With 5,000,000 people cramped in 715 square kilometers, the tiny Republic of Singapore has had to expand to the heights and build buildings for all its inhabitants. Now, also finds herself forced to develop a model of urban agriculture, and performs experiments with vegetable gardens on the buildings in order to feed all its people.Singapore only produces 7% of the food it consumes in its territory. This country imports most fresh fruits and vegetables from neighbors Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines, as well as from more distant places, such as Australia, New Zealand, Israel and Chile. The flow of immigrants drifted in the rapid agglomeration of the horizon, with the construction of more and more apartment towers. Meanwhile, the little land available for agriculture disappears so fast.The solution to the problem came in the form of public-private association, with the launch of what is called "the first vertical farm", which rotates with the force of the water and releases fewer emissions of carbon dioxide to produce tropical crops in an urban environment. The initiative, the result of an agreement between the Agri-Food Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) and the local company Sky Green, aims to popularize urban farming techniques that do not contaminate the environment.Consist of a series of aluminum towers, some of up to nine meters high with 38 ranks each and equipped with tanks to the vegetables. True to its sustainable philosophy, the water used to run the towers is recycled to irrigate the crops. Each tower consumes 60 watts per day, similar to a standard bulb.The Tower of vegetables with multiple layers slowly turns and takes 8 hours to give a complete turn. While climbs receives sunlight, and when lowering is irrigated thanks to a tray that is filled with the hydraulic system that activates the rotation system. This closed-loop system is easy to maintain and does not release contaminants in gases.With the increase in extreme weather events, including natural disasters such as floods, which may have an impact on food production, that Singapore would be needed to produce their own vegetables from the point of view of food safety.
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