The word "plantation" usually evokes bucolic visions of green fields, waves of ears of corn and animals, but the agriculture of the future has more to do with the now familiar environments in which we live: a parking lot, a pizza, a crowded city street.
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It may sound jarring or unrealistic, but it is exactly one of the directions in which the agriculture of the future is moving: a team of entrepreneurs has started working on real plantations sent inside containers and capable of sending fresh agricultural products ( literally) to residents of cities.
More than fresh, to be honest: these are products that continue to grow even during the journey.
By 2050, planet Earth will be home to 9 billion people, 70% of whom will live in large urban areas. This is the conceptual starting point (actual data from a 2015 United Nations study) that Tobias Peggs, head of Square Roots Grow, took inspiration to develop his startup capable of sending “plants in a box”.
“The only possible conclusion is to produce rapid growth and sourcing of real, fresh foods already in the city belt”
The result is possible thanks to hydroponic crops: the nutrients capable of growing the plants are mixed with water and not with the soil, favoring easier transportability. In each of the 10 shipping containers the company uses, plants grow in vertical towers arranged like bookshelves. Each container, in fact, is the equivalent of a plantation of almost one hectare.
Think about it for a second: these don't use pesticides. They do not spray substances. They do not use GMOs. Is it or isn't it practically the healthiest and 'cleanest' food you can eat?
Really not bad, no doubt about it, for "canned" food.