Vertical Multi Level

Farming to Increase Crop

Yield
An Affordable and Feasible design

BySumit Singh

Contents
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Current Status
My Design
Platform Tower
Prototype
Testing
Experimental Groups
Data
Observations and Conclusion
Pros and Cons
Snapshots

Current Status
There are designs of skyscrapers
proposed for Vertical farming but the
construction and maintenance
cost will be very high. So
Vertical farming is not a reality yet.
Moreover, such type of farming
will harm small farmers in
rural areas.

IImage: Design of a proposed Vertical Farm.(Made in Google Sketchup 6)

My Design
Low cost Vertical Multi-Level Farm, affordable by small

farmers.
Uses Platform towers made of bamboo and mud tiles.
Cluster of such towers makes a Vertical Multi Level
Farm.
The towers have to be aligned in North-South direction
so that east and west are on the sides.

Platform Tower
3 level tower made using bamboo tied by ropes and

paved with mud bricks to hold the soil.

If its width is x then height of second level should be
(1.5x+plants' height) (the plant to be grown in the field)
and the distance between top level and second level
should be (x+plants' height).
To keep the costs low, it would be the best to take value
of x as 3 feet.

A Platform Tower

Prototype
For testing my design's efficiency, I built a prototype using
different materials but same measurements.
I tested the prototype with 3 types of plants- green beans,
chickpea (gram) and wheat.

Testing
I observed each plant's growth over a period of 10 days.
At first, I planted green beans and observed their growth

for 10 days. I did the same for chickpeas (gram seeds)

and wheat.
I noted the root length, shoot length and number of
leaves of 3 plants from each Experimental Group and
Control Group and took the average numbers for final
comparison.

Experimental Groups

Data

Data

Data

Observations and Conclusion

The data shows that there was very less or negligible

difference in plant growth in plants of the different

experimental groups.
Since there was almost no harmful effects of variable
amount of sunlight on plant growth, my design is
feasible and efficient.
The increment in total cultivation area and production is
66%.

Pros And Cons

Pros:
Low Cost
Reduces percentage of crops exposed to pests (like

mice).
Increases cultivation area and production by 66% or
even more.
The top level and second level platforms are safe from
floods.

Cons:
Heavy machines can't be used on top level and second
level.

References

Drip Irrigation System.(n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.tnau.ac.in/aecricbe/aetc/swc1.htm

Frauenfelder, Mark.(2008, July 31). Interview with Dickson Despommier, vertical farming advocate. Retrieved from http:
//boingboing.net/2008/07/31/interview-with-dicks.html
Iannotti, Marie. What Do They Mean By Full Sun, Partial Shade, and so on?(n.d.). Retrieved from http://gardening.about.
com/od/gardendesign/qt/SunExposure.htm
Insolation.(n.d., para 3). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insolation
Lovejoy, Rachel.(2011, April 11).Is Plant Growth Affected by the Amount of Light Received?. Retrieved from http://www.
ehow.com/facts_8200001_plant-affected-amount-light-received.html
Max, Arthur. (2011, November 4).Indoor Farming Could be the Future of Food Production. Retrieved from http://www.
huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/11/indoor-farming-sunless-food_n_847462.
html#s263102&title=Netherlands_Sunless_Farming
Measuring Plant Growth.(n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fairprojects/project_ideas/PlantBio_measuring_growth.shtml
Mechanical Properties of bamboo.(2002, October 27).Retrieved from http://bambus.rwth-aachen.de/eng/PDFFiles/Mechanical%20properties%20of%20bamboo.pdf
Rawat,J.K.,THE STATUS OF BAMBOO AND RATTAN IN INDIA.(n.d.) Retrieved from http://www.inbar.
int/documents/country%20report/INDIA.htm
Staff,LiveOAK .(2008)Vertical Farms: "Growing Up Sustainably". Retrieved from http://greenupgrader.com/2057/verticalfarms-growing-up-sustainably/#
The Scientific Method.(n.d.).Retrieved from http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project_scientific_method.
shtml
The Vertical Farm Project - Agriculture for the 21st Century and Beyond(n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.verticalfarm.
com/more
Variables in Your Science Fair Project.(n.d.). retrieved from http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fairprojects/project_variables.shtm
Vertical Farming:Does it really stack up?(2010, December 9). Retrieved from http://www.economist.com/node/17647627
Whiting, David.(2011). Plant Growth Factors:Light. Retrieved from http://www.cmg.colostate.edu/gardennotes/142.pdf