In the reader, tap any word or sentence to hear it in English,
translate it, or look up a definition.
Words to know
hydroponics
a way of growing plants in water instead of soil
nutrients
substances in food or water that help things grow
harvests
the times when crops are gathered, or the crops gathered then
pesticides
chemicals used to kill insects that harm crops
economics
the way costs, money, and profits work
calories
units that measure the energy in food
operates
to run or manage something
A On a conventional farm, crops grow across the land in a single flat layer. A vertical farm turns this picture on its side: plants grow indoors, in trays stacked from floor to ceiling, sometimes ten or more layers high. LED lamps replace sunlight, shining in the exact colors that plants need, while hydroponics replaces soil, so the roots sit in shallow streams of water mixed with nutrients. The modern idea came largely from Dickson Despommier, a professor at Columbia University in New York, who developed it with his students around 1999. Commercial vertical farms have since opened in cities across North America, Europe, and Asia.
B The appeal of growing food this way rests on control. Water in a hydroponic system is caught and recycled, so some operators report needing up to 95 percent less water than an open field. Indoors, the weather no longer matters: a vertical farm can pick lettuce every few weeks all year round, whereas a field may give only two or three harvests in the same period. Sealed growing rooms keep insects out, so many of these farms use no pesticides at all. And because a farm can stand inside a city, food may travel a short drive to the store rather than days on the road.
C These advantages come at a considerable price, and the price is electricity. Every ray of light that nature gives for free must be produced by lamps instead, and lighting is one of the largest costs of running such a farm. The economics therefore favor crops that are small, fast to grow, and expensive by weight — above all leafy greens and fresh herbs. Grains such as wheat and rice need far more room, grow slowly, and sell cheaply. Researchers estimate that wheat raised fully under artificial light would cost many times its normal market price. For this reason, outside a few research experiments, vertical farms do not grow the crops that supply most of the calories people eat.
D Where a farm stands largely decides whether it can pay its way. The model works best where fresh vegetables are difficult or costly to obtain nearby. The city of Singapore imports around 90 percent of its food, and it has strongly encouraged indoor farms. Japan operates around 200 so-called plant factories that grow vegetables under electric light. Desert countries in the Middle East, where good land and fresh water are scarce, have invested in the idea as well, and small growing units have even been tested in Antarctica to give polar scientists fresh salad.
E It is unlikely, then, that vertical farms will push conventional agriculture aside. Open fields remain far cheaper for the grains, beans, and root crops that make up most of what people eat, and fields need no lamps at all. What vertical farming offers instead is a narrow but real service: a steady local supply of salad crops and herbs in places where climate, land prices, or geography make ordinary farming difficult. Seen this way, the stacked farm is not the future of food; it is one useful tool among many.
Exam practice
Exam-style questions written by ESLDesk for practice.
They are not official IELTS or TOEFL questions, and ESLDesk is not affiliated with the exam providers.
True / False / Not Given
Do the following statements agree with the information in the passage?
Choose True if the statement agrees with the passage, False if it
contradicts the passage, or Not Given if the passage does not say.
The modern concept of vertical farming was developed by a university professor working with his students.
Show answer
True — Para A: Dickson Despommier, a Columbia University professor, developed the modern idea with his students around 1999.
An outdoor field can supply lettuce harvests more often than a vertical farm can.
Show answer
False — Para B: a vertical farm picks lettuce every few weeks all year, while a field gives only two or three harvests in the same period.
Wheat grown entirely under electric lighting would cost far more than wheat from ordinary farms.
Show answer
True — Para C: researchers estimate wheat raised fully under artificial light would cost many times its normal market price.
Japan has more plant factories than any other country in the world.
Show answer
Not Given — Para D says Japan operates around 200 plant factories but never compares that number with any other country.
The author expects vertical farms to eventually take the place of conventional agriculture.
Show answer
False — Para E states it is unlikely vertical farms will push conventional agriculture aside; the stacked farm is 'not the future of food.'
Matching Headings
The passage has 5 paragraphs, A–E.
Choose the best heading for each paragraph from the list below. There are two extra headings you will not use.
A modest role alongside traditional farming
Fresh vegetables for scientists in Antarctica
The advantages of raising crops indoors
How a stacked indoor farm works
The world's rising demand for food
Locations that suit this kind of farming
How energy costs restrict the choice of crops
Show answer
iv. How a stacked indoor farm works — Para A describes the setup: stacked trays, LED lamps, hydroponics, and where the modern idea came from.
Show answer
iii. The advantages of raising crops indoors — Para B lists the benefits: big water savings, year-round harvests, no pesticides, and short trips to stores.
Show answer
vii. How energy costs restrict the choice of crops — Para C explains that lighting expense limits these farms to small, fast, high-priced crops like greens and herbs.
Show answer
vi. Locations that suit this kind of farming — Para D shows the model pays off where fresh vegetables are scarce: Singapore, Japan, desert countries, Antarctica.
Show answer
i. A modest role alongside traditional farming — Para E argues vertical farms will not replace field agriculture but fill a narrow, useful niche for salad crops.
Summary Completion
Complete the summary below. Choose no more than two words
from the passage for each answer.
A vertical farm raises crops indoors in stacked layers of trays, where LED lighting stands in for the sun and a method called 1 takes the place of soil. Because the growing rooms are sealed against insects, many operators apply no 2 at all, and recycled water keeps consumption far below that of an open field. Running the lamps consumes large amounts of 3, so only quick, high-value plants such as salad greens and fresh herbs make commercial sense. These farms therefore suit places where ordinary growing is difficult — 4, for example, buys most of its food from other countries.
Show answers
hydroponics — Para A: 'hydroponics replaces soil, so the roots sit in shallow streams of water mixed with nutrients.'
pesticides — Para B: sealed growing rooms keep insects out, so 'many of these farms use no pesticides at all.'
electricity — Para C: 'the price is electricity' — light nature gives free must come from lamps, one of the largest costs.
Singapore — Para D: 'The city of Singapore imports around 90 percent of its food' and strongly encourages indoor farms.
