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Re:Infarm wants to put a farm in every grocery store by rm_-rf_slash on Monday June 26, 2017 @03:44PM (#14639691)
I can see this playing well with the doomsday bunker crowd.

And even before we get to that point, a distributed agricultural system would help lessen our reliance on large-scale industrial farming operations which we are frankly not using at a sustainable (1,000+ years) rate.

Re:Infarm wants to put a farm in every grocery store by jfim on Monday June 26, 2017 @04:04PM (#14639882)
Keep in mind it doesn't get rid of the centralized petroleum-based fertilization, so you're still dependent on large-scale industrial petrochem for fertilizer production.
Re:Infarm wants to put a farm in every grocery store by strictnein on Monday June 26, 2017 @04:12PM (#14639943)
Just tap into the store's bathrooms and presto! free fertilizer.
Re:Infarm wants to put a farm in every grocery store by mobilefriendly on Monday June 26, 2017 @04:45PM (#14640209)
That's true but with this controlled environment the amount needed could be highly targeted...think drip irrigation.
Re:Infarm wants to put a farm in every grocery store by chris_t on Monday June 26, 2017 @04:23PM (#14640046)
What is it about current agricultural practices that makes them unsustainable? I know there is a reliance on fossil fuels, but that seems like it could be overcome in the long term (1000 years) without needing to move to a decentralized system.
Re:Infarm wants to put a farm in every grocery store by vkou on Monday June 26, 2017 @04:35PM (#14640141)
Topsoil loss [1] and aquifer depletion.

This happens with decentralized farms, too. The problem is not in the kind of farm, but with the techniques used. Tractor tillage increases yields, but is hell on topsoil.

[1] https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/only-60-years-of-...

Re:Infarm wants to put a farm in every grocery store by chris_t on Monday June 26, 2017 @05:36PM (#14640592)
Interesting, thank you. Aquifer depletion seems like a modest problem on a 1k year scale, there's plenty of water around generally. But I hadn't heard of topsoil depletion before; I wonder how difficult it will be to produce it artifically? It sounds like something that will soon be in demand.
Re:Infarm wants to put a farm in every grocery store by vkou on Tuesday June 27, 2017 @12:10AM (#14642514)
There's plenty of water, but aquifers are tend to be tapped in areas with insufficient rainfall/access to rivers.

If you're drawing on the aquifer faster then it replenishes, it'll eventually run out. Sure, it'll replenish itself - eventually - but the land you were cultivating will be unusable for decades. In the meantime, all of your nice topsoil will turn to dust, and blow away.

Re:Infarm wants to put a farm in every grocery store by schiffern on Tuesday June 27, 2017 @01:16AM (#14642736)
>I wonder how difficult it will be to produce it artifically?

It's easier to conserve the soil that's already there than to make new soil. That said, there are techniques to increase the production rate of soil. Sheet mulching can create 4 inches of topsoil out of waste organic matter in 2-5 years (compared to thousands of years for natural processes).

Generally it's better to make soil "in place" because moving it breaks up important soil structures, leading to oxidization and nutrient loss.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheet_mulching

http://tobyhemenway.com/resources/how-to-the-ultimate-bomb-p...

Re:Infarm wants to put a farm in every grocery store by yongjik on Monday June 26, 2017 @05:42PM (#14640626)
Maybe I lack imagination, but I have a hard time visualizing a doomsday prepper walking down an isle at Trader Joe's, looking for a pot of fresh organic basil.

"Damn nuclear apocalypse, it's been weeks since I had fresh basil! How can I feed my militia if I can't even bake a pizza?"

Re:Infarm wants to put a farm in every grocery store by shortstuffsushi on Monday June 26, 2017 @06:21PM (#14640864)
They're still people that enjoy flavor, and a basil plant is pretty "easy" in terms of adding flavor to any food.