Discussion Title: Vertical Farming is the Future of Agriculture

1. Vertical Farming Should Replace Current Agricultural Methods
1.1. Con: Fruits and vegetables produced through hydroponic methods are [less tasty](https://medium.com/new-farmer/why-hydroponic-plants-taste-bad-e5a7ff8c39ac) than when grown in natural soil.
1.1.1. Pro: Most nutrient solution/fertilizers only contain [NPK](https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/soil-fertilizers/fertilizer-numbers-npk.htm). We [do not know enough](http://biomineralstechnologies.com/farm-solutions/restore-soils/biology-balances-and-ratios/16-understanding-biology) about what influence trace elements, microbial soil life and mycorrhizal funghi have on taste and nutritional value to truly replicate the tastes of conventional conditions, or at least do it consistently.
1.1.2. Pro: [Certain plants produce substances we perceive as flavor as a reaction to environmental stress.](https://www.madfeed.co/2016/dr-flavor-at-mit-stressing-out-plants-for-flavor/)
1.1.3. Con: One can [customize](https://www.foodandwine.com/news/hydroponic-farm-can-individually-customize-taste-produce) the taste of their produce using hydroponic systems, resulting in more desirable flavor.
1.1.3.1. Pro: By [altering](https://agfundernews.com/bowery-launches-ai-enabled-indoor-farming-business-with-7-5m-in-seed-funding.html) light exposure, the taste of certain greens like arugula can be intensified or weakened.
1.2. Con: Vertical farming is difficult to set up \(requires lights, building, water piping...\)
1.2.1. Pro: These set ups are expensive.
1.2.2. Pro: Individuals may have a more difficult time growing their own food vertically at home than conveniently buying food at a grocery store.
1.2.3. Pro: This problem limits the options of which foods can grow in these farms \(most likely not animals or trees\).
1.2.3.1. Con: Vertical farming could [include](https://www.loudcloud.nl/food/vertical-farming-urban-agriculture-and-a-floating-farm/) the cultivation of animals, like cattle and fish, as it's processes can be simplified to not not be impacted by typical issues with setup.
1.2.3.1.1. Pro: There is a lot of ongoing research and projects involving aquaponics as a mean of producing both vegetables and fish very [efficiently](http://www.eau-agriculture.com/en/aquaponic-farms/).
1.2.4. Pro: [Vertical farming requires too much energy costs](https://theconversation.com/food-security-vertical-farming-sounds-fantastic-until-you-consider-its-energy-use-102657), making it less efficient than normal farming.
1.2.5. Con: Using an abandoned building makes use of a building that would require more difficulties in demolishing it \(resource use and time\)
1.2.6. Con: On a small-scale, vertical farming provides an opportunity for urbanites to garden indoors in a small space when they cannot achieve it outdoors.
1.3. Con: Current agricultural methods are unlikely to be replaced by any other method \(like vertical farming\) in the foreseeable future.
1.3.1. Pro: If agriculture's survived for over 10,000 years, it's shown itself to be extremely successful in handling our food needs. This 'track record' is likely difficult to beat by the newest ideas, like vertical farming.
1.3.2. Pro: We still largely depend on conventional farming for our survival as a civilisation, more than any other method to sustain our food needs.
1.3.2.1. Pro: Due to our dependence on our current main food source, at most, urban, vertical and other compact methods of farming may just resort to complementing food, rather than completely replace it.
1.3.2.1.1. Pro: One of the reasons is that [some plants](https://draxe.com/health/vertical-farming/) cannot be grown vertically.
1.3.2.1.1.1. Con: There are foods that likely don't grow well horizontally, but do better vertically. So we can change to vertical farming \(by replacing what doesn't work with what does\), it would just be a different selection, rather than a lack of availability of what to eat.
1.3.2.1.1.2. Con: Because vertical farming is not [well-developed](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/aug/14/world-largest-vertical-farm-newark-green-revolution), it may not be possible at this moment. However, in the future, we may be able to grow foods that can't be grown in a vertical farm now.
1.3.3. Pro: Plants evolved for growing in soil, so transferring plants that evolved so well in one set of conditions to another will be difficult.
1.3.3.1. Pro: [Research](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5610682/) has shown that the bacteria and fungi present in soil can be beneficial for plants by manipulating the hormonal signaling of plants, repelling or outcompeting pathogenic microbial strains and increasing the bioavailability of soil-borne nutrients.
1.3.3.2. Pro: Not all current vegetable varieties might adapt well to the cultivation methods used in vertical farming, requiring the development of new varieties, increasing R&D costs.
1.3.3.3. Con: There are many plants, eg. [vegetables and herbs](https://balconygardenweb.com/best-herbs-and-vegetable-you-can-grow-indoors-in-water/), that will grow in water, even though they naturally grow in soil. This suggests that crops can adjust to different farming methods.
