Poster produced by Faculty & Curriculum Support (FACS), Georgetown University Medical Center

Automation of Vertical farming project

Parvesh Taneja (ME)

Project in Charge: Mr. Ajay Sood, Mr. Kishore K. Guru & Mrs. Jyoti Goel

Abstract

Materials Used

Vertical farming is the urban farming of fruits, vegetables, and grains, inside a building

in a city or urban centre, in which floors are designed to accommodate certain crops.

These heights will acts as the future farms land and as architects we can shape these

high-rises to sow the seeds for the future.

Vertical Farm Systems builds and installs multi-level growing systems for the year-

round commercial growing of leafy green crops and herbs - with minimal inputs of

water, labour and land area.

The fully automated Vertical Farm Systems technology meets many of the challenges

faced by traditional farmers including climate change, reduced water availability and

pest and weed control without the use of chemicals or pesticides.

Introduction

Circuital construction

Future Modification Scopes

Vertical farming is a component of urban agriculture is the practice of producing food in

vertically stacked layers, vertically inclined surfaces and/or integrated in other structures. The

modern idea of vertical farming uses Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) technology,

where all environmental factors can be controlled. These facilities utilize artificial control of

light, environmental control (humidity, temperature, gases, )

Major Question - 2.4 billion extra people, no more land: how will we feed the world in 2050?

By the year 2050, nearly 80% of the earth’s population will reside in urban centres. Applying

the most conservative estimates to current demographic trends, the human population will

increase by about 3 billion people during the interim.

Food production will have to increase by between 70 and 100 per cent, while the area of land

given over to agriculture will remain static, or even decrease as a result of land degradation

and climate change.

An electric circuit was designed to measure, display and control soil moisture. A microcontroller

Arduino UNO is used. Moisture Sensor connected to arduino measures the amount of moisture

and gives signal to the microcontroller which further displays it on LCD screen and if moisture level

falls below certain limit microcontroller(Arduino Uno) gives signals to relay which further switches

on the relay which is supplied with 240V power supply and pump switches on, thereby supplying

more moisture to the soil.

Connections with relay are shown in figure below.

Fig. Circuit Diagram

http://www.verticalfarms.com.au/advantages-vertical-farming

http://www.techinsider.io/indoor-vertical-farm-is-the-future-of-agriculture-2015-10

http://www.verticalfarms.com.au/about-bioponics

http://www.verticalfarm.com/

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/24-billion-extra-people-no-more-land-how-will-

we-feed-the-world-in-2050-2191260.html

1. Arduino Uno

2. Stand

3. Soil Moisture Sensor

4.Relay

5.LCD screen

6.Motor Pump

7.Containers

8.Water Supply Pipe

Advantages Of Vertical Farming

⦁ Reduction of energy costs in transportation.

⦁ Year-round crop production preparation protection from weather.

⦁ Crops are then sold within the same infrastructure (reduction of crop waste).

⦁ Elimination of crop machinery fossil fuel emissions.

⦁ Growth of enough food to replace lost productivity as farmland is urbanized.

• Minimum Input – Maximum Output

• Maximum crop yield

• Low energy usage

• Low labour costs

• Low water usage

• Increased growing area

• Wide range of crops

• Optimum nutrients and mineral quality

Bibliography

This project can have a more improvised version as the world is moving toward

technology. Few further modifications can be done to this project to make it more and

more beneficial for future:-

1. Rather than providing each platform with water supply, we can modify it to have water

content only to the highest platform or a step and then allowing that highest platform

to supply water to the rest of the platforms,

2. Vertical farming can have a common lift system for all platforms in order to make

working on any of the platforms easy,

3. In further innovation the platforms which we are using can be movable or rotating in

order to provide each platform adequate amount of sunlight and other nutrients.

4. We can also think of fixing led lights, light emitters which works as sunlight for crops

(providing a king of artificial sunlight),

5. Mirror can be fixed on the outer sides of the building in order to reflect sunlight from

all directions to the required area or on required crops,

6. This project can be further enhanced by connecting the whole system to the android

based system or phones in order to control it completely by an android device.

7. The platforms which are fixed presently can be moving so as to make working easy

and move as per requirements.

Fig. Circuit showing connections of relay