Farmers are under continuous pressure to produce more food, faster. Environmental sustainability in agriculture is an equally important topic to discuss in parallel with mass food production. When food is grown sustainably, it’s safe and healthy for both consumers and Mother Earth. Let’s look at some of the most innovative futuristic farming methods.

Vertical Farming Systems: This system uses available indoor spaces to grow crops. Instead of sprawling out alongside one another, herbs and vegetables grow vertically to conserve space

1. Hydroponics – No soil needed. It is an innovative farming method where the roots of plants are submerged in a nutrient-rich solution. You can even see hydroponics firsthand in big-name grocery stores today, like Safeway, as herbs like basil, oregano, and parsley are being grown more sustainably.
2. Aeroponics – Growing plants in midair. In efforts to find efficient ways to grow plants in space, the National Aeronautical and Space Administration (NASA) developed an innovative indoor growing technique, which they coined “aeroponics.” As stated by NASA, “Aeroponics systems can reduce water usage by 98 percent, fertilizer usage by 60 percent, and pesticide usage by 100 percent, all while maximizing crop yields.”
3. Aquaponics – Farming plants and fish together. It combines plants and fish in the same, closed ecosystem to sustainably grow crops. The nutrient-rich waste produced by the fish raised in indoor ponds provides a food source to the plants. In turn, the plants benefit the fish by filtering and purifying the wastewater, which gets recycled back to the fish ponds.

An obvious benefit to urban growing solutions is that you can grow more crops in a smaller area, but there are many other benefits to vertical farming as well, such as reduced water consumption, chemical free food production, lower carbon emissions etc. Innovativations to further environmental sustainability in agriculture ultimately benefits the world, we just need to be dedicated to the process.