Harsh Desai - Urban Farming Hub

Thesis Statement

Food Crisis in the World

The United Nations has estimated that the world’s population will increase by 40% and reach 9 billion people by 2050 and has also predicted that 80% of the total population will be living in the cities at that time. Related issues like hunger and food security are following with the population growth and it is predicted to become worse in the future. We must change before the issues get severe.

By 2050, we will require 70% more food, 30% more water, and 50% more energy to meet the demand of more people in the world. In other words, with our traditional horizontal farming system, we will need to add another agricultural land as big as Brazil (about 3.3 million square miles) to accommodate the needs of this increased population. While researchers are trying to find more agricultural land, our existing farmland is decreasing due to urbanization.

Polemic

Grow Food - End Crisis

To this end, Urban farming and food cultivation is going to be the main focus of this project. By this, there is a strong possibility of tackling the effects of climate change and reducing the Urban heat island effect. The project is going to propose ways of growing YOUR OWN FOOD and ROOF TOP FARMING at an individual level.

Also, a research lab can be set up for doing in-house research about the new technologies used for vertical farming, hydroponics, aquaponics and a lot more. All this knowledge can be shared with the community by conducting workshops, classes and short courses to learn about this new initiative.

Site Location and Context