The Future of Farming: Exploring Vertical Farming and Urban Agricultural Biosystems
A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Farming Sustainability".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 June 2025 | Viewed by 203
Special Issue Editor
Interests: agritourism sector; agri-food sector; food waste; consumer behavior; impact of agriculture on natural resources; rural development
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The increase in the world's population over the past few decades has caused significant changes in traditional agricultural systems, resulting in increases in demand for food, land use and deforestation, water scarcity, and climate change, but its problems are not limited to these effects.
Vertical farming and urban agriculture are both innovative and sustainable solutions to the challenges posed by traditional agriculture, such as land and water scarcity, environmental pollution, and food security in urban areas. Vertical farming has many environmental benefits, such as reducing water and land usage and reducing agricultural runoff. In addition, urban agriculture programs, such as community gardens and urban farms, promote the creation of local jobs and community involvement, serve as educational platforms, and create a sense of belonging among residents.
This Special Issue will primarily address the significance of various indoor vertical farming practices (i.e., IoT sensors, drones, robotics, and machine learning technologies, as well as big data analytics) in controlled conditions with comparative analysis of efficiency, productivity, advantages, and potential benefits. It will also highlight the need for sustainable agricultural practices that can meet the growing demand for food while minimizing negative environmental impacts. Research and innovation in vertical farming and urban agriculture is crucial for achieving global food security and promoting sustainable urban development. In this regard, collaborative efforts among researchers, policymakers, industry stakeholders, and urban communities can drive the development of effective, sustainable, and scalable solutions for the future of food production.
Prof. Dr. Rosa Maria Fanelli
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Agronomy is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- crop selection
- cultivar development
- environmental impacts
- sustainable agricultural
- urban agriculture
- vertical farming
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