We have been associating agriculture with fresh air, ample sunshine, open spaces and rich soils since times forever- but this experiment will change every perception you ever had about this age-old practice. Yes, really!
This startup in London namely Growing Underground is growing farms 33 meters below the ground and that too in water, which means- no soil, no sunshine. Moreover, the company tags itself as ‘eco-friendly’ by using 70 percent less water than the traditional farming. Also, this kind of farming is making use of underused areas of urban space.
Growing Underground makes use of the famous Hydroponics technique, ‘the science of growing plants without using soil, by feeding them on mineral nutrient salts dissolved in water."
And not just water and land, the company claims of decreasing food-miles too, by reducing fresh food delivery to a 4-hour travel time all over the city.
They already have successfully grown mustard leaves, pea shoots and coriander.
Now you must be curious about how the plants are provided with a substitute for sunshine! Well, it’s done with LED lighting that’s controlled in accordance with plant needs and environmental conditions.
This idea, the company says can be pushed further by tapping into environments that were rich in waste heat and carbon dioxide, such as hospitals and school buildings.
This is one step forward to innovation and perhaps a better Earth.
Image Credits – http://growing-underground.com/
Any information taken from here should be credited to Skymet Weather
