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Supermarket in Egypt Uses Vertical Farming
작성자  : 관리자
In October, a supermarket in Cairo, Egypt, attracted media attention for some of its produce. It is offering various kinds of lettuce that were grown within the store, right next to the shopping aisles.

The produce is grown in shelves stacked vertically inside a special hydroponic fridge. Instead of soil, it only uses mineral-rich water to grow the lettuce. Yet, this system needs 90 percent less water than soil gardening.

So, shoppers can purchase lettuce that is always fresh and does less damage to the environment.

The supermarket’s fridge in Cairo is the latest example of vertical farming. This is the practice of growing crops in layers that are stacked on top of each other. By contrast, traditional farming practices entail crops being raised outside in horizontal rows.

Thus, the vertical farming method enables a great amount of food to be produced in indoor spaces. It can also result in a higher crop yield relative to the area of land that is being used.

Through advanced technology, indoor vertical farms control the environmental conditions for the crops. They are not affected by the abrupt changes in weather patterns that can greatly damage traditional farms.

For these reasons, vertical farming is considered a good strategy for urban environments. In various countries, warehouses and other large-scale buildings have been revamped to provide organic food for city residents.

Meanwhile, the method is also being used successfully at a smaller scale, as shown by the lettuce fridge in the Egyptian supermarket.

* vertical farming 수직 농법 (실내재배의 한 방법으로 선반을 이용해 식물을 재배하는 농법)