1.3.4. Pro: Vertical farming technology is not developed enough yet to make wide-scale adoption feasible at this moment.
1.3.4.1. Pro: The current trajectory shows that technology will never be able to reduce costs enough to be viable, as costs right now greatly outweigh profits.
1.3.4.1.1. Con: Never is a long time, people used to say humans would never fly. So there's a possibility that costs can be reduced enough to make vertical farming work.
1.3.4.2. Con: Since there are developments in the world that have worked to serve growing populations successfully \(like cities, like NYC, and the Green Revolution\), vertical farms have the capability and possibility to be adapted for similar success. This means that vertical farming, while not there at the moment, has the potential for wide-scale adoption eventually in the future. So we should still try to develop it for when it can get to that point.
1.3.4.3. Con: With better technology, it will become more feasible one day.
1.3.4.3.1. Pro: One of the areas is LEDs, where [higher efficiency levels and modes](https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg22129524-100-vertical-farms-sprouting-all-over-the-world/) are being developed to help out vertical farms.
1.3.5. Con: The agricultural industry is [outdated](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOQHwjnOTng) \(10,000 year old\), as it's inflexible to today's demands. Vertical farming replaces it by adapting to the conditions and needs of today and the future.
1.3.6. Pro: Vertical farming can be slow to adopt when conventional farming is well-known and ingrained in many cultures.
1.3.6.1. Pro: Vertical gardens will have only decorative use and will never go beyond that on Earth.
1.4. Pro: Vertical farms are versatile, in that they have multi-functionality.
1.4.1. Pro: Since one can virtually create any environmental condition in a vertical farm, [lab experiments](https://vertical-farming.net/blog/2019/10/22/vertical-farming-fraunhofer-ime/) to run every type of environment to find the best one for each plant is possible in them.
1.4.1.1. Pro: Various growing alternatives could be tested, from methods \(such as [hydroponic](https://cmap.ihmc.us/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/CmapHydroponics.jpg) or [aeroponic](http://aerofarms.com/)\) to media \(like thin films and hydrogel\)
1.4.2. Pro: Not only can a vertical farm grow food, but it can also grow [vaccines](http://www.microbe.tv/twiv/twiv-47-vertical-vaccine-farm/) too.
1.4.3. Pro: Vertical production advances technology \(in addition to providing food\) too.
1.4.3.1. Pro: Vertical farming supports futuristic ideas.
1.4.3.1.1. Pro: Vertical gardens will allow to develop technologies which after modification can be adjusted to spaceships.
1.4.3.1.2. Pro: One of them is growing crops in space, which is great for when humanity colonizes Mars.
1.4.3.2. Pro: Vertical farms are [data-centric](https://aerofarms.com/2019/09/13/the-future-of-farming-no-sun-no-soil-but-lots-of-data/), which provides information that would lead to greater innovations faster than with conventional farming that's food-centric.
1.4.3.3. Pro: Vertical farms accommodate and provides funding/innovation opportunities for new technology/innovations to take place.
1.4.3.4. Pro: -> See 1.3.5.
1.5. Pro: Vertical farms enable food security.
1.5.1. Pro: In a future where climate change can cause droughts or unpredictable weather, a compact controlled environment can produce reliable food regardless of climate.
1.5.1.1. Con: It was told here like we already lost a battle. We should focus on restoring life on the whole planet instead of giving the fight to oases.
1.5.1.1.1. Pro: We know the methods and this is easy. Humans became too mixed and they complicate simplest solutions. So going back to the sustainable methods we used to have will prevent us from needing vertical farms in the first place.
1.5.1.2. Pro: Foodborne illnesses are [unpredictable and becoming more frequent due to climate change](https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2019/11/19/indoor-farming-is-one-decades-hottest-trends-regulations-make-success-elusive/), which outdoor farming is severely impacted by. Since vertical farming tends to be indoors, it can prevent the food system from being impacted by increases in foodborne illnesses from these factors.
1.5.2. Pro: Vertical farming helps decentralize food production since locals can produce more of their food [in their own gardens](https://www.fromthegrapevine.com/innovation/grow-worlds-tiniest-plant-your-kitchen-counter).
1.5.2.1. Pro: This reduces transportation cost and pollution.
1.5.2.2. Pro: Vertical farming / cultivating is a way of introducing self sufficiency to the millions who live in properties with little or no space to do so.
1.5.2.3. Con: Decentralized, local food production is not an unique or inherent benefit/aspect of vertical farming. Other methods of small-scale agriculture and urban farming can provide the same functionality. We do not need to resort to vertical farming just to accomplish this task.
