Vertical farms are a relatively new phenomenon that have yielded immense rewards for the communities in which they are built. When people pack into cities they have to find some sort of land to grow their food, often relying on a shipping industry to import the goods, but vertical farms change that.
Turning multi-story buildings, often previously abandoned, into lush farmland is a key usage of the minimal urban acreage.
The numbers are impressive; one 30-story farm can feed 50,000 people a 2,000 calorie-per-day diet every day. NASA estimates that it requires a landmass the size of South America to grow enough food for the 7 billion people on earth and stacking the land on top of itself is an ingenious way to cut down on the space.
Here, Dickson Despommier explains vertical farms and the impact they have on society
This info-graphic reveals values and challenges the vertical farming industry incorporates
http://inhabitat.com/infographic-how-vertical-farming-could-help-cities-feed-themselves/
Image Credit: https://www.popularresistance.org/vertical-farms-sprouting-up-all-over-the-world/