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Advantages of Vertical Farming Year-round crop production; 1 indoor acre is equivalent to 4-6 outdoor acres or more, depending upon the crop (e.g., strawberries: 1 indoor acre = 30 outdoor acres) No weather-related crop failures due to droughts, floods, pests All VF food is grown organically: no herbicides, pesticides, or fertilizers VF virtually eliminates agricultural runoff by recycling black water VF returns farmland to nature, restoring ecosystem functions and services VF greatly reduces the incidence of many infectious diseases that are acquired at the agricultural interface VF converts black and gray water into potable water by collecting the water of evapotranspiration VF adds energy back to the grid via methane generation from composting non-edible parts of plants and animals VF dramatically reduces fossil fuel use (no tractors, plows, shipping.) VF converts abandoned urban properties into food production centers VF creates sustainable environments for urban centers VF creates new employment opportunities We cannot go to the moon, Mars, or beyond without first learning to farm indoors on earth VF may prove to be useful for integrating into refugee camps VF offers the promise of measurable economic improvement for tropical and subtropical LDCs. If this should prove to be the case, then VF may be a catalyst in helping to reduce or even reverse the population growth of LDCs as they adopt urban agriculture as a strategy for sustainable food production. VF could reduce the incidence of armed conflict over natural resources, such as water and land for agriculture

Bio-Mediate Cementation Technique The utilization of aerobic and anaerobic bacterial processes provides a unique opportunity to harness natural biological processes for engineering purposes.  In this study bacterial (microbial) mineral precipitation of calcium carbonate (calcite) was performed.  The creation of calcium carbonate (calcite) cement occurs as a consequence of bacterial metabolic activity which raises the pH of the proximal environment.  The local pH rise may be achieved by the production of ammonia and carbon dioxide resulting from the enzymatic hydrolysis of urea.  Bacillus pasteurii, a common soil bacteria, uses urea as an energy source and produces ammonia which increases pH, in turn causing Ca2+ and CO32- to precipitate as CaCO3.  Microbiologically-induced calcite precipitation occurs according to the reactions: