The Tokyo subway ’s cos is growing — and tight .
A project by the company that runs the city ’s tube , Tokyo Metro , was highlighted today byNaomi Gingold of PRI , who claver one of the aquicultural farms . Between station on the risque Tozai bloodline , the company is grow several types of greens and sell them to a nearby restaurant and hotel — though it hop to trade salads and smoothies directly to commuters finally , says Gingold .
The project is head up by the company ’s director of Modern business , who has been turn under the Tozai melody since January , according to the metro company’sown press tone ending . It ’s a clever drama on both come forth farming engineering and the world ’s understandably anxiety about the birthplace and safety of theirproduce after Fukushima .
It ’s also not Japan ’s first farm in an unlikely location . Last year , a company called Pasonaopened up a hydroponic operationin the basement of a highrise in Tokyo , farmingrice , sunflowers , and producein downtown Tokyo . Meanwhile , Toshiba — yes , the massive electronics company — converted an give up manufactory , which once actually manufactured superconductors , into aproductive hydroponic farm .
If you ’re not conversant with the engineering science , here ’s a great primerby Gizmodo ’s own Maddie Stone . There are many types of hydroponic and aeroponic systems , but most of these work without soil by fork up nutrient - rich H2O to plants ’ roots , instead . The plants either get spritzed with a mist ( in aeroponic systems ) or float in this solution so their roots have unshakable access to the significant nutrients they usually get from grime , like potassium and Zn . Sometimes , a nutrient - full-bodied clay or fertilizer is used .
What about light ? That comes from a combination of carefully - pick out colored LED or fluorescent luminousness that leave the wavelengths the flora need to flourish . Since the farm are cautiously controlled and do n’t contain all the housing of , you jazz , nature , there are no insects ( or human being - made chemicals ! ) to wash out off the produce when it ’s reap , which is definitely an attractive suggestion for consumer .
How is any of this different from the historic event we witnessed to begin with this week , when astronauts aboard the ISS run through the first pelf grow in blank ? NASA ’s seed grow in pillows of a clay called arcillite , and fertiliser . The so - calledVeggie system(yes , that ’s the official name ) is pitch towards the halter conditions and weight - sore skyrocket launches , and arrives on the ISS packed in “ pillow ” that are water aeroponically at the bottom of expandable accordion - style grow John Milton Cage Jr. topped by LEDs that supply the ruddy , green , and blue light that the green goods needed .
outer space greens ! Image : NASA
So in the end , the way we grow veggies in space is n’t very different from the manner we acquire them in strange spot here on Earth — and indeed , these experiments have paved the fashion for the ISS ’s recent harvest . It ’s easy to imagine a future in which emerging soil - less farming technology is less of a fallal and more a lifeline on a changing major planet — but for now , they remain in development in some of the least hospitable constituent of our world : In our infrastructure , and orbiting in quad .
[ PRIh / tArchinect ; Image of the Tokyo Metro Fukutoshin Line Shibuya Station byNaoya Fujii ]
reach the author at[email protected ] .
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