Singapore: Vertical farming offers solutions to food scarcity
The Lim Chu Kang region of Singapore is home to agriculture, farming, military training areas, cemeteries, and Sky Greens - the entity responsible for the world’s first low carbon hydraulic-driven vertical farming system.
Operated by Sky Urban Solutions Holding Ltd., plants at Sky Greens rotate on an innovative patented system that produce 5 to 10 times more food than conventional methods of farming, using the same area of land and 75% less labor. The system uses no herbicides or pesticides - only organic fertilizer.
Each tower is 9 meters tall and consists of thirty-eight shelves containing 8 trays each, holding approximately 2,500 plants. Running on a ½ HP motor, it takes sixteen hours for one tower to complete a rotating cycle and uses only 40W of electricity (equivalent to one light bulb). Artificial lighting is not necessary as natural sunlight is utilized in the system.
Plants are irrigated and fertilized using a flooding method and it takes only ½ liter of water to rotate one 1.7 ton tower. The water is housed in an enclosed underground reservoir system and is recycled and reused. The facility also employs a 60kw solar array that produces 15% (sometimes more) of the electricity used onsite.
Sky Greens currently produces Shanghai Green, Cai Xin, Xiao Bai Cai, Mao Bai, Lettuce, Byam, Kai Lan, Kang Kong, and Spinach. There are more than 1,000 towers in Singapore and the system has been successfully tested in China and Thailand.
Read more at 3BL Media