1.5.2.4. Con: If everyone had their own vertical garden, then decentralization would occur. However, in cities, the opposite would be the case. Instead of getting food from different farms and sources nationwide, all the food would come from one vertical farm in the center of a city \(for easy access\), which causes dangers of its own.
1.5.2.4.1. Pro: One central source of food access could increase the risk of the food source not being available due to small issues becoming large ones. For instance, if a disease affects a crop, it'll spread to all the other ones to where there are none left to eat \(because that was the only place in the city where that crop exists\).
1.5.2.4.2. Con: People can go to other cities for food if one city's vertical farm is not working out. The production's still decentralized, even better than the current farming practices where food worldwide comes from a [few dozen companies](https://spectrum.ieee.org/energy/environment/everything-you-always-wanted-to-know-about-big-ag) and small farmers tend to be [lose farms or be controlled by large corporations](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9wHzt6gBgI).
1.5.2.5. Pro: This helps in avoiding acts of [biowarfare and bioterrorism that could possibly affect farms](https://www.iatp.org/files/Agricultural_Biowarfare_and_Bioterrorism.htm).
1.5.2.6. Pro: This helps consumers with knowing what is in their food if they grow it \(they can avoid anything that could negatively affect their health, such as pesticides and herbicides\) instead of letting external entities decide their food choices for them.
1.5.2.7. Con: Vertical farming is simply a method of farming that can be used anywhere. If the vertical farms aren't located inside cities or there are huge vertical farms that produce for a bigger region, decentralized, local food production will not occur.
1.5.2.8. Con: Cutting out the middleman is bad for those who rely on the role for their income.
1.5.2.8.1. Con: Preserving specific jobs should not be valued over developing new solutions for problems
1.5.2.8.1.1. Pro: The replacement of certain jobs with others has always been part of humanity progressing.
1.5.2.9. Pro: The food can be much cheaper. If seeds are collected at the end of each harvest, the price of one meal leads to an eternity of that food.
1.5.3. Pro: Vertical farming can help support the world's growing population more than conventional farming, due to being able to grow with [fewer resources](https://www.kialo.com/vertical-farming-decreases-to-resources-land-water-co2-and-chemicals-such-as-pesticides-needed-to-grow-food-7487.10?path=7487.0~7487.1_7487.9_7487.10).
1.5.3.1. Pro: The agricultural revolution was the beginning of overpopulation. To manipulate the surrounding environment especially in such a way to provide more resources for one species whilst [destroying all competition](https://www.environment.act.gov.au/parks-conservation/plants-and-animals/urban_wildlife/local_wildlife/kangaroos/kangaroo_population_control_methods) and even the competition of your food supply. Humans have been overpopulated for [12,000 years](https://www.chegg.com/homework-help/definitions/the-first-agricultural-revolution-47) and vertical farming provide a way out of this by supporting a larger population, while still being able to share the land in an environmentally beneficial way.
1.5.3.1.1. Pro: Human farming destroys everything it can't eat making species extinct or near extinction, destroying whole ecosystems killing competition of your food and even of your food's food. Considering the cost we are now paying for the last 15,000 years of this behavior it is clear that overpopulation has been a problem ever since we decided to stop living in balance with nature and start controlling our environment exclusively for our benefit.
1.5.3.1.1.1. Con: If making numerous species extinct and destroying entire ecosystems to make way for farmland is the cost we have to pay to have a prospering civilisation instead of remaining in the desperate state of a permanent [Malthusian trap](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malthusian_trap) as wild animals do, then that is what we must do.
1.5.3.1.2. Con: To manipulate the surrounding environment to provide more resources for one species is to increase the carrying capacity for that species and prevent overpopulation, not create it. Thus, agriculture does not create overpopulation for humans, but instead maintains steady growth to prevent underpopulation and avoids overpopulation by continually raising the carrying capacity.
1.5.3.1.2.1. Con: A populations [carrying capacity](http://www.thecornerhouse.org.uk/resource/%E2%80%9Ccarrying-capacity%E2%80%9D-%E2%80%9Coverpopulation%E2%80%9D-and-environmental-degradation) is the point where the ecosystem's structure and stability is affected. As the local and global ecosystems are degrading with [mass extinction](https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/biodiversity/elements_of_biodiversity/extinction_crisis/) looming, [atmospheric degradation](https://sciencing.com/human-impact-earths-atmosphere-3677.html), [extreme weather events](https://nca2014.globalchange.gov/highlights/report-findings/extreme-weather) and even direct [human](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/sep/08/humans-have-destroyed-a-tenth-of-earths-wilderness-in-25-years-study) action of [destroying](https://www.nationalgeographic.com.au/nature/humans-are-still-destroying-wildlife-habitats-more-than-protecting-them.aspx) [ecosystems](http://wwf.panda.org/our_work/wildlife/problems/habitat_loss_degradation/) for [agriculture](https://sites.google.com/site/goldgroupdblock/home/habitat-destruction). The ecosystems around the world are unstable and their structures have been absolutely changed to the point that they are unrecognisable.
