NCIE
NCIE
A team of British researchers led by environmentalist Florian Payne (University of Lancaster) summarized the results of an analysis of 200 studies on the cultivation of vegetables and fruits in urban environments. Research has been conducted to identify new and more effective food processing factors in 53 countries, covering about 2,000 facilities. Potatoes, cucumbers, and lettuces have been found to yield more abundantly in urban environments than in agricultural land. It is estimated that 15-20% of food is produced in urban environments today, but these figures are constantly changing as the world is hit by natural disasters more and more often. Crops in fields are extremely vulnerable to bad weather, and growing vegetables in greenhouses is expensive due to energy costs. The authors of the scientific work admit that they have not found the golden mean, but they have made some interesting discoveries. For example, water-loving crops such as tomatoes and leaf vegetables produce better yields when grown hydroponically rather than in soil. It was found that it is more convenient and cheaper to grow lettuce, broccoli and cabbage on vertical multi-layered structures. This method is more relevant for cities today. In one of the experiments, they even grew wheat in this way. The authors of the study came to the conclusion that the presence of large fields is no longer a guarantee of crop safety. With access to fertilizers and clean water, citizens can grow most of the food they need on their own. However, the profitability of such farms is still unclear, especially given how expensive it is to rent space in cities.
