MAY 30

I'm torn as well. It has it's positives and if done right could have a real effect on world hunger. Many of us apartment dwellers already use similar contraptions because we don't really have any other choice. I have an Aerogarden stocked with organic seeds and fed with organic nutrients. I may not have a yard but I still know where my lettuce and herbs come from.

Instead of using electricity for lights, why not use solar collectors on the roof with fiber optic lighting (so you can get natural, full-spectrum sunlight directly to all the plants). This isn't that expensive and would save environmental impact from the lighting (though the robots would need electricity, maybe that could be provided by photovoltaics on the roof or walls). I think these are designed to be lit during even hours as well (though not 24/7 since plants need some darkness to grow), but lighting in daylight hours could be accomplished with the fiber optics.

This company seems to like organic food crops, but they don't seem to mind GMOs. I actually don't believe GMOs are bad... all our food crops are genetically modified, just that some are modified on a macro level and some are modified on a micro level. Just look at corn... it didn't exist in very edible form until humans started to culture it, graft it, cross-breed it, selectively evolve it, etc. Now people freak out about "franken-corn". FYI, it was a mad scientist experiment long before we could modify its DNA directly.

Though this would be a great asset against world hunger, I don't think it's long term effect on society, or better yet, the world, would be worth it.

With food being this easy and quickly to produce, wouldn't that be cause for an increase in the population? We've seen happened with the beginnings of our civilization and with the industiral revolution, and looking at where we are now, would creating that possibility of population increase be worth it, even if the technology does sound really good?

I really hope that, if this technology is used, it's used properly.

You are right that this technology, if implemented on a massive scale, could have an effect of the world population. However, these are human beings we're talking about. It is ignorant to be content with the accomodations we have in modern society, but decide that is not wise help others live as comfortably as we do.

I would like to clarify that there is a large differnec between breeding plants and transgenetically altering them. Lets stick with corn... True, corn has been bred for a great number of years by selecting desirable traits and breeding to enhance those traits. The differnec between transgenics and breeding is vast. A good example of transgenics is as follows: We find a random plant that is resistant to glycophos (roundup). We find the gene that is responsible for that trait and remove it. We then inject that trait into the corn's plant tissue. Then we breed traditionally for that trait.
Please understand I am not opposed to GMO's...I just thought that the facts should be known.

It's a great idea from the standpoint of reducing the land needed for agriculture, thus increasing the amount of land available for open space and commerce. It also costs virtually nothing to transport. However, about world hunger, I don't think there's actually a shortage of food so much as ability to distribute it. That is, we have enough extra food to more then happily feed the entire population of Africa and then some, but getting it to them may be expensive, especially when the lack of good paved roads and railways makes modern freight shipping all but impossible. I'm basing this off the fact that, prior to the ethanol subsidies, farms were shutting down for want of customers.

I wonder if these systems could be set-up in large unused builds in economically depressed areas in cities. Could they provide employment and food close to where it is needed?

Sorry I meant to write "buildings"

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