1.5.3.1.3. Pro: "Pests, weeds and diseases \(pests\) pose serious risk for primary producers as they can impact on market access and agricultural production. Pest control is best achieved with an Integrated Pest Management plan using a range of biological, chemical, mechanical, physical or cultural control methods." \([1](https://www.agric.wa.gov.au/pests-weeds-diseases/control-methods)\)
1.5.3.1.4. Pro: "Deer also have a variety of negative economic impacts”. They damage crops and personal property, and harbor diseases common to humans and livestock. Unlike moles, rats, and other species implicated in damage, deer cannot be casually eliminated when in conflict with humans. But neither can landowners be expected to bear the entire burden of support for this valuable public resource.
1.5.3.2. Pro: Populations can then grow even when resources become scarce, which is what we need, as this is likely to happen in the future with [current preferences](https://commonsenseeconomics.com/wp-content/uploads/Running_Out_of_Agricultural_Land_CSE.pdf), [trends](https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/only-60-years-of-farming-left-if-soil-degradation-continues/), and [climate change](http://www.fao.org/3/a-ah836e.pdf) create such resource-depleted moments/needs.
1.5.3.3. Con: Conventional farming's getting [more efficient](https://commonsenseeconomics.com/wp-content/uploads/Running_Out_of_Agricultural_Land_CSE.pdf) to use fewer resources too, so this isn't a reason to pick vertical farms over them.
1.5.4. Pro: Vertical farming grows crops [year-round](http://www.verticalfarms.com.au/advantages-vertical-farming) \(instead of seasonally\), which allows for no worries about availability out-of-season.
1.6. Pro: There are economical advantages to vertical farms.
1.6.1. Pro: Vertical farming helps the economy locally.
1.6.1.1. Pro: Vertical farming creates jobs over time, whereas conventional farming [does not](https://www.urbanseedinc.com/solution) as much.
1.6.1.1.1. Con: Vertical farming has been slow to adapt, which has led to not many jobs being created in it.
1.6.1.1.2. Pro: A new sector, such as vertical farming, will create many jobs to set up.
1.6.1.1.3. Con: Both industries eventually get automated, and vertical farming is much easier to than conventional methods. Thus, vertical farming will not create as many jobs as hoped for.
1.6.1.1.4. Con: Fewer vertical farms are needed than conventional ones to generate the same amount of produce, which could translate to fewer jobs to maintain them.
1.6.1.2. Pro: Vertical farming creates high-skill jobs \(such as [engineers and technicians](https://www.urbanseedinc.com/solution)\)
1.6.1.2.1. Pro: Connecting renewable energy sources to verticle farming operations in localized sections of larger metropolitan areas has the potential to reduce the ecological and logistical burden \(fuel use, fuel emissions, traffic\) of transporting large quantities of agricultural food stocks to locations not producing raw food \(high density residential\).
1.6.1.3. Con: Vertical farming requires nutrient imports for fertility.
1.6.1.4. Con: Vertical farming uses nutrients and supplies from [large corporations](http://www.harvestpublicmedia.org/post/seeds-pesticides-fertilizer-how-big-companies-harnessed-holy-trinity-modern-agriculture), which might not [trickle down](https://www.thebalance.com/trickle-down-economics-theory-effect-does-it-work-3305572) to the rest of the population.
1.6.1.5. Pro: Higher production can make it a crusade in kitchen gardening with attractive incomes.
1.6.1.6. Pro: Food produced in a vertical farm can still be sold at a traditional market.
1.6.2. Pro: Vertical farming is expected to be an [over $40 billion market by 2022](https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/PressReleases/indoor-farming-technology.asp).
1.6.3. Pro: Since crops grow year-round, it provides farmers with a steady, [year-round](https://www.agri-pulse.com/articles/9662-indoor-farming-offers-year-around-income-for-traditional-ag?v=preview) source of income. This is more secure than the typical seasonal sources of traditional farms.
1.6.4. Con: Vertical farming might increase inequality as it requires a substantial amount of capital, technology and skill to establish. Therefore only large corporations will be able to benefit of vertical farming.
1.6.4.1. Pro: If vertical farming reduces the cost of various crops, small farmers will be run out of business which thereby would increase inequality further. This claim is regarding small local farms in e.g. Asia and not regarding huge machine driven farms in e.g. America.
1.6.5. Pro: Vertical farming hires and replaced lower-paying and -skilled work with higher-skilled and -paying jobs.
1.6.5.1. Pro: Vertical farming plays on the imaginations of architects, allowing them more leeway in creativity for optimal structural design.
