In the future, we're going to need food. Lots of it. In fact, if the world goes to hell in a hand basket (something my grandmother is fond of saying), our current population will not be able to live a Whole Foods 24-hour, 365 day variety of fresh fruits and veggies kind of life. Each climate contributes its fair share to the great selection we currently enjoy at the supermarket, especially here in the United States.

So, for countries that live in extremely arid regions and rely exclusively on imports for veggies and other items, alternatives must be explored that can sustainably keep supply in check with demand. One current idea making the rounds (and gaining investors) is something called Skyfarming. These "vertical farms" are 30-story buildings, each floor set to grow two to ten different crops.

Skyfarms feature some excellent green technologies. For instance, treated wastewater from an adjacent city is retreated for safety and used for irrigation. Meanwhile, pure water condensed by plants is collected and either used for drinking water or put back into the system. Each buildings would have solar collectors or wind turbines to create pellets from cellulose and used for energy. Additionally, such vertical farms could also be used for fish farming or poultry.

Sure, it may sound like something out of a science fiction novel, but the technology exists right now to make these towers a reality. In today's dollars, the price of one tower would work out to about $200 million! The only country right now capable of dishing out that kind of cash is one flush with green, which is why the oil-rich Arab emirate Dubai may be the first to give Skyfarming a chance at reality. Dubai is a perfect test site since it has very little arable land and even less water. With peak oil a coming reality, it makes sense for the Middle East to prepare for a future very different from the one enjoyed today.

For more information, check out verticalfarming.com

via Outliving The Oil Economy