vertical multi-level farming to increase crop yield

7/25/2019 Vertical Multi-Level Farming to Increase Crop Yield

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/vertical-multi-level-farming-to-increase-crop-yield 1/20

Vertical Multi LevelFarming to Increase Crop

Yield An Affordable and Feasible design

By-

Sumit Singh



Contents

1. Current Status

2. My Design

3. Platform Tower

4. Prototype

5. Testing

6. Experimental Groups

7. Data

8. Observations and Conclusion

9. Pros and Cons10. Snapshots



Current Status

There are designs of skyscrapers

proposed for Vertical farming but the

construction and maintenance

cost will be very high. So

Vertical farming is not a reality yet.

Moreover, such type of farming

will harm small farmers in

rural areas.

IImage: Design of a proposed Vertical Farm.(Made in Google Sketchup 6)



My Design

● Low cost Vertical Multi-Level Farm, affordable by small

farmers.● Uses Platform towers made of bamboo and mud tiles.

● Cluster of such towers makes a Vertical Multi Level

Farm.

● The towers have to be aligned in North-South direction

so that east and west are on the sides.



Platform Tower

● 3 level tower made using bamboo tied by ropes and

paved with mud bricks to hold the soil.

● If its width is x then height of second level should be

(1.5x+plants' height) (the plant to be grown in the field)

and the distance between top level and second level

should be (x+plants' height).

● To keep the costs low, it would be the best to take value

of x as 3 feet.



A Platform Tower



PrototypeFor testing my design's efficiency, I built a prototype using

different materials but same measurements.I tested the prototype with 3 types of plants- green beans,

chickpea (gram) and wheat.



Testing

● I observed each plant's growth over a period of 10 days.

● At first, I planted green beans and observed their growth

for 10 days. I did the same for chickpeas (gram seeds)

and wheat.● I noted the root length, shoot length and number of

leaves of 3 plants from each Experimental Group and

Control Group and took the average numbers for final

comparison.



Experimental Groups



Data



Observations and Conclusion

● The data shows that there was very less or negligible

difference in plant growth in plants of the different

experimental groups.

● Since there was almost no harmful effects of variableamount of sunlight on plant growth, my design is

feasible and efficient.

● The increment in total cultivation area and production is

66%.



Pros And Cons

Pros:● Low Cost

● Reduces percentage of crops exposed to pests (like

mice).● Increases cultivation area and production by 66% or

even more.

● The top level and second level platforms are safe from

floods.Cons:

● Heavy machines can't be used on top level and second

level.



References● Drip Irrigation System.(n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.tnau.ac.in/aecricbe/aetc/swc1.htm

● Frauenfelder, Mark.(2008, July 31). Interview with Dickson Despommier, vertical farming advocate. Retrieved from http://boingboing.net/2008/07/31/interview-with-dicks.html

● Iannotti, Marie. What Do They Mean By Full Sun, Partial Shade, and so on?(n.d.). Retrieved from http://gardening.about.

com/od/gardendesign/qt/SunExposure.htm

● Insolation.(n.d., para 3). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insolation

● Lovejoy, Rachel.(2011, April 11).Is Plant Growth Af fected by the Amount of Light Received?. Retrieved from http://www.

ehow.com/facts_8200001_plant-affected-amount-light-received.html

● Max, Arthur. (2011, November 4).Indoor Farming Could be the Future of Food Production. Retrieved from http://www.

huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/11/indoor-farming-sunless-food_n_847462.

html#s263102&title=Netherlands_Sunless_Farming

● Measuring Plant Growth.(n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-

projects/project_ideas/PlantBio_measuring_growth.shtml

● Mechanical Properties of bamboo.(2002, October 27).Retrieved from http://bambus.rwth-aachen.de/eng/PDF-

Files/Mechanical%20properties%20of%20bamboo.pdf

● Rawat,J.K.,THE STATUS OF BAMBOO AND RATTAN IN INDIA.(n.d.) Retrieved from http://www.inbar.

int/documents/country%20report/INDIA.htm

● Staff,LiveOAK .(2008)Vertical Farms: "Growing Up Sustainably". Retrieved from http://greenupgrader.com/2057/vertical-

farms-growing-up-sustainably/#● The Scientific Method.(n.d.).Retrieved from http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project_scientific_method.

shtml

● The Vertical Farm Project - Agriculture for the 21st Century and Beyond(n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.verticalfarm.

com/more

● Variables in Your Science Fair Project.(n.d.). retrieved from http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-

projects/project_variables.shtm

● Vertical Farming:Does it really stack up?(2010, December 9). Retrieved from http://www.economist.com/node/17647627

● Whiting, David.(2011). Plant Growth Factors:Light. Retrieved from http://www.cmg.colostate.edu/gardennotes/142.pdf

http://greenupgrader.com/2057/vertical-farms-growing-up-sustainably/

http://greenupgrader.com/2057/vertical-farms-growing-up-sustainably/

vertical multi-level farming to increase crop yield

Documents