This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American
I heard this story on NPR/PRI's The World while driving home from yoga last night. Here's the tl;dr of it: a Dutch company is perfecting ways to grow food indoors using LED lights and elaborate climate controls. By optimizing light levels and wavelengths, a range of crops can be grown.
One could theoretically grow plants in these systems in urban environments, giving new meaning to locally-sourced food:
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“An average kilogram of tomatoes travels an average of 1,300 miles from growing area to store shelf. It’s ridiculous,” Meeuws says. “It has become an industry with food supply chain management. And that’s a difficult realizing that you have to eat what comes out of it. It should be produced around the corner.”Meeuws says that with PlantLab’s system, one can imagine basements and unused office space in large cities filled with level after level of fruits and vegetables.
Is this a breakthrough in food production and sustainability, or is technology interfering with Mother Nature? Have your say in the comments, on Twitter, or via email. I'll compile your responses in an update.
