For those addressing food issue on a crowded planet, this is exciting news. Japanese homebuilder Daiwa House has introduced a line of prefabricated hydroponic vegetable factories, aimed at housing complexes, hotels, and top-end restaurants.
Called the Agri-Cube, these units are said to be a first step in the industrialization of agriculture. Instead of farm or garden land, units will be located in areas where people live and work. Locations may include rooftops, parking spaces, or apartment community areas.
Bottom line, the product, priced between $70.000 and $100,000 may be a force in changing how food is grown and sold in urban environments. Assuming it gains in popularity, pricing might hopefully be reduced.
Measuring  2.5 meters wide (about 8 feet) by five meters long (about 16 feet), Daiwa’s Agri-Cubes are smaller than a twenty-foot equivalent shipping container. An Agri-Cube can be brought to an installation site on the bed of a light heavy-duty truck. A concrete foundation about 10 square meters (108 square feet) in size must be prepared before delivery, along with plumbing and electrical utility hookups. Daiwa claims each Agri-Unit can grow about ten thousand servings of fruits and vegetables each year at an operations cost of about US$4,500, which corresponds to only 45 US cents per head of lettuce.
This video shows more on the Agri-Cube.
Source: gizmag, Daiwa House
Photos: Daiwa House