1.7. Pro: Vertically farming is healthier than conventional farming.
1.7.1. Pro: These foods do not face natural elements, which make them healthier choices.
1.7.1.1. Pro: Plants on upper levels would not be exposed to soil contaminants that cause toxins \(such as lead and PCB's\) and disease \(such as e. coli and salmonella from runoff\) to go into the food.
1.7.1.2. Con: Radon seeping into buildings and could possibly affect vertically farmed produce.
1.7.1.3. Pro: They probably would not have bugs, such as worms in apples.
1.7.1.4. Con: [Vegetables facing bacterial pressure contain more antioxidants.](https://www.nationalgeographic.com/people-and-culture/food/the-plate/2014/07/14/organic-foods-are-tastier-and-healthier-study-finds/) [The antibacterial properties of certain herbs and vegetables](http://The antibacterial properties of certain herbs and vegetables might also mainly develop if the plant is confronted with bacterial stress.) might also mainly develop if the plant is confronted with bacterial stress.
1.7.2. Pro: Different colors of lighting could let plants make more of some nutrients than under normal lighting. [1](https://www.gardenguides.com/131236-plant-growth-light-wavelength.html), [2](https://www.hunker.com/12000223/sunlight-vs-artificial-light-in-plant-growth)
1.7.3. Pro: Vertical farming is even better than [organic \(USDA\)](https://www.ams.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media/Labeling%20Organic%20Products%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf) growing methods.
1.7.3.1. Pro: Organic farming includes [animal products](https://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/blog/organic-meat-what-does-organic-really-mean), but vertical farming rarely does.
1.7.3.2. Con: Both of them can be politically influenced negatively \([1](https://www.organicconsumers.org/news/consumer-advocates-challenge-misuse-organic-label#close), [2](https://politicalreporter.net/2018/04/05/usda-sides-with-big-organic-to-allow-emulsifier-to-keep-organic-label/)\), making neither greater than each other.
1.7.4. Pro: Vertical farming enables growth in [small spaces](https://www.miraclegro.com/en-us/products/growing-kits-and-seed-pods/aerogarden). Good for every home and you know what you grow. Hence healthy
1.7.5. Pro: Food is fresher, healthier, and possibly tastier from the lack of food miles.
1.7.5.1. Pro: Foods that travel for many miles are not ripened on the plant, which makes them less nutritious than if picked at the peak of ripeness.
1.7.5.1.1. Pro: Foods not ripened on plants probably do not taste as great, which could cause consumers to not as likely to buy the foods that are beneficial to them.
1.7.5.2. Pro: The food passes through pollution \(especially from the truck carrying it\) for many miles, causing it to absorb pollutants for potentially thousands of miles!
1.7.5.3. Pro: Food [does not spoil](http://www.circuitinsight.com/programs/54650.html) as easily when eaten off the plant.
1.7.5.4. Pro: Food that sits in supermarkets go bad faster by the time the consumer buys it. Then those people either get food poisoning by eating unfresh produce or other foods that get exposed to the unfresh food.
1.7.6. Pro: Vertical farming could lower the spread of foodborne illnesses.
1.7.6.1. Pro: [11%](http://www.circuitinsight.com/programs/54650.html) of foodborne illnesses come from lettuce. Since vertical farms [specialize in lettuce](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5001193/), they could reduce diseases stemming overall greatly just from this crop alone.
1.7.6.2. Pro: -> See 1.5.1.2.
1.7.7. Pro: If people go into buildings with vertically farmed crops, they can benefit from their presence.
1.7.7.1. Pro: The plants provide ambiance that is beneficial to people's health through creating a green space.
1.7.7.2. Pro: Plants keep buildings climate controlled, which is great for people's health.
1.7.7.2.1. Pro: Plants add humidity, which helps the air from getting to dusty.
1.7.7.2.2. Pro: Plants remove toxins from the air, which prevent the toxins from entering people's bodies.
1.7.7.2.3. Pro: Plants supply oxygen, which is great for people to breathe in.
1.7.7.2.4. Pro: Plants absorb CO2, which could prevent sick building syndrome.
1.7.7.2.5. Pro: Plants keep the temperature at an ambient level, which helps people not get sick from constantly-changing temperatures
1.7.7.3. Pro: Vertical farming allows everyday people to see what their food looks like when it is made, which is important.
1.7.7.3.1. Pro: If people connect with their food, then they can place importance on and also cherish it.
1.7.7.3.2. Pro: People can be more connected to nature when they are around lush and plentiful greenery.
1.7.8. Pro: If the vertically farmed foods are hydroponic, then they could be grown to have much more nutrients than outdoor foods just through additives alone.
