Technology Magazine February 2020 | Page 68

HOW DO WE FIX IT ?
SMART CITIES
Industrial Revolution - was a lot less urbanised than it is today . In 2019 , more than 83 % of the UK ’ s population live in cities and towns , the country employs fewer than half a million farmers and produces less than 60 % of the food it consumes .
68
HOW DO WE FIX IT ?
The key to improving nutrition and shortening the supply chains between rural farms and urban consumers may be deceptively simple . While , “ just grow the food in the cities ,” might seem like a somewhat glib response to a nuanced issue , there are compelling cases around the world for doing just that .
In an unassuming warehouse in New Jersey , serried rows of kale , lettuce and other leafy greens are stacked in shelving units and trays that reach up into the air . The climate – light intensity , humidity , nutrient balance in the soil – is meticulously tracked by a network of sensors and cameras that feed oceans of data into a proprietary operating system that allows the facility ’ s operators to grow food 24 hours a day , 365 days a year in conditions that are as close to perfect
© Bowery Farming
FEBRUARY 2020