ABSTRACT
This chapter lays the foundation for the newly emerging agricultural technology called aeroponics. It includes the innovative trends and some of the pioneer work in this field at Disneyworld and in the NASA space program. The vertical farming concept is introduced and described with several examples. This chapter sets the stage for the history, science, innovations, and business of this new field. Aeroponics is defined with respect to its old sister, hydroponics, and also as a player in the new field of controlled-environment agriculture. Some key TEDx talks are referenced which demonstrate the innovativeness of this technology. The chapter ends with a discussion of the use of shipping containers that have been reconfigured into mini-farms that are capable of producing clean, nutritious, and safe food in a controlled environment, that is, while using a fraction of the land needed for soil produced food and with less water and energy.
