• Science

    In Food Shortage, The World Looks to the Potato

    By Posted on 4.28.2008 6 Comments

    Quite a lot has been written in search of the root causes of the recent global increase in food prices. While bio fuels have taken their fair share of criticism, they are proving not to be the only contributor. Widespread, long-term severe weather patterns—like the Australian drought responsible for rice shortages—are high on the list, as well as increased demand from India and China—a country experiencing tremendous demand for grain to fuel industrial cattle farming. Regardless of the causes, finding a solution is the next real challenge.

    5.3.2008 at 05:11pm - Comment by wanderingsky

    If the world is hitting a food shortage and growing crops may be in the red due to climate, why not build a skyscraper or something to house a large multilevel farm? The architects of such a building could design it to allow in enough light for the growth of plant life, and the environment would be enclosed and can be controlled. Soil and nutrients could be added on top of the foundation of each floor. It would mean expanding upward in a controlled setting, instead of outward where weather is less predictable and insects are more likely to get into crops. If crops were layered in such a way, the food yield could become many times more than what a normal crop might produce. It would take some work, but it could be done... Also, couldn't hydroponics be used in some way to ease the food market demands, like making it more widespread?



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