Wyoming, a land-locked state in the United States which sits one mile above sea level, is one of the last places you’d expect such an innovative concept to take off… which is what makes it that much more exciting.
Residents in this mid-western location are no stranger to the burden of cold, bitter winters here. Feet of snow and difficulty growing produce year round leave most locals dependent upon imported fruits and vegetables… as well as the kindness of their neighbor to shovel their walkway.
But thanks to the creators of a new initiative called Vertical Harvest, a bounty of fresh tomatoes, micro-greens, and herbs should soon be available to locals in the area of Jackson, Wyoming.
Their plan is to build a multi-story greenhouse on the side of a vacant parking lot and, in effect, become one of the world’s first vertical farms. Residents will then be able to reap the benefits of this towering forest year-round.
According to The Verge:
“Using hydroponics, Vertical Harvest will be capable of producing over 37,000 pounds of greens, 4,400 pounds of herbs, and 44,000 pounds of tomatoes. Its founders say that Vertical Harvest’s 30 foot by 150 foot plot of land offers the same growing areas as 23 acres of traditional farmland, and has a fraction of the environmental impact, using 90 percent less water and 100 percent fewer pesticides than traditional farming.”
And interestingly, the vertical farm intends to hire mostly employees with disabilities. There will definitely be no discrimination in this workplace.
Utilizing crowd-sourced funds, Vertical Farms is successfully demonstrating just how easy it is for the population to produce food by using creative methods and a lot of heart.
The company describes themselves as “An economically self-sufficient business that will serve our community for many years to come.”
Those who are interested in self-sufficiency and taking care of their community have been aspiring to grow food like this for a while, to put power back into the hands of the people and regain the skills we – as a collective – have lost in the last century to due to centralization of agriculture. And now, not only will it be a possibility, it will be a reality in one of the least expected states in America. If Wyoming can do it, other areas are sure to follow suit.
The hope is, of course, for this practice to blossom and spread to other locations. Eventually new, independent infastructures and businesses will flourish in the future due to the work being carried out at present, and long-term, the quality of life for all will improve simultaneously.
