Biosphere’s Next Experiment: Shipping Container Farms
ORACLE, Ariz. — In 1991 eight “biospherians" in matching red jumpsuits locked themselves into a giant airtight greenhouse. The cult-like group were to live, farm, and survive in the facility for two years. The experiment turned into a media frenzy and a scientific disaster.
Today ‘Biosphere 2’ still stands in a remote corner of the Arizona desert.
The ‘Freight Farm’ is an experimental hydroponic lettuce farm constructed in a shipping container. It uses very little water and almost no soil.
The system utilizes an innovative software called Farmhand which allows growers to monitor and adjust the LED lights, water and nutrients delivered for optimized crop yields. Unlike traditional farms, vulnerable to climate change, the shipping container has ‘perfect weather” every day.
One shipping container can yield 2–6 tons of annual harvest in the middle of the unforgiving desert. These pods are able to be dropped into “food deserts” where fresh food is lacking. The automated Farmhand app allows for even novice growers to produce large yields.
Archival photo of the biospherians in the 1990’s during the robust media coverage of their mission. (Getty Images)
