Agriculture of the Future: Japanese Plant Factories Methodically Produce Lettuce
by Ariel Schwartz in Gardening, Pest Control
What do you do in a country where the average farmer is 65 and only 5% of all farmers are under 40? Make food the way we make everything else: in factories. The Ozu Corporation’s plant factories, located all across Japan, grow lettuce and green leaves all day, every day in sterile environments that are uncontaminated by dirt, bugs, and even fresh air.
Instead of dirt-covered overalls, factory workers wear protective suits, surgical masks, and gloves. The completely uncontaminated environment means that lettuce grown in the factories can be eaten without washing, and that it sells for a premium in grocery stores. Without contamination worries, the lettuce crops don’t have to worry about falling prey to disease.
Agriculture of the Future
It seems like something straight out of a scary science fiction novel, but plant factories will almost certainly crop up around the world if we can’t make farming appealing to younger generations–and release ourselves from the hold of disease-prone factory-farmed crops. Plant factories aren’t the end of the world, but removing our connection to the land is a dangerous prospect, and one that we would do well to avoid.
[Via UK Daily Mail]
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Posted on Jun 04, 2009
leaves, lettuce, ozu corporation, plant factory, plant farms
About the Author
Ariel Schwartz
Ariel Schwartz is the editor of Cleantechnica.com and writes for Fast Company, Inhabitat, Triple Pundit, SF Weekly, and NBC Bay Area Online. A graduate of Vassar College, she has previously worked in publishing, organic farming, documentary film, and newspaper journalism. Her interests include permaculture, hiking, skiing, music, relocalization, and cob (the building material). She currently resides in San Francisco, CA.2 Responses to “Agriculture of the Future: Japanese Plant Factories Methodically Produce Lettuce”
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Jun 20, 2009
i think your fears have you blinded to the real situation concerning our food supply…….yes I agree its a shame youth don’t take more interest in agriculture. However the days of plowing acre after acre, fighting “natural” disease, pest, and the every changing climate…must be moved past…soon! if we are to make our way into the future…….there are thousands of communities around the world that have been ravaged by our industrious ways…making growing food the old fashion way “seeds in soil” just simply impossible for them.
smart, clean, organic farming is the only answer…….imagine a world were we only use 5% the usual amount of water to grow our crops, and 1acre would be the equivalent of having 20, and loosing crops to weather, pest and disease are a thing of the past.
i’m not asking for genetically engineered “Grapples” just Super efficient organic ways of growing!!!
Lisaurbanfarmer
Oct 25, 2009
I believe the factory in question is a hydroponic factory.I am learning aquaponics(hydroponics+aqua culture together)It is supposed to use 1/10 the water and the plant growth and harvest is supposed tobe greatly accelerated.I will find out as I have just set my system up today and am planting the plants tomorrow.I live in St.Petersburg Florida and will be also raising Tilapia as the aquaculture part of the system,that fertilizes the plants that clean the water to go back to the fish in a closed loop system.