HomeNewsResolutions support vertical farming

Resolutions support vertical farming

Farm fresh: Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding speaks in City Council chambers with (from left) Councilmen Al Taubenberger, Darrell Clarke and Derek Green. SOURCE: PHILADELPHIA CITY COUNCIL

City Council’s resident agronomist wants Philadelphia to become a world leader in the innovative field of urban farming. On April 28, Councilman Al Taubenberger introduced two resolutions that call for greater governmental support for so-called “vertical farming” and its expansion in the city.

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“The future is here. The world’s food supply is being strained to the limit. As the world’s population continues to expand, the demand for new sources of food — especially safe, nutritious, sustainable food sources — will grow commensurate with the population,” Taubenberger said during a news conference that also featured Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Russell C. Redding, Council President Darrell Clarke and other council members.

“Vertical farming is an incredible development. Fresh, pesticide-free vegetables and herbs are grown indoors in inner cities in trays stacked floor to ceiling, with nothing more than nutrient-enriched water and artificial light.”

Vertical farms grow produce year-round in stacked rows without natural sunlight or soil in half the time it takes a traditional farm. These indoor farms use artificial lighting, climate control and, in many cases, hydroponics.

Locally, Metropolis Farms has established the city’s first indoor vertical farm inside a brick warehouse in South Philadelphia. Taubenberger, who holds a bachelor of science degree in agronomy from Penn State University, toured Metropolis with its president and co-founder, Jack Griffin, and became convinced that vertical farming could become increasingly important as a source of nutritious, pesticide-free produce and as a growth industry that could employ hundreds of workers in the city.

Philadelphia, with its high number of empty warehouse spaces and wealth of colleges and universities, is well-positioned to become an international training hub for this industry, Taubenberger believes.

“Philadelphia has the available infrastructure, the world-class institutions of higher learning and the homegrown expertise to establish our city as the international center for vertical farming,” he said. ••

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