CAN VERTICAL FARMING BE A VIABLE SOLUTION TO ENHANCING AFRICA'S AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY?

Vertical bag farming in Kenya (www.inovativedevelopment.org )

The African continent holds the largest amount of arable land in the world but according to statistics, is struggling to feed itself. The sub-saharan Africa region has the highest prevalence rate of hunger in the world (www.foodaidfoundation.org/world-hunger-statistics.html )

Worsening the situation is the fact that climate change coupled with deforestation has reduced the amount of arable land, threatening the future food and nutrition security of the continent. Efforts to balance sustainable agricultural production while protecting the environment at the same time is proving to be a growing challenge and some researchers are proposing vertical farming.

Vertical farming is the practice of growing crops in vertically staked layers.

It involves the use of sophisticated technology and a climate-controlled buildings to ensure successful production. It employs various models which include: hydroponics-where plants crops are grown in nutrient-rich basins of water and/or; aeroponics where crop roots are periodically sprayed with mist containing water and nutrients.

What are the benefits of vertical farming ?

By 2050, it is predicted that about 2.2. billion people will be added to the global population and half of that population growth is predicted to happen in Africa. This obviously entails that food production must increase.

The global market value of vertical faring was valued at US$1.5 billion in 2016 and is projected to reach US46.4 billion by 2023. This suggests that vertical farming as a business is as sustainable and financially lucrative as conventional agriculture.

The sustainability of vertical farming also relies on the fact that crops grown in vertical farms can be protected from harsh and unpredictable weather-related threats because their environment is controlled. In addition, they are at less risk of infestation and post-harvest spoilage (www.cropsreview.com/vertical-farming.html )   

Vertical farming is indoor farming which is environmentally friendly and can be done all-year round even in the face of climate change risks. Furthermore, crops in a vertical farm are organic making them the most desirable kind of crops on the market.

Another attractive aspect of vertical farming is that they use less water – approximately 70% less than conventional agriculture- and water from transpiration can be re-used. One reason for this is the fact that vertical farming uses less soil Coupled with a lesser use of pesticides agricultural runoff is also lower than conventional agriculture and so vertical farming does not pose much harm to surrounding urban dwellers.

As land for agricultural purposes in urban areas is constrained vertical farming can be described as an alluring option to enhancing the capacity to grow food in cities..

But how feasible is vertical farming in Africa?

Vertical farming is dependent on the use of sophisticated technology and this entails high start-up capital even to an African urban farmer. This dependence on technology also entails the use or dependence on energy is inevitable. So if there were a cut in a vertical farm’s source of energy even just for one day, for instance, the loss in agricultural production would be significantly high.

In a continent where access to reliable energy supply is a challenge, the establishment of vertical farms would be daunting.

But such challenges should not be used as reason to shun the concept of vertical farming entirely. The onus is on African innovators to help assimilate the benefits of vertical farming by re-designing the practice in such a way that is tailored to the African economic environment.

Kenya is among the few African countries that have stepped up to making vertical farming work even for small scale farming, Some Kenyan farmers have designed vertical bag farming in for the growing of vegetables. This kind of farming makes use of small pieces of land while increasing the amount of leafy vegetables that can be grown per square metre by at least six fold (www.farmbizafrica.com ) Start-up capital can be considered affordable as one bag or sack in which the vegetables are grown costs about Ks1000 which translates into a little under US$10.

Other African innovators have suggested that even recycle plastic bottles can work just as well.

This kind of vertical farming strategy entails that vertical farming can also be done as a simple backyard garden as well as large scale horticulture.

The Urban Agri Summit is the leading event for the urban and indoor farming industry. The Summit, which is in its third year of existence, brings together agri project developers, investors, growers and governments from around the world, to share insights on how to advance the establishment of vertical farming business and urban agriculture. Given Africa’s agricultural potential, the continent is undoubtedly an essential target in the campaign to enhance sustainable agriculture in the face of various environmental challenges and the growing demand for food.

At the first Urban Agri Summit that was held in in 2017 in Singapore, renowned agricultural researcher and hunger activist, Dr. Esther Ngumbi, said that it was about time that Africa engaged in conversations about vertical farming and other innovative urban agricultural practices.

“With the urban population expected to increase for most of the African cities, there will be need for innovative approaches to feed the urban population. I do believe that Africa’s farms have to start going vertical,” Dr. Ngumbi said.

The response to Africa’s food and nutrition insecurity urgently needs exploration of viable options and then tailoring them to the African needs and environment to ensure that this alternatives are sustainable.