Crop-growing skyscrapers
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INDOOR FARMING
Questions 1 – 7
Complete the sentences below .
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer
INDOOR FARMING
1 Some food plants, including _________________are already grown indoors.
2 Vertical farms would be located in _____________________ meaning that there would be less need to take them long distances to customers.
3 Vertical farms could use methane from plants and animals to produce ______________.
4 The consumption of ___________________would be cut because agricultural vehicles would be unnecessary.
5 The fact that vertical farms would need _________________ light is a disadvantage.
6 One form of vertical farming involves planting in ________________ which are not fixed.
7 The most probable development is that food will be grown on ______________ in towns and cities.
Answers
1 Some food plants, including tomatoes are already grown indoors.
The concept of indoor farming is not new, since hothouse production of tomatoes and other produce has been in vogue for some time.
2 Vertical farms would be located in urban centres meaning that there would be less need to take them long distances to customers.
One such proposal is for the ‘Vertical Farm’. The concept is of multi-storey buildings in which food crops are grown in environmentally controlled conditions. Situated in the heart of urban centres, they would drastically reduce the amount of transportation required to bring food to consumers.
3 Vertical farms could use methane from plants and animals to produce energy.
Although the system would consume energy, it would return energy to the grid via methane generation from composting non-edible parts of plants.
4 The consumption of fossil fuel would be cut because agricultural vehicles would be unnecessary.
It would also dramatically reduce fossil fuel use, by cutting out the need for tractors, ploughs and shipping.
5 The fact that vertical farms would need artificial light is a disadvantage.
A major drawback of vertical farming, however, is that the plants would require artificial light.
6 One form of vertical farming involves planting in (stackable) trays which are not fixed.
One variation on vertical farming that has been developed is to grow plants in stacked trays that move on rails.
7 The most probable development is that food will be grown on rooftops in towns and cities.
While it is possible that much of our food will be grown in skyscrapers in future, most experts currently believe it is far more likely that we will simply use the space available on urban rooftops.
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Questions 8 – 13
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1?
In boxes 8-13 on your answer sheet, write
TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this
8 Methods for predicting the Earth’s population have recently changed. Not Given
By the year 2050, nearly 80% of the Earth’s population will live in urban centres. Applying the most conservative estimates to current demographic trends, the human population will increase by about three billion people by then.
There is no information on the methods used to predict the Earth’s population.
9 Human beings are responsible for some of the destruction to food-producing land. True
At present, throughout the world, over 80% of the land that is suitable for raising crops is in use. Historically, some 15% of that has been laid waste by poor management practices.
10 The crops produced in vertical farms will depend on the season. False
If successfully implemented, proponents claim, vertical farms offer the promise of urban renewal, sustainable production of a safe and varied food supply (through year-round production of all crops), and the eventual repair of ecosystems that have been sacrificed for horizontal farming.
11 Some damage to food crops is caused by climate change. True
However, more often than not now, due to a rapidly changing climate, that is not what happens. Massive floods, long droughts, hurricanes and severe monsoons take their toll each year, destroying millions of tons of valuable crops.
12 Fertilisers will be needed for certain crops in vertical farms. False
All the food could be grown organically, eliminating the need for herbicides, pesticides and fertilisers.
13 Vertical farming will make plants less likely to be affected by infectious diseases. True
The system would greatly reduce the incidence of many infectious diseases that are acquired at the agricultural interface.
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