BY ELISE LINDEMANN
A University of Kansas student is trying to revolutionize the world’s agriculture in an effort to better the industry for people and the environment.
KU junior Frank Luse has created a start-up company, Terrafarm, aiming to create more sustainable farming practices through a process called vertical farming.
“Ultimately we’re trying to solve these really big environmental and social issues,” said Luse, an economics and sociology double major.
This process involves growing produce indoors without using soil or direct sunlight, he said.
These modules can be placed all over the country, creating more access to produce, Luse said. Terrafarm plans to have a prototype built by the end of November.
Vertical farming supports the environment and personal health, both of which are threatened by climate change, he said.
Some criticize vertical farming, highlighting issues such as high energy requirements and cost, but Luse and his Terrafarm teams are doing their best to create a viable product, he said.
How it works
Luse, a native of Elmhurst, Illinois, said his initial interest in the environment was propelled in his senior year at York Community High School when he took an advanced placement environmental science course. This is where his passion for vertical farming began, he said.
“I have been interested in vertical farming and urban agriculture for a long time,” he said. “I really like it.”
Terrafarm’s vertical farming modules have stacked shelves and are a bit larger than a refrigerator, he said. These modules will yield about 400-500 pounds of produce per month.
In comparison to traditional farming, these modules are considered microscale, Luse said.
Terrafarm plans to sell these modules to restaurants and grocery stores.
Inside the module, plants will grow through the aeroponics process. This form of agriculture requires no soil and little water, according to NASA. Terrafarm is focusing on growing smaller-scaled produce, such as lettuce and berries, Luse said.
Terrafarm’s module includes a computer system that detects the plant’s needs. Then, the computer system activates technology that responds to those needs, he said.
Luse said he is collaborating with many people at KU to make this vertical farming dream a reality.
“Without a team, you have nothing,” Luse said.
The founding team includes KU mechanical engineering alumnus Sebastian Alvarez, KU biochemistry student Katie Zimmerman, and McHenry County Community College industrial engineering student Chet Bischoffer.
Twenty other students make up six other teams collaborating to create Terrafarm’s product.
A world in need of a serious solution
The major goal of Terrafarm is to create something that has a positive effect on the environment, Luse said.
According to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, water and agriculture are two of the sectors of greatest concern in terms of vulnerability to climate change.
There is a global problem created by climate change, the decline in water supply, urbanization and a growing population, to which vertical farming may be the answer, according to an article written by Kurt Benke and Bruce Tomkins, published experts in the area and researchers for the Victoria, Australia, state government. The article cites many environmental and health advantages.
By using an aeroponics process, Luse said Terrafarm’s modules don’t have to rely on as much water as traditional farming.
Vertical farming can also solve many social issues, said Luse, such as the issue of food deserts. Food deserts occur when there are no grocery stores in typically low-income urban areas so the community has little access to fresh food, he said.
Vertical farming modules fit in urban areas that don’t have the space required for traditional farming, or those that don’t have the resources to transport in produce, Luse said.
Drawbacks of the vertical farming solution
There are limits to the vertical farming solution.
For example, these units only farm smaller-scaled crops, Luse said. In this stage of development, vertical farming practices aren’t used to grow large, heavy squash or produce that grows on trees, according to Benke and Tomkins’ article.
However, they said, the industry is growing at a rapid pace and has the potential to solve this issue in the coming years.
Stan Cox, a senior scientist at the Land Institute, a nonprofit agricultural research organization, said one hurdle for vertical farming is meeting the energy demand to support the module. Traditionally, plants absorb the energy from the sun for free, he said.
Cox said he doesn’t see a need for vertical farming in urban areas.
“It’s not that there is a space emergency,” he said, “Plants can be grown and are grown on the fringes of cities. They are in accessible locations.”
Neither the Kansas Department of Health and Environment nor the Kansas Department of Agriculture returned requests for interviews for this story.
Luse said the Terrafarm module will cause an increased electric bill and does rely on fossil fuel energy. Terrafarm has yet to calculate average power draw, Luse said, but it will be compatible with a standard power outlet.
He said he predicts the U.S. will switch to almost exclusively renewable energy soon, making energy demands a nonissue.
The experts agree. According to Benke and Tomkins’ article, this issue has become less relevant as technology advances. It suggests LED lighting for efficient energy generation, something that Terrafarm’s module already relies on, Luse said.
Kansas State Extension Specialist Carl Rivard, said LEDs have “changed the game for vertical farming.” These lights are cost effective with both the initial cost and their energy efficiency, he said.
Still, he doesn't see vertical farming immediately transforming agriculture.
“I think that we’re a long way from being able to grow the entire population’s food from vertical farming or any other high-tech agricultural system,” Rivard said.
Another hurdle includes the cost of the modules.
Luse said Terrafarm has yet to determine the cost, since they are early in production. But he said FarmShelf, a competitor, charges $7,500 per module and $105 per month for seeds,
nutrients and software.
Each module has been carefully designed and engineered, which traditionally requires compensating these high-skilled employees. At this point, no Terrafarm team members are being paid, Luse said. In this way, Luse has been able to sidestep a portion of the cost.
Terrafarm will begin by allowing restaurants and grocery stores to rent modules in order to keep their initial costs down, Luse said.
Competing vertical farm companies have employees that perform check-ups on the module and assist with the germination process for their customers. In contrast, Terrafarm’s computer-aided sensors will connect to an app, creating an easy, do-it-yourself element to the module, Luse said. This will eliminate the cost of paying routine workers.
Terrafarm’s future
Terrafarm is still in its early stages with plans to shift to mass production within the next three to five years.
Luse expects Terrafarm’s website, where the modules will eventually be available for purchase, to go live in the spring.
Reach reporter Elise Lindemann at eudoratimes@gmail.com.
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