About this Research Topic
Several challenges facing today's agriculture could be overcome by indoor vertical farming. These controlled food production systems eliminate the need for arable land and pesticides, save water and space, and allow temperature, light, and humidity control as a function of the plant crop, thus being unaffected by the detrimental effects of climate change. Also, vertical farming can be fully automated, commercially scalable, higher-yielding, and profitable. Plants are grown on vertically stacked layers, towers, or other hydroponic and aeroponic systems where the nutrients needed for their development are supplied. These soilless approaches also allow the biofortification of crops with micronutrients essential for human nutrition and health, while preventing the environmental dispersion of agrochemicals.
Today, microgreens, leafy greens, herbs, strawberries, root vegetables, and fruiting crops can be grown on vertical farms. However, these future-proof production systems are constrained by biological and economic viability issues, such as the unique biological needs of some crops, the high upfront infrastructure investment, and maintenance costs. Therefore, interdisciplinary studies combining biology and engineering are now increasingly in the spotlight to promote the sustainable development of these climate-smart food production systems. Additionally, vertical farms can further reduce their carbon footprint and be more efficient by adopting renewable energy sources and precision agriculture.
This Research Topic aims to bring together cutting-edge research and development addressing key challenges and transdisciplinary topics related to vertical farming. These topics include crop adaptation and development, crop nutrition, biology, and ecophysiology. Investigations on how vertical farms can address sustainability issues and make food systems sustainable and resilient are also covered in this Research Topic, as well as food quality and security issues.
Original research and review articles are welcome, and the open-access platform will increase the visibility and impact of this work.
Keywords: Urban Agriculture, Indoor Farming, Soilless Cultivation, Hydroponics, Artificial Lighting, Plant Development, Climate Control, Food Quality, Food Security, Sustainable Food Systems
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