Article: Vertical Farming

Urban Gardening

Introduction

Before you start: Answer these questions in 1-2 sentences.

õ How concerned are you about where your food comes from?

õ In your opinion, what is “urban gardening”?

õ Which current problems in farming could be solved by “urban gardening”?

õ Have you ever grown your own fruits and vegetables?

õ If so, which ones? If not, which ones would you like to grow?

VOCABULARY

1. Match the words and definitions

1	organic			the unit of reproduction of a flowering plant, capable of developing in another such plant
2	seeds			animals kept on a farm, such as cattle or sheep
3	soil			able to continue or last for a long time
4	sustainable			a small marked or measured piece of ground for building or growing things
5	pests			a chemical substance used to kill pests
6	pesticide			a building with a glass roof and glass sides used for growing plants
7	livestock			produced without the use of pesticides, or other artificial chemicals
8	harvest			a mixture of decayed plant matter, such as grass or leaves, used for making the soil richer
9	compost			the upper layer of earth in which plants grow
10	greenhouses			being, concerning, or produced by farm animals, that are kept under natural conditions
11	plots of land			the act or time of gathering the crops
12	free-range			usually small animals or insects that harm or destroy food supplies

2. Complete the sentences with the words in the box!

 

a. In many ways, biodiversity loss is a greater threat than climate change – when we __________ ecosystems, they reach a point of no return

b. Soil is a major source of __________ needed by plants for growth.

c. The report suggests concrete septs towards the needed __________ shift from an environment-destroying concept to a more sustainable one.

d. The late flowering and late fruit setting of the plant is influenced by temperature and the relative __________ of the air.

e. International leaders must try to make a difference - and not only hope for __________  change and progress.

f. The food __________   should decrease its reliance on non-renewable energy.

g. The system should be __________  to change its technological systems.

Urban Gardening Projects

Look at the slideshow (Urban Farming Pictures) and choose one of the projects. Write a short comment (5 sentences) saying what you (don’t) like about it:

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/habitats/urban/#/56205.jpg

 

Vertical Farming

= the activity of growing crops in tall buildings with many floors

 

Videos

Watch these two videos and complete the table below. Make sure to include information from both videos!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QT4TWbPLrN8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5_COl_L4yY

Problems in current society	Problems of current agriculture	Benefits of vertical farming

 

Article: Vertical Farming

http://www.verticalfarminstitute.org/vertical-farming/

Read the article and add some new pieces of information in the table above.

Questions

Based on the information from the videos and article, answer the questions below:

a. How long does it take to grow plants in vertical farming (in comparison to traditional farming?

b. How can we make sure that vertical farming doesn’t waste water?

c. How might vertical farming change the way people eat?

d. Which factors have increased the pressure on traditional farming? Name at least four!

e. How does vertical farming improve the quality of produce?

f. What are possible drawbacks of vertical farming? How can they be overcome?

g. How could vertical farming reduce the problem of pollution?

h. What is your personal opinion about vertical farming? Write a short comment (50-80 words)