High-tech Farming in Tokyo
The Japanese say it is “the farm of the future.” Using high-tech urban farming techniques, the Pasona Group, billed as a “Social Solution Company,” built a 10,000 square foot underground farm called Pasona O2. According to an article by Japan Info, the company created the farm “to spark a new interest in farming and the lifestyle that comes with it among urbanites, and make people think about the way they use their environment.”[1] To spark this new interest, particularly amongst young people, Pasona O2 was formed in an office building in downtown Tokyo.
As an indoor high-tech urban farm, Pasona O2 creates ideal growing conditions by a computerized controlled environment system. Japan Info reports that this system uses energy-efficient LED lights and hydroponic technology, a soil-less gardening system, to grow “100 different types of fruits and vegetables,” including “herbs, flowers and even rice…” According to another article, this food is available for the consumption of Pasona employees.[2]
Urban agricultural projects like Pasona O2 uses information technology that help us make smarter cities in reference to how we grow food. These systems give us better control over the nutritious quality of our food. They also help us to conserve water and grow food in areas where there is a shortage of arable land. Moreover, they can provide jobs for young people and, with an ever-aging farmer population worldwide, encourage them to become farmers.
[1] Japan Info (2016). Visit Tokyo’s Farm of the Future: Pasona O2.
[2] See Meinhold, Bridgette (2013). Pasona HQ is an Urban Farm That Grows Food For Its Employees in Tokyo at http://inhabitat.com/pasona-hq-is-an-urban-farm-that-grows-food-for-its-employees-in-tokyo/.