1.7.8.1. Con: If we are not aware of every trace element a plant needs and exactly what function it serves or underestimate their importance, we might not add them to a nutrient solution, thus possibly creating less nutritious and tasty foods.
1.8. Con: There are more convenient means to handle the food system's issues without having to resort to vertical farming just yet.
1.8.1. Pro: There are other alternatives that can replace conventional agricultural methods without resorting to vertical farming.
1.8.1.1. Pro: Other methods of sustainable/regenerative agriculture have positive impacts \(carbon sequestration/functions as an ecosystem...\) apart from negating the negative aspects of industrial farming that vertical farming does not obtain.
1.8.1.1.1. Pro: [Biochar](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biochar) integrated into the soil is found to be very effective at retaining both water and water-soluble nutrients and can provide a habitat for many beneficial soil organisms. At the same time, Biochar is a stable way of storing carbon in the ground for centuries.
1.8.1.1.2. Pro: [Agroforestry](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agroforestry) integrates tree crops into farmland, providing higher biodiversity and financial output trough wood and other products. At the same time, the trees can help sequester carbon.
1.8.1.2. Pro: Rooftop greenhouses in urban areas should be explored first as they are more [energy effecient](https://theconversation.com/food-security-vertical-farming-sounds-fantastic-until-you-consider-its-energy-use-102657) and leverage existing unused infrastructure
1.8.1.3. Con: The existence of multiple alternatives does not mean vertical farming is a lesser alternative to be avoided.
1.8.1.4. Pro: GMOs are [more](https://gmoanswers.com/sites/default/files/GMO_Infographic_FoodLoss%26Waste_0.pdf) [viable](https://grist.org/food/why-gmos-do-matter-and-even-more-to-the-developing-world/) and [cost effective](https://www.forbes.com/sites/gmoanswers/2016/04/29/3-ways-gmos-keep-cost-of-food-down/), as well as boasting a plethora of other benefits \(see the ["On the Horizon" section](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6173531/)\).
1.8.1.4.1. Pro: Because there's less cross-pollination with nature, the worry about going too far with GMOs in vertical farms goes away. So GM crops could be [modified further than ever](https://www.foodnavigator.com/Article/2020/01/22/Vertical-farms-of-the-future-require-genetically-edited-plants-says-scientist) in an indoor vertical farm than traditional, outdoor farming.
1.8.1.4.2. Con: Because vertical farms don't worry about pesticides, crops [don't need to be genetically modified](https://farm.one/blog/2016/2/19/why-its-time-for-farmone) to resist them. So vertical farms can cut out the intermediary process of creating GMO crops by avoiding needing them in the first place.
1.8.1.4.3. Pro: GMOs would make plants [easier to insert into vertical farms](http://12.000.scripts.mit.edu/mission2014/genetically-modified-crops), thus making vertical farms more feasible to create.
1.8.1.4.4. Con: If anything, because [genetic modification can be more controlled in vertical farm](https://livingnongmo.org/2017/10/10/the-buzz-about-cross-pollination/), it'll lead the way for creating GM crops that'll benefit traditional farming rather than the other way around.
1.8.1.5. Pro: [Hydroponics](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydroponics) could be added to farms to make them more productive.
1.8.1.5.1. Con: Alternative methods, like hydroponics, could be combined with vertical farming to make it even better than conventional farming.
1.8.2. Pro: We should focus on bettering current farming practices before moving them to vertical farms.
1.8.2.1. Pro: Without bettering current farming practices, vertical farming might not reach its potential and thus not live up to its hype.
1.8.2.1.1. Con: Vertical farming functions vastly different from in-soil farming. An improvement in practices or techniques in one sector is unlikely to be applicable to the other
1.8.2.1.2. Pro: Farming currently is not efficient. If it becomes more efficient, then those practices can be implemented into vertical farms to allow them to operate profitably.
1.8.2.1.2.1. Con: Vertical farming functions vastly different from in-soil farming. An improvement in practices or techniques in one sector is unlikely to be applicable to the other
1.8.2.1.3. Pro: Vertical farming is kind of a second stage of farming, where the initial stage of conventional farming is perfected first. Then vertical farming [technologically advances](http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20170405-how-vertical-farming-reinvents-agriculture) the process.
1.8.2.1.4. Pro: If conventional farming does not improve, then it will create large problems for the world \(like climate change\) that would need to be fixed and resolved before vertical farming can materialize.
1.8.2.1.5. Pro: We should first tackle the problem our society has with throwing away food. We do produce a lot of food as is, but a large portion of it ends up in landills.
1.8.2.2. Con: Vertical farming has unique, major challenges to work through that conventional farming most likely won't be able to help out with.
