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| A sustainable non-profit firm, with the help of the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT), has taken over an abandoned meatpacking warehouse and is converting it into a farm |
In South Chicago, tucked behind a low-end supermarket in what used to be the old stockyards, a project is under way that might offer a long-term solution to some of the food needs of US cities. A sustainable non-profit firm, with the help of the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT), has taken over an abandoned meatpacking warehouse and is converting it into a farm. In the basement, pools of tilapia fish, bred for Chicago’s restaurants, are providing waste through a biological reactor. Once the bacteria from the water is converted into nitrates, the same water pumps into a 1,000 square foot pool that provides nutrients and water on which a rotating floating crop of lettuce and herbs grows. It mimics a natural ecosystem. On the roof and the surrounding 2.4 acres of empty land, plots will be created for the growth of organic vegetables, and greenhouses will be erected. Mushrooms and micro-greens are being grown in the basement. A brewery is being installed on the ground floor – the waste from which, via an anaerobic digester, will fuel and supply energy to the entire building. A bakery will be installed on the upper floor with kitchens for local residents to use for producing standard-meeting food items.
The system is called vertical farming, and the experiment was designed to look into ways to produce food for cities on a sustainable basis. The Plant, as it is called, is in a building that was destined to be demolished. The idea is catching on. In Suwon, South Korea, a similar project is under way. Plans have also been proposed for Dubai, Toronto and Manchester, England.
“If we can grow things indoors efficiently, then essentially we can grow all year round, provide local healthy food without transport costs and reduce waste,” says Blake Davis, a professor at IIT who manages parts of the project. In New York, rooftop farming has stepped in to supply locals with organic food. In 2009, Eagle Street Rooftop Farm planted its first seeds on a warehouse roof in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. It spans 6,000 square feet and among its 20 crops sold locally are cucumbers, spinach and corn. Other rooftop farms are springing up across the city, including on the roof of the Gramercy Park Hotel in Manhattan.
“Cities are full of vacant lots and buildings that are too expensive to be torn down,” says Davis. “If they can be turned into farms and can run not for profit or for a small profit, then urban farming could be one of the solutions to the increased demand for food that is coming.”
