An Integrated Framework for Vertical Farming in Developing Countries

This paper examines indoor vertical farming in urban settings, investigating its impact on food accessibility, food security, environment, and the resident's well-being. Addressing food security is particularly crucial for low-income households in the global south, necessitating sustainable and locally sourced food to support their socio-economic progress. Challenges such as limited urban land, high transportation costs, and lengthy supply chains hinder traditional agricultural practices. To tackle these issues, an integrated framework for vertical farming is proposed, emphasizing practicality, modularity, and scalability. This framework consists of three sub-systems: a controlled environment for optimised plant growth, a smartphone application, GoGreen, for user education and community engagement, and policy guidelines encompassing zoning regulations, building codes, environmental standards, energy efficiency requirements, water conservation guidelines, and food safety regulations. Through rigorous testing and user feedback, the app's accuracy was found to be 92% for controlled environment monitoring, ensuring optimal plant growth. By promoting sustainable urban agriculture and efficient resource utilisation, this framework generates employment opportunities and ensures food security for marginalised communities, particularly women and children, in densely populated developing areas.