By Andrew Soliman
A new kind of farm has sprouted at Cal Poly Pomona — one that grows upward and indoors.
The first-ever vertical farming facility on campus is housed in a high-tech container built by Freight Farms that was donated to CPP through a partnership with the Electrical Power Research Institute (EPRI) and Southern California Edison (SCE). The project brings hands-on research and sustainable food production together in one compact, climate-controlled system.
Inside the 8 by 40-foot shipping container, that can hold up to can hold up to 8,800 plants, rows of floor-to-ceiling LED-lit panels nurture leafy greens and herbs — lettuce varieties, Thai and Italian basil, mint, thyme, baby bok choy, mizuna and tatsoi — grown hydroponically with precision-controlled water and nutrient delivery. The system uses about 5 gallons of water a day and can produce 2 to 6 tons of food annually, the equivalent of annual production on 2 acres of farmland, using a fraction of the water required daily for traditional farming!
The vertical farm is a living classroom for students in the Huntley College of Agriculture. Under the guidance of Nursery Manager Kelsey Swayze, students mix fertilizers, monitor plant growth, harvest crops and follow food safety protocols.
Source : cpp.edu