1.8.2.2.1. Pro: Turning buildings into farms is an infrastructural challenge.
1.8.2.2.1.1. Pro: Even placing farm buildings in cities in a major challenge, due to the lack of space. Conventional farming cannot help as much, as that food travels many miles into a city and is not in cities themselves.
1.8.2.2.2. Pro: Vertical farming requires [Controlled Environment Agriculture techniques.](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Controlled-environment_agriculture)
1.8.2.2.3. Pro: Organic farming does not translate to vertical farming well
1.8.2.2.3.1. Pro: [The european union requires soil use for organic agriculture](https://www.hortidaily.com/article/6036402/eu-hydroponic-cultivation-no-longer-organic/), thus excluding most vertical farming methods.
1.8.2.3. Pro: Conventional methods find financial success with a crop \(like [lettuce](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nFQOkzEjxQ)\), then vertical farms have a chance at being financially viable when implementing the crop themselves.
1.8.2.3.1. Pro: If conventional methods find marketing success with making unknown foods popular first \(like [quinoa, amaranth, fonio, and teff](https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/17/quinoa-popular_n_5596018.html)\), then vertical farms might find similar success.
1.8.2.4. Pro: Vertical farming simply produces food, it does not help repair the damages caused by conventional agriculture. We should fix what was messed up before moving on to another system.
1.8.2.5. Con: That would be detrimental, as by then, so much damage is done by agriculture that it would be too late.
1.8.2.6. Con: Vertical farming is the next step towards bettering current farming practices.
1.8.3. Con: Convenience isn't as important, as vertical farming is needed more now than ever before to handle the food system's issues in a way that conventional farming can't keep up with.
1.8.4. Con: Since vertical farming accelerates agricultural progress, it's more convenient to use it to keep up with constant changes in the modern age than to get all other farming methods to try to on their own.
1.9. Pro: Vertical farming is better for the environment.
1.9.1. Pro: This farming practice leads to less food waste.
1.9.1.1. Pro: Vertically farmed crops do not face the elements, which allows for greater production yields.
1.9.1.1.1. Pro: Diseases, like blight, could devastate a crop's production.
1.9.1.1.2. Pro: Infestations are less likely to occur at vertical farms.
1.9.1.2. Pro: Food that falls on the floor in a vertical garden is probably still edible whereas the ground could cause a fallen fruit to rot.
1.9.2. Pro: Vertical farms are less likely to damage nature.
1.9.2.1. Pro: Runoff of fertilizers most likely would not go straight into rivers.
1.9.2.1.1. Con: Runoff from vertical farms, such as fertilizers or used substrate, might still go back into rivers, as many drains lead into open waters.
1.9.2.1.1.1. Pro: Aeroponics may be a better idea in this regard, because it uses less water and thus is less of an issue to worry about. However, it does not resolve the issue, as it still uses water.
1.9.2.1.1.2. Con: Vertical farms could be regulated to prevent that from happening. It would be harder to regulate a farm, as they do not have much control over the matter regardless.
1.9.2.1.2. Pro: The likelihood is reduced for various reasons, but the main one is control over where the waste goes \(because farms do not control where the water goes once it is absorbed in the soil\).
1.9.2.2. Pro: Top soil would not get stripped away in a vertical farm.
1.9.2.3. Pro: Vertical farming keeps most wildlife away from the crops, making it more humane and conserving to it.
1.9.2.3.1. Pro: Insects that eat certain crops might not overgrow to infestation populations if crops are grown indoors.
1.9.2.3.2. Con: Some wildlife relies on cropland for habitat and growing indoors removes some/all of their habitat range.
1.9.2.3.3. Pro: Wildlife that go near pastures normally might get injured by machinery or shot by farmers trying to preserve their yields. These processes would not arise in a vertical farm.
1.9.2.4. Con: If plants are indoors, then they cannot remove CO2 from where it affects climate change the most \(a.k.a. outdoors\).
1.9.2.5. Pro: Vertical farming would enable us to give much of the land we currently use back to nature
1.9.2.6. Pro: If vertical farms [utilize GMOs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESuzrY2abAw) and non-native plants, but are indoors, then it'll lead to [less contamination of DNA in nature](https://shanepaulnolan.com/vertical-farms/) \(from [cross-pollinating](https://livingnongmo.org/2017/10/10/the-buzz-about-cross-pollination/)\).
1.9.2.6.1. Pro: -> See 1.8.1.4.1.
1.9.2.6.2. Con: Vertical farms can also be outdoors, so if they're outdoors, GMO cross-pollination can be worse due to stacking allowing for more crops to be in a smaller land space leading to more chances of genetic contamination happening.
1.9.3. Pro: Vertical farms use [90% less water](http://www.basicknowledge101.com/subjects/verticalfarming.html) than is used in conventional farming.
1.9.4. Pro: Vertical farming decreases the resources \(land, water, CO2, and chemicals \(such as pesticides\)\) needed to grow food.
