on needing more land space for housing as the population grows. Overall vertical farming seems quite promising, however technology around the world is not mature enough yet but with further research and development it can possibly be the future of agriculture.

The FAO

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) was established in 1945 and is a United Nations specialised organization in pursuit of international hunger relief efforts (FAO, n.d). Their mission is to achieve food security and ensure that everyone has access to enough high-quality food on a regular basis so that they can live active, healthy lives (FAO, n.d). FAO has 194 member states and operates in over 130 countries around the world (FAO, n.d). 

Africa Sustainable Livestock 2050 is one of their current projects and their goal is to ensure long term sustainable livestock production in Africa (FAO, n.d). The project analyzes how livestock can be both beneficial and harmful to society and its effects on public health, livelihoods, and the climate (FAO, n.d). They also will build potential livestock growth models for the next few decades using available data, knowledge, and resources (FAO, n.d). The FAO will do this while prioritizing capacity-building investments to guarantee that future livestock systems support society in the decades ahead (FAO, n.d). In addition, those working on the Africa Sustainable Livestock 2050 will facilitate discussions and collaborate with other organizations on ongoing livestock projects in Burkina Faso, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, and Uganda, as well as regionally (FAO, n.d).

The FAO has accomplished many achievements since its establishment in 1945. One of its most notable achievements is in 2011 when the FAO eradicated rinderpest (CEMAS, 2020). Rinderpest is a highly fatal disease which affects cattle, buffalos and other even-toed ungulates (FAO, 2015). This disease affected food security enormously as it could wipe out whole cattle herds in a few days (FAO, 2015). FAO partnered with WHO and created The Codex Alimentarius which was also successful. The Codex Alimentarius has made a major contribution to protecting public health and maintaining fair food trade practises since its establishment in 1963 (CEMAS, 2020). Another notable achievement of the FAO is that they have reduced the number of people in hunger by half in the Caribbeans as well as in Latin America through projects like Brazil’s Zero Hunger project and the CELA’s Plan for Food and Nutrition Security and the Eradication of Hunger (Cavalletti, 2018). 

Even though the FAO has many achievements, there are also missteps. In 2010, the FAO subsidized seeds for farmers, in two hill districts in Nepal, to increase crop yield but the farmers failed to grow those seeds. It is said that the FAO Nepal office distributed incorrect seeds for hill areas instead of those recommended by the government (OCHA, 2010). This affected 1463 agricultural households and caused further food insecurity in the two districts which were already some of the poorest in the country (OCHA, 2010). There is also criticism of the FAO in 2002 after a FAO summit meeting (Petrini, 2002). The FAO set a goal to significantly reduce the number of people dying from hunger around the world in 1996 but 6 years later in 2002 nothing has changed (Petrini, 2002). People were criticizing FAO saying that such a large organization should be doing more to help those in need (Petrini, 2002).