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[0] checkbox [#] position [cover] cover [title] title The Vertical Farm: Feeding the World in the 21st Century [author] author Despommier, Dickson D. [isbn] isbn 0312611390 [isbn13] isbn13 9780312611392 [asin] asin [num pages] num pages 320 pp [avg rating] avg rating 3.54 [num ratings] num ratings 282 [date pub] date pub Oct 12, 2010 [date pub (ed.)] date pub edition Oct 12, 2010 [rating] Lucas's rating 2 of 5 stars [my rating] my rating 1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars add to shelves [notes] notes Notes are private! [recommender] recommender none [comments] comments 0 [votes] votes 0 [read count] # times read 1 [date started] date started not set [date read] date read Mar 10, 2015 [date added] date added Mar 20, 2015 [date purchased] date purchased [owned] owned [purchase location] purchase location [condition] condition [format] format Hardcover [29] actions view [review] 
review I would have rated it higher but there is only about 10% of this book that is about vertical farms. The rest of is about the need for them, and worthw I would have rated it higher but there is only about 10% of this book that is about vertical farms. The rest of is about the need for them, and worthwhile but somewhat unrelated stuff that could be done at the same time we're building vertical farms. The only real number is the 90% reduction in required water, which is great given all the droughts. What about land area? How many acres x floors required to feed 1 person, a million people? How far should the farms be located from an urban center to balance transportation costs (including externalities which are not covered by energy pricing now) against land costs- surely someone has done a case study? One interesting passage mentions a strawberry farm that changed from fields to a greenhouse of much smaller land area but equal production rate and reverted the unused land to nature. The one farm becomes more efficient but transportation costs are about the same. It would be more efficient to convert existing farm land nearest cities to single floor greenhouses, increase the density of production and have further flung farms grow trees instead. It seems like a billionaire ought to be building one of these in or near a major city somewhere. How big of a building would be required to host a single restaurant on the ground floor? There would be a huge novelty factor to visiting the first one of those to be developed. 24-hours led lighting vs. redirected natural sunlight isn't discussed. The cleanrooms required for clean lettuce suggest robotic harvesting, though that would fly in the face of the authors desire for urban renewal via a huge need for semi-skilled labor to operate the farms. It would be interesting to contrast vertical farms with even higher density food production possibilities- growing stuff in vats with however much genetic engineering is required. ...more
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