1.9.4.1. Pro: Agriculture currently uses [37% of land mass globally](https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GTzShqMYNVc/UXdrLyGRS1I/AAAAAAAAAfs/oGdtlZSr82U/s1600/EuBP_Land_use_2013.jpg) and vertical farming can lower that percentage.
1.9.4.1.1. Pro: Using less land could help wildlife survive better.
1.9.4.1.2. Pro: For [many reasons](https://www.agweb.com/World-running-out-of-farmland), the world's available farmland is ever decreasing, yet we will need more in the future \(for a growing population\). Vertical farming increases the yield per acreage to allow more people to eat on less of land directly on Earth's surface \(through stacking\).
1.9.4.2. Con: If people chose to eat foods that use fewer resources, we wouldn't have to resort to vertical farms to meet our needs, due to our lack of efficiency.
1.9.4.2.1. Con: -> See 1.2.3.1.
1.9.4.2.2. Con: Vertical farming, by default, grows only crops that use little resources. So it's vertical farming that would lead this demand, rather than consumer choices.
1.9.4.2.2.1. Pro: People aren't taught the resource use of what they eat in school \(or anywhere else\), so it's unlikely.they'll come to this reasoning on their own.
1.9.4.3. Pro: -> See 1.9.3.
1.9.5. Con: Vertical farming does not share spaces with nature, and cannot provide a home for wildlife like conventional farming can \(like utilizing [alfalfa](http://www.ppic.org/blog/farms-that-help-wildlife/) and [rice paddies for birds](http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/op-ed/soapbox/article177978241.html)\).
1.9.6. Pro: Vertical farming is an easy venue for keeping the nature within the built environment.
1.9.6.1. Con: Vertical farming is not "nature". It does not support wildlife or microscopical soil life like bacteria or funghi that serve important ecosystem functions.
1.9.6.2. Pro: Vertical farming creates an opportunity for citizens to make some meaningful food production. It makes use of un-cultivated locations and the plants will be attractive to some living creatures.
1.9.7. Con: Vertical Farming requires massive inputs \(in fertilizers, energy, and labour\) because of its intensive nature, and has a far larger footprint than conventional agriculture.
1.9.7.1. Con: Vertical farming may have applications in rural communities in extreme enviroments, where farmable land is at a premium or nonexistent
1.9.7.1.1. Pro: The food miles to deliver food to these rural communities outweigh the benefits of conventional agriculture.
1.9.7.2. Pro: An example of this would be [lettuces](https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/vertical-farming-solution-food-security-hydroponics-aquaponics-urban-agriculture-a8547561.html) which requires 14 times the amount of energy needed to grow in traditionally heated greenhouses when grown in a vertical farm instead.
1.9.7.2.1. Con: Solar and other renewable energy sources could resolve the energy issue if used by vertical farms for their needs.
1.9.8. Pro: Vertical farming decreases food miles
1.9.8.1. Pro: -> See 1.7.5.
1.9.8.2. Pro: This prevents heavy resource use and environmental destruction through transportation
1.9.8.2.1. Pro: Examples of the environmental damage are pollution and building roads that require lots of resources and affect wildlife.
1.9.9. Pro: Vertical farming overall just saves more space.
1.9.9.1. Pro: Theoretically, you could fit 1,000 m² in just a 1m² area of land. Scale it up and it becomes greater.
1.9.9.1.1. Pro: [Vertical tube farms](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DchpBk6rfoc), on [Brass Eye by Chris Morris](https://www.amazon.com/Brass-Eye-Christopher-Morris/dp/B000066NT9) and narrated by Tania Bryer, takes up little space and seemingly no possibilities of extreme weather damage.
1.9.9.1.1.1. Con: They're vulnerable to high winds
1.9.9.2. Pro: The acreage of vertical space \(like walls\) on earth is far smaller than the acreage of horizontal space.
1.9.9.3. Pro: Workplaces with vertical farms need less resources for climate control, as the plants [provide it](https://www.bioadvanced.com/articles/5-benefits-houseplants) instead.
1.9.9.3.1. Con: The increased air humidity plants provide through releasing moisture could become problematic if there are too many plants.
1.9.9.3.2. Pro: Air conditioners and heaters would not need to be built for people's needs in these buildings.
1.9.9.3.3. Pro: Electricity would not be needed to climate control the buildings \(except to take care of the plants\).
1.9.9.3.3.1. Con: That is not a worry if the building uses only renewable resources.
1.9.10. Con: Corporations have an history of, rather than fighting climate change \(even though they are greatly contributing to it\), attempting to sell solutions \(like vertical farming\) to cope with it instead. With humanity's attention divided, it is unlikely we can stop climate